Sweden leads the way on European renewable energy
News
Three EU Countries Hit 2020 Renewable BenchmarksEarly
Sweden is sourcing 51 per cent of its energy from renewables,according to new data from Eurostat. It’s one of 20 Europeancountries that are more than halfway to meeting their 2020renewables goals. The UK ranks third last in Europe, generating 4.2per cent of its energy from renewables.
Climate and energy news:
EU exempts shale gas from tougher environmentalassessments
An update to the European Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) Directive, agreed by MEPs this week, excludes shale gas fromtougher rules addressing the environmental impact of oil and gasexploration. UK and Poland argued intensely last December againstthe inclusion of shale gas, and specific references to it werescrubbed out of the text.
GM rules are out of date, sayadvisers
The government’s science advisory body says European rulesexcluding GM crops are “illogical and outdated”, and GM crops inthe UK should be licensed at a national level by a body similar toNICE. In its letter and reportto thegovernment, the body cites climate change as one of the key reasonswhy GM crops are needed.
Shell cuts spending and jobs at US shale gasarm
Royal Dutch Shell is going to cut spending by a fifth at itsAmerican exploration and production arm and axe 30 per cent of jobsworking in its shale sector. “Low gas prices have eroded theeconomics” according to its new chief executive. “Smaller, moreagile players have outmanoeuvred the big guns” in the Americanshale sector, the article says.
EU warns of double-counting risk in U.N. emissionscut plan
The EU has warned the UN that more “technical analysis” isneeded to ensure emissions reductions under its Clean DevelopmentMechanism (CDM) programme are additional. Prices of credits underthe scheme – which allow countries to ‘offset’ their emissionsreductions by funding them elsewhere – have crashed, but the UNbelieves the scheme can be revived and used to contribute to asignificant chunk of planned emissions cuts.
Fracking halted at Ohio site followingearthquakes
Four earthquakes with magnitudes as high as three have beenfelt in townships in Ohio after fracking began at a nearby well.Ohio oil and gas inspectors have been visiting the fracking site totry and work out if it’s responsible, and operations have beenhalted “out of an abundance of caution”, according to oneofficial.
Climate and energy comment:
Unconventional wisdom on energypolicy
The general drift of UK electricity policy since 2006 hasbeen for more central planning and fewer decisions made in acompetitive market, argues Guy Newey from thinktank PolicyExchange. But the nine reasons given for this – including “marketscannot solve the carbon problem” – are not justified, hesays.
Energy bills may rise by £600 ayear
Household energy bills could rise by more than £600 a yearwithin six years as a result of a drive to sustain the power supplyand cut down on carbon emissions, according to consumer groupWhich?. The group is is campaigning for a market investigation tofind out if consumers are paying a fair price for energy and haswritten to the Treasury ahead of next week’s Budget to raise theissue.
Touchy subjects
The Economist examines debates over climate sensitivity – ameasure of how much the climate warms in response to a doubling ofcarbon dioxide. The article cites a new paper published in NatureClimate Change arguing against low figures for climate sensitivity,and a paper published by climate skeptic thinktank the GlobalWarming Policy Foundation arguing the opposite.
New climate science:
Simplicity amidComplexity
A new comment piece from Isaac Held, professor of meteorologyat NOAA, looks at the trade off between climate models becomingever more realistic representations of the climate system but atthe same time becoming more difficult for policymakers to usesimply. Held asks, is the climate system just too complex foruseful prediction?