Practical Law Energy has published a new practice note on the UK-Euratom nuclear cooperation agreement, which was agreed at negotiator level on 24 December 2020 and published in draft on 26 December 2020.

Practical Law 30th Dec 2020 read more »

The government is yet to announce policy to achieve the 75 per cent of emissions reductions still needed to achieve its 2030 climate target. This lack of policy needs to be urgently addressed by the government next year. Additional policies needed to close the gap include commitments to restore up to 60 per cent of peatlands, raise energy efficiency standards for new homes and mandate car manufacturers to produce an increasing proportion of electric vehicles every year. This is in line with the advice recently given to the government by the Climate Change Committee.

Green Alliance 30th Dec 2020 read more »

Net Zero Policy Tracker.

Green Alliance 30th Dec 2020 read more »

Never has so much been promised by so many governments, businesses and financial institutions. China says it will cut its carbon emissions to virtually zero by 2060. BP is aiming for net zero emissions by 2050, as is HSBC, the EU, US president-elect Joe Biden and investors managing assets worth $9tn. This splurge of commitments to tackle climate change is welcome, but it risks being confused with something it is not: action to cut emissions at the scale and pace needed to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord. It must be borne in mind when China says it will reach carbon neutrality by 2060 but continues to build power plants that burn coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. Or when an oil company says it will cut its emissions per barrel of crude produced, but not its absolute amount of carbon pollution. Or when an asset manager backs green accounting rules but votes against shareholder resolutions to drive faster emissions cuts. When these negotiations were launched almost exactly 30 years ago on December 21, 1990, they were ahead of public opinion. Today the talks lag behind a public rightly demanding faster, deeper action. As four former senior UN climate officials write in a new analysis of the negotiations, “continuing at the pace of the last 30 years is unthinkable”.

FT 30th Dec 2020 read more »

The work of a number of the UK’s leading scientists has been recognised in this year’s New Year Honours. Prof Dieter Helm, chairman of the government’s advisory Natural Capital Committee, has received a knighthood. Marcus Agius, former chairman of the board of trustees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, becomes a CBE. Meanwhile, Dr Hermoine Ferguson, scientific director of Dynamic Earth, is appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire). Prof Helm received his knighthood in recognition for his services to “the environment, to energy and utilities policy”.

BBC 30th Dec 2020 read more »