COP29 will determine who pays for net zero November 4, 2024 Policymakers are descending on Baku for COP29 to mobilise finance to support climate action in developing countries – and London is leading those efforts, says Chris Hayward Hundreds of ministers, policymakers and financiers descending on Baku this month for COP29 will be met by an in-tray of crucial climate policy decisions. Dubbed the ‘finance COP’, [...]
Transition finance is critical to reaching net zero October 25, 2024 The UK is well positioned to lead the world in transition financing, says Irem Yerdelen There is no room for complacency or delays in the transition to net zero. Not only have countless governments and companies committed publicly to net zero, but the pressures of climate change are being felt increasingly across the world. Earlier [...]
Will carbon capture work? Nobody knows – and that’s the problem October 16, 2024 UK’s clumsy carbon capture punt is result of top down intervention – but there’s a better way, writes Paul Ormerod The government confirmed this month the funding for the UK’s first carbon capture sites. The technology, it is claimed, captures CO2 emissions before they reach the atmosphere and stores them away safely. Based on Merseyside [...]
Centrica-owned Hive continues in the red despite sales rise October 9, 2024 Hive, the smart home devices brand owned by Centrica, continued in the red despite its revenue rising during its latest financial year. The business has reported a pre-tax loss of £28.2m for 2023, having also made a loss of £25.6m in 2022. Hive has never made a pre-tax profit since it was launched over a [...]
Scotland and the City are leading the way to net zero October 7, 2024 Scotland is a natural home for green finance and working together with the City, we can achieve our net zero ambitions, says Chris Hayward With COP29 just over a month away, attention is turning back to the progress the UK has made towards its net zero targets. The City of London has been at the [...]
Want climate action for grownups? Become a climate Yimby October 5, 2024 Instead of throwing soup at artwork, do something actually constructive and become a climate Yimby, suggests Chis Hocknell
Demise of coal power is end of an era, but not an end in itself October 1, 2024 A quiet revolution occurred in the very earliest moments of this morning, probably while you were asleep. You went to bed in one sort of country, and woke up in another sort entirely. The difference is largely invisible but undeniably huge: yesterday, the UK’s last coal power station was still operational and by this morning [...]
How to make the national wealth fund work September 30, 2024 The national wealth fund must do more than just plug funding holes, through targeted and successive interventions it can help a project to reach a growing number of investors and momentum until finally it is no longer needed, says Zvi Wohlgemuth So far, many investors and equity and debt providers to energy transition projects in [...]
Good riddance Woke Capitalism. We can get back to business now September 26, 2024 The era of ESG and DEI finally seems to be waning, thank god! So why can't Britain also let Woke Capitalism go, asks Fred de Fossard.
Balfour Beatty awarded part of National Grid’s upgrade project September 13, 2024 International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £363m contract as part of National Grid’s RIIO-2 framework. The contract is part of the Bamford to Twinstead Reinforcement project, which aims to reinforce East Anglia’s electricity network as part of the country’s green energy build-out. The company will replace the existing electricity network with a [...]