SMEs are helping to unlock £3tn low-carbon tech sector
The number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are innovating in low-carbon technologies has doubled in the last two years, rising from 37% in 2011 to 76% in 2013, according to new research. A study entitled Low carbon entrepreneurs: the new engines of growth, conducted by the Carbon...
‘Greening’ global trade holds significant opportunities, says UN
To achieve long-term and stable prosperity, developing countries should embrace a green economy and look at sustainable trade opportunities, a new UN report has said. The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) study, Green Economy and Trade, highlights six key sectors in which adopting a ‘greener approach’ will be beneficial in...
Introducing: The Guide to Limitless Clean Energy 2013
There’s a quote by Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, the motion picture camera and many other things, about renewable energy. Speaking in 1931, he said, “We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using nature’s inexhaustible sources of...
Al Gore: sustainability adds realism to investment
Assessing investment using an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens gives you a much “fuller” image, according to former US vice-president Al Gore. Using light as his analogy, Gore explained how mainstream investors focus value: a narrow part of the spectrum. According to Bloomberg, he told 200 delegates at...
UN: economic losses from natural disasters total $2.5tn this century
Oklahoma is rebuilding after being hit by a mile-wide tornado that killed at least 91 people. And in a report that highlights the economic impact of natural disasters, the UN estimates that over $100 billion (£66 billion) has been lost in the last three years alone. The third edition...
21% would think twice about buying a home with green deal loan attached
Homeowners who have taken out a green deal energy efficiency loan may need to settle their debts in order to sell their property, according to consumer group Which? Since the launch of the scheme on January 28, government statistics say almost 19,000 green deal assessments have been conducted. It...
Goldman Sachs looks at clean energy in Japan
Goldman Sachs is planning to invest 300 billion yen (£1.9 billion) in Japanese clean energy projects, in an effort to boost the renewables market post-Fukushima. The US bank has created the Japan Renewable Energy Company to plan and design new solar and wind power developments. Ankur Sahu, co-head of...
‘Still unclear’ if HS2 will be economically beneficial
The government’s plans to build a high speed rail line in England are unclear as to how it will create economic growth and new jobs, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO has “reservations” over the business plan presented by HS2 – the £32 billion project that...
Lloyds CEO says firm will review use of tax havens
The chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group António Horta-Osório has said the bank has begun a systematic review of its use of offshore havens in an effort to reduce its involvement in tax avoidance. Campaigners say that 259 Lloyds entities operate in tax havens, where companies can legally avoid...
Green deal assessments near 19,000 mark since January
A recent survey said one in five homeowners in Britain feel their homes are too cold. But an increasing number of people are looking to combat this by opting for the government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme, with nearly 19,000 green deal assessments conducted since January. The green deal, which...
DECC ‘doesn’t recognise’ figures in Civitas green subsidies study
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has criticised a publication by the Civitas thinktank, in which clean energy subsidies are blamed for “discouraging” innovation and ramping up bills. The document, which is the sixth instalment in Civitas’ Ideas for economic growth series, says that households in Britain...
European responsible investment grown 19% since 2010
Assets under management in European responsible investment funds now total €237.9 billion (£201 billion) – a 19% increase since 2010 – according to a survey by the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI). The European Responsible Investment Fund Survey, published by accountancy giant KPMG on behalf of ALFI,...
Green Investment Bank appoints general counsel
Euan McVicar from law firm Pinsent Masons has become the new legal adviser for the Green Investment Bank (GIB), after spending a large proportion of his career working on the financing of energy projects. The bank’s CEO Shaun Kingsbury said he is delighted to have McVicar on board, adding...
Big oil companies under investigation for price rigging
The European commission has raided the offices of several oil companies, amid claims that they might have distorted oil prices for more than a decade at the expense of consumers. Those involved include BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Platts. European authorities conducted “unannounced investigations” in three countries, including the...
Switzerland, Germany and Austria see sustainable investment growth
Over €120 billion (£101 billion) is invested sustainably in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, according to the sustainable investment trade body that covers the three countries. In a report, Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG) – the Sustainable Investment Forum – also revealed that investments into sustainable funds in the regions now...
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