Sustainable Views

I wrote for the Financial Times Sustainable Views on how Labour can bring about a cleaner and greener trade policy for the UK ⤵

Europe’s approach to clean technology policy “is too slow, it’s too cumbersome, while others are charging ahead”, says Ann Mettler, European Policy Expert and vice-president for Europe at Breakthrough Energy . Speaking to Florence Jones in June, she explains how the EU should leverage its research sector and public funding to scale up transition technologies. Governments should offer “risk tolerant, patient capital” to support the uptake of these technologies “and give them certainty”, she adds. Read more below. #cleantechnology #renewables #EUcleantech https://lnkd.in/eyyUMNGs

Featured in today's News In Brief, a recap of the lastest ESG policy and regulatory news: - Austria, along with six other EU member states, has called for a delay to the implementation of the EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, which was set to apply from the end of 2024. - The High Court of England and Wales has heard the arguments in a case contesting the planned construction, in Cumbria, of the UK’s first deep coal mine in more than 30 years. - Meetings have resumed at the UN-backed International Seabed Authority in Kingston, Jamaica, to agree on draft regulations for a code on deep-sea mining. Read more of this week's global news below. https://lnkd.in/e2GhP6sn #esgnews #climatenews #environmentnews

Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected for another five years at the helm of the European Commission. My take in Sustainable Views on what her re-election and her political guidelines for 2024-2029, published today, mean for the EU Green Deal. 😄 Von der Leyen’s overall agenda was welcomed by energy transition experts, though they likewise signalled various gaps and areas where they insisted the president must go further to help the world avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 💶 The financing of the energy transition remains a concern for many, and environmental campaigners have highlighted the importance of not allowing the call to lessen the regulatory burden on companies to reduce climate action. 📣 Ariel Brunner: “In her speech, [von der Leyen] promised very clearly to pursue the Green Deal objective, but also to cut ‘red tape’ for SMEs, which is great, as long as it doesn’t serve as a Trojan horse for environmental deregulation — which typically helps entrenched big vested interests, not innovative SMEs”. 📣 Thierry Philipponnat: “Given the enormous amount of money required for the EU to meet its essential needs, the next European Commission will have to work both on enhancing the depth of EU capital markets and rethinking its public finance architecture.” Full story here: https://lnkd.in/eK-AU8PA #EuropeanCommission #GreenDeal

Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected for another five years at the helm of the European Commission. My take in Sustainable Views on what her re-election and her political guidelines for 2024-2029, published today, mean for the EU Green Deal. 😄 Von der Leyen’s overall agenda was welcomed by energy transition experts, though they likewise signalled various gaps and areas where they insisted the president must go further to help the world avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 💶 The financing of the energy transition remains a concern for many, and environmental campaigners have highlighted the importance of not allowing the call to lessen the regulatory burden on companies to reduce climate action. 📣 Ariel Brunner: “In her speech, [von der Leyen] promised very clearly to pursue the Green Deal objective, but also to cut ‘red tape’ for SMEs, which is great, as long as it doesn’t serve as a Trojan horse for environmental deregulation — which typically helps entrenched big vested interests, not innovative SMEs”. 📣 Thierry Philipponnat: “Given the enormous amount of money required for the EU to meet its essential needs, the next European Commission will have to work both on enhancing the depth of EU capital markets and rethinking its public finance architecture.” Full story here: https://lnkd.in/eK-AU8PA #EuropeanCommission #GreenDeal

The new government must "act fast" to reverse the previous government's stalled progress on net zero, the UK's independent Climate Change Commission warns in its progress report to parliament. Only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the UK's 2030 climate targets are currently covered by credible plans, the report says. The report “confirms [that] the previous government’s failures mean we are falling behind on our climate targets”, says Joshua Emden, senior research fellow at the non-profit Institute for Public Policy Research IPPR. Views also from Natalie Shortall, Hirra K., Sabine Chalopin, Jason Cheng, Jess Ralston, Tom Lancaster. https://lnkd.in/eykMKQKc

There is a real opportunity for the UK to reclaim its leadership position in the global energy transition, whilst at the same time achieving rapid UK-wide wealth creation. This is no easy feat, which is why the new Government must be brave enough to take the lead and rethink existing energy and economic policy in order to make Britain a clean energy superpower. Check out our CEO, Stefano D.M. S.’s, Op-Ed in Sustainable Views, where he shares his views on four key policy changes the new Government should enact in its remaining first 100 days to ensure cleaner, cheaper energy for everyone. Read here: https://lnkd.in/dMm6b2zE

Investment of £1tn in UK infrastructure is required to reach net zero by 2050. Leveraging finance from insurance and pension funds would help to close this gap, argues Steven Penketh, senior consultant at the Green Finance Institute in Sustainable Views. "The UK government could deliver a £20bn nationwide charging infrastructure for a lot less than £1bn over a 15-year period, while delivering steady returns to UK insurance and pension funds in a new asset class," he writes. Read more below, or by signing up for a free trial on the website. #greenfinance #transitionfinance https://lnkd.in/dexbtqnh

Expectations are high for the new UK government - its landslide win gives ministers a "clear mandate to turn the UK into a green energy superpower". I've summed up all the climate-related highlights from the past few weeks, including this morning's king's speech in Sustainable Views Mark Neller Joe Dharampal-Hornby Juliet Phillips Joshua Emden

Climate had a prominent billing in today’s King’s Speech, with sustainable growth and development leading the new government’s plans. Name-checked policies included a sustainable aviation fuel bill, a water quality improvement bill, and a bill to establish Great British Energy. Elizabeth Meager sets out the details for Sustainable Views #KingsSpeech #Climate #SustainableDevelopment https://lnkd.in/eJP_QEnw