Barbara Buchner

Exciting new report by my ACEEE teammates Emily Garfunkel and Mike Waite identifying building performance standards (BPS) as a ready opportunity for utility code programs. BPS could have enormous impact given that they apply to existing buildings, which are responsible for a much greater share of energy consumption than new buildings (the main focus of code programs). Utilities can already get credit for advancing or implementing codes in 14 states plus DC. Ten of those states are now in the process or have adopted BPS. Utilities can help with adoption or implementation, but as the paper points out, states must set up a way for utilities to get credit for BPS so they can participate and help transform existing buildings!

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Very, very useful analysis. In addition to the main headline that no plan out of the 26 submitted National Energy and Climate Plans is fully compliant with the new #EED requirements..."Only Cyprus and Poland provide a precise quantification of the energy savings to be achieved among #vulnerable customers and people affected by #energypoverty." Clearly A LOT more work to do to make sure the potential of the EED to alleviate energy poverty is realised.

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New Payne Institute for Public Policy Financial Flow blog post! Observations from The World Bank about potential growth in #carboncredits demand to pay #carbontaxes or for #emissions allowances. (In other words, compliance demand growth may not have to wait for resolution of seemingly never-ending Article 6 negotiations.) #carbonoffsets #sustainablefinance #netzero #carbonemissions #carbonmarkets https://lnkd.in/eX8aQYbh

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Voluntary Carbon Markets Joint Policy Statement and Principles - published today #VCM #CarbonMarkets

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Black outs due to power grid failure during extreme heat would be a catastrophe. Assessments of grid resilience and investements in resilient grids is absolutely must to avoid this. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

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The OECD 2024 report `Climate Finance Provided and Mobilised by Developed Countries in 2013-2022’ has created both, jubilation as well as frustration, among different segments of the climate community. So, going beyond the headline “Developed countries exceeded the USD 100 billion annual goal for the first time in 2022” three years before the 2025 deadline; let us delve in to the key messages from this report: (1) In 2022 developed countries’ public climate finance provided bilaterally and through multilateral channels mainly took the form of loans (69% or USD 63.6 billion) and, to a lesser extent, grants (28% or USD 25.6 billion); (2) Over the period 2016-2022, close to 90% of financing provided by MDBs took the form of loans; (3) The mix was comparatively more balanced for multilateral climate funds with 39% loans and 54% grants; (4) Financing provided by the bilaterals was 57% loans and 39% grants; (5) The relative shares of mitigation and adaptation in the aforementioned climate finance mobilization were 60% and 28% respectively in 2022; (6) Over 2016-2022, while 38% of public finance for the adaptation was provided through grants, only 15% was grant-funded for mitigation; and (7) Between 2016 and 2022, the energy and transport sectors accounted for 62% of the total mitigation finance provided and mobilized.. It may be safe to conclude, therefore, that the bulk of public climate finance, through multilateral and bilateral channels (such as the World Bank and ADB etc.) has come in the form of loans with grants forming a miniscule share. The multilateral climate funds e.g. GCF, GEF, Adaptation Fund, and IFAD etc.) fared better in terms of grant-based financing. How does it square off with the first Global Stock Take at COP28, Dubai, which noted that “new and additional grant-based, highly concessional finance, and non-debt instruments remains critical to supporting developing countries, particularly as they transition in a just and equitable manner…”?   The vast difference in quantum of financing between mitigation and adaptation is indicative of preference being accorded to `commercially viable’ mitigation projects (e.g., energy and transport sectors) as opposed to adaptation and climate resilience where benefits are largely intangible, that too accruing over long gestation periods. Moreover, with loans outstripping grants by a wide margin and the additionality of `pure' climate finance being in a doubtful zone, it speaks volumes about the quality of said climate finance.    #climatefinance #climateaction #mitigation #adaptation #climateresilience #justtransition #developingeconomies  

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I finally managed to read the recent report on “Empowering Women in Clean Energy: Advancing and Retaining an Equitable Workforce” by Shortlist Professionals and the The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). The report explores what limits women’s advancement and retention, even when obstacles to recruitment have been overcome. What did the study find?   1️⃣ The study highlights that training of employees is not a strategic priority for many firms. Many companies offer specific product knowledge training, as it directly impacts sales, but other training efforts tend to be reactive.   2️⃣ The the study confirms the global pattern that female employees are less likely to have access to skilling at work. This is true across many countries and industries, but particularly so in male-dominated industries like (clean) energy. What is holding back women’s ability to advance and be retained? While lots of discussions around adult learning and enterprise training focus on financial barriers, I was happy to see that the study sheds light on a lot of non-financial constraints for firms and women. For example:   👉 Small firms, incl. in the clean energy sector, often face intense pressure to survive. This leaves little bandwidth for leadership teams to focus on employee development 👉 Women’s uneven share of home responsibilities makes it harder for them to take advantage of new work opportunities, training, and extracurricular activities that are associated with advancement 👉 Women may self-select out of jobs or drop out of a job or industry when the job features require them to break with gender norms (e.g., around travel, manual labor). This is reinforced by family pressure, as women may have to convince their families that the job suitable for them 👉 Cultural barriers can prevent junior staff, esp. women, from being proactive and outspoken at work, incl. when it comes to seeking advancement opportunities 👉 Women’s aspirations and values can differ from those of their male peers 👉 Lack of role models. When there are few women in leadership positions, this lack of visibility discourages women in junior and mid-level positions from seeking advancement 👉 Unwelcoming work environments. In male-dominated fields, women often face harassment or hostility from colleagues and clients. They may be excluded from information sharing networks and may not acquire the same skills they need to thrive in their roles.   These findings closely mirror what we found in our own research at Prospera Consulting about barriers to up/reskilling for workers, firms and training providers, suggesting that up/reskilling efforts are often held back by psychological, social and belief-related obstacles.   Unfortunately, policy efforts to encourage (equitable) up-/reskilling are still largely centered around financial subsidies to firms or workers, which do not address the above-mentioned constraints. Ciara Marie Remerscheid Shivani Kotecha Paul Breloff

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Check out how our #voluntary #watercredits program launched 2 years ago can help India (and the Global South) fortify their credit strength 🙏 #carboncredits #watercredits #environmental #market #blockchain #defi #cefi #environmentalexchange #unfccc #bisleri #dairy #rainwater #groundwater

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Worth a read - Systematic review and meta-analysis of ex-post evaluations on the effectiveness of carbon pricing. #kudos to those involved for this significant contribution to building the evidence base on the effectiveness of carbon pricing instruments. Abstract Today, more than 70 carbon pricing schemes have been implemented around the globe, but their contributions to emissions reductions remains a subject of heated debate in science and policy. Here we assess the effectiveness of carbon pricing in reducing emissions using a rigorous, machine-learning assisted systematic review and meta-analysis. Based on 483 effect sizes extracted from 80 causal ex-post evaluations across 21 carbon pricing schemes, we find that introducing a carbon price has yielded immediate and substantial emission reductions for at least 17 of these policies, despite the low level of prices in most instances. Statistically significant emissions reductions range between –5% to –21% across the schemes (–4% to –15% after correcting for publication bias). Our study highlights critical evidence gaps with regard to dozens of un-evaluated carbon pricing schemes and the price elasticity of emissions reductions. More rigorous synthesis of carbon pricing and other climate policies is required across a range of outcomes to advance our understanding of “what works” and accelerate learning on climate solutions in science and policy. https://lnkd.in/eFGDZnw7

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Market needs more regulation and standards. But more than that, we need more genuine will to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and impartial verification of results. And yes, we need to reduce emissions and transform energy sector. Needed level of action is immense. #CRCF #carbonremoval #energy #renewables #carbonpricing #carbonmarket

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Shocking figures in this new report on the economic impacts from nature loss in the UK. It shows that damage to the natural environment could lead to an estimated 12% reduction to GDP in the years ahead - larger than the hit to GDP from the global financial crisis or Covid-19. The Government must urgently address these risks to our economy, starting with a nature-positive economic strategy that supports and incentivises the business and finance community to invest in nature, and reduce negative impacts, especially deforestation which is a big threat to climate change and food security. As part of this, a due diligence obligation on companies and financial institutions to address the deforestation risks associated with their activities would be an important step forward.  Green Finance Institute WWF-UK

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There is a new entry on the Emissions First Partnership guest blog that I encourage you to read. It's from Flexidao and outlines their latest research paper on the impact of market boundaries on corporate renewable energy procurement. The blog outlines the findings of the paper, which "estimated a significant trend of trapped renewable energy capacity in these countries [Singapore, India, South Korea and Japan], e.g. potential renewable energy (RE) that could have been procured by corporate energy buyers yet was not due to different barriers in the RE market. If unlocked, this trapped capacity could lead to a potential increase in generation of 76.5 TWh per year and avoid 35 Mt CO2e annually ending up in the atmosphere." This line from the blog gets to why this is so important. "These market boundary guidelines may not sufficiently consider the time value of carbon, for which, in light of urgency in meeting the Paris Agreement’s Goals by 2050, decarbonizing today has more value than decarbonizing later." Thanks to Giacomo Bravaccini and Simone Accornero for the great work. Along with Faraz Ahmad, Brent Morgan, Chad Reed, Holly Lahd, Hannah Hunt and many more. #renewables; #greenhousegasprotocol; #carbon https://lnkd.in/e72Wdc5r

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The World Bank's flagship report, "Funding a Water-Secure Future: An Assessment of Public Spending," breaks ground by quantifying, for the first time, government expenditure in the water sector and estimating the financing gaps crucial to meeting global water needs. Highlighting the vital role of water in sustaining life and fostering prosperity, the report is set against the backdrop of rising water insecurity, with billions lacking access to safe water and sanitation, compounded by climate change. The World Bank 2030 Water Resources Group IFC - International Finance Corporation

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A very insightful piece on the importance of electric utility reform in the United States. #climateaction #climatesolutions #cleanenergy

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#ICYMI #susty #thoughtleadership #cliamatefinance #ESGinsider #sustinable1 Developed countries met and exceeded a commitment to provide $100 billion annually in climate finance for developing countries for the first time, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Read More #ESGInsider #ESG

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SIDS are pioneering integrated & inclusive energy transitions through a path of self-dependency for climate resilience. Ahead of #SIDS4, learn more with our latest bulletin, which highlights the role of sustainable energy to catalyze transformative development in SIDS. 👉 bit.ly/SIDS-Bulletin 🏝️ #EnergyForDevelopment

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EPIC announces Air Quality Fund Deadline: Sep 10, 2024 The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) is currently accepting applications for the Air Quality Fund. In this call, the EPIC Air Quality Fund will offer financial support to 10-15 selected groups over an 18-month period. They expect award amounts to be roughly 50,000 USD for groups proposing to deploy lower cost sensors and 75,000 USD or more for groups using regulatory grade or reference grade equipment. Organizational Type This call for applications is open to governmental and non-governmental organizations of any type, including universities, non-profits, for-profits, corporates, NGOs, and CSOs. Organizations are required to be legally authorized to receive funds from a US institution. Organizations are required to have a working bank account that is able to accept funds from a US institution. Individuals interested in applying must do so in partnership with an organization that meets the above criteria. 🔗 Learn More & Apply https://lnkd.in/d3pgnaqJ #ClimateChange #Energy #Environment #AirQuality

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