Climate policies & low-carbon technologies
What should an energy union cover?
27 November 2014
Energy union should result in a connected European energy market, not a single buyer for imported gas.
International climate negotiations should focus on money, not targets
17 September 2014
The G20 should implement its 2009 pledge to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and give the money instead to the Green Climate Fund.
The green benefits of Britain's EU membership
30 April 2014
European rules have delivered cleaner air and water in Britain, and protected wildlife. Outside the EU, Britain would again be 'the dirty man of Europe'.
How to reduce dependence on Russian gas
10 April 2014
Europe should improve energy efficiency, develop all alternative gas sources, and expand renewable, CCS and nuclear energy. The foreign policy advantages would justify the cost.
Climate policies are more important than targets
17 January 2014
The EU should set ambitious 2030 targets for carbon reduction and renewables. And it should adopt strong binding measures on energy efficiency.
On target, off track: Europe’s failure to protect the climate
29 November 2013
Europe likes to see itself as a leader in attempts to control climate change. But it is not. The EU's own greenhouse gas emissions are falling. However, that is due to de-industrialisation and the fact that so many of the goods Europeans consume are now manufactured in China or India.
Europe should regulate to promote carbon capture and storage
30 October 2013
The EU should give grants to coal and gas carbon capture and storage demonstration projects, and regulate to require coal plants to use this technology.
Can shale gas transform Europe's energy landscape?
10 July 2013
Shale gas could slow the increase in Europe's dependence on imported gas. But it will not be the game changer it has been in the US.
Commission should move to structural reform of the ETS
09 May 2013
The EU should set an ETS price floor, to attract investment to low-carbon options. The Commission should propose this without further delay.
EU energy: Decarbonisation and economic competitiveness
07 May 2013
House of Lords
Energy is central to climate change mitigation. Over three quarters of the EU-27’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the production and use of energy. Energy is also central to the economy, fuelling industry and providing substantial employment.
Saving emissions trading from irrelevance
02 May 2013
TGAE report
Uncontrolled climate change is the greatest risk that humanity faces. The main burden will fall on developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
The EU and climate change policy
15 March 2013
The EU carries more weight in UNFCCC negotiations than the UK would acting alone.
How to expand renewable energy after 2020
07 December 2012
The EU should set targets for renewable energy for 2030 and the end of each subsequent decade, to reach full reliance on renewables by 2060.
How to confront the carbon crunch
15 November 2012
To protect the global climate and European industry, the EU needs a stronger Emissions Trading System and border tax adjustments - as Dieter Helm proposes.
Saving emissions trading from irrelevance
29 June 2012
The Emissions Trading System must be overhauled. The cap should be lowered, and combined with a price floor and ceiling and border tax adjustments.
How to create a single European electricity market - and subsidise renewables
26 April 2012
Renewable energy needs subsidy. But different national subsidy schemes threaten energy integration. Schemes should be harmonised, even if the amount of subsidy continues to differ.
Energy efficiency: Made in Denmark, exportable to the rest of the EU?
11 April 2012
Denmark has Europe's most energy efficient economy. Copenhagen should stand firm behind the Commission's proposals on energy efficiency, which would save billions of euros.
EU climate policies without an international framework
21 October 2011
Whatever the outcome of the Durban climate summit, the EU should strengthen energy efficiency policies and the Emissions Trading System, to improve energy security.
Has Europe given up on fighting climate change?
28 September 2011
The EU has long prided itself on leading international efforts to control climate change. Today, the issue is nowhere near the top of the EU’s agenda, having been eclipsed by the economic downturn and the eurozone debt crisis.
Green, safe, cheap: Where next for EU energy policy?
09 September 2011
Is the EU's policy on renewables damaging the single market? Why do Europeans not use energy more efficiently? Is the EU's gas policy too obsessed with Russia?