Climate policies & low-carbon technologies
Thorium: How to save Europe's nuclear revival
15 June 2011
The EU should continue to support nuclear power. Existing technologies should generally be used. But thorium liquid fuel reactors – which cannot melt down – should be an exception.
Carbon capture and storage: EU advancing, but not fast enough
03 June 2011
TGAE report
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an essential low-carbon bridge technology, to be used in the several decades it will take before Europe can be totally reliant on renewable energy.
Delivering energy savings and efficiency
19 January 2011
The EU should not waste its time arguing about whether to make its energy efficiency targets binding. Instead, it should focus on practical steps to improve energy efficiency. In this new CER policy brief Stephen Tindale calls for a strengthening of the EU's so-called 'combined heat and power directive' to...
The EU should be much bolder on energy efficiency
12 October 2010
The most pain-free way for European governments to fight climate change is to use energy more efficiently. At a recent energy conference hosted by the European Commission, it struck me that the EU still has a poverty of ambition when it comes to energy efficiency.
The EU must support clean energy, not dirty coal
02 August 2010
The EU aspires to be a world leader in reducing carbon emissions. It seeks to develop renewable sources of energy and new ways of making coal and gas cleaner.
Weak carbon prices threaten the EU’s environmental leadership
05 March 2010
TGAE report
The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) works by capping the output of carbon dioxide and then distributing allowances to emit the gas to large energy users.
Carbon capture and storage: What the EU needs to do
12 February 2010
Coal will be the biggest single source of electricity for decades to come. Yet the EU is doing far too little to encourage the take-up of carbon capture and storage, a technology which could make coal a low-carbon fuel.
Making choices over China: EU-China co-operation on energy and climate
02 November 2009
The EU needs China to move rapidly towards a low carbon economy. Even with strong leadership at the highest level in China, this will not be easy, given the country's scale, diversity and development needs.
How to meet the EU's 2020 renewables target
01 September 2009
The EU countries have promised to get 20 per cent of their energy from renewables by 2020. The EU can meet this target but only if governments take action now to boost investment in the full range of renewable energies.
Carbon price collapse threatens the EU's climate agenda
01 April 2009
The EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) works by capping the output of carbon dioxide and then distributing allowances to emit the gas to large energy users.
Issue 65 - 2009
27 March 2009
- Europe's flagging response to the financial crisis , Philip Whyte
- Carbon price collapse threatens the EU's climate agenda, Simon Tilford
- In the name of EU solidarity, Katinka Barysch
The EU's climate agenda hangs in the balance
01 December 2008
The EU has entered a severe economic downturn. Not only does Europe face the deepest recession since the 1970s, but the recovery when it does arrive will be weak and patchy.
Issue 63 - 2008
28 November 2008
- The EU's fleeting chance for global leadership, Charles Grant
- The EU's climate agenda hangs in the balance, Simon Tilford
- How the Irish government might save Lisbon, Hugo Brady
Europe can afford to curb greenhouse gases
02 June 2008
In March 2007 the EU pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 per cent by 2020, from 1990 levels. But as EU governments and the Commission work on the policies needed to achieve this goal, opposition is mounting, particularly towards the Commission’s proposals for reforming the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS).
Issue 60 - 2008
30 May 2008
- Towards better days in EU-US relations, Tomas Valasek
- Four pillars for an EU-India partnership, Charles Grant
- Europe can afford to curb greenhouse gases, Simon Tilford
How to make EU emissions trading a success
01 May 2008
The European Union has set ambitious targets to limit greenhouse gases. But it will not be able to meet these targets without an effective market for trading carbon emissions.
Why the UK needs to back Commission energy plans
12 January 2007
The reactions to the Commission’s energy package – widely leaked before its official publication date on January 10th – were predictable.
Time to get tough on carbon emissions
01 December 2006
The single biggest challenge facing the world may be to decouple economic growth from growth in emissions of greenhouse gases.
Issue 51 - 2007
24 November 2006
- If Turkey and the EU break up..., Katinka Barysch
- Time to get tough on carbon emissions, Simon Tilford
- Transatlantic trade: walk before you run, Aurore Wanlin
Towards an environmental union
02 October 2006
When I was involved in the creation of CER in 1994 I hoped it would become an important source of ideas and debate about the future of Europe.