Government

The UK Coalition Government should prioritise the development of a North Sea ‘supergrid’ to link up renewable energy sources with the rest of Europe, according to the Green Alliance. Its report, Roadmap 2050: a practical guide to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe, launched in the UK yesterday, says that the development of a pan-European electricity ‘supergrid’ linking UK […]

The UK Government’s boiler scrappage scheme to replace old inefficient models with better performing ones, announced in the December Pre-Budget Report, launched yesterday. The scheme, kickstarted by the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, will issue vouchers for £400 off the price of a modern A-rated boiler or […]

US President-elect Barack Obama has named two members of his team that will be charged with tackling energy and climate change. Despite speculation that Al Gore and Arnold Schwarzenegger might be on the team, Obama has instead gone for physicist and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu as energy secretary and Nancy Sutley as head of the White […]

The Australian Government has promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15% compared with 1990 levels by 2020, but only if global leaders reach an agreement in Copenhagen next year. However, if the talks in Copenhagen do not establish a successor to the Kyoto Agreement, then Australia will reduce its target to just a 5% cut by […]

Despite growing passenger numbers, improving efficiency could reduce CO2 emissions from UK aviation to 2000 levels by 2050, according to a report from Sustainable Aviation. The UK environmental aviation organisation calculates that improved efficiencies as a result of airframe design, engine technology, low-carbon fuels and better air traffic control will mean a fall in emissions despite a […]