Greta Thunberg Banned From Speaking In European Parliament
In this newsletter:
1) World’s Green Energy Transition In Doubt As Progress Stalls
World Economic Forum, 25 March 2019
2) Greta Thunberg Banned From Speaking In European Parliament
EurActiv, 25 March 2019
3) Carbon Tax Hike: Ireland’s Green Suicide Note
The Irish Examiner, 25 March 2019
4) Why Did A Climate Sceptic Party Win The Dutch
Syp Wynia, DutchNews.nl, 23 March 2019
5) Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs Fight Off Activists’ Climate Change Resolutions
Corporate Counsel, 19 March 2019
6) Greenpeace And Other Secret Sources Funding Attack On UK’s Energy Security
Paul Homewood, Not A Lot Of People Know That, 24 March 2019
Full details:
1) World’s Green Energy Transition In Doubt As Progress Stalls
World Economic Forum, 25 March 2019
Geneva, Switzerland, 25 March 2019 – The world’s energy systems have become less affordable and are no more environmentally sustainable than they were five years ago.
While access to energy has substantially improved, with less than one billion people now living without access to electricity, concerns over affordability and equity of energy transition are increasing. These are the findings of latest edition of the World Economic Forum’s Fostering Effective Energy Transition report, which was published today.
The report’s Energy Transition Index (ETI) measures economies in two ways. Firstly, each economy is assessed for its energy “system performance”. This takes into account three criteria regarded as critical for transitioning to the future, namely: security and access, environmental sustainability and economic growth and development. The latter measures economic impact to households, industry and export revenues.
Over the past five years, the measurement that has seen the most improvement has been energy access and security, followed by economic growth and development and, lastly, environmental sustainability.
The average system performance score had been improving since 2014, but it stalled last year as gains in energy security and access were offset by reductions in affordability and sustainability. Continued use of coal for power generation in Asia, increasing commodity prices and slower than needed improvements in energy intensity have contributed to this year’s stagnation in performance.
Full post
2) Greta Thunberg Banned From Speaking In European Parliament
EurActiv, 25 March 2019
The European People’s Party (EPP) and the liberals (ALDE) have blocked climate change activist Greta Thunberg from speaking in the European Parliament because “kids belong in schools”, according to the chief of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Udo Bellman.
But the EPP and ALDE blocked the initiative to invite her as a speaker in the EU House, he said. The leaders of EPP and ALDE and ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists) rejected the proposal during a conference of presidents (leaders of all parliamentary groups), saying “kids belong to schools on Fridays”.
Thunberg is a Swedish activist who leads a movement of young people to stop global warming and climate change.
The progressive forces ultimately invited Thunberg and 70 other young people in their own group and held discussions.
Full story
3) Carbon Tax Hike: Ireland’s Green Suicide Note
The Irish Examiner, 25 March 2019
Fourfold increase in carbon taxes to see fuel and energy bills soar
A fourfold increase in carbon taxes is “on the table” for the forthcoming budget, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has declared.
Major spikes in household energy bills and car fuel will have to occur to fund the shift to renewable energy, the Government is warning.
Mr Varadkar confirmed yesterday that increases in carbon taxes are intended in October, while Energy Minister Richard Bruton said bills will have to rise to end the State’s reliance on fossil fuels by 2030.
Mr Varadkar confirmed under questioning that carbon taxes will feature as part of the budget this year, but rejected the increases could reach €1,500 as forecasted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Instead, he said the increases would be in line with the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee’s recommendation of €80 per tonne, which is four times the current limit.
Having backed away from introducing carbon taxes in last October’s budget because of a backlash from Fine Gael backbenchers, consumers will be bracing themselves for the extent of the increase this year as Ireland seeks to improve its woeful environmental performance.
Full post
See also GWPF coverage of Ireland’s climate policy fiasco
4) Why Did A Climate Sceptic Party Win The Dutch
Syp Wynia, DutchNews.nl, 23 March 2019
A first time participant in the provincial elections and newcomer to the senate becomes the biggest party in the land in one fell swoop. It’s not something the Netherlands has ever experienced before, says columnist Syp Wynia.
Forum voor Democratie, the party of Thierry Baudet, Henk Otten and Theo Hiddema, all of three years old, scorned by politicians as well as the Hilversum media, was hoisted to the top of the political tree by the voters. It is now the biggest in a number of provinces and the city of Rotterdam. The political establishment can no longer ignore it, lest it wants Baudet’s party to become a bigger winner still, starting with the European parliament election on May 23. […]
Why did Forum win?
FvD’s meteoric rise is a result of how Baudet and his friends presented themselves but even more by how the established parties presented themselves.
At the time of the national elections two year ago, voters were only marginally interested in climate and debates on the subject were few and far between. But the government agreement put together by VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie suddenly turned the Netherlands into the world’s leading champion on climate. Months later all homes were to be gas free, the bill for which was to be largely paid by the population which, relatively speaking, is not the greatest source of CO2 emissions.
Initially Forum was the only party to dispute the government climate stance. Not only did Baudet criticise the high cost of climate policy, he also questioned the United Nations’ IPCC panels’ prevailing views and those of the Paris agreement. The mendacious energy bill was a godsend for Baudet.
Baudet also took aim – albeit not as straight an aim as he used to in the last few weeks – at the European Union: the Netherlands should leave. And immigration should be modelled on the Australian system. Only those who can make a contribution will be allowed into the country, if not the doors remain closed. And in general, the Netherlands and western civilisation as a whole, should stop blaming itself and be less self-effacing.
Forum seems to grow because of a dichotomy between a trend for re-nationalisation and a movement towards handing over more power to Brussels and the United Nations. The Marrakesh migration pact – supported by most MPs- was also seized on by Forum and that unconventional but reasoned opposition helped Forum in this year’s provincial election.
The ‘cartel parties’ helped too
The traditional parties actively contributed to Forum’s success. They supplied the ammunition by focusing on climate (and the business climate, in the case of VVD and CDA) and not purchasing power after years of austerity. The ban on gas in homes, the ambition to be climate champion, the Marrakesh migration pact, none of these were put to the voters. What is more, the referendum was abolished by Rutte III (and defended by none other than D66).
Full post
5) Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs Fight Off Activists’ Climate Change Resolutions
Corporate Counsel, 19 March 2019
In-house lawyers at Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs have successfully fought off climate-related proxy resolutions sought by activist investors with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently granting the banks’ motions to exclude the resolutions from shareholder consideration.
The in-house lawyers at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. and New York City-based Goldman Sachs have successfully fought off climate-related proxy resolutions sought by activist investors.
The proposed resolutions asked the banks to work to reduce the full carbon footprint of their loan and investment portfolios in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming.
But the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently granted the banks’ motions to exclude the resolutions from shareholder consideration. A number of other banks in the world have already committed to decrease the climate impact of their loans in accord with the Paris goals.
But since the U.S. does not accept the Paris agreement, most U.S. banks have committed to lowering their own operations’ footprints but not to reducing loans or investments in fossil fuel companies.
For example, Wells Fargo has promised $200 billion in financing through 2030 to businesses that support the transition to a low-carbon economy, including $100 billion toward clean technology and renewable energy projects. Goldman has committed to financing and investing in clean energy with an expanded target of $150 billion by 2025.
Attorney Danielle Fugere, president of the nonprofit group As You Sow, which promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility, said Tuesday she was disappointed in the SEC’s decision and in the banks. Investing in clean technology is not enough, she said.
Full story
6) Greenpeace And Other Secret Sources Funding Attack On UK’s Energy Security
Paul Homewood, Not A Lot Of People Know That, 24 March 2019
It is bad enough that Greenpeace should be funding action to undermine the UK’s energy security, in league with a self confessed climate fanatic, Sara Bell. But who else is supplying what must be large funds to assist?
I have reported a few times on the ECJ judgement against the UK’s Capacity Market mechanism. The UK has actually done nothing, and the judgement is actually against the EU Commission, who the ECJ say did not follow proper procedures when approving the mechanism in 2014.
The original case was brought by a tiny energy company, Tempus Energy, who have subsequently instigated legal action here as well, to put a stop to all CM payments.
I asked the question at the time of the ECJ judgement how a tiny company could afford to bring what was clearly an extremely expensive case.
Jillian Ambrose, to her credit, has some of the answers:
‘To be honest, nobody thought they would win,” says one industry source. “Actually, I don’t think even they thought they would pull this off.”
The energy industry transition has long served as a battlefield between power and money. But in a multi-billion-pound coup, one energy start-up has emerged as David in the fight against the industry’s incumbent power-generating Goliaths.
The triumph of Tempus Energy, a 10-strong technology upstart, in a European Court battle against power plant subsidies has rocked the industry to its core. A shock court ruling in November has forced the scheme, which aims to stem the closure of power plants by awarding supply contracts worth £1bn a year, into a legal limbo that could take years to resolve.
The move strikes a blow to the heart of the energy system by posing an existential threat to plant operators and a “real and present danger” to the UK’s energy security, according to industry lobbyists Energy UK.
Full post
The London-based Global Warming Policy Forum is a world leading think tank on global warming policy issues. The GWPF newsletter is prepared by Director Dr Benny Peiser - for more information, please visit the website at www.thegwpf.com.
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