In light of a marked increase in the number of gas divestments taking place in the Canadian oil and gas sector, Ernst & Young recently looked at a number of forces that are driving companies to shed assets thereby identifying four dimensions – deal strategy, cost management, speed and risk mitigation – as crucial for any… Keep reading →
Sometimes a great idea is embraced because it is well-designed to achieve one particular purpose. At other times, its success is attributed to its ability to achieve a variety of different goals simultaneously. BuildSmart NY is in the latter category, as its different components merge prudent fiscal policy, sustainability and environmental protection. At the… Keep reading →
In anticipation of the UN Climate Summit, the majority of media coverage around the event has been delivered from the perspective of industrialized and relatively wealthy countries. In an attempt to offer a new perspective, let’s take a look at international climate negotiations through the lens of a country that doesn’t always expect the lights… Keep reading →
A new ‘Zeitgeist’ is increasingly taking hold in growing pockets of society, politics and the business world. All indications point to one direction – towards the concept of ‘sustainability’ dominating human behavior and thinking in the twenty-first century. As the urbanization wave around the globe rolls on, megacities are increasingly becoming the epicenter of human… Keep reading →
This week is shaping up to be rough for the US coal industry. The EPA is holding hearings on plans to dramatically cut carbon-dioxide emissions released from US power plants and the Obama administration just published a report on the economic consequences of waiting to act on climate change. It’s enough to make one wonder… Keep reading →
In June 2014, the EPA released its proposed carbon emissions rules to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel power plants. This so-called ‘Clean Power Plan’ proposed a regulatory framework that mandates US power plants reduce GHG emissions 30 per cent by 2030 relative to their 2005 baseline. Taking center stage in this proposal… Keep reading →
Carbon capture has been slow to fulfill the hopes held for it by a wide range of powerful energy policy players – from the Natural Resources Defense Council to the International Energy Agency – who see the technology as crucial in the fight against global warming. But its prospects in the United States got a boost… Keep reading →
In this video Dr. Robert Stavins, Professor of Business and Government at Harvard University’s Kennedy School succinctly discusses some of the obstinate challenges facing governments – from the local to national level – regulators, corporate entities, scientists, the environmental community and other relevant stakeholders when considering how to deal with climate change. He discusses the… Keep reading →
After analyzing the EPA’s ‘Clean Power Plan’ proposal for the Scientific American, David Biello aptly concludes that in order “to burn coal or even natural gas without exacerbating global warming requires CO2 capture and storage whether in India or Indiana. The EPA, because of the cost of such CCS technology, will not go that far.”… Keep reading →
In general, when discussing global progress on climate change the ideas often floated with respect to the structure of regulating carbon emissions from fossil fuel-fired power generation have two starting points: They either propose a carbon tax on emissions (e.g. Australia before July 1, 2014) – meaning that a price is basically set for the… Keep reading →
