UK highlights – Ed Davey’s first weeks in office
Edward Davey, new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has been eager to show he has hit the ground running. Stressing there will be “no change in direction or ambition” at DECC, Davey has sought to allay concerns from green critics that the loss of Chris Huhne may signal a change in Government policy. The Secretary of State has underlined the importance of green growth, opened the world’s largest offshore wind-farm, and unveiled a new energy efficiency office in DECC. Davey has rebuffed criticism of subsidies for wind power and set out reforms for the feed-in tariff scheme.
Grantham Institute Special Lecture – Energy trends and climate change challenges
Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency, spoke to a packed lecture theatre at Imperial College London yesterday evening about energy trends and climate challenges. Presenting the findings from the World Energy Outlook, Dr Birol said rising incomes and population will push energy needs higher, the question is how we meet those needs.
UK news highlights
What with climate change negotiations, the cross-governmental Carbon Plan, Water White Paper, Electricity Market Reform, smart meter roll out, UK’s first Carbon Capture and Storage plant, red tape challenge, and lessons from Deepwater Horizon and Fukushima, it has been a busy few weeks for ESTH issues in the UK.
Weekly highlights of UK news
This week the Prime Minister was questioned on his Government’s green credentials, DECC published details of their proposals to reduce solar subsidies, and the independent Climate Change Committee published a report on the UK’s share of international shipping emissions.
Weekly highlights of UK news
Energy is the hot topic this week. The Prime Minister hosted an energy summit to help families keep down energy bills, the Government made announcements on Carbon Capture and Storage and renewable energy, and the Energy Act became law. In other news, the Health Secretary has launched plans to help tackle the problem of obesity.