Category: News

November 10 2017

Germany Could Escape Carbon Hole at Home by Investing Abroad

Written by Mathew Carr and Brian Parkin. This article first appeared in Bloomberg Technology. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel finds herself in a bit of a pollution pickle. After she promised voters just before the September general election that Europe’s biggest economy would find a way to meet its emissions target no matter what, her government […]

November 10 2017

China to Test Easing Curbs on Foreign Electric Vehicle Firms

China’s government said it will carry out a trial by June that would allow foreign carmakers to set up wholly owned electric-vehicle businesses in its free-trade zones, taking the first step toward overhauling the country’s decades-old auto industry policy. The plan, announced by China’s foreign ministry Thursday, will also permit overseas companies to set up factories […]

November 10 2017

One of the World’s Biggest Miners Is About to Go Coal-Free

Written by Thomas Biesheuvel. This article first appeared in Bloomberg News. Just five years ago it would have been almost unthinkable that one of the world’s biggest mining companies would not dig any coal. It’s now likely to become a reality. Rio Tinto Group, the world’s second-largest miner, has been steadily backtracking from coal to […]

November 9 2017

Solar Installers Are Starting to Turn a Profit

Written by Brian Eckhouse. This article first appeared in Bloomberg Technology. There’s long been a Catch-22 about residential solar: despite staggering market demand, it’s been hard to make money doing it. Until now. Sunrun Inc. said Wednesday that it’s cash-flow positive. And Blackstone Group LP-backed Vivint Solar Inc. expects to hit that mark next year. Rooftop […]

November 9 2017

EU Reaches Deal to Overhaul World’s Largest Emissions Market

Written by Ewa Krukowska. This article first appeared in Bloomberg Markets.  European Union negotiators agreed to overhaul the region’s cap-and-trade program, approving a plan to bolster carbon prices and adjust the emissions market to more ambitious climate goals in the next decade. EU permits gained as much as 3.4 percent to 7.98 euros a metric […]

November 8 2017

Coal’s Trump Bump Is Over

Written by Brian Eckhouse and Tim Loh. This article first appeared in Bloomberg News.   It’s been a year since President Donald Trump’s election and his pledges to transform the energy markets haven’t exactly come to pass. In fact, what was true under President Barack Obama is still true today: Coal’s share of the power […]

November 8 2017

OPEC Sees Oil Use Peak in Late 2030s If Electric Cars Boom

Written by Jess Shankleman. This article first appeared in Bloomberg Markets. A larger-than-expected boom in electric vehicle sales could cause global oil demand to peak and flatten out in the late 2030s, OPEC said. If a quarter of the world’s cars have batteries, global oil demand would reach a plateau of about 109 million barrels a […]

November 7 2017

Green Bond Sales Inch Higher in Korea

Written by Kyungji Cho. This article first appeared in Bloomberg Markets. South Korean borrowers are slowly getting on board the global expansion trend in green bond issuance after the new government pushed for environmentally-friendly policies. Korea Electric Power Corp. will be meeting with investors in the U.S., Europe and Asia next week for a potential […]

November 7 2017

Where Green Incentives Led to a Surge in Palm Oil

Written by Chisaki Watanabe. This article first appeared in Bloomberg News.  What started as a way to cut Japan’s dependence on imported fossil fuels has led to an expected surge in a different and equally controversial shipment: palm oil. Government incentives instituted in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011 guarantee prices for power […]

November 6 2017

Rich Nations Fail to Help Developing World Fight Climate Change

Written by Joe Ryan. This article first appeared in Bloomberg News. Wealthy nations are falling short on promises to help the developing world reduce greenhouse gases by investing in clean energy, jeopardizing the global fight against climate change. Clean energy investments in China, sub-Saharan African and other emerging markets fell 27 percent in 2016, to […]