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United Kingdom: Maps show fracking risk to drinking water
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on July 3rd, 2014
BusinessGreen: A major study into the potential for fracking operations to contaminate ground water with methane has revealed key aquifers coincide with the location of potential shale gas and oil reserves.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) and The Environment Agency (EA) have this week published a series of maps showing the depth to each shale gas and oil source rock below principal groundwater aquifers in England and Wales.
Ground water from aquifers provides 30 per cent of drinking water in the UK and...
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Fossil fuel subsidies costing rich countries $112 per person
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 7th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Average fossil fuel subsidies in the world's richest countries have reached $112 per person, draining national treasuries while undermining international efforts to avert dangerous climate change, according to an influential think tank.
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) will today publish a new report arguing that fossil fuel subsidies are costing the 34 OECD countries between $55bn and $90bn a year, with the highest level of subsidies in Russia, the United States, Australia, Germany and...
United Kingdom: Fracking firm Cuadrilla to submit new Balcombe drilling application
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on September 4th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Cuadrilla has withdrawn two modifications to a planning application to extend its controversial oil exploration in Balcombe, West Sussex, in a move that green campaigners argue will offer a chance for planning officials to overturn consent for the controversial drill site.
The company had applied for a six month extension to operations at the site and submitted a further application to increase flare height. But West Sussex County Council (WSCC) yesterday confirmed Cuadrilla had withdrawn these...
UK shale gas projections “wildly optimistic”, campaigners say
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on May 21st, 2013
BusinessGreen: Campaigners have decried as "wildly optimistic" a report claiming shale gas is poised to make a big contribution to the growth of the UK economy.
A new paper by the Institute of Directors, sponsored by shale gas firm Cuadrilla Resources, says pressing ahead with exploiting shale gas could create a £3.7bn industry supporting 74,000 jobs and generating significant revenues for the Treasury.
The IOD also claims domestic shale could reduce the country's emissions if it is used to replace coal power,...
US shale gas boom “unlikely” to be repeated in UK, warn MPs
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on April 25th, 2013
BusinessGreen: MPs will today highlight the role domestic shale gas could play in boosting tax revenue and enhancing energy security, but will also warn that its effect on energy prices remains far less certain.
A report to be published today by the Energy and Climate Change Committee will warn a repeat of the dramatic fall in domestic gas prices seen in the US as a result of a shale gas boom is "unlikely" to be replicated in the UK due to "differences in geology, public attitudes, regulations and technological...
Dash for gas a “risky” investment for UK, scientists warn
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on March 18th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Large-scale investments in natural gas are "a risky option" given the uncertainty over future price fluctuations and the size of shale reserves, scientists will say today.
In a new report released two days ahead of a Budget that is expected to include further evidence of the Chancellor's desire to accelerate gas investment, researchers say a more sensible course of action would be a "dash for smart gas", where natural gas is only used in the areas where it can deliver the greatest economic and...
Doha deal must include permafrost action, says UN
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 27th, 2012
BusinessGreen: Melting permafrost could account for almost 40 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions in the future and must feature in any global deal to tackle climate change agreed at the Doha Summit, UN scientists have warned.
Permafrost covers almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere, extending to depths of 700 metres in parts of Canada and Siberia, and is thought to store 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon, twice the amount currently in the atmosphere, according to a report published today by the UN...
UN: World “actively moving in the wrong direction” on climate change
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 21st, 2012
BusinessGreen: The gap between the steps required to avoid "dangerous" climate change and current policies is widening and without swift international action global emissions will move the world further beyond a safe temperature trajectory, the UN has today warned.
According to a major new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report, mankind is currently responsible for 49 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions a year, but it needs to reduce emissions to around 44Gt by the end of the...
Ignoring natural capital could see countries’ credit ratings downgraded
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 20th, 2012
BusinessGreen: Countries' credit ratings may be rated as stronger than they actually are because of the lack of emphasis placed on national policies aimed at preserving natural resources.
Degradation of a country's so-called natural capital could exacerbate the sovereign debt crises that have helped trigger, and deepen, the global economic downturn, the UN warned yesterday.
A report by the UN Environment Programme's Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) says loss of soils, forests, and fisheries, as well as rising...
World Bank: Governments must tackle climate change ‘more aggressively’
Posted by BusinessGreen: Will Nichols on November 19th, 2012
BusinessGreen: The World Bank has warned failure to act on climate change has sent the planet "barrelling down a path" to flooded cities, intense storms, heat waves, and food and water shortages.
But it says such a desperate scenario can still be avoided through the smarter use of energy and resources, if only governments are prepared to be more "aggressive" in tackling climate change.
Turn Down the Heat, a report prepared for the bank by the respected Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and...