Green energy campaigners are attempting to block new nuclear power stations in the UK by complaining to the European Commission that government plans contravene EU competition regulations. They say financial rules for nuclear operators include subsidies that have not been approved by the commission. These include capping of liability for accidents, which they say at least halves the cost of nuclear electricity.
Public private partnerships on energy efficiency projects are a good way to increase the pace of reduction of the energy intensity of an economy; reduce costs of energy efficiency to the public sector and add commercial value to public sector assets, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. PPPs can help with these factors as the private sector may have better capacity to deliver the needed services than government bodies, according to Joint public-private approaches for energy efficiency finance.
EU on track to exceed 2020 carbon emissions targets
Having reduced CO2 emissions by 17% as compared to 1990 levels, the European Union (EU) is well on its way to reaching its legally binding, 20% by 2020 CO2 emissions reduction target. Being so close nearly a decade ahead of schedule raises the possibility of the EU raising the 2020 emissions reduction bar to 30%, a topic that’s likely to once again become a high-profile topic of discussion and debate among EU parliamentary representatives. The projected cost of accomplishing the feat would be considerably less than originally thought, according to the contents of a draft European Commission (EC) analysis and document.
The four largest supermarket chains are paying their staff “poverty” wages while making huge profits and raising executives’ salaries, research suggests. A report by the Fair Pay Network (FPN) – a coalition of charities and non-governmental organisations including Oxfam and the Trades Union Congress – says hundreds of thousands of workers at Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons are not paid the “living wage”. The living wage for Londoners – £8.30 – is the hourly rate the Greater London Authority deems necessary to ensure a basic standard of living.
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