Energy groups say EU Commission lacks climate ambition
Energy groups representing EU businesses have claimed that the EU Commission’s assessment of the impact of 2030 energy goals “falls short of the necessary standards.” The EU Commission is expected to unveil its vision on 2030 energy and environment policy following on from 2020 goals on cutting carbon emissions and increased use of renewable energy. If the commission succeeds in agreeing a 2030 carbon cutting goal, it would be the first major bloc to do so ahead of a new global deal on climate change expected in 2015. Energy groups, the Coalition for Energy Savings, the European Renewable Energy Council and the Climate Action Network claim that the assessment by the commission does not include a wide enough range of options and puts politics before scientific analysis. (Reuters)
Community
UK charity commission claimed not fit for purpose
The UK minister Margaret Hodge, has described the Charity Commission as “not fit for purpose” after a critical report by the National Audit Office (NAO) claimed that its failure to investigate fraud and abuse was undermining public faith in the organisation and that it was in need of “radical change.” The NAO claimed that there was not enough effective regulation of charities and accused the commission of being too passive and slow to react where it should be doing more to tackle abuses of charitable status. Sam Younger, chief executive of the Charity Commission said that, “the commission is committed to an urgent programme of reform, and has already taken steps to improve our approach to tackling the most serious cases of abuse and mismanagement in charities.” (The Guardian)
International Development
China unveils sustainable development plan for 262 resource rich cities
In an effort to guide more sustainable growth, China has announced its first national sustainable development plan for 262 cities that it says are rich in natural resources. The plan categorises cities based on their current resource sustainability, namely, ‘growing’, ‘mature’, ‘declining’ and ‘regenerative’ in order to develop city specific support. Different procedures will then be established with region specific fiscal and policy support in place, with the aim to assist in achieving a balance of economic, social and environmental development. This plan will aim to assist with environmental degradation, unemployment and social security burdens that currently exist in many cities. Du Ying, from China’s National Development and Reform Commission said that “resource rich cities have made tremendous contributions to China’s economic take off but the sacrifice they have made is also huge.” (China.org.un)
Big harvests to heap pressure on food prices into next year
According to the investment bank Macquarie, agricultural food prices are expected to fall by 11 percent this year and 10 percent in 2014 due to plentiful supplies of cereals, sugar and vegetable oil. The fall in food commodities in 2013 has been attributed to a fall in animal feed and vegetable oil prices, trends which are expected to continue next year. Whilst rising food prices have been a concern for both developed and developing countries, prolonged weakness in agricultural prices are also a concern for governments, particularly in rural-based economies where it can mean lower incomes for farmers. Recently, there has been noted stability in global food markets with the UN saying that “food markets are becoming more balanced and less price volatile than in recent years.” (FT*)
Environment
UK Government to change subsidies to boost offshore wind power
The UK Government plans to reduce support for onshore wind and solar energy whilst giving more backing to offshore wind power. Set prices for onshore wind power and solar energy will be cut from 2015, while those for offshore wind power will be increased. The shift in subsidies forms part of a campaign to make renewable energy more attractive and less risky for investors. The government aims to treble the support for low-carbon technologies to £7.6 billion a year by 2020 and whilst investment in onshore wind and solar energy has been high, offshore sources still require subsidies to encourage further long term investment. A spokesperson from the UK government said that, “constraining solar and onshore makes good value for money sense, it enables us to ensure that offshore wind gets the early support that an immature technology needs." (BBC, Reuters)
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