Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce’s Post

One of the joys of working in economic consulting is doing interesting research which is directly relevant to policy making and wider societal goals such as decarbonisation and then communicating it in a way that is both accessible and applicable... In our recent article, we have tried to do just that, and I will be sharing some of the key insights over the next few days. Hope you enjoy the read (or the short summary on our website)!

The transport sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and decarbonizing transport has become a priority. Governments play a crucial role in shaping national transport systems and aligning them with the net zero agenda, so it’s important to understand how governments select the projects, policies, and programs to implement and the impact of carbon values on the process. In a new white paper, Daniel Hanson, Francis Ostermeijer, and Margot Cintract analyze how changes in carbon values affect metrics such as the Net Present Public Value and Benefit Cost Ratio, which are used to assess the economic viability of government-supported projects. Their findings suggest the recent increase in carbon values in the UK has had a substantial impact on the evaluation of transport projects with high carbon costs, indicating a potential need for re-evaluation. https://bit.ly/4dK8S5Z

When it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, we cannot solely build our way to an emission free building stock - existing homes must be retrofitted. The best way to have an impact on building carbon emissions is to secure the building envelope. Read more: https://lnkd.in/guqy9f54

As usual there is a lot I disagree with when Alex Epstein starts advocating unrestricted fossil fuel use and expansion. However, in this specfic post/article there are many points I do agree with. The most important one being that CCS/CDR (carbon recovery and storage) should NOT be subsidised. We need business models that make companies compete and do this efficiently. He is right to point out that the current approach (massive subsidies) primarily leads to companies exaggarating the costs and lobbying for higher and longer duration subsidies. I also think he is right that climate policies and anti-fossil sentiments lead to higher and volatile fossil fuel prices which hurt everyone but poor people most. See: https://lnkd.in/esf-e3hD Where I think he has a blindspot is that he thinks unbridled support for fossil fuels is still possible in a world that is rightly concerned about climate change. The ONLY way governments and public sentiment on fossil fuels (in OECD countries but also some of the most impacted developing countries) will become a bit less negative is if policies and regulations are implemented that ENSURE that the net carbon footprint of fossil fuel use will be reduced rapidly. Climate-responsible fossil fuel production and use needs to become the norm. The unrestricted use of unabated fossil fuels, with associated CO2 and other health-damaging gaseous waste dumping, is increasingly becoming unacceptable in more and more countries worldwide. This can be achieved by implementing flexible regulations (preferably at the point of production or import into a country) that mandate an increasing carbon recovery percentage. No subsidies. Just old-fashioned economics: internalising the externalities. This is what we call a Carbon Takeback Obligation. That will create a level playing field with other forms of energy, will create incentives for producers to innovate and keep costs of CCS/CDR down, and will give governments the arguments they need in the inevitable court cases against any new permits/projects. For more info and Q&A's see: https://lnkd.in/e_ijZM4s

The big questions in green heating. What difference does low carbon heating make to a business? How should you approach the transition away from fossil fuels, and what does it cost? What lessons can and should the UK government learn from countries like Austria and Germany? We sat down with Silvio Spiess to get his answers: https://lnkd.in/eUgyEmDJ #ESG #NetZero #businessheat #greenheat #greenpower

The expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include energy from waste and waste incineration is expected to place significant financial burden on local authorities whose budgets and resources will be subject to volatile carbon markets. Whilst it is critical that the waste sector reduces its carbon emissions, waste authorities are limited in what they can achieve alone. Any measures to decarbonise the waste industry must address waste at the source, targeting the producers that create unnecessary waste to truly align with the polluter pays principle and drive waste prevention. I implore all my waste sector colleagues to respond to the consultation that was published by DESNZ yesterday and engage with waste networks such as LARAC and NAWDO. LARAC are hosting a webinar for its members on Tuesday 4th June to unpack how the ETS is proposed to work for EfW and incineration facilities. NLWA will be represented by the Authority’s Chair, Cllr Clyde Loakes, who will share some of NLWA’s initial thinking on the impact of the scheme on north London and other local authorities. Register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/eMP9w2h8 #UKETS #energyfromwaste

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆? Take a look at the post below by the Clean Energy Business Network (CEBN), with a callout for Carbon Solutions. #cleanenergy #co2capture #co2transport #co2storage

Yesterday, the European Commission presents recommendation for 2040 emissions reduction target: https://lnkd.in/dnNyMNcT Our reaction: 👍🏽👩🔬 The Commission stays the course on decarbonisation, proposing a 90% reduction in GHG emissions by 2040. 🧟♂️ Raising the dead: There is a focus on technologies relying on fossil fuels, such as "low-carbon tech" and Carbon Capture and Storage. 🕵♀️ 0 references to energy communities or citizen ownership, omitting a central driver of the social and climate transition. Instead, citizens are still seen as "passive consumers" - we ask once more, who is at the core of society, citizens or profits? ⛳ Strong focus on implementation of existing legislation. The good news is that most of the FitFor55 package expands the activities of energy communities (energy efficiency, renovations, H&C...) 👉 To recap, we welcome the Commission's ambitious & necessary targets; however we deeply regret the omission of recognising the potential of citizen-led projects.

The European Council announced today that it has formally adopted the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), with new rules aimed at reducing energy use and emissions from buildings across the EU, including targets for all new buildings to be zero emissions by 2030, and to phase out the use of fossil fuels in building heating systems by 2040. For more information: https://lnkd.in/eRHczEE8 #sustainability #sustainable #climatechange #environment #climate #climatecrisis #eco #renewableenergy #renewablepower #cleanenergyfuture #ces #power #emissions #Directive

As we continue toward our emissions reduction target of 75% by 2035, understanding the different categories of greenhouse gas emissions is crucial. Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are categories defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol that help us identify and manage our carbon footprint—a task that Queensland is addressing with diligence and innovation. Scope 1 emissions come directly from sources that are owned or controlled by an entity. For a company, this would include things like fuels burned in its vehicles or factories, or methane emissions from the digestive processes of livestock. In Queensland, we’re providing tools and advice to help business and other organisations reduce their Scope 1 emissions. Scope 2 emissions are greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat, or steam. In Queensland, initiatives like solar-powered schools and energy-efficient government buildings reflect our commitment to help organisations reduce their Scope 2 emissions. Our focus is to transition towards renewable energy, leveraging our solar and wind resources to power a greener tomorrow. Scope 3 emissions, the most complex category, include all other indirect emissions that occur in an entity’s supply chain. For a company this could include the extraction and processing of the raw materials used in production, the transport of finished products to customers, or emissions from waste disposal. These emissions scopes tell a story of connectivity and responsibility—where individual choices ripple outwards to our collective climate impact. In Queensland, we're reducing emissions through policies like our Zero Emissions Vehicle Strategy and the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, and investing in clean technologies and working with industry to minimise their carbon footprint. Learn more about our climate action plan by heading to our website: https://lnkd.in/gDzhGaJC #climate #emissions #education