Editor’s note: Labour takes swift action on renewable energy

The latest edition of our newsletter Sustainable Views

Dear Reader,

The Labour government in the UK has barely taken office and already it has lifted a decade-long ban on onshore wind power – much to the delight of the renewable energy industry, although some warned that the change would not happen overnight.

“It will take some time to build up the onshore wind industry, although there are many high-quality developers in the UK and Europe who will undoubtedly rise to the challenge,” says Joshua Cole, founder and portfolio manager at Green Investment Partners in London.

As Elizabeth reports, some experts believe lifting the ban is just the first step towards increasing renewable energy capacity in the UK.

“SStreamlining planning reform and accelerating the deployment of renewables are key to increasing UK investment in “homegrown green energy,” says Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation. “As a next step, the government should enable zonal energy pricing. This would immediately reduce electricity bills across the country and enable investment in new renewables where demand is high.”

Climate finance

Elsewhere, Florence delves into the often opaque world of climate finance, examining data from Oxfam that concludes that rich countries continue to “out-compete” developing countries on climate finance by contributing to the debt crisis and exaggerating the amounts they spend to help poorer countries mitigate the effects of climate change. The report also addresses the long-standing problem of developed countries spending very little on adaptation.

Jan Kowalzig, climate policy advisor at Oxfam Germany, believes that COP29 in Azerbaijan would be a good time for heads of state and government to agree, as expected, on a new climate finance target, replacing the current annual commitment of $100 billion. In addition, stricter rules for the design of climate finance should be established.

Cement alternatives

Florence has also studied the data on the cement industry and how best to reduce its significant impact on the climate. While there is much talk about the potential of carbon capture and storage for the industry, many experts insist that changing cement composition is essential.

“Alternative materials need to be part of a healthy decarbonization strategy,” says Chris Anderson, CEO of Vantem, a company that develops modular, energy-efficient homes. “There are new materials that contain less carbon and can replace a large part of the cement used today.”

See you in the morning,

Philippa

Philippa Nuttall is editor of Sustainable Views