This week European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans revealed that any extension of carbon pricing to heating and transport would be accompanied by a “climate action social fund.” He states the purpose of this fund is to compensate for possible adverse effects, especially for the most vulnerable citizens. Our new report Pricing is just the…
The debate about how to reduce emissions from home heating is hotting up, but it risks being derailed by vocal proponents for the use of hydrogen in place of fossil gas. Affordable home heating with hydrogen is, quite literally, a ‘pipe dream’ [noun: a hope or plan that is impossible to achieve]. The available evidence…
The Green Homes Grant risks becoming the second government home energy efficiency scheme in a decade designed to fail. The last decade wasn’t a good one for energy efficiency policy in the UK. We all remember the Green Deal, the coalition government’s flagship energy efficiency policy that was supposed to support 14 million home retrofits…
This decade must be a decade of building renovation. To meet the new European climate target of a 55% emissions reduction by 2030, our buildings must go further faster, reducing emissions by 60%. But we are at an almost standing start. It is a well-worn statistic that only 1% of European buildings undergo energy renovations…
If you are in pain, you go to a doctor who prescribes a painkiller. This cheap, proven and readily available treatment relieves your pain and temporarily solves your problem. However, if you continue to take the pills, you risk the considerable downside of long-term reliance without addressing the cause sustainably. For many UK households experiencing…
For some time now I have been struck by the irony of the European Commission’s chosen name for its building renovation policy package, the “renovation wave,” given that increasing the rate of renovation has been like pushing water uphill. Currently, we renovate only around 1% of the European building stock each year to reduce energy…
The global experience with the coronavirus crisis is shining light on the precariousness of everyday life for low-income and vulnerable households. As we are forced to stay at home, higher household energy bills put further pressure on already stretched household budgets. The pandemic is also reminding us that good outcomes for all rely to a…
Preise für Emissionen sind nicht alles, vielmehr ist die sinnvolle Verwendung der Einnahmen entscheidend. Schlüssig belegt ist, dass Energieeffizienzprogramme gut abschneiden. Auch das Ordnungsrecht – zum Beispiel Mindeststandards – helfe bei der Einhaltung der Klimaziele. Das Klimapaket der Bundesregierung ist derzeit in aller Munde. Wie auch die darin vorgesehenen Maßnahmen, die zur Erreichung der für…
After the Pope backs a carbon tax to stem global warming, Louise Sunderland argues that only when coupled with the strategic use of the revenues will carbon taxes be efficient and cost-effective enough. This month, Pope Francis announced that carbon pricing was “essential” to stem global warming, which “threatens the very future of the human…
