Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 07/11/22.
News: Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis – Guardian Online
7 November 2022. The former BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin has spent his career talking to scientists. Now they’re telling him they’re scared of what they’re seeing:
News: UK government squashes claims Sizewell C is ‘under review’ – Current News
4 November 2022, George Heynes. The UK government has denied plans for Sizewell C are currently under review, reiterating its commitment in supporting the acceleration of the nuclear industry:
Link: https://www.current-news.co.uk/news/uk-government-squashes-claims-sizewell-c-is-under-review
News: Climate change: Decarbonising UK public buildings to cost £25-30bn – BBC News Online
5 November 2022, Philippa Wain. The cost of decarbonising UK public sector buildings is estimated to be £25-30bn, government figures show:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63514562
Published evidence: Decarbonisation of the power sector – BEIS Committee
November 2022. Link to all published evidence to the BEIS Committee Inquiry into Decarbonisation of the power sector:
Link: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6717/decarbonisation-of-the-power-sector/publications/
News: Sizewell new nuclear plant under review – BBC News Online
5 November 2022, Simon Jack. The government has denied that plans for a new nuclear power plant in the south east of England are under review. A government official had told the BBC that every major project was under review “including Sizewell C” as ministers try to cut spending:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63507630
News: Goldman Sachs expects European natural gas prices to tumble 30% in the coming months – CNBC
2 November 2022, Silvia Amaro. Goldman Sachs predicts that European natural gas prices would drop by about 30% in the coming months as nations gain a temporary upper hand on supply issues:
Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/02/goldman-sachs-expects-european-gas-prices-to-tumble-30percent.html
News: Europe’s climate warming at twice rate of global average, says report – Guardian Online
2 November 2022, Helena Horton. Trend of faster warming over last 30 years likely to cause exceptional heat, wildfires and floods, warn scientists:
News: Government tests energy blackout emergency plans as supply fears grow – Guardian Online
1 November, Pippa Crear and Alex Lawson. Exclusive: Whitehall officials have ‘war gamed’ Programme Yarrow, a blueprint for coping with outages for up to a week:
News: Biden slams oil firms for ‘war profiteering’ as he mulls windfall tax – Euronews
1 November 2022. US President Joe Biden on Monday accused oil companies of “war profiteering” as he raised the possibility of imposing a windfall tax if they do not boost domestic production:
Comment: Shine a light on energy firms: Vital sector’s entrepreneurs should be held to highest standards of accountability – Daily Mail Online
30 October 2022, Ruth Sunderland. Idea challengers would bring better service has not turned out as planned. Bulb was the biggest in a wave of failures of firms. Privatised energy industry has been fertile ground for ambitious entrepreneurs:
Briefing paper: Future UK Energy Price Support Sustainable Solutions For Economic Stability And Energy Security – E3G
November 2022, Juliet Phillips. On 17th October 2022, the UK government announced that it would Uturn on its pledge to freeze all household energy prices for two years. The Energy Price Guarantee had meant that an average household might have expected to pay £2,500 per annum in over the next two years. With the Guarantee now set to end in April 2023, average household energy bills could rise to £3,500 to £4,300 next year.1 The government has pledged to develop a targeted approach and “incentivise energy efficiency”, in a bid to reduce public expenditure propping up household bills:
Link: https://e3g.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/E3G-Briefing_Future-UK-Energy-Price-Support.pdf
Commons Debate: Text of Westminster Hall Debate on Public Ownership of Energy Companies – Parallel Parliament
31 October 2022. Full text of debate available here:
Research briefing: Public ownership of energy companies – House of Commons Library
28 October 2022. On Monday 31 October 2022 there will be a Westminster Hall debate on e-petition 608056 relating to the public ownership of energy companies. The debate will be opened by Martyn Day MP on behalf of the Petitions Committee:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2022-0184/
News: Profits at world’s seven biggest oil firms soar to almost £150bn this year – Guardian Online
27 October 2022, Jasper Jolly and Jessica Elgot. Bumper earnings prompt calls for overhaul of UK windfall tax after Shell admission it will not pay any this year:
News: World close to ‘irreversible’ climate breakdown, warn major studies – Guardian Online
27 October 2022, Damian Carrington. Key UN reports published warn urgent and collective action needed – as oil firms report astronomical profits:
News: COP27: Climate change threatening global health – report – BBC News Online
26 October 2022. Climate change is severely impacting people’s health around the world, a report by a leading medical publication has found. The Lancet Countdown report says the world’s continued reliance on fossil fuels increases the risk of food insecurity, infectious disease and heat-related illness:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63386814
News: Energy crisis pushing 10,000 homes a month on to prepayment meters – Guardian Online
25 October 2022, Mark Sweney. Experts say people who are switched to pay as you go will self-disconnect when they cannot afford to top up:
News: Renewable revenue cap risks supply security and higher energy bills – City AM
24 October 2022, Nicholas Earl. The Government’s proposal to cap revenues on low carbon generators jeopardises supply security and condemns customers to high energy bills, warned one of the UK’s leading trade associations:
Link: https://www.cityam.com/renewable-revenue-cap-risks-supply-security-and-higher-energy-bills/
News: Crunch Commons vote on fracking descends into farce – Guardian Online
19 October 2022, Peter Walker, Aubrey Allegretti and Pippa Crerar. More than 40 Tories fail to back Liz Truss’s government amid allegations MPs were manhandled:
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/19/crunch-commons-vote-on-fracking-descends-into-farce