The very latest on environmental issues from an economic, business, and political perspective.
This essay considers whether current electric vehicle (EV) subsidy policies are effective in reducing carbon emissions, focusing especially on how consumer behaviour and usage patterns impact net carbon emissions. There are four different premises and possible situations for buyers who are considering the adoption of EVs. Firstly, households that currently own no vehicle and will purchase an EV. Alternatively a buyer that owns an ICEV (Internal … Continue reading EV Subsidies
An Introduction to Catastrophe Bonds and the L3C Catastrophe bonds (or cat bonds) are high-yield debt instruments used to raise money for companies in the insurance industry in the event of a natural disaster. A bond is a financial instrument in which the issuer (a government or company) sells bonds to investors, which gives the issuer capital, raising money. They pay the investor with regular … Continue reading Catastrophe Bonds
Amidst a cascade of financial challenges and operational setbacks, Thames Water finds itself at a critical juncture. It is teetering on the brink of a profound transformation, with headlines echoing defaults on debt, investor withdrawals, and a funding crisis. From regulatory scrutiny to underinvestment in infrastructure, Thames Water’s journey to this precarious position reflects a complex interplay of factors. As stakeholders grapple with the repercussions, … Continue reading The Collapse of Thames Water
In the north-western Tabuk province of Saudi Arabia, armies of diggers carve into the arid desert as they attempt to excavate a 170-kilometre line. This project is part of what is called Neom, ‘The Future of Civilization’, and emerges from ‘The Saudi Vision”, a plan to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil and diversify its economy by developing its public-service sector. The project’s estimated cost … Continue reading Blue Gold: The Precious Commodity of Tomorrow
In a world increasingly concerned with environmental sustainability and the impact of climate change, innovative financial instruments (a monetary contract which can be traded e.g. a stock, bond, derivative) have recently emerged as effective tools to fund projects and initiatives aimed at mitigating environmental damage. Of these instruments, green bonds, have gained prominence as a means to raise capital for projects with positive environmental benefits. … Continue reading Green Bonds: Financing a Sustainable Future
Since the late 19th Century the earth has warmed around 1.1 degrees Celsius, carrying huge consequences for ski resorts globally. Whilst some ski resorts at higher altitudes have been virtually unaffected by the increasingly warm climate, others have suffered considerably, most notably due to the decreased amount of snow and increased amount of rain. As a result, several knock-on effects have occurred, including shorter ski … Continue reading How has Climate Change Affected Ski Tourism?
The ongoing Energy Crisis has created unprecedented political, economic, and social distress in the UK. Some potential solutions exist to address the immediate issue of significant energy price rises. However, I believe that we must equally focus on implementing effective longer-term solutions to reduce the risk of a future, even more disruptive, energy crises. To do this, the UK needs to shift to a more … Continue reading The Energy Question
August’s Chart of the Month shows the number of Santander cycles hired from 2015, when Santander began sponsoring the scheme in London, to 2023. It shows long term growth, culminating in 2022’s record-breaking year of 11,506,889 hires. However, more recently, usage has been low and recovery has been slow. The Santander Cycle hire scheme is owned by the Transport For London (TFL), a government body … Continue reading Chart of the Month – August 2023
This Chart of the Month revisits the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). An explanation as to how it works can be found in the July 2021 Chart. In that article, we asked whether the EU ETS could hold its value, and whether the increase in costs of pollution would prove too great a burden for firms and the poorest households. Now, we can try to answer … Continue reading Chart of the Month – May 2023
Providing food for over 1.3 billion people in the second most populous country (at time of writing) in the world is challenging. However, in 2019, this already arduous job had been compounded by a perfect storm of issues, ranging from a reduction in income to climate change reducing crop yields. This left farmers desperately looking to their government for help. In response to their cries and … Continue reading The Indian Agriculture Issue
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