Brexite is a major threat to Europe’s climate targets. The energy supply would also change – to the detriment of the British population. Nina Locher asks whether energy poverty and economic injustice could be prevented by stable British-European cooperation.
All posts tagged: United Kingdom
Europe’s finest: what to learn from the old world’s unsung champions of climate protection
Germany is often cited as Europe’s renewable energy wunderkind, and indeed many of its laurels are well deserved. But it is no means alone on the cutting edge of climate protection, and indeed of late the Teutons have fallen behind in places. Other European countries excel in specific areas, offering best practices for the rest of the continent and beyond. In the final analysis, though, the meta-champion is the EU, says Paul Hockenos.
UK Prime Minister backs offshore wind industry in wake of sector deal
The United Kingdom’s embattled Prime Minister, Theresa May, promised on Friday that “Brexit will not be a race to the bottom” for the country as she spoke at Danish energy giant Orsted’s offshore wind factory in Grimsby, heralding the importance of offshore wind to the future of the country a day after her government had launched its long-awaited Offshore Wind Sector Deal. Joshua Hill takes a look.
Let them quake: the fight against fracking in the UK
Despite years of fierce opposition, fracking has returned to the UK. And if the government has its way, safety standards meant to protect communities from earthquakes will be relaxed to help out the shale industry. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look at what’s happening in Lancashire.
Six charts show mixed progress for UK renewables
The UK’s energy transition picks up speed: onshore and offshore wind power rose by 34% last year in the UK compared to 2016, new government statistics show. Jocelyn Timperley takes an in-depth look at the data.
Fears for post-Brexit climate laws as UK green watchdog plans revealed
After Brexit, will the UK continue to enforce climate change regulations? A proposal for a post-Brexit green watchdog will not take climate change laws into account, and the UK lacks a direct replacement for EU institutions. Megan Darby takes a look.
Leapfrogging over the gas bridge: how the UK can exit coal and gas
While Germany debates how it should wean itself off of coal, several other European nations have already made the decision to transition in that direction. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look at a new report by the World Wildlife Fund and Sandbag, which lays out a path for the UK to exit both coal and gas.
The UK’s offshore wind boom is great for the climate. But what about the fish?
Fishing in some parts of the UK has been getting tougher in the past years – but can wind farms really be blamed? Chris Bentley takes a look at how costal communities are adapting to offshore wind.
German government rejects calls for additional carbon tax
Despite calls from French President Macron to implement additional carbon taxes, the German coalition government refuses to hold polluters accountable. “We say no to a price on CO2,” say CDU members, once again punting on climate change leadership. L. Michael Buchsbaum goes in-depth.
What’s fueling Britain’s offshore wind revolution? Technology, subsidies and an old fishing hub
There are a lot of reminders of the past in the northern English city of Hull. Defunct deep-sea trawlers and cavernous warehouses recall the city’s history as the hub of England’s fishing industry. Today, though, Hull is also a vision of the future. Chris Bentley goes to the center of the UK’s offshore wind boom.