Author Archives: Sam Alston - Page 2
Why did Rio Tinto pay out $9 billion to shareholders in 2020?
Mining giant Rio Tinto’s share price shot up last week, as they announced a record $9bn paid out in dividends to shareholders in 2020. This might seem counterintuitive in the…
Where should Policy Fest sit in the Green Party’s broken policy making structures?
This year's edition of the Green Party of England and Wales' Policy Fest felt very different to previous years and, naturally, in depth interaction was limited. At the same time,…
2021 will be the last chance to agree global climate governance
In 2015, the Paris agreement was negotiated committing countries to climate targets. The agreement also outlined a global architecture supporting the international response. Discussions over the carbon markets in article…
Distant targets substituting for action today: The UK’s climate performance in 2020.
2020 has seen net-zero carbon emissions targets go from being an oddity adopted by small island states, Bhutan and Sweden to become a new policy norm across the globe. Less…
Hydrogen: Shortcut to decarbonisation or crutch for the fossil fuel industry?
Hydrogen has long been touted as the fuel of the future - the great hope of the energy sector rising on repeated waves of hype. Yet as recently as 2017,…
Could Brexit lead to a positive shift in carbon pricing?
The UK may be about to get a formal carbon tax, as a result of Brexit. After Brexit, the UK will leave the EU Emissions trading scheme (EUETS), The scheme…
Is BP really on route to being a net zero firm?
Fossil fuel giant BP last week made three announcements that resulted in downgrading £ off the value of its oil and gas assets - around 20% of its market capitalisation.…
Is the right wing press changing its tune on climate change?
The Economist newspaper has cultivated a self-image of being the paper of rational capitalist elites for nearly two centuries. In many ways diametrically opposed to the Green movement that challenges…
The Bank of England has taken a step towards accountability. But it needs to go further.
This Tuesday the Bank of England conceded to pressure to make public the names of the firms it was supporting. But it also imposed conditions on partaking in the facility.…
Has the future of European energy arrived?
Image credit: Creative Commons, Tom Corser European electrical grids are breaking records. Covid-19 accelerated a rewriting of European power provision greater even than privatisation, and grids are not yet prepared.…