DECC vacancy: thick skin required
Wanted. Permanent Secretary for the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. Key attributes – a thick skin, a blind eye and the ability to wield a sharp knife. The speed with which the...
View ArticleThe climate debate
Thanks to those who have commented on the post on adaptation to climate change – or at least thanks to most of them. Just to be clear, I don’t see adaptation as an alternative to emissions reductions...
View ArticleObama and energy
Mitt Romney has given Barack Obama a free pass when it comes to energy and environmental policy. Obama needs only to point to Romney’s energy plan - with its proposed demolition of federal controls on...
View ArticleUK power shift
The Department of Energy and Climate Change survives. For the moment. One of the subtexts of last week’s government reshuffle in the UK was whether this was the right moment for a change in the layout...
View ArticleCameron’s energy policy lacks business sense
David Cameron is the first prime minister in living memory who has not employed a business policy adviser in Number 10. The lack of such an adviser is all too evident in the continuing shambles around...
View ArticleThe wrong sort of competition in energy
After Nick Butler’s post on David Cameron’s energy policy John Kay writes about the complexity of retail energy tariffs and how the simplification of these will not be easy. Last week, David Cameron...
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The Scottish perspective on energy policy
First Minister Alex Salmond, left, favours growth of wind power. Getty Images The Treasury does not agree with the level of subsidies being offered but has been forced partially to back down because of...
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Another leader for problematic energy department
Francis Maude faces a re-assertion of civil service authority. Getty Images By the end of the week the Department for Energy and Climate Change should have a new permanent secretary. The interviews are...
View ArticleWhat future for the Climate Change Committee?
What does 2013 hold for the UK’s Climate Change Committee? This worthy body was established in 2009 and is responsible for advising the government on emissions targets and reporting to parliament on...
View ArticleNew nuclear – is the deal done?
A number of well-sourced reports over the past two days suggest that, as predicted, we are on the edge of a deal for the construction of new nuclear power stations in the UK. The champagne corks...
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India will be changed by its thirst for energy
Access to energy is now crucial for India’s continued development. But the scale of the challenge and the changes required could alter the whole structure of governance and the way in which the Indian...
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Can solar transform the energy market ?
© Getty Images I have never given much credence to the idea that an international agreement on climate change capable of establishing a global carbon price was likely to be reached – either in Paris...
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Cleaning up the lobbying business
© Getty Images Imagine that you are a minister with an important decision to take. The decision is finely balanced and you have your doubts about costs and the commitments on deliverability. You are...
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Can China change its energy policy?
© Getty Images The signals are clear – but contradictary. China has embraced the concept of climate change and is allowing officials to discuss the risks openly. Two weeks ago Zheng Guogang, head of...
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The EU is quietly shaping its energy union
© Getty Images An intriguing process has begun in the EU, almost unnoticed outside the small world of Brussels and the shrinking circle of those who believe in an ever-closer European Union. The EU...
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Energy security — the top priority for any government
© Getty Images Keeping the lights on is one of the core responsibilities of any government. If the lights go out, the government soon follows. Concern about energy security has grown in the UK over...
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Beyond the election — the energy agenda for the new government
© Getty Images The election is over and against all expectations we have a clear result. When it comes to energy policy, however, the agenda will be set not by what the Conservative party has...
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The burning issue of German coal
© Getty Images The conflict at the heart of Germany’s energy policy is finally coming to a head. Can Germany claim to be an environmental leader while continuing to burn more coal than any other...
View ArticleThe clouds over the French nuclear industry
“I am convinced that the nuclear industry has a future, that it is a strength of our country.” The fact that Manuel Valls, the prime minister, had to make such a statement in the National Assembly in...
View ArticleThe energy implications of China’s downturn
The Chinese economy is clearly going through its most serious downturn in more than 30 years. After three decades of continuous growth averaging more than 8 per cent per annum, the problems of...
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