Climate-Related Investing Across Asset Classes

Responsible investment -- understood as the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information into investment analysis -- is a discipline that allows investors to:- Better assess long-term risks and opportunities in their portfolios; and- Better align their investment strategies with opportunities to create longterm wealth for investors and society alike.It is a tool for investors who seek to improve long-term financial returns through enhanced ESG analysis. It also appeals to mission or impact investors, who seek to achieve defined social and/or environmental goals while achieving targeted rates of return. In both cases, investors use responsible investment as a tool to improve their ability to achieve their goals.Climate change is among the most important issues addressed by today's responsible investment universe. The physical risks of climate change, the likelihood of major changes in political and regulatory investment environments as a result of climate change, the opportunities associated with a radical global transformation to a low-carbon economy -- these issues create far-reaching implications for investors as they make decisions about their investment strategies, and as they evaluate particular fund managers and investment opportunities. New ideas, products, and methods have entered the market to address the long-term implications of climate change.This short handbook takes as its premise that a climate lens reveals risks and opportunities across all elements of an investor's portfolio. Every asset class offers investors an opportunity to pursue climate-friendly investments, to mitigate exposure to climate risk, and to engage stakeholders to improve climate-related performance across the range of investment opportunities

Benchmarking Utility Clean Energy Deployment: 2016

Benchmarking Utility Clean Energy Deployment: 2016 provides a window into how the global transition toward clean energy is playing out in the U.S. electric power sector. Specifically, it reveals the extent to which 30 of the largest U.S. investor-owned electric utility holding companies are increasingly deploying clean energy resources to meet customer needs.Benchmarking these companies provides an opportunity for transparent reporting and analysis of important industry trends. It fills a knowledge gap by offering utilities, regulators, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders consistent and comparable information on which to base their decisions. And it provides perspective on which utilities are best positioned in a shifting policy landscape, including likely implementation of the U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan aimed at reducing carbon pollution from power plants

Renewables 2005: Global Status Report

The Global Status Report provides an assessment of several renewables technologies -- small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels -- that are now competing with conventional fuels in four distinct markets: power generation, hot water and space heating, transportation fuels, and rural (off-grid) energy supplies. The report finds that government support for renewable energy is growing rapidly. At least 48 countries now have some type of renewable energy promotion policy, including 14 developing countries. Most targets are for shares of electricity production, typically 5-30 percent, by the 2010-2012 timeframe. Mandates for blending biofuels into vehicle fuels have been enacted in at least 20 states and provinces worldwide as well as in three key countries -- Brazil, China and India. Government leadership provides the key to market success, according to the report. The market leaders in renewable energy in 2004 were Brazil in biofuels, China in solar hot water, Germany in solar electricity, and Spain in wind power. The Global Status Report fills a gap in the international energy reporting arena, which has tended to neglect the emerging renewable energy technologies. Regular updates will be produced in the future. The report was produced and published by the Worldwatch Institute and released today at the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference 2005, sponsored by the Government of China. This Conference brings together government and private leaders from around the world, providing a forum for international leadership on renewable energy and connects the wide variety of stakeholders that came together at the International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn, Germany, in 2004. The creation of REN21 was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Formally established in Copenhagen in June 2005, REN21 is now supported by a steering committee of 11 governments, 5 intergovernmental organizations, 5 non-governmental organizations, and several regional, local, and private organizations

Climate Regulation of the Electricity Industry: A Comparative View from Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, and the United States

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from HeinOnline Law Journal LibraryIntroduction. In the face of the climate crisis, the future of the electricity industry is vital. Globally, the electricity sector ranks first in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 25% of such emissions in 2010. Among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, the figures are even starker: electricity is the number one contributor to climate change for this group, comprising 42% of GHG emissions. [...

Financial Risks of Investments in Coal

Analyzes the regulatory, commodity, and construction risks of investing in coal mining and coal-fired power plants. Examines industry analysts' consensus on viable alternatives to coal, including natural gas, solar, wind, and energy efficiency

China and East Asian Energy - Prospects and Issues Volume II Part I

This collection of papers in two volumes is the second in a series on China and East Asian Energy, a major project which is an initiative of the East Asia Forum in conjunction with the China Economy and Business Program in the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University (ANU). The first volume was published in April 2007. The research program is directed at understanding the factors influencing Chinas energy markets. It also involves high-level training and capacity building to foster long-term links between policy thinkers in China and Australia. It provides for regular dialogue with participants from the energy and policy sectors in the major markets in East Asia and Australia. The backbone of the dialogue is an annual conference, the location of which has thus far alternated between Beijing and Canberra. The objective is to advance a research agenda that informs and influences the energy policy discussion in China, Australia and the region. This special edition of the Asia Pacific Economic Papers brings together papers presented at the second conference in the series. Due to their number and length, papers from that second conference are published across two volumes of the Asia Pacific Economic Papers. This volume includes the first half of the papers, while the next volume includes the second half. The third conference in the project is scheduled for July 2008.China, Energy, East Asia

New Labour, new environment? An analysis of the labour government's policy on climate change and biodiversity loss

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From Silos to Systems: Issues in Clean Energy and Climate Change

A report on the work of the REIL Network, 2008 - 201

Taking the low-carbon road: Essays in road transport decarbonization

In this dissertation, I methodically analyze proposed EU policies that fast-track deployment of low-emission transport technologies and decrease the emissions intensity of road transport. I limit the scope of my analysis to light passenger transport and heavy road freight. As instruments for this analysis, I design theoretical models to depict the mechanisms underlying supply and demand and then calibrate the models to illustrate the relative costs of each policy scenario. The main contributions of this dissertation are three- fold. First, it investigates the importance of endogenous technical progress in existing and nascent technologies for achieving a cost-competitive low-emission transport system. Second, it examines the value of policy coordination amongst EU member states by scrutinizing incongruous national emissions targets. Third, it studies the impact of levying a distance tax that covers the external costs of road transport