Critical mineral mining meets social license
We know we need more mining of critical minerals if the move to net zero is going to actually happen. But, how willing are we to give up other priorities, including environmental and social protections.
State aid - is Europe trying to solve the wrong problem?
The European Union has announced the relaxation of state financial aid and other rules for green technologies, in an apparent reply to the US IRA subsidies. But what if the issue isn’t financial aid, what if it's something else.
Decarbonising chemicals - ShareAction report
ShareAction has recently published a report we wrote for them on the financial case for decarbonising the Chemicals sector. Its going to take a lot of money, but the good news is that Europe already provides this for renewables.
Food price rises - we can do something but ...
Recent analysis suggests that high food prices will continue for some time, and that the impact will be more severe than we initially thought. We need to think differently about how and when we use fertiliser, and how this fits into our wider system of agricultural practices.
Mine rehabilitation - who pays and what do we get?
So what happens when mines close? And does rehabilitation mean something different from what most people expect to get?
If they can charge them, they will buy them: e-buses and e-trucks
Electrifying heavy transport, such as buses, vans, and trucks, is going to be a key part of the decarbonisation of transport, and a major contributor to reducing urban air pollution.
EV charging is about more than hardware
EV charging is not just about providing the hardware to plug your car into at night. While smart charging (and other demand management technologies) are starting to really gain traction, wireless charging is still at an early stage. But it has massive potential.
Restricted and expensive insurance brings flood risk closer to home
Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand, leaving destruction in its wake. The impacts of these events are even more severe if you are not insured.
How much for green chemicals?
We know we need to decarbonise the chemical industry - its going to be tough, but a pathway now exists to do it in a financially viable way.
Why investors need to think about COP 15
The 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, resulted in a long-anticipated Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), heralded as a Paris-style agreement for nature.
How should we engage with Oil and Gas companies?
Engagement is now a big part of sustainability investing, but I argue that it's still in its infancy. It's not an “invest in renewables vs invest in O&G debate”, it's more about who is best placed to invest this capital wisely, the upstream O&G company or their shareholders.
We have enough materials for the green revolution BUT …
To many sustainability specialists, mining is not green, it's brown. It's sometimes thought of as being up there with O&G, some Heavy Industry, Tobacco and Coal. But, we cannot “fix” the problem through exclusions, mining is just too important.