The Social Climate Fund was set up to cushion the impacts of the extended ETS and direct investment into energy. Direct income support is the preferred method of fund allocation to individuals. There needs to be a systematic way to track annual fund allocation across Member States.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international treaty that aims to conserve biological diversity, ensure the sustainable use of biological diversity, and share the benefits of it in a fair and equitable way.
On the 14th and 16th of March various important meetings took place for tackling key topics such as the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, the Social Climate Fund and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).
The current Russian aggression in Ukraine is significantly affecting EU Energy policies. Hydrogen holds potential for delinking EU gas demands from Russia, although its technology is still at the early stage. There is a need for continuous dialogue between EU policymakers and the energy industry, and to stay in line with the Paris Agreement.
Energy efficiency means being independent from Russia’s oil and gas, focusing on renewable energy sources and innovation at EU level. Renewable energy usage should be reflected in the EU’s ambition by more than 40% by 2030, with a particular focus on hydrogen. Energy efficiency is strongly related to energy waste, in the sense that at EU level there should be a new behavior towards minimizing consumption and waste in general.
Energy taxation should take into account the mix of energy, energy poverty and monitoring, and the difference between the Member State practices. The scheme for energy taxation should be implemented as soon as possible, taking into account the urgency of the climate crisis. The energy taxation should be used as a catalyst for speeding up the use of renewables within each Member State
On March 17th, the Environmental Council met to discuss the extension of the ETS to road transport and buildings and the Social Climate Fund. A majority of countries support extension of the ETS though some still have concerns regarding social impacts. Support for the Social Climate Fund was more limited. The Council shared a progress report on other files and it was announced that a general approach on CBAM was reached.
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said in an interview for Fox News on 19th of December that he could no longer support the BBBA, taking the White House by surprise. Manchin revived hopes in March by proposing a new approach which would have sufficient funding for climate provisions from the BBBA The clock is ticking for the Democrats with the Midterm elections in November, which could potentially result in Republican control over the US Congress.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent non-profit organisation that seeks to set a recognised standard for sustainable fishing and therefore limit overfishing in the ocean’s wild fisheries. Through its ‘blue-tick’ label on seafood products and its Theory of Change, the MSC hopes to encourage a healthier and more productive seafood market. However, the organisation has faced a multitude of criticisms over its effectiveness and practices in recent years. The MSC was first established in 1996 as a collaboration between the WWF and Unilever, following a collapse in cod populations in North Atlantic fisheries MSC certified products have to pass two Standards in order to carry the blue tick label: the MSC Fisheries Standard and the MSC Chain of Custody Standard Over 20,000 seafood products are sold with the MSC label, but many environmentalists and organisations have questioned the effectiveness of the certification approach
UK Internships Position: Environmentalist Internship Company/Organisation: Metis Consultants Location: London, UK/Remote Position Dates: 2022 (start date unspecified) Paid/Unpaid: London Living Wage Deadline: 31 December 2021 Position: Policy Intern Company/Organisation: Sylvera Location: London, UK/Remote Position Dates: Start January 2022; 6 month position Paid/Unpaid: London Living Wage (or more depending on qualifications/experience) Deadline: 14 December 2021 Position:...