The IMF on fossil fuel subsidies
In a new paper the IMF estimates global subsidies for fossil fuel energy implied by the underpricing of supply and environmental costs at a staggering $5.2 trillion in 2017, or 6.5 percent of world GDP
Economics
Why price carbon?
That may sound like a stupid question, but when governments are failing to price carbon pollution at anywhere near the cost of the damage caused to society, it’s a question worth asking, though maybe it would be better to ask the reverse question: why aren’t we are pricing carbon? Why are we effectively subsidising fossil …
A Stone Circle for the 21st Century
Wiltshire produces more solar-electricity than any other county in the UK but we’re joint 190th for wind energy. In fact, we produce about 6000 times more energy from the Sun than we do from the wind. That’s quite a contrast and we could do better. Of course, many people find wind farms ugly and don’t …
Cheap Energy – Problem or Opportunity?
I was looking at my electricity bill the other day and I noticed how little of it was paying for actual energy. In fact only 41% of what SSE charged me went to Buying the energy our customers use It is mostly admin, distribution, profit and tax or quasi-tax (5% VAT and 12% government ‘schemes’). …
What’s going to happen to the carbon price floor?
There’s a budget tomorrow, and as we reported recently, some energy companies have been putting pressure on the chancellor to increase the carbon price floor, the UK’s carbon tax, currently set at £18 per tonne, which has helped us reduce the proportion of our electricity we get from burning coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel of …