Humans may not be responsible for global warming, the MP who oversees government policy on climate change has said. Tim Yeo, the chairman of the Commons Energy and Climate Change committee, said he accepts the earth’s temperature is increasing but said “natural phases” may be to blame. He said: “Although I think the evidence that the climate is changing is now overwhelming, the causes are not absolutely clear. There could be natural causes, natural phases that are taking place.” Mr Yeo has previously spoken with great certainty about the science of climate change. He said in 2009: "The dying gasps of the deniers will be put to bed. In five years time, no one will argue about a man-made contribution to climate change.” --Matthew Holehouse, The Daily Telegraph, 29 May 2013
As part of Germany’s switch to renewables, industry has been exempt from paying higher prices associated with solar and wind energy. The European Commission, however, believes the practice distorts competition on the Continent. Huge penalties could be in store. Energy-intensive industry, which plays an important role in the German industrial landscape, threatens to be "driven out of the country." The controversial law, with its billions in subsidies for green electricity, could hardly survive in its current form. --Spiegel Online, 29 May 2013
We can be sure that whatever proposals China makes will be all about the best possible economic growth path for China. Reducing global CO2 emissions is not a goal of the Chinese government. Fans of global carbon treaty fans are desperate for good news, having watched their pet issue move from the front pages at the time of the Copenhagen summit to the obscure back pages of the specialist journals. (How many people followed the recently concluded Bonn edition of the global climate talks?). This news out of China will be used to try to pump up the publicity machine, but a serious CO2 treaty remains a no-hoper. --Walter Russell Mead, Via Meadia, 28 May 2013
The $77 billion solar industry is facing a quality crisis just as solar panels are on the verge of widespread adoption. A review of 30,000 installations in Europe by the German solar monitoring firm Meteocontrol found 80 percent were underperforming. --Todd Woody, The New York Times, 29 May 2013
The number of households insulating their homes has dramatically fallen this year, threatening to torpedo the Government’s energy efficiency drive and push utility bills even higher. According to industry figures obtained by The Times, cavity wall insulation was fitted in 1,138 homes last month, compared with almost 40,000 in April last year. The slump underlines the lack of consumer interest in the Government’s Green Deal programme, which ministers have billed as the biggest home improvement programme since the Second World War. --Tim Webb, The Times, 29 May 2013
The UK and Germany are among four EU member states whose emissions from fossil fuel combustion are expected to have risen over 2012, despite the bloc seeing an average drop in CO2 output. New estimates from EU statistics agency Eurostat suggest UK CO2 emissions last year climbed by 3.9 per cent compared to 2011, while Germany saw a 0.9 per cent increase. The UK and Germany are also listed as having the highest absolute emissions from energy use in the EU, with the UK responsible for 472 million tons of CO2 over 2012, up by 17.7mt from 2011, and Germany 728mt. --Will Nichols, Business Green, 29 May 2013
