I'm a big fan of the "Financial Times." I think they have consistently excellent coverage on global issues, very much including energy and the environment. Their top reporter on the environment beat, Fiona Harvey, really seems to get to the heart of things and to find the compelling angles. They have an ongoing "In Depth" section devoted to Climate Change and also one in their Partnership Publishing series. (By the way, you have to register to get some of the articles. This is fast and free.)
The FT, backed by Hewlett-Packard and Forum for the Future, has just announced a new competition to spur innovation on climate change solutions. The "FT Climate Change Challenge" aims " to find ideas that are below the radar , being developed by think-tanks, academic institutions or individual entrepreneurs , and identify those that can be taken to scale quickly and make a real difference."
I want to flag a few more things here for you, including a recent op-ed from Daniel Yergin, the head of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, What lower oil prices mean for the world. Let me quote a few salient points here:
"The energy policies of the new US administration, as in other countries, will emphasise greater energy efficiency and renewables. A "green stimulus programme' is already high on the transition agenda. But the worried question around Washington now is: to what degree lower prices will crimp investment in renewables and efficiency."
With constrained resources , to say the least , as we struggle through the world recession that is upon us, in the US, " some kind of charge or auctioning for carbon permits may suddenly take on new attractiveness, not just for combating climate change but as a revenue-raising measure for a federal government that certainly needs the money." This if, for my money, a compelling argument for a federal cap-and-trade regime and/or a carbon tax that will help support government activities in hard times, including extending federal lifelines to local and state governments. (For more on Yergin, see under "Trillions for Renewables!" here.)
The "FT" has had a number of special reports on energy, including an excellent compendium of articles earlier this month. You can find the recent report in its entirety here in pdf. I found particularly interesting reading in Fiona Harvey articles on CSP, energy efficiency and the concept of "negawatts," and on the "smart grid." (A magazine article I've done on the smart grid, a critical concept moving forward, will appear in next month's "Planning." See also under "Smart Grid" here.) There's a cornucopia on energy at the "FT." You can also check out a series of informative videos on Business and Carbon here.
Great stuff, consistently, from one of the world's top newspapers.
