UK readies 3.0bn pound recovery plan to green up economy by Staff Writers London (AFP) July 7, 2020 British finance minister Rishi Sunak will Wednesday unveil a mini-budget to help kickstart the UK economy following devastation wreaked by coronavirus fallout, featuring green investment worth 3.0-billion pounds ($3.7-billion, 3.3 billion euros). Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak hopes the plan will help to support more than 100,000 green jobs, including across the construction sector. He will offer 2.0 billion pounds in grants for households to insulate homes and make them more energy efficient, the Treasury said in a statement Tuesday. Sunak will also provide 1.0 billion pounds in green grants for public sector buildings, including hospitals, schools and social housing. In England, the government aims to pay for at least two thirds of homeowner costs on green upgrades. "As Britain recovers from the outbreak, it's vital we do everything in our power to support and protect livelihoods across the nation," Sunak said in the statement. "Our green homes grant will not only cut families' bills by making their homes more energy efficient, it will also kick start our economy by creating thousands of green jobs -- and supporting those skilled tradespeople who are ready to work." Households will be offered vouchers of up to 5,000 pounds to make their homes more energy efficient, while some of the poorest families will be given up to 10,000 pounds. The plan is part also of Britain's long term pledge to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 to tackle climate change. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed that his Conservative administration will deliver an "infrastructure revolution" to help Britain build its way out of the economic devastation wreaked by the virus. Recent official data showed that the UK economy suffered its biggest quarterly contraction for more than 40 years -- at minus 2.2 percent in the January-March period. However, the data included only the first full week of the lockdown and economists expect subsequent damage to be considerably worse for the second quarter. While Britain's nationwide locked is easing, with most pubs and hair salons reopening at the weekend for example, the central England city of Leicester is back on full lockdown after a new spike in virus cases.
US energy laggards still not Paris compliant: analysis Paris (AFP) June 23, 2020 US-based oil and gas majors are lagging well behind their European counterparts when it comes to plans for cutting emissions to comply with the Paris climate deal, according to analysis released Wednesday. The 2015 accord seeks to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 Farenheit) above pre-industrial levels through sweeping cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Prompted by national commitments as part of the Paris deal, a number of large energy companies, including ... read more
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