Emissions Trading – good for business but bad for the environment

Europe’s Emissions Trading System has been around a few years. It has had many teething problems, including some shocking cases of fraud and governmental incompetence, and I have always argued against the ETS as being fundamentally flawed. Trying to us the same kind of devices to reduce emissions that brought banks and economies to their knees is simply foolish.

The 2010 Budget and its environmental aspect

Today in the United Kingdom the Chancellor of the Exchequer – effectively the finance minister of the country – laid out his budget statement. Mr Darling headlined his budget as one to secure the recovery. What recovery? Well, the bankers have seen their bonuses recover greatly but for most ordinary people the recession is a reality and the recovery a myth. The environmental impact of the budget is dealt with separately these days, and that is a “Good Thing” because it enables us to see the actual measures that will affect the environment in some detail.