Environment & Energy
Latest Environment & Energy Publications
Farming Tomorrow
Warwick Lightfoot, Joshua Burke, Nicholas Craig-Harvey, Jonathan Dupont, Richard Howard, Rebecca Lowe, Richard Norrie and Michael TaylorThis major new Policy Exchange report sets out the once in a generation opportunity that Brexit offers our nation to reform its agricultural and environmental policy. Since 1973, UK farm and food policies have conformed to the rules and objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — the EU’s principal policy programme. Doing so has, at great expense, reduced Britain’s agricultural productivity by lessening competition and supporting inefficient farmers. It has also increased costs for consumers. This report outlines opportunities to improve policy by focusing on four main interest groups: consumers, producers, the wider rural economy, and the environment. This report offers timely and comprehensive analysis and answers to some of the most pressing policy questions of our day.
Clean Growth: How to boost business energy productivity
Joshua BurkeThe Government should establish a new Energy Efficiency Delivery Unit and Energy Performance Certificates should be linked to business rates to incentivise landlords to invest more in energy efficiency, according to Clean Growth, the new report from Policy Exchange’s influential and expert Energy and Environment team. The report calls for a new approach by Government to encourage investment in business energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions and improve business productivity. Existing tools like the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme can be much better used – and must be extended to public sector institutions like the NHS and MoD.
Driving down emissions: How to clean up road transport?
Richard Howard, Matthew Rooney, Zoe Bengherbi and David CharlesworthIn this major new report — by Policy Exchange’s Head of Energy and Environment, Richard Howard, alongside Matt Rooney, Zoe Begherbi, and David Charlesworth — the case is set out that the Government must take more action now to tackle the twin problems of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from road transport. Amongst other key findings, the report’s analysis reveals that hitting carbon targets will leave a £9-23 billion p.a. hole in tax receipts by 2030, and that official estimates of vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency are highly misleading.
Latest Environment & Energy Blogs
Glowing hot or cold? The future of nuclear power in the UK
Energy and Environment Research Fellow Matt Rooney analyses the Government’s long-term plans for nuclear power. Could Small Modular Reactors be a solution?
Don’t write off Blockchain because of the Bitcoin hype
Energy & Environment Research Fellow Joshua Burke examines the role of blockchain in building trust and transparency in structures of governance and how this can be applied to carbon-pricing schemes.
Comment on the Government’s 25-year environmental plan
Policy Exchange’s Josh Burke comments favourably on the Prime Minister’s speech on the environment – the first such speech by a Prime Minister in over 10 years.
Latest Environment & Energy News
Modern farming policy will reward enhancing the environment, rather than subsidising inactivity
Warwick LightfootPolicy Exchange’s Warwick Lightfoot argues in City AM that farming subsidies should be redirected to farmers who enhance the environment and invest in research and development.
Future farming policy to reward enhancing the environment – as called for by Policy Exchange
Policy ExchangeEnvironment Secretary Michael Gove has announced that a post-Brexit agricultural policy will reward farmers for public goods rather than acreage – as recommended in Policy Exchange’s Farming Tomorrow. The paper says that flood prevention, tree planting and biodiversity should all be subsidised rather than food production.
Joshua Burke gives evidence to Parliamentary committee
Joshua BurkePolicy Exchange Energy and Environment Research Fellow gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee, speaking on opportunities for waste management following Brexit – the subject of our report Going Round in Circles.
Latest Environment & Energy Events
Powering a New Economy: How a clean energy revolution means Britain can lead the world
Feb 22, 2017In this talk, Tim Farron MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, gave his assessment of the UK clean energy sector and put forward the steps the Liberal Democrats will take to work towards a zero-carbon Britain
The Policy Dragon’s Den: How to Decarbonise Road Transport
Jan 27, 2017This event took place at Policy Exchange on Friday 27 January. It was a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style event, in which a number of industry leaders ‘pitched’ their vision of the future of road transport, to a panel of experts
Switched On: Are Switching Sites a Sign of Healthy or Broken Markets?
Jan 16, 2017This event took place at Policy Exchange on 16 January 2017 and was kindly supported by Citizens Advice and the UK Regulators Network
Latest tweets from Richard Howard
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