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UK: Britain’s position as the sixth largest producer and provider of low carbon goods is ‘faltering’ according to a new report. The EEF manufacturers’ trade association says the government needs to set out a ‘clear vision’ by the end of the year to ensure a sector that could be worth £880 billion between now and 2050 thrives (EEF)
Brazil: Former presidential candidate and environment minister Marina Silva has launched a ‘sustainability party’ ahead of next year’s elections. Silva won 20 million votes in her 2010 Presidential bid, and says she is determined to place the environment at the heart of Brazilian politics (BBC)
EU: The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has voted in favour of plans to reform the bloc’s carbon market. The proposal would withhold 900m credits from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in order to lift the price after it plunged to a record low of €2.81 earlier this year. (RTCC)
India: Major emerging economies are pressing to make commitments to tackle emissions from the aviation sector non-binding. Brazil, South Africa, India and China – also known as the ‘BASIC’ countries, released a joint statement from a meeting last Saturday stating that any deal must involve “voluntary participation”. (RTCC)
UK: The British government is launching a last-ditch attempt to sign up energy companies to build new nuclear power stations by proposing to sign contracts guaranteeing subsidies for up to 40 years. (Guardian)
Arctic: The Arctic needs to be better protected from a rush for natural resources as melting ice makes mineral and energy exploration easier, the United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP) said. “What we are seeing is that the melting of ice is prompting a rush for exactly the fossil fuel resources that fuelled the melt in the first place,” said Achim Steiner, U.N. Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. (Reuters AlertNet)