In terms of environmental policy, the quest to cut carbon emissions dramatically and to achieve net zero remains high on the political agenda, although the war in Ukraine – and specifically the issue of gas supplies – may weaken these commitments.
In any event, the environmental performance of China and the US – responsible, between them, for around one half of global emissions – will be key. In Asia, where ca.85% of energy consumption is currently being met by fossil fuels – there are ca.4.6bn energy users – the carbon emissions impact of these two figures is self-evident.
In the wake of Singapore’s establishment of Climate Impact X (CIX), the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is planning to launch its own Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) initiative, which aims to both attract more institutional investment into low-carbon projects and to establish a more credible benchmark for trading in the carbon credit (CC) market. The LSE’s VCM proposals are out for consultation until 11 July 2022.
