On the 20th March 2013, QCEA Representative Alexandra Bosbeer gave a talk to the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. The talk highlighted the economic, social and environmental risks of placing a monetary value on natural capital. The slides of the presentation, ‘The Costs of Pricing Nature: The Implications of Payment for Ecosystem Services in […]
Sustainability
Consultation Response: Ensuring Sustainable Development Globally
The Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission held a public consultation on Ensuring Sustainable Development Globally. The consultation aimed to gather views on how the European Union should follow up on the commitments that it has made to sustainable development. Questions related to issues such as the Green Economy and sustainable consumption and production. QCEA […]
Consultation response: European Investment Bank energy lending
The European Investment Bank asked stakeholders to respond to an issues paper with a number of questions. The EIB website stated they sought “to solicit views and input from a wide array of stakeholders that are involved in the energy sector and can bring valuable expertise to the review of the EIB’s energy sector lending […]
Consultation response: preparation of the EU adaptation strategy
This consultation sought to collect opinions from stakeholders and experts in the field of adaptation to climate change with a view to getting additional information for the preparation of the EU Adaptation Strategy. The scope of the consultation ranges from biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services to food production and water availability, from the […]
Consultation response: policy options for the Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s waters
The European Commission is in the process of updating it’s water policy with a Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s waters, to be published at the end of 2012. In order for the EU to be able to produce a coherent policy for the Blueprint, it is essential for it to cover all areas that effect water […]
Consultation response: financing energy efficiency in buildings
Dramatically improved energy efficiency in buildings is both achievable and economically desirable. However, low awareness of the environmental impact of buildings; the sector’s complexity, fragmentation, and lack of genuine champions; lack of know-how and experience in green construction; lack of financial instruments to reward energy efficiency; and life styles that are not focussed on energy […]
Consultation response: maritime transport emissions in GHG reduction commitment
Shipping affects European waters. In order to keep the global temperature change below two degrees, all aspects of our carbon emissions must be considered. Therefore it is essential that the maritime sector should contribute to European emission reduction efforts. The efforts will not give a comprehensive view if maritime emissions are not included. In order […]
Consultation response: more Sustainable Consumption and Production
While we welcome the Commission’s flagship initiative entitled A resource-efficient Europe, and more sustainable consumption and production policy development, we still consider the effort to be too vague. We also do not understand why the resource efficiency strategy has been included in the Europe 2020 Strategy. We consider the former to be a concrete expression […]
Briefing paper: the green agenda in the EU budget
This briefing paper continues the work done by QCEA on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020. The Paper examines the latest proposals from the European Commission for the next EU budget and the potential effects of this on climate change, environmental and resource sustainability, biodiversity and other issues on the green agenda. QCEA then offers […]
Consultation response: water efficiency in buildings
Water efficiency needs to be seen as part of the EU’s wider resource efficiency efforts and integrated into that wider agena. For example, the energy sector accounts for some 45 per cent of water use. If the public perception of the intrinsice benefits and successes of, for example, energy efficiency and waste recycling can be […]