E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism) is a climate change think tank operating to accelerate a global transition to a low-carbon future. The organisation has staff based in Brussels, Berlin, London and Washington, D.C..
E3G stands for Third Generation Environmentalism. The idea behind the name is that the first generation of environmentalists focused on the conservation of species and habitats, the second generation widened the scope to include pollution and natural resources and the third generation is building on this success, working on solutions rather than problems. [1]
E3G has three co-founding directors, Nick Mabey, co-CEO, Shane Tomlinson, co-CEO, and Tom Burke, [2] who is the current Chairman. [3] [4]
The organisation works across a number of areas including climate diplomacy, energy, finance, cities, risk, efficiency and infrastructure.
E3G was established in 2004, when it played a pivotal role in the successful diplomatic effort to get Russia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. [5] In 2006, E3G developed a political analysis called Europe in the World, looking at how the EU could best respond to the challenge of maintaining its prosperity and security in an interdependent world. [6]
E3G created the Transform UK coalition in 2009, serving as a cross-sector platform to drive green investment in the UK and spearhead the Green Investment Bank campaign. [7] The Green Investment Bank was created to support low carbon infrastructure. The bank was established in 2011 with £3 billion in initial equity, taking on full legal status in 2013. [8]
In 2010, together with partners, E3G developed and piloted the concept of Low Carbon Zones in China. [9] This led to the Chinese government establishing 12 zones, covering 350 million people.
The groundbreaking Degrees of Risk report on climate risk management was published in 2011. [10] The report went on to influence the US Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Taskforce. Members of the group have also condemned US climate rhetoric that is religious in nature and which has made its way into discussions in the UK. [11]
The Energy Bill Revolution was launched the following year in 2012. The campaign set up a coalition of over 200 organisations calling on the UK government to recycle carbon taxes to make all UK fuel poor homes super energy efficient.
In the same year, E3G helped to launch the Norstec coalition, an industrial alliance working together on offshore renewable energy in Europe's North Sea. The North Sea Grid project is a great example of achieving power sector decarbonisation at the regional level.
In 2018 E3G proposed to the Mayor of London that he should support the first ever London Climate Action Week (LCAW 2019), held from 1–8 July 2019. [12] Well over 100 events took place, showcasing London based organisations’ global expertise and action on climate change solutions and aims to mobilise London’s world-class cultural institutions and diverse communities around new ways to inspire and motivate climate action. [13]
In 2021, E3G described the United Kingdom government's decision not to release the calculations underpinning its official Net Zero Strategy as smacking of "secrecy and subterfuge" and voiced concern that the interested public would not be able to scrutinize the estimated impacts of the measures under consideration. New Scientist magazine formally appealed the decision to withhold that information. [14]
In 2020, the University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tank Index Report ranked E3G seventh in top environment policy think tanks. [15]
A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politically applied focus. The 2011 UNEP Green Economy Report argues "that to be green, an economy must not only be efficient, but also fair. Fairness implies recognizing global and country level equity dimensions, particularly in assuring a Just Transition to an economy that is low-carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive."
Jonathan Adair Turner, Baron Turner of Ecchinswell is a British businessman and academic who was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority during the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, serving from September 2008 until its abolition in March 2013. He is a former chairman of the Pensions Commission and the Committee on Climate Change, as well as a former Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry. He has described himself in a BBC HARDtalk interview with Stephen Sackur as a 'technocrat'.
Green Alliance is a charity and independent think tank based in central London, United Kingdom (UK).
Climate change mitigation (or decarbonisation) is action to limit the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause climate change. Climate change mitigation actions include conserving energy and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources. Secondary mitigation strategies include changes to land use and removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Current climate change mitigation policies are insufficient as they would still result in global warming of about 2.7 °C by 2100, significantly above the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to below 2 °C.
Business action on climate change is a topic which since 2000 includes a range of activities relating to climate change, and to influencing political decisions on climate change-related regulation, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Major multinationals have played and to some extent continue to play a significant role in the politics of climate change, especially in the United States, through lobbying of government and funding of climate change deniers. Business also plays a key role in the mitigation of climate change, through decisions to invest in researching and implementing new energy technologies and energy efficiency measures.
Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) is an Australia-based, internationally recognised climate change solutions think-tank. The organization produces independent economic and public policy research on the transition of advanced economies to a zero emissions model. Beyond Zero Emission's stated research aims are to provide detailed pathways for a rapid transition in each major sector of Australia's economy. The organisation is funded by donations from individuals and charitable trusts including the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation and the Hamer Family Fund.
The Youth Climate Movement (YouNGO) or International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM) refers to an international network of youth organisations that collectively aims to inspire, empower and mobilise a generational movement of young people to take positive action on climate change.
Green growth is a concept in economic theory and policymaking used to describe paths of economic growth that are environmentally sustainable. It is based on the understanding that as long as economic growth remains a predominant goal, a decoupling of economic growth from resource use and adverse environmental impacts is required. As such, green growth is closely related to the concepts of green economy and low-carbon or sustainable development. A main driver for green growth is the transition towards sustainable energy systems. Advocates of green growth policies argue that well-implemented green policies can create opportunities for employment in sectors such as renewable energy, green agriculture, or sustainable forestry.
Climate change is impacting the environment and human population of the United Kingdom (UK). The country's climate is becoming warmer, with drier summers and wetter winters. The frequency and intensity of storms, floods, droughts and heatwaves is increasing, and sea level rise is impacting coastal areas. The UK is also a contributor to climate change, having emitted more greenhouse gas per person than the world average. Climate change is having economic impacts on the UK and presents risks to human health and ecosystems.
A green bond is a fixed-income financial instruments (bond) which is used to fund projects that have positive environmental benefits. When referring to climate change mitigation projects they are also known as climate bonds. Green bonds follow the Green Bond Principles stated by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), and the proceeds from the issuance of which are to be used for the pre-specified types of projects. The categories of eligible green projects include for example: Renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and control, environmentally sustainable management of living natural resources and land use, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, clean transportation, climate change adaptation.
Green Investment Group Limited (GIG), formerly the UK Green Investment Bank, is a specialist in green infrastructure principal investment, project delivery and the management of portfolio assets and related services. It is owned by the Macquarie Group.
Climate change has resulted in an increase in temperature of 2.3 °C (4.14 °F) (2022) in Europe compared to pre-industrial levels. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. Europe's climate is getting warmer due to anthropogenic activity. According to international climate experts, global temperature rise should not exceed 2 °C to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change; without reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this could happen before 2050. Climate change has implications for all regions of Europe, with the extent and nature of impacts varying across the continent.
Climate finance is an umbrella term for financial resources such as loans, grants, or domestic budget allocations for climate change mitigation, adaptation or resiliency. Finance can come from private and public sources. It can be channeled by various intermediaries such as multilateral development banks or other development agencies. Those agencies are particularly important for the transfer of public resources from developed to developing countries in light of UN Climate Convention obligations that developed countries have.
Renewables supply a quarter of energy in Turkey, including heat and electricity. Some houses have rooftop solar water heating, and hot water from underground warms many spas and greenhouses. In parts of the west hot rocks are shallow enough to generate electricity as well as heat. Wind turbines, also mainly near western cities and industry, generate a tenth of Turkey’s electricity. Hydropower, mostly from dams in the east, is the only modern renewable energy which is fully exploited. Hydropower averages about a fifth of the country's electricity, but much less in drought years. Apart from wind and hydro, other renewables; such as geothermal, solar and biogas; together generated almost a tenth of Turkey’s electricity in 2022. Over half the installed capacity for electricity generation is renewables.
Carbon Tracker is a London-based not-for-profit think tank researching the impact of climate change on financial markets.
The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits, and also introduce new legislation on the circular economy (CE), building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation.
Green recovery packages are proposed environmental, regulatory, and fiscal reforms to rebuild prosperity in the wake of an economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 recession or the 2007–2008 financial crisis. They pertain to fiscal measures that intend to recover economic growth while also positively benefitting the environment, including measures for renewable energy, efficient energy use, nature-based solutions, sustainable transport, green innovation and green jobs, amongst others.
Sustainable finance is the set of practices, standards, norms, regulations and products that pursue financial returns alongside environmental and/or social objectives. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) investing. However, many distinguish between ESG integration for better risk-adjusted returns and a broader field of sustainable finance that also includes impact investing, social finance and ethical investing.
Higher energy prices pushed families into poverty, forced some factories to curtail output or even shut down, and slowed economic growth. It was estimated in 2022 that an additional 11 million Europeans could be driven to poverty due to energy inflation. Europe's gas supply is uniquely vulnerable because of its historic reliance on Russia, while many emerging economies have seen higher energy import bills and fuel shortages.
Jennifer Morgan is an American German environmental activist specializing in climate change policy. Since 2022, she has been serving as special representative for international climate policy of the Federal Foreign Office in Germany under minister Annalena Baerbock.
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