Nuclear Law Insights & Articles

Energy News Flash: Wholesale energy prices at 22nd August 2022

An update on wholesale energy prices at 22nd August 2022 by our energy economist Dominic Whittome. Annual gas prices hit new records, now over 1,000% higher on last year’s level.   Wholesale gas and power prices hit new record highs today, shrugging off weaker crude prices which have fallen 20% over the past three months. […]

04/10/2022

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority Faces Legal Action

Climate Risk and more generally ESG-related legal challenges have greatly increased in recent years. Recently, ClientEarth have filed a case with the High Court in London against the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (The FCA) over their approval of Ithaca Energy plc’s prospectus. Ithaca Energy has significant interests in the Cambo and Rosebank oil and gas […]

Energy News Flash: The UK Gov Energy Package and Fixing OTC gas prices – 7th & 8th September

Our economist Dominic Whittome shares two updates on wholesale energy prices and recent announcements as at 7th and 8th September 2022. News Flash – 8th September, 2022 A Downing Street announcement on its Energy Package was expected at circa 1pm today, rumoured to include measures to dismantle existing long-term electricity agreements based on contracts-for-differences (CFD). The […]

Energy price Caps will not increase energy security or affordability

A position paper on the latest UK energy package, written by our energy economist Dominic Whittome and energy market advisor Clive Moffatt, which was discussed in the media and in Westminster, on what can be done to improve energy security and lower energy prices for the supplier and consumer. Rising energy bills are a problem […]

Mandatory Registration of Overseas Entities: New UK rules on owning and selling property come into effect

On 15th March 2022, the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act (the ECTEA) came into force in the UK for the Registration for Overseas Entities. The idea for this Act was proposed as early as in 2016, but only following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was the bill for this Act passed […]

The Financial Reporting Council’s approach to ESG data

The Financial Reporting Council has started to provide guidance on ESG data and how it can be collected and used. Our Head of ESG, Dr Jacqueline Faridani provides a helpful breakdown of the FRC’s approach to ESG data and data production. The rapidly changing ESG landscape is making it difficult for companies to navigate their […]

Renewable Energy: news and regulatory developments

We take a look at recent headlines in the renewable energy sector in the domestic and international markets. US – Inflation Reduction Act signed into law After a build-up of 18 months, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act 2022 into law on 16th August, 2022. The framework of the legislation encompasses a large number of issues […]

Six Good Reasons to Avoid Greenwashing ESG Financial Products

“ ‘Greenwashing’ is when misleading or unsubstantiated claims about environmental performance are made by businesses or investment funds about their products or activities. It’s import to avoid greenwashing or else this can lead to the wrong products being bought – undermining trust in the market and leading to misallocation of capital intended for sustainable investments. […]

03/10/2022

Biodiversity, Greenwashing and Private Sector Investment: ESG Headlines in Review

We review some of the key ESG developments, trends and Private Sector Investment reaching the headlines in the last few weeks. ESG investments – measuring biodiversity loss The fight against climate change is becoming increasingly focussed on biodiversity and how it is conserved. Biodiversity includes both the planet’s renewable and non-renewable resources, in addition to […]

How central banks are assessing the climate resiliency of financial institutions to various climate scenarios

In recent months, there has been an increase in regulatory requirements and standards which larger companies are mandated to follow, across all three pillars of ESG. The impact of climate change on banks and insurance companies has been the primary focus of central banks in the UK, Europe and most recently in the U.S. Prospect […]

Why updating your diversity, equity and inclusion policies can improve ESG credentials

A modern workplace stands out for protecting its employees using respectful policies and processes which reflect the organisation’s position on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our employment law specialist Philippa Wood highlights why revising your organisation’s DEI policies can transform business practices, improve employee happiness and better ESG credentials. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are the […]

What can we expect from climate finance heading into COP27?

With the 27th UN Climate Change Conference, or COP27 as its more commonly referred to, taking place from the 6- 18 November in Egypt, the importance of one of the Paris Agreement’s central proposals, climate finance, becomes even more relevant for discussion. This article summarises what the UNFCCC climate finance initiative is, its benefits, whether it’s sufficient in […]

7 ways organisations can improve their sustainability credentials

Sustainable business is good business. And many organisations recognise the benefits of doing business in a fair and environmentally conscious way. Others have benefitted from this trend in their communications, without, for the most part, needing to substantiate their claims. However with the clamp down on greenwashing from regulatory bodies like the FCA, and the […]

EU Parliament expands ESG requirements for SMEs and large companies

On 10th November 2022, the EU Parliament formally adopted The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in a move to make businesses within the EU and those that operate within the EU disclose information on their ESG credentials. This goes further than the previous piece of legislation known as the Disclosure of Non-financial Information (NFRD) which was largely […]

29/09/2022

What was achieved at COP27?

On the 20th November, the 27th annual United Nations Climate Change (UNCC) Conference, or more notably referred to as COP27, came to an end as negotiations settled following a fortnight of discussions and events attended by 92 heads of state and around 35,000 representatives of 190 countries. The conclusion – a cover decision, 10 pages […]

An Alternative Risk Insurance Model for the Maritime Sector

Navigating the intricate domain of risk management within the maritime sector necessitates exploring unconventional insurance models. In particular, the concept of Protected Cell Captive companies (PCCs) presents a compelling alternative to traditional mutual protection and indemnity insurance (P&I insurance). This article delves into the evolution of risk insurance model for the maritime sector, shedding light […]