by Hardwick Legal | Jun 17, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;white-space:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;"><strong>With biodiversity loss being both a cause and consequence of climate change, can we expect to see this pressing issue on the agenda at the </strong></span><strong>26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)?</strong></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;white-space:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;">COP26 is set to take place in Glasgow this November and will bring together UN Party representatives to discuss the implementation of the Paris Agreement, a global agreement to keep greenhouse gas emissions below 2</span>°C. While the world has spent the past year preparing for the upcoming summit, the impacts of COVID-19 and an increasing awareness of the economic risks of rampant biodiversity loss have also led to new efforts to stem the damage human activity is causing to ecosystems. </p><p>And these two issues are not unrelated - on the contrary, biodiversity loss can lead to global warming through the removal of natural carbon sinks, while changes in climate create conditions for further ecosystem decline. This relationship does however also provide an opportunity for climate mitigation efforts through nature-based s</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Road to COP26—biodiversity and climate change
by Hardwick Legal | Jun 8, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><strong>Can nuclear fusion, a novel method of generating nuclear energy by replicating the same fusion process that maintains the sun, provide a commercially viable method of producing low-emissions energy? </strong></p><p>Decarbonising the energy sector is a key objective for Parties to the Paris Agreement, being an agreement between 197 nations to limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius above than pre-industrial levels. At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (<a data-sf-ec-immutable="" href="https://ukcop26.org/cop26-goals/" target="_blank">COP 26</a>) set to take place this November, Party delegates will discuss how countries can meet their domestic greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement, in part by phasing out coal as an energy source and increasing investments in renewable energy. But could advances in nuclear fusion technology make both such methods of clean energy generation obsolete?</p><p>While nuclear fusion is not yet a commercially viable means of producing electricity, developments in research and experimental programmes reveal that fusion technology could soon provide large scale clean energy, while avoiding the safety risks associated with traditional fission nuclear reactors</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Road to COP26—is nuclear fusion the future of clean energy?
by Hardwick Legal | May 26, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><strong>What is the </strong><strong>extent of decommissioning liability under the
Petroleum Act 1998 with regard to wells drilled after the relevant oil field
license had been sold to a third party? </strong></p><p><strong></strong>On 17 May 2021, the Commercial Court handed down judgement in the case of Apache UK Investment Ltd v Esso Exploration and Production UK Ltd <a data-sf-ec-immutable="" href="https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2021/1283.html">[2021] EWHC 1283 (Comm)</a>. The case concerned a dispute as to the amount of security to be provided under bilateral decommissioning security agreements (BDSAs) entered into as part of a purchase by Apache from Esso of a company that held licenses in six North Sea oilfields. At the time of the agreements, Apache Corporation, the ultimate parent company of Apache, provided a guarantee in support of Apache’s obligation to indemnify Esso fo</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Case Analysis—Apache v Esso and decommissioning liability under the Petroleum Act 1998
by Hardwick Legal | May 26, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><strong>What are the current hurdles to decarbonising the cryptocurrency industry, and what role can lawyers and industry initiatives like the Crypto Climate Accord (CCA) play in decarbonisation? </strong></p><p>In recent weeks there has been increasing news coverage of the environmental impact of certain cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which rely on a mining process that uses huge amounts of energy, predominantly from non-renewable sources. What’s more, because cryptocurrencies are relatively new, largely unregulated, global and decentralised, they present numerous challenges to any lawyers considering how to regulate the industry to improve its environmental record. But it’s not all bad news – some cryptocurrencies have proven that it’s possible to mine currencies in energy efficient ways, while major industry players have come together to</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Road to COP26—can bitcoin be green?
by Hardwick Legal | May 25, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p><strong>How viable are market-based measures (MBMs) as a method to reduce carbon emissions generated by maritime shipping, and what role should they play in the industry’s transition to net zero?</strong></p><p>At the 26<sup>th</sup> Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<a href="https://ukcop26.org/" data-sf-ec-immutable="">COP26</a>) taking place this November, participating countries will be asked to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that align with a shared ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. With the shipping industry currently accounting for just under 3% of global GHG emissions, a viable plan for decarbonising maritime is necessary if this goal is to be achieved in time to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. </p><p>In recognition of their role in reducing global emissions, shipping industry bodies have recently <a href="https://www.worldshipping.org/pressroom/article?news_article_id=131" target="_blank" data-sf-ec-immutable="">called on the Member States of the International Maritime Organi</a></p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
Road to COP26—Reducing carbon emissions from maritime shipping
by Hardwick Legal | May 14, 2021 | Purpose Built (LexisNexis)
<p>We have published a new Practice Note on the European Green Deal, see: <a data-sf-ec-immutable="" href="https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/guidance/the-european-green-deal-tracker">The European Green Deal—tracker</a>. </p><p>This new Practice Note provides an overview of the European Commission’s Green Deal programme, being its ‘roadmap for making the EU’s economy sustainable’, central to which is the EU’s commitment to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The European Green Deal therefore sets out policy measures designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across sectors, as well as measures aimed at tackling biodiversity loss, defor</p>
Source: LexisNexis Purpose Built
The European Green Deal—overview and developments
