[News] from [guardian.co.uk]
[Business > Davos]
Davos: Funding switch threatens aid to developing world, campaigner warns
Larry Elliott in Davos
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 January 2010 15.58 GMT Article history
Rich countries are raiding their aid budgets to bankroll a new global fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, one of the world's leading development campaign groups warned today.
Jamie Drummond, executive director of the One group co-founded by the rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof, said the west was being "dishonest" about the $30bn (£18bn) of fast-track finance proposed in Copenhagen last month to persuade developing countries to agree a deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Drummond said the proposal to spend $10bn a year over the next three years involved no additional money, but was instead being diverted from existing budgets.
The impact, he said, would be to divert funds from health and education spending in Africa to infrastructure projects in Asia and Latin America.
"Development promises are under threat. There is double counting going on. The $30bn is not new money and nor is the $100bn promised for 2020 to help poor countries cope with climate change."
Speaking in Davos, Drummond said One was lobbying world leaders to "come clean" about what they were doing. Similar concerns were expressed earlier this week by Bill Gates, who has used part of his personal fortune to fund health programmes in Africa.
Drummond admitted that it was hard for rich countries to stump up more money during a tough recession, but said the solution was to explore innovative ways of raising finance – including a transaction tax, a levy on aviation travel and selling part of the International Monetary Fund's gold reserve.
Poor countries, he added, would not be prepared to sign up to a climate change deal unless there was additional money for adaptation and mitigation.
Many countries, including Britain, have pledged to raise aid budgets to 0.7% of GDP, but Drummond said that "we may need to look at new goals and proposals like Sir Nicholas Stern's proposal for 1%, incorporating both development and climate finance".
[Money > Energy bills]
Boiler scrappage scheme hit by delays
Enthusiastic response has seen call centre staff battling with a backlog, and applicants waiting to receive their vouchers
Lisa Bachelor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 January 2010 10.35 GMT Article history
Thousands of householders who have applied for the government's boiler scrappage scheme are facing long delays for the vouchers needed to give their installers the go ahead.
The scheme, which was launched about three weeks ago, is designed to cut carbon emissions and help people save money on energy bills by offering householders a £400 voucher to replace their old G-rated boiler with an A-rated one.
It has received such an enthusiastic response from consumers that the Energy Saving Trust, the organisation that administers the scheme, has admitted it is battling to clear a huge backlog of applications.
By the beginning of this week it had received 160,000 calls, and around 36,000 people had applied for one of the 125,000 available vouchers.
It has now doubled the number of staff in its call centre to cope with the demand.
"People applying now should expect to receive their vouchers within 10 days," a spokesman said. "People who called earlier have not been forgotten about. The call centres are working their way through logged calls in chronological order."
Fraser Winterbottom, chief operating officer at the Energy Savings Trust, this week told Radio 4's You and Yours programme that the system had been changed so that applicants would now automatically be sent an email telling them the trust would contact them.
He said the organisation was "three or four days behind" on applications, but that this would soon revert to a "normal period".
Applicants play waiting game
Ruth Thompson from Teddington, who contacted guardian.co.uk/money, is one of those still waiting for a response from the Energy Saving Trust.
"I spent three days trying to get through to them only to be greeted with a recorded message," she said. "I finally succeeded a week later and was told I would be contacted 'in 10 days'. That was more than 10 days ago and I am still waiting."
Thompson, who is over 60, said many of her friends found themselves in the same position, and people posting on the MoneySavingExpert website appear to be suffering similar delays.
A comment from shirlgirl2004 said: "I read that the voucher would take 10 days to arrive and then I had an email [from the Energy Saving Trust] that told me 10 working days – but the truth is 10 working days has been and gone and I'm still waiting."
Another poster known as "aah" claimed he had been told he would have his voucher in 20 working days. "They have not got a clue," he wrote. "I guess in two months time I will still be using the old boiler."
Thompson, meanwhile, also contacted Warm Front, a government scheme that operates a separate £300 boiler rebate scheme for those aged over 60. She did not qualify because her boiler was still working. A spokesman said the scheme currently has a six-month waiting list, and that it has seen an increase in calls since the boiler scrappage scheme was announced.
Thompson said: "It is very confusing that you have these different schemes running side by side and none of them seem to be operating properly.
"The general public has got very good intentions, but the companies are not prepared at the other end."
British Gas, which is offering money off boilers on top of the government rebate, said that in the first three weeks of the year it had four times the number of customers asking for a quote than the same period last year, and six times the number received in the three weeks before the scheme launched.
Householders who have successfully received their voucher, however, could be set for further delays as the Energy Savings Trust will need to deal with them again further into the process. Those accepted for the scheme only get their money back by returning the voucher with an attached invoice to the Energy Saving Trust once the work has been done. Payment is then meant to be be issued within 25 working days of receipt.
Not everyone has welcomed the idea of a scrappage scheme. Plumber to the stars, Charlie Mullins, told Guardian Money last week that the scheme could prove to be "financial madness" as it could involve ripping out an inefficient but functioning boiler.
[Environment >Heathrow third runway]
Greenpeace plans to build fortress on Heathrow runway site
Environmental group says the plan will create a legal headache for any government pushing ahead with airport's expansion
Matthew Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 January 2010 19.07 GMT Article history
Environmental activists have invited some of the UK's leading architects to design an "impenetrable fortress" to be built on land earmarked for the third runway at Heathrow.
Greenpeace plans to build the winning design at the centre of the site where airport operator BAA hopes to construct a £7bn runway and a sixth terminal.
The charity bought the parcel of land last year and then distributed ownership to more than 60,000 supporters around the world.
Organisers say the small individual plots will create a legal headache for any government trying to push ahead with the expansion plans.
[Business > Davos]
Davos: Funding switch threatens aid to developing world, campaigner warns
Larry Elliott in Davos
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 January 2010 15.58 GMT Article history
Rich countries are raiding their aid budgets to bankroll a new global fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, one of the world's leading development campaign groups warned today.
Jamie Drummond, executive director of the One group co-founded by the rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof, said the west was being "dishonest" about the $30bn (£18bn) of fast-track finance proposed in Copenhagen last month to persuade developing countries to agree a deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Drummond said the proposal to spend $10bn a year over the next three years involved no additional money, but was instead being diverted from existing budgets.
The impact, he said, would be to divert funds from health and education spending in Africa to infrastructure projects in Asia and Latin America.
"Development promises are under threat. There is double counting going on. The $30bn is not new money and nor is the $100bn promised for 2020 to help poor countries cope with climate change."
Speaking in Davos, Drummond said One was lobbying world leaders to "come clean" about what they were doing. Similar concerns were expressed earlier this week by Bill Gates, who has used part of his personal fortune to fund health programmes in Africa.
Drummond admitted that it was hard for rich countries to stump up more money during a tough recession, but said the solution was to explore innovative ways of raising finance – including a transaction tax, a levy on aviation travel and selling part of the International Monetary Fund's gold reserve.
Poor countries, he added, would not be prepared to sign up to a climate change deal unless there was additional money for adaptation and mitigation.
Many countries, including Britain, have pledged to raise aid budgets to 0.7% of GDP, but Drummond said that "we may need to look at new goals and proposals like Sir Nicholas Stern's proposal for 1%, incorporating both development and climate finance".
[Money > Energy bills]
Boiler scrappage scheme hit by delays
Enthusiastic response has seen call centre staff battling with a backlog, and applicants waiting to receive their vouchers
Lisa Bachelor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 January 2010 10.35 GMT Article history
Thousands of householders who have applied for the government's boiler scrappage scheme are facing long delays for the vouchers needed to give their installers the go ahead.
The scheme, which was launched about three weeks ago, is designed to cut carbon emissions and help people save money on energy bills by offering householders a £400 voucher to replace their old G-rated boiler with an A-rated one.
It has received such an enthusiastic response from consumers that the Energy Saving Trust, the organisation that administers the scheme, has admitted it is battling to clear a huge backlog of applications.
By the beginning of this week it had received 160,000 calls, and around 36,000 people had applied for one of the 125,000 available vouchers.
It has now doubled the number of staff in its call centre to cope with the demand.
"People applying now should expect to receive their vouchers within 10 days," a spokesman said. "People who called earlier have not been forgotten about. The call centres are working their way through logged calls in chronological order."
Fraser Winterbottom, chief operating officer at the Energy Savings Trust, this week told Radio 4's You and Yours programme that the system had been changed so that applicants would now automatically be sent an email telling them the trust would contact them.
He said the organisation was "three or four days behind" on applications, but that this would soon revert to a "normal period".
Applicants play waiting game
Ruth Thompson from Teddington, who contacted guardian.co.uk/money, is one of those still waiting for a response from the Energy Saving Trust.
"I spent three days trying to get through to them only to be greeted with a recorded message," she said. "I finally succeeded a week later and was told I would be contacted 'in 10 days'. That was more than 10 days ago and I am still waiting."
Thompson, who is over 60, said many of her friends found themselves in the same position, and people posting on the MoneySavingExpert website appear to be suffering similar delays.
A comment from shirlgirl2004 said: "I read that the voucher would take 10 days to arrive and then I had an email [from the Energy Saving Trust] that told me 10 working days – but the truth is 10 working days has been and gone and I'm still waiting."
Another poster known as "aah" claimed he had been told he would have his voucher in 20 working days. "They have not got a clue," he wrote. "I guess in two months time I will still be using the old boiler."
Thompson, meanwhile, also contacted Warm Front, a government scheme that operates a separate £300 boiler rebate scheme for those aged over 60. She did not qualify because her boiler was still working. A spokesman said the scheme currently has a six-month waiting list, and that it has seen an increase in calls since the boiler scrappage scheme was announced.
Thompson said: "It is very confusing that you have these different schemes running side by side and none of them seem to be operating properly.
"The general public has got very good intentions, but the companies are not prepared at the other end."
British Gas, which is offering money off boilers on top of the government rebate, said that in the first three weeks of the year it had four times the number of customers asking for a quote than the same period last year, and six times the number received in the three weeks before the scheme launched.
Householders who have successfully received their voucher, however, could be set for further delays as the Energy Savings Trust will need to deal with them again further into the process. Those accepted for the scheme only get their money back by returning the voucher with an attached invoice to the Energy Saving Trust once the work has been done. Payment is then meant to be be issued within 25 working days of receipt.
Not everyone has welcomed the idea of a scrappage scheme. Plumber to the stars, Charlie Mullins, told Guardian Money last week that the scheme could prove to be "financial madness" as it could involve ripping out an inefficient but functioning boiler.
[Environment >Heathrow third runway]
Greenpeace plans to build fortress on Heathrow runway site
Environmental group says the plan will create a legal headache for any government pushing ahead with airport's expansion
Matthew Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 January 2010 19.07 GMT Article history
Environmental activists have invited some of the UK's leading architects to design an "impenetrable fortress" to be built on land earmarked for the third runway at Heathrow.
Greenpeace plans to build the winning design at the centre of the site where airport operator BAA hopes to construct a £7bn runway and a sixth terminal.
The charity bought the parcel of land last year and then distributed ownership to more than 60,000 supporters around the world.
Organisers say the small individual plots will create a legal headache for any government trying to push ahead with the expansion plans.
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