Hi Springboarders,
Two weeks ago we announced the publication of a new report - "The Race to Capture the Carbon Pound" commissioned by Shell. The aim of this research was to increase the understanding of the important role which SMEs play in tackling climate change, and the extent to which UK business is harnessing this opportunity.
The report contains a detailed analysis of the value of the Low Carbon market, and demonstrates the British ingenuity that we see day in day out from the entrants to the Shell Springboard programme.
Shell Springboard Roundtable Discussion
We gathered together 12 leading figures on climate change, with varying academic and business backgrounds, for a roundtable discussion on the report, chaired by Lord Oxburgh.What followed was a lively debate on the opportunities and problems faced by low carbon innovators, the characteristics of low carbon markets in the UK, and the type of government support that was needed to ensure innovation and growth in time to make a difference.
The panel reflected that although the UK was well positioned in this market within Europe, the clear frontrunner in this space was the US thanks largely to their capacity for investment and national prioritisation. It emphasised the need for a good, consistent policy framework in which to operate - one which protected funding for promising companies who need high-risk investment in technologies at an early stage of development.
They also looked ahead to the prodigious opportunities in the developing world for global market leaders, and called for further research in social sciences, particularly psychology, to look at the problem of human irrationality where the environment is concerned.
You can view video highlights of the discussion by clicking here, and download the full report from Vivid Economics on the Shell Springboard website.
THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR APPLICATIONS!
Shell Springboard awards provide a financial boost to innovative, low carbon business ideas. Last year, awards of £40,000 were made to eight businesses drawn from across the UK including Carbon8 Systems Ltd, a business in Kent that turns everyday rubbish from landfill sites into building materials such as bricks or roofing.
This deadline for this year’s applications is midnight on Friday 7th November 2008 and you can apply at www.shellspringboard.org