Sustainable Energy Law Notebook

Did you miss our seminar in Oslo on 14 November 2019 on the legal aspects of carbon capture and Storage (CCS) deployment? You can now watch it on line on Youtube  HERE . Topic : « Climate emergency & legal response: the role of law in CCS deployment. Regulatory incentives to enable carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Norway and Europe.»

There has been an important update on the issue of transboundary transport of CO 2 for the purpose of permanent storage , as covered by the London Protocol's export amendment (2009 amendment to Art 6). This is of primarly importance for the realisation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects which include the international transport of CO 2 .

On 31 October 2017 , I will have the pleasure to be part of a panel discussion on the topic of climate change litigation in Bergen . The event - free and open to all - is organised by the Centre on Law and Social Transformation of the University of Bergen. More information at : https://www.lawtransform.no/event/breakfast-seminar-suing-the-state-for-climate-change-and-holding-it-to-account/  

On 24 June 2017 , the French legal think tank Le Club des Juristes presented to the President of the French Republic the draft project of a Global Pact of the Environment drafted by a group of international environmental lawyers. The text is available for download in both French : http://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Avant-projet-de-Pacte-mondial-pour-lenvironnement-24-juin-2017.pdf and English : http://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Draft-project-of-the-Global-Pact-for-the-Environment-24-June-2017.pdf Source: Website of Le Club des Juristes http://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/projet-de-pacte-mondial-lenvironnement/  

Marine Le Pen står for proteksjonisme og nasjonalisme også innen klima- og energipolitikken, mens Emmanuel Macrons prosjekt innebærer grønn vekst i en europeisk ramme. [...] Les hele min kronikk om klima- og energiprogrammet til de to finalekandidatene i Energi og Klima Nettmagasinet: http://energiogklima.no/kommentar/macron-vs-le-pen-hva-skjer-med-klima-og-energipolitikken/  

You can find below the reference to my latest publication :  "Effectiveness in Climate Regulation: Simultaneous Application of a Carbon Tax and an Emissions Trading Scheme to the Offshore Petroleum Sector in Norway" C. Banet in Carbon and Climate Law Review (2017) 11(1), pp.25-38 Accessible at: http://cclr.lexxion.eu/article/CCLR/2017/1/5 Summary : The present article discusses effectiveness in environmental regulation when two instruments, a carbon dioxide tax (CO2 tax) and an emissions trading scheme (ETS), are applied concomitantly to the same activity. The Norwegian regulation of the CO2 emissions from the upstream petroleum sector is taken as an example since it submits this sector to both the payment of a CO2 tax and the obligation to surrender emissions allowances under the EU ETS since Norway joined the scheme in 2008. The specific approach to this double regulation consists in adjusting the rate of the CO2 tax according to the price for the EU ...

Ci-dessous vous trouverez le lien vers une tribune commune dont je suis co-auteur et intitulée: " Présidentielles : les candidats pensent à l'écologie sans l'Europe ". Cette tribune a été publiée sur le site Actu-Environnement.com  et a pour but de rappeler les bases européennes du droit de l'environnement. C'est aussi un appel à une évocation juste et précise de ce droit dans la campagne présidentielle en cours à un moment où les candidats élaborent leurs programmes. Bonne lecture! http://www.actu-environnement.com/ae/news/banet-gossement-greenwood-virvoulet-presidentielles-candidat-ecologie-europe-28122.php4

The seabed is an area of huge interest for national states and commercial companies, both within and beyond national jurisdiction. The uses of the seabed are already multiple, but, as technologies progress, access to the seabed is getting easier and new uses appear. Seabed uses encompass: oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mineral resources exploitation, waste disposal, carbon dioxide storage, laying of infrastructures including pipelines and cables, military uses, use of biological resources and ocean energy resources exploitation. Which regulatory regimes apply to the exploration and exploitation of seabed resources? Is the current legal framework under notably the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) appropriate enough to deal with those new use types? Are the arising risks of abuse, conflict and pollution sufficiently taken into account and dealt with? The seminar will present current research efforts to answer those questions. Website of t...

The research groups in Natural Resources Law  and  Companies, Markets, Society and the Environment of the Law Faculty of the University of Oslo have the pleasure of inviting to a seminar on circular economy, with discussion after the presentations. I will myself present views on the regulatory issues facing the circular economy, and look forward to the discussions. Time and place : Seminar: Circular economy May 3, 2016 12:00 PM - 04:30 PM , Kjerka, Domus Media west wing, Karl Johans gate 47, Oslo   Registration : http://www.jus.uio.no/english/research/areas/natural-resources/events/seminars/2016-05-03-circular-economy.html Programme :

C'est avec grand plaisir que j'interviendrai au colloque de rentrée organisé par la Faculté de droit de Strasbourg les 14-15 janvier 2016 . Le colloque aura pour thème: "Les énergies renouvelables, nouvel Eldorado de l'intervention de l'Etat" L'énergie verte au confluent des perspectives nationales et européennes Pour plus d'informations, voire l'affiche ci-dessous et le lien ICI :

On 19 November 2015 I had the pleasure to present my views on the manner to regulate the circular economy and EU initiatives taken in the domain so far at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Steel Association .

The European Environmental Law Forum (EELF) holds its third annual conference in Aix-en-Provence , France on 2-3 September. The topic of the conference is: Effectiveness in Environmental Law . I will be presenting a paper on " Double burden in environmental regulation: the simultaneous application of a carbon tax and an emissions trading scheme to the offshore petroleum sector in Norway ." The presentation will be subject to a publication later this year.  The general programme of the conference can be accessed  here .

My latest article has been released as book chapter in SIMPLY 2014 - Scandinanvian Institute of Maritime Law. Below follow the full references: Catherine Banet, "Coexistence and interaction between offshore petroleum activities and the surrounding physical environment: area use and emissions regulation" in SIMPLY 2014, ISSN 0332-7868, pp.257-286 Summary: " The purpose of this article is to examine the manner in which offshore petroleum activities are regulated, with respect to their interaction with the surrounding environment, at two stages before petroleum products are transported and transformed to reach the market. First, it examines how the different economic, social and environmental interests related to the use of relevant sea areas are weighted against each other at the stage of opening areas for petroleum exploration. Second, it reviews the regulation of emissions from offshore petroleum activities into the environment during the production ph...

The newly adopted Guidelines on state aid for environmental protection and energy (2014-2020) have now been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) of 28 June 2014, C/200, p.1.   Access the full document here .

The European Commission has adopted today, 9 April 2014, the new Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines (EEAG) . The new EEAG will replace the former 2008 Guidelines, and will cover the period 2014-2020.

Today, 9 April 2014, the European Commission will adopt its new State Aid Guidelines on Energy and Environmental Aid .   You can follow the press conference given by Commissioner in charge of Competition, Joaquín Almunia, on EBS Live ( link ) et 12.30   Last on the topic, the Committtee of the Regions adopted a Draft Opinion on the forthcoming guidelines (check press release, 04.04.2014, by the CoR here ).

A  Commission Recommendation on minimum principles for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons such as shale gas by high-volume hydraulic fracturing has been published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU L 39, 8.2.2014, p.72). It is meant to help Member States who wish to carry out such activities by defining procedures, while ensuring a minimum level of protection for public health, climate and environmental protection. Background   This Recommendation forms part of the  Commission package published on 22 January 2014 which included a Communication on the same topic . It also follows up the different calls made by both the Council (Conclusions of 22.5.2013) and the European Parliament (Resolution of 21.11.2012) to assess the recourse to shale gas in EU countries and set harmonised provisions for the protection of human health and the environment.  

Working Group I of the United Nations International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)  made public its contribution to the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) on 27 September 2013. WGI focuses on the physical science knowledge as to climate change . Hereafter follow some quotes directly from the report. Those underline the level of seriousness of climate change and the direct link to human activities. Observed changes in the climate system: Atmosphere - " Warming of the climate system is unequivocal , and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia." - "In the Northern Hemisphere, 1983-2012 was likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1400 years ( medium confidence )." - "Continental-scale surface temperature reconstructions show, with high confidence , multi-decadal periods during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (year 950-1250) that were in some regions as warm as in the late 20th century. These regional...

Today, 28 September 2013 , the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will release its new assessment of the state of science as to climate change as well as scenarios for the future. A good article and video have been posted on the CNN website :

Innovasjon Norge , gjennom Programråd for miljøteknologi (oppnevnt av regjeringen), har etablert Miljøteknologiportalen  ( http://www.miljoteknologi.no/ ) som et nytt portal for å hjelpe bedriftene til å finne den riktige offentlig finansieringskilden . Jakt etter offentlig finansiering kan riktig nok oppleves som å bevege seg i en "virkemiddelskog" , og slike verktøy er velkommen.  Utfordringen er ofte å finne, men også å velge det programmet som skal passe best til prosjektet, ikke bare i kort sikt, men også i lang sikt , men tanke på f. ek.s kommersialisering og transisjon til markedet etter en fase av forskning og utvikling (FoU) samt testing. Hvordan man kan kombinere støtte er også en aktuell problemstilling som bedriftene oppdager etterhvert.  Et bra tiltak som er verdt å nevne, huske og bruke.