David Hone
Energy Central
United Kingdom
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Past articles by David:
The future is carbon trading
From time to time it is worth revisiting the rationale behind various initiatives, in part to better understand them but also to bring clarity to the benefits of implementation. Carbon emissions trading is one such practice. Trading in goods and services has been at the foundation of human development for thousands of years. It introduces opportunity, cost efficiency and flexibility into society… → Read More
Material considerations for a transition to electric vehicles
In Shell’s recently released Sky Scenario, around 1 billion electric passenger vehicles (EVs) could be on the roads as early as the 2040s. These 1 billion vehicles will each need a battery and while there are different battery chemistries available, it is likely that these batteries will need to include the vital element cobalt, a material that confers upon the battery good cycle ability and… → Read More
A CCS Gold Rush? - The Energy Collective
Later this year, the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C will be released and it is very likely to put great emphasis on the importance of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the role that it needs to play in containing global emissions such that a net-zero emissions outcome can be achieved and within the time … → Read More
Paris Agreement: It's All In The Numbers
One of the noteworthy features of the 160+ nationally determined contributions (NDC) submitted to the UNFCCC following the adoption (and now ratification) of the Paris Agreement, is that no two are alike. True to the Paris Agreement, countries have submitted a description of their contribution, with most offering some indication of the emissions outcome, but … → Read More
Closing Another Technology Door?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have now released 2017 temperature data, showing the year to be the third warmest on record, but also the warmest in a non-El Nino year. The story resulted in a flurry of articles across the media world. The New York Times published a story which attempted to summarize current efforts … → Read More
Carbon Market Developments in 2017
Looking back at my 2017 post on developments in 2016, it becomes clear that the past twelve months have been more consolidation than progress in terms of carbon market development. It also means that the coloured map (below) hasn’t really changed, apart from a slight set-back and the very positive addition of Singapore. A big story … → Read More
COP23: Much Remains to Be Done
With COP23 now over, it offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress made by the UNFCCC and its efforts to address the issue of climate change. This year represents a quarter of a century since the adoption of the Framework Convention and 20 years for the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed at COP3 in … → Read More
COP23: Long Pathways and Lengthy Documents
Under grey autumnal skies, COP23 is now well into its second week. This year the event has been presided over by the Government of Fiji, but held on the sprawling UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. The setup has largely split the Party negotiators from the bulk of civil society and the business community, with two … → Read More
COP23: Ramping Up Ambition
In a timely reminder for the national negotiators now starting their work in Bonn (dubbed ‘Fiji on the Rhine’ given the Presidency) at COP23, PwC recently released their annual Low Carbon Economy Index, which showed yet again that current emission reduction plans for the global economy do not match the goal of the Paris Agreement. … → Read More
Paris Agreement: Building a Transition Into Article 6
It would seem that transitions are all important at the moment and while many may be focussed on the latest ideas for Brexit, I am actually talking about Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. At the opening of the IETA Carbon Forum North America in New York last week, the Fijian Climate Ambassador gave a … → Read More
Behind the Scenes of the Shell Scenarios
Shell has been a pioneer in developing scenarios to explore the future and deepen its strategic thinking for nearly 50 years. In the 1990s, the company started sharing scenarios externally to contribute to the public dialogue on the collective challenges and choices faced by business, government and society. Over the years I have written many … → Read More
Applying Pigouvian Charges
A recent article in the Guardian argues that fossil fuels receive about $5 trillion per year globally of unseen benefits, representing some 6.5% of global GDP. The journalist concludes that this must point to a dim future for this energy source. The discussion stems from a paper that has been recently published in the journal, World Development, … → Read More
Climate: Visualizing Change
Climate change is one of those very difficult things to see first-hand, in that we need some form of historical reference and a clear link to warming. Further, the reference point needs to be visual and significant to have an impact. Sea level is one such reference, although in the clear majority of cases it … → Read More
Mainstream Energy and Climate Reporting Leaves Much to be Desired
A visit home to Australia is always interesting when it comes to energy and climate reporting in the media, simply because of the controversy around these issues in the country. Australia has been trying to implement meaningful carbon emissions energy policy for nearly a decade and has made little progress. On this visit, my first … → Read More
The Geo-Engineering Taboo
A new book by David Hone, Chief Climate Change Adviser at Shell, takes the reader on a journey through the transition in the energy system that must be undertaken to address the climate change issue. The book, Putting the Genie Back: Solving the Climate and Energy Dilemma, deals with a wide range of topics, including … → Read More
Global Warming: Drawdown, or Not?
A recent book and associated website discusses the steps necessary to address and even reverse the current warming of the climate system. The project, known as Drawdown, maps, measures, models, and describes the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. For each solution, the Drawdown team describe its history, the carbon impact it provides, the … → Read More
Can the Paris Agreement Survive?
There is an element of déjà vu to the events in the White House Rose Garden last week. Just days into my new job as climate change adviser in Shell, then President George W. Bush announced that the USA was withdrawing completely from the Kyoto Protocol and would follow an alternative path forward in terms … → Read More
Saving the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol
Throughout the middle of May, the Parties to the Paris Agreement met in Bonn to continued negotiations relating to its implementation. Of particular interest to me were the discussions pertaining to Article 6, which contains the slightly opaque wording on transfers and mechanisms that could usher in a global carbon market. While there was considerable emphasis … → Read More
The USA and the Paris Agreement
On April 26th the Washington DC based Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) sent a letter to US President Donald Trump urging continued US participation in and support of the Paris Agreement. Shell was one of thirteen signatory companies. The arguments offered in the letter provided a perspective on the benefits that continued participation in … → Read More
A Firm Proposal for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
Next month negotiators will convene under the auspices of the UNFCCC to start in earnest the process of putting flesh on the bones of the Paris Agreement. Although this work has been underway for a year now, most of this time has been spent on further conceptual thinking about the necessary framework, rather than the … → Read More