Investment and Finance

9 July: Volumes in the global carbon markets jumped 124% in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to Point Carbon – with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme accounting for the bulk of the growth, as recession-hit industrial emitters sold allowances to raise cash.

9 July: Three European banks have come under fire from environmentalists for their involvement in a fund-raising by palm oil producer Golden Agri-Resources, which NGOs claim is involved in rainforest destruction.

9 July: Sweden has told its energy agency to develop a national policy for the production, distribution and use of biogas as a vehicle fuel, as part of a move towards its target of the country's cars being fossil fuel-free by 2030.

2 July: UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for $100 billion a year to be put aside by 2020 to help developing countries fight climate change – the first leader of an industrialised country to put a figure on the table.