Search Climate Insights Directory

The report details the expansion of 'Big Oil' companies like Shell and BP into the solar energy sector in Southern Europe. It highlights a pattern of using intermediary shell companies to acquire agricultural land and bypass environmental scrutiny and community participation. The authors argue that this 'extractive' model of the energy transition prioritizes corporate profit over food sovereignty and democratic engagement, while noting that Italy could meet its solar targets using rooftops and degraded land rather than fertile fields.

The document examines the role of fiscal incentives in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), arguing that tax exemptions cannot compensate for a weak investment climate. It critiques the use of blanket tax holidays, which can lead to tax avoidance and minimal domestic economic embedding. Instead, the author proposes a framework of 'timely, targeted and temporary' incentives, advocating for performance-based measures such as tax credits, accelerated depreciation, and green bonds. The paper suggests that governments should gradually move toward a uniform low corporate tax rate to create a level playing field for domestic and foreign investors while ensuring that incentives are administered through transparent tax codes rather than discretionary sector ministries.

The research evaluates irrigation water pricing policies in Puglia, Italy, using a two-step process: simulation via mathematical programming and efficiency analysis via Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The study compares technical efficiency with 'eco-efficiency,' which simultaneously considers economic outputs and environmental externalities. Results indicate that volumetric pricing methods are generally the most efficient, while inefficiency in other options is primarily driven by technical factors, specifically labour use, rather than environmental concerns like nitrate surplus or pesticide risk.