For the moment, however, I shall simply reiterate that one of the aspects highlighted by the current financial crisis is how important it is for central banks to have the appropriate instruments with which to manage their liquidity provision policies with sufficient flexibility. 2  BIS Review 122/2008  And all the more so in the presence of turmoil which, as at present, is profoundly altering the operation of the channels through which liquid resources are normally re-distributed among the various banks that apply for them. In this respect, it is widely acknowledged that the Eurosystem’s monetary policy operational framework is allowing euro area banks' liquidity requirements to be met, thereby preventing the emergence of additional pressures that might exacerbate the situation on financial markets. In any event, returning to the most important macroeconomic developments that will influence the performance of the Spanish economy, it is clear that financial conditions in the euro area, as in the rest of the world, have tightened notably. Such tightening has compounded the adverse effects of the oil and commodities shocks on agents' real incomes and output capacity. The latest data, for the second quarter of the current year, show how the growth rate in the euro area has weakened to 1.4%, standing below potential. The latest ECB projections pointed to increases of between 1.1% and 1.7% this year, and between 0.6% and 1.8% in 2009, subject to considerable uncertainty and to downside risks that have increased in recent weeks.
Singapore will do well to prepare for a future where CBAMs cover a significant part of world trade. CBAMs are likely to be a reality, especially if several major economies agree on a global minimum carbon price. The EU has already proposed a CBAM. A well-designed CBAM that does not raise barriers to trade, is compliant with W TO rules, and gives some relief to the poorest countries who are also small emitters, is not a bad outcome. CLEANER ENERGY The second imperative for the net zero transition is a decisive shift towards cleaner energy. According to the IPCC, to have a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, global consumption of coal, oil, and gas must start declining immediately and steeply. This is unlikely to happen. The growth in renewable energy has been spectacular but not sufficient to meet growing energy demand. Despite a 50-fold increase in the supply of new renewable energy in the last two decades, fossil fuels continue to account for more than 80% of global primary energy consumption. One of the reasons is that about 750 million people in the world still lack access to electricity. For them, the priority is having the lights on at an affordable price, not how much carbon dioxide is emitted in its production. Most of the people living in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 consume no more energy per capita than the people of France and Germany did in 1860.