Energy in Demand News, September 17, 2023

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) is undergoing some changes. SBTI show companies how much and how quickly businesses need to reduce their GHG emissions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, leading them on a clear path towards decarbonisation. By guiding companies in science-based target setting, SBTi enables them to tackle climate change while seizing the benefits and boosting their competitiveness in the transition to a net-zero economy. Over 4,000 companies worldwide are leading the transition to a net-zero economy by setting emissions reduction targets grounded in climate science through the SBTi. As of March 2023, over 2,300 companies have had science-based targets approved with the SBTi. It was reported this week in the Financial Times (behind a paywall), that the initiative is being split into two.  SBTi will become a standalone UK company that will examine and validate corporate net zero emission targets, a service for which it charges fees. The profits will go to a separate non-profit umbrella body that will continue to set the standards for those targets, with the full structure to be put into place by year end. It was forced to review its own governance practices following a formal complaint last year about potential conflicts of interest, based on concerns that it was setting the criteria for net zero targets while also charging companies to validate their targets.

To ensure the zero carbon energy transition gains momentum we need a new generation of experts to continue the good work. EiD encourages all young researchers (born after 1988) in energy efficiency and biomass to submit contributions for next year’s Young Energy Researchers Conference on March 5th as part of World Sustainable Energy Days, March 5-8, 2024 in Wels, Austria. Altogether there are six conferences and a tradeshow packed into the four days. The theme of this year’s energy efficiency conference is “Energy efficiency now – fast, smart, resilient!” Submissions for the young energy researchers conference are invited from any scientific field (e.g. technology, engineering, economics, social sciences, architecture, law, arts) and must be in English only. The deadline for submissions is October 10th.  Rod is a member of the scientific committee for the young researchers’ conference.

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), an American theoretical physicist and director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, often called the “father of the atomic bomb”, gives us his views on optimists and pessimists: “The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true.”

With so many people on the move this year, here is some useful news to help you along:

• It is encouraging to see the growing demand for train travel.  Euronews provides us with the best new European train routes launching in 2023 and 2024.
• If you’re interested in a cycling trip this year, have a look at the Epic Road Rides website that describes the 12 best cycling destinations in Europe this year.
• For those travelling in the US, Lonely Planet provides 9 of the most incredible train journeys in the USA.
• With growing concerns about the climate impact of flying, check out the new discussion note on synthetic aviation fuels and the European Parliament’s latest efforts to boost green aviation fuels.

EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:

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