Energy in Demand News, October 22nd, 2023

We are now about two months away from COP28 in Dubai. All of us are anxious that real progress is made because the signs of climate crisis are growing and there definitely is a need to ramp up ambition and action. We were discouraged this week when EU member states this week adopted a common stance for COP28 but language on the EU’s emissions reduction target and fossil fuel exit goal was softened to reach a unanimous decision. Environment ministers met in Luxembourg on Monday throwing their weight behind a goal to triple global renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency improvements by 2030. The EU will also push for a “predominantly fossil-free” global energy sector “well before 2050” and strive to reach a “fully or predominantly decarbonised power system in the 2030s,” according to wording agreed by the bloc’s environment ministers. Now we need true global leadership from the EU at COP28 in this decarbonisation process.

You will remember Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten, a global changemaker in the field of environmental sustainability, who recently had a blog on EiD about her new YouTube channel on green tourism. Now In a new episode of 180 Degrees, a podcast series by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI), Erlijn has a conversation with Jim Scheer on her previous work in Ethical Hacking, “pro-sumers” and digitalisation for better energy infrastructure. Do you know what an ethical hacking is? Importantly, Erlijn and Jim met through EiD. Please be aware that Erlijn has also recently published a new book ‘A Guide to a Healthier Planet‘. You can find a link to more details on it here.

Jane Goodall, the English primatologist and anthropologist, in a video on the CBC News website, explains why it’s not too late to save the planet. CBC’s Matt Galloway talks to famed anthropologist Jane Goodall about why there’s still time to save the planet, the impact of war on the environment and how Sudbury, Ontario, is an example of how change can happen.

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.
For those interested in a nice hike through Europe, Moon and Honey Travel recommend 22 best day hikes in Europe.
If you’re interested in a cycling trip this year, have a look at the Best Cycling Destinations in Europe.
For those travelling in the US, Lonely Planet provides 9 of the most incredible train journeys in the USA.

Lin Yutang (1895-1976), a Chinese inventor, linguist, novelist, philosopher, and translator, this week provides his views on the wisdom of life: “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.”

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

· New joint EEA-ACER report on need for more flexibility in the EU power system to ramp up renewable power capacity

· New IEA report on electricity grids and secure energy transitions

· Paris 50 degrees: a full-scale exercise in the 13th and 19th arrondissements

· Governments around the world will need to impose tighter regulations if the problems caused by air pollution are to be tackled

· Solar mystery from early 20th century

· European companies producing the many technologies that help improve energy efficiency feel left out by policymakers in Brussels

· Germany is famed as a world leader in recycling – and Kiel “has some of the most weird and workable plans in the country to deal with its trash”

· Study shows that the carbon impact of the richest people’s driving habits have damaged the climate more than “those of the poorest”

Please send us your comments on any of the posts. EiD hopes you to follow us on X at @EnergyDemand and @rodjanssen.