EiD wishes you all a very festive season and we look forward to seeing you in 2024
Let’s all do our best to get our zero-carbon energy transition on track
COP28 ended this week and there definitely are split opinions on how successful it was. You will see several of this week’s posts covering aspects of the climate talks. Fiona Harvey writes an excellent column in the Guardian reviewing COP28. She ends with an important message: “Whatever happens, countries cannot afford to wait for Cops to produce enough progress to end the fossil fuel era. It is not just our production but our use of coal, oil and gas that must fall. Unless governments, businesses and individuals chose to move away from fossil fuels, and that is made a timely, funded and fair choice for all, robust demand will keep the fossil fuel industry afloat. Meanwhile, the clock ticks down and emissions continue their upward march.”
In a fascinating column in the New York Times (behind a paywall), Peter Coy reports that Al Jaber, the COP28 president, attributes the breaking of the deadlock over the final negotiated text to a majlis convened last Sunday. A majlis, from the Arabic word for sitting place, is a tradition in the Gulf region that’s older than Islam. Peter Coy wrote: “The majlis on Sunday, which involved delegates sitting in concentric rings (no head of the table!), didn’t seem at first glance too different from other gatherings at COP28. Climate diplomats from France, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, strongly advocated phasing out fossil fuels, while those from Saudi Arabia and Iraq just as strongly opposed doing so. It wasn’t “Kumbaya.” But Al Jaber may have been right that there was more speaking from the heart than usual. “The gathering seemed to evoke a more personal, emotional tone, and confidences were shared,” Environment News Service wrote.” Coy goes on: “The reason you can imagine a majlis working is that there’s a certain resemblance between international forums and the desert culture in which the majlis was born centuries ago. In both cases, no one is clearly in charge. In ancient Arabia, tribal leaders who had conflicts couldn’t appeal to some higher authority. They had to work things out among themselves.” He ends saying: “I also don’t want to make too much of the role of the majlis in reaching the deal. The majlis should not be a replacement for democracy but a complement to it. In that role, I think it could be quite useful.” What will they do in Azerbaijan next year?
The eceee Zero Carbon Industry event will take place 30–31 January 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium. Early birds registration is now open. Check out the programme. EiD is a partner of the event and Rod is a panel leader. This is an event not to miss.
With so many people looking at travelling over the upcoming festive season, here is some useful news to help you along:
- The inews website provides Europe’s most exciting new rail routes for 2024.
- For winter walking, the Responsible Travel website gives you many interesting options.
- The EuroBikes website describes winter cycling tours.
- There is always the option of virtual tourism at the Xplore Nature Channel that EiD first promoted back in September. There are now 121 videos.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), the American writer and professor of biochemistry, known for his writing of science fiction, gives us much to think about this week: “If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- COP28 agreement “falls short in addressing the use of fossil fuels at the heart of the climate crisis”
- Some reaction to the complexity of transitioning away from fossil fuels
- While China is deploying renewables at a fast pace, It is far behind in improving energy efficiency
- It will take a major effort to overcome the obstacles and reach the COP28 plan to triple renewables by 2030
- COP28: A disappointing outcome on the crucial issue of adaptation to climate change
- Reform of EU electricity market design: Council and Parliament reach deal
- “Wood burning is not a solution for reaching net zero or avoiding high bills for individuals”
- Environmental scientists in Canada continue to be stifled in their ability to conduct and communicate their research
Please send us your comments on any of the posts. Please follow us on X at @EnergyDemand and @rodjanssen. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.
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Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 