This week Politico reported about a leaked draft report outlining the EU’s priorities for the next five years. It hardly mentions climate and shockingly only mentions “environment” as a promise to create a “business-friendly environment.” The report says that green groups are incensed. “This plan expects 20th-century military strategy to protect people from 21st-century security threats. But you can’t shoot a wildfire and you can’t bomb a flood,” said Greenpeace EU political campaigner Ariadna Rodrigo. The report will be made public after the June elections for the European Parliament. Let’s see if it gets revised.
Fiona Harvey reported wrote this week in the Guardian that the G20 group of developed and developing economies, and the multilateral development banks they fund, put $142bn into fossil fuel developments overseas from 2020 to 2022. So much for our energy transition.
In upcoming weeks there are two events not to miss. In May there is Australia’s 2024 Energy Efficiency National Conference. In June, eceee holds its bi-annual summer study. It’s theme is “Sustainable, Safe and Secure Through Demand Reduction.” Check out details on the two events here.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here is some useful news to help you along:
- The inews website provides Europe’s most exciting new rail routes for 2024.
- For the best hikes in Europe in 2024, there are many good suggestions on the 57 hours website. For those who want to combine hiking with food and wine, check out the Hedonistic Hiking website.
- 5 stunning spring cycling destinations in Europe are recommended on the Get Your Guide website.
- There is always the option of virtual tourism at the Xplore Nature Channel. There are now 130 videos. Find out more about the channel here.
- Robin Loos, Senior Sustainable Transport Officer, from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) was inspired by an inaugural night train trip from Brussels to Prague operated by European Sleeper to write a blog about what makes a good EU-wide railway system for consumers.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), an American educator, author and orator who, between 1890 and 1915, was the primary leader in the African-American community, gives us his views of success: “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- Banks made big climate promises but a new study doubts they work
- Europe needs €800bn to meet 2030 climate targets, says industry
- Switzerland’s condemnation by the ECHR is a valuable development in the fight against global warming
- SBTi stirs up controversy
- An international agreement on limiting the supply of fossil fuels is needed
- Upcoming Paris Olympics halving the carbon footprint of London 2012 and Rio 2016
- AI can make a significant contribution to tackling climate change
- “We’re turning sewage into jet fuel and I can’t think of many things that are cooler than that”
Please send 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 