Six weeks before COP29, the UN climate summit, the Climate Action Tracker rates host Azerbaijan’s climate action “critically insufficient.” The report came out during New York climate week, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Climate Action Tracker assesses national climate plans and it said that Azerbaijan was one of the few countries to have weakened its climate targets when they were submitted in late 2023. Azerbaijan does not have a net zero emissions commitment. Emissions are projected to rise about 20% in the years to 2030. Azerbaijan plans to increase gas extraction by more than 30%. The Financial Times (behind a paywall) quotes Ana Missirliu from CAT partner organisation NewClimate Institute: “Azerbaijan does not include a transition away from fossil fuels in its NDC or in the COP29 agenda. This is not the kind of leadership we need in this crucial time of climate action as the world is increasingly being hit by catastrophic climate-fuelled weather events.” Azerbaijan has come back to say that it is “actively working on its updated NDC in line with the 1.5C goal” of the Paris agreement. This is happening when more and more we need leadership that is sadly lacking.
Worryingly, heat pump sales across Europe have fallen 47% in the first half of this year compared to the same period the year before. There are fewer subsidies and lower gas prices and these have lessened the incentive for households to switch away from gas boilers. Nevertheless, heat pumps are avoiding more gas and carbon dioxide emissions in Europe than ever, new calculations from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) show. The heat pumps are avoiding 45 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe every year, EHPA’s new data also reveals. This is around 4.9% of total EU emissions for buildings – and the same amount as Hungary’s annual output. Concerning EHPA, we welcome the new Director General, Paul Kenny, who joined this month and thank Thomas Nowak who was head of EHPA for 18 years and now is with Qvantum International.
In the context of COP29 in Azerbaijan in November, there is a global call to the UNFCCC to include cultural heritage, the arts and creative sectors in climate policy. The ClimateMusic Project combines the talents and expertise of world class scientists, composers, musicians, artists, and tech pros, to enable the creation and staging of science-guided music and visual experiences to inspire people to engage actively on the issue of climate change.
To ensure that 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 1989) 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, 2025 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 “2025: Competitive, collective, climate-neutral!” 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 – October 10th – is soon upon us. Rod is a member of the scientific committee for the young researchers’ conference.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here is some useful ideas to help you along:
- Lonely Planet’s train expert provides his top 5 rail journeys in Europe for 2024.
- The new European Sleeper train will travel between Brussels and Venice, passing through nine different cities. Bookings are now open. Here’s a breakdown of costs and other travel tips.
- 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.
- Climbing House provides the 11 Top Climbing Spots in Europe.
- Epic Road Rides provides their choice of the best places to cycle in September and October.
- The Guardian provides 15 tips for the reluctant camper to love life beneath the stars.
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), an American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels, raises a point we should all question: “I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this poor planet of ours.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- Editorial from EEA Executive Director on reaching our desired destination: a sustainable, resilient Europe
- Can comic books play an important role in creating awareness of climate change?
- New report from the Energy Efficiency Hub on deep energy retrofits
- To get someone to pay attention to climate change, put a price on it: rising insurance costs are doing just that
- Understanding the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
- Language needs to be at the forefront of climate change education efforts
- The tourism industry’s engagement with climate justice is well overdue
- Reaction from the UN Summit of the Future
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 