Almost three-quarters of all solar and wind power projects being built globally are in China, according to a new report by Global Energy Monitor, a non-governmental organisation based in San Francisco. In its account of the report, the Financial Times notes that of the 689GW of utility-scale solar and wind projects under construction globally, China is building 510 gigawatts. China is also responsible for about one-third of GHG emissions. The report says that last year China started building the highest number of new coal power stations in a decade. China is now finalising details of new climate change targets which it says it will announce before COP30, November’s UN Climate Change Conference. We’re all anxious to see this.
John Burn-Murdoch argues in the Financial Times that Britain and Europe need to get serious about air conditioning. He underlines the importance of cooling for sleep, work productivity and school learning. He notes that between 2000 and 2019, an average of 83,000 western Europeans lost their lives every year as a result of extreme heat, compared with 20,000 North Americans, reflecting the high share of air conditioning in North America. “Yet despite the rising human toll, air conditioning remains widely frowned upon in the UK and Europe, with consistent and concerted pushback from those who consider the technology an unnecessary extravagance — and one that does more harm than good.” Burn-Murdoch points to heat pumps that deliver cooling without increased use of fossil fuels and ends on an important message: “Unless authorities begin to treat the need for sufficient cooling as seriously as the need for adequate heating, and fulfil their duty to protect the most vulnerable, inequalities will widen as high-income households fork out for their own protection and leave the rest sweating. Not too long ago there were sound arguments against Europe adopting air conditioning en masse, but the climate has changed.” Yes, it definitely has.
The Conversation website provides your essential guide to climate finance. Understanding the ecosystem of climate finance is complex. That’s why The Conversation has collaborated with climate finance experts to create this user-friendly guide, in partnership with Vogue Business. Let EiD know your views on this guide.
eceee, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, is organising its next Zero Carbon Industry conference in Rome, February 4-5, 2026. The event is arranged in co-operation with FIRE, the Italian Federation for Energy Efficiency. The theme is efficiency, resources, competitiveness. It is an informal event where experts, businesses, researchers, NGOs and policy makers meet to exchange views and develop ideas. eceee is not calling for formal papers for this conference. Based on submitted abstracts, presentations will be chosen. The deadline for submitting abstracts is September 15th.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here are some useful ideas to help you along:
- Country Living Magazine provides 3 European train routes set to transform travel in 2025.
- Check out the Good Night Train website for the unique way to travel through Europe while you sleep.
- World Walks provides us with the top spring walks in Europe.
- For those who want to combine hiking with food and wine in Europe and Australia, check out the Hedonistic Hiking website.
- Cycling for Softies provides us with the 15 Best Cycling Holidays in Europe 2025.
- Turin, Italy is embracing a new era, transforming from an industrial powerhouse into a flourishing tourism destination: Torino Named European Capital of Smart Tourism 2025.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968, gives us his views on thinking: “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- Spotlight on EU funded project – Unlocking SME potential: Financing energy efficiency for a sustainable future
- Much like the “reduce-reuse-recycle” sustainability initiative, various climate actions fit within three Rs — reduce, remove and reflect
- Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report: almost 92% of the world’s population has basic access to electricity
- New EC report on how AI can support the digital transformation of Europe’s energy system
- Australians could cut power bills by 90% if they made their homes more energy efficient, report finds
- The Netherlands’ energy transition: momentum for deployment of clean energy is waning
- US President Donald Trump has decided to defund the Mauna Loa observatory recording CO2 data, as well as the widespread US GHG monitoring network and other climate measuring sites
- Lessons from the Mediterranean: decarbonisation of our economy and the protection of marine biodiversity must not only coexist, they must reinforce one another
- China’s energy transition: for ethnic minority communities, where they live, how they work and the cultural practices they depend on have all been shaped by state environmental policies, often without meaningful input or representation
Please send your comments on any of the posts. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.
If you know anyone who would like to receive this weekly notice, please have them contact EiD at energyindemand@gmail.com. It is not available on the WordPress website.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 