It was certainly disappointing that the UN negotiations for a global treaty on plastics pollution collapsed without an agreement. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a number of other petrostates would not budge from their long-standing refusal to agree measures that address the production of plastic, agreeing only to waste management. It is not clear when negotiations would resume. EiD has two posts this week on the failed negotiations.
The energy transition in the United States gets more complicated. On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service issued new rules that would restrict the ability of wind and solar companies to claim federal tax breaks. The new rules, outlined in the IRS guidance document, redefine what it means to start construction for the purpose of the subsidies. Previously, projects had to have spent 5 percent of their investment to qualify. Under the new rules, “physical work of a significant nature” will need to have begun. While the rules will hit major solar and wind projects, the IRS did not tighten the requirements for lower-output solar, in an apparent win for homeowners looking to install panels on their roof. Abigail Ross Hopper, president and chief executive of the Solar Energy Industries Association is quoted in the Washington Post: “The Treasury Department’s new guidance to further restrict energy tax credits is part of an unprecedented side deal the administration made with anti-clean energy ideologues to undermine Congress and further harm America’s solar industry.” No one said the energy transition would be easy. It definitely is not.
Don’t forget eceee’s Zero Carbon Industry event in Rome in February 2026. 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 walking holidays 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.
Russell Baker (1925-2019), an American journalist, narrator, writer of Pulitzer Prize-winning satirical commentary and self-critical prose, gives us a smile as many of us are off touring this summer: “Is fuel efficiency really what we need most desperately? I say that what we really need is a car that can be shot when it breaks down.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- UN plastics treaty talks fail after US joins petrostates in blocking action
- Will Trump administration cutbacks on research affect the roll out of sustainable aviation fuels?
- Blog by Rose Morrison – Thermal envelope innovations: breaking the R-value ceiling in modern construction
- So, which climate policies do you favour?
- US EPA’s decision to stop supporting the research that hundreds of companies use to calculate their GHG emissions as “a major setback for corporate climate action and reporting”
- New report from the IEA 4E Technology Collaboration Programme
- The benefits of improved energy efficiency for the nonprofit sector
- An eco-friendly public housing scheme in Germany using an innovative modular timber construction method
- Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week
Please send your comments on any of the posts. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.
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Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 