Extreme weather and climate change caused more financial damage in Europe between 2020 and 2023 than it did in the whole preceding decade, the Financial Times reports. “The average annual economic losses in the EU associated with increasingly intense heat, floods and other extreme weather amounted to €44.5bn between 2020 and 2023, two and a half times as high as between 2010 and 2019.” The FT cites a new report from the European Environment Agency (see EiD post on the report). “Nature is really facing degradation, over exploitation and biodiversity loss and of course at the same time we see the accelerating climate change,’’ Leena Ylä-Mononen, executive director of the EEA, told the Financial Times. ‘‘This is posing major risks to Europe’s competitiveness, long term prosperity, security and quality of life.’’ The FT notes that “Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, with higher temperatures leading to much more volatile weather patterns and an increase in forest fires and floods.”
The FT’s Energy Source newsletter this week asked what was causing sluggish energy efficiency gains. “Oil company BP published its Energy Outlook last week . . . The headline conclusion was stark — in its central outlook, BP now anticipates global oil demand to peak in 2030, five years later than its expectation last year.” BP’s chief economist said in the forward to the report: ““I realise that shifting patterns in energy efficiency may seem a little arcane . . . But I would argue that the sustained weakness in efficiency gains over the past five years was one of the most important factors shaping global energy over this period.” The newsletter goes on: “Between 2011 and 2019, BP says, energy efficiency had been steadily improving at a rate of about 2 per cent a year (ie: the world needed 2 per cent less energy on average to produce the same unit of GDP). But between 2020 and 2023, it slowed, averaging about 1.5 per cent a year. And experts, including BP, don’t really know why.” Does anyone have a good answer we can send to BP? The IEA will soon be publishing its Energy Efficiency 2025. Let’s see if the IEA can enlighten us.
Indiana Public Media reported this week the US Department of Energy “told employees to avoid using certain words, including ‘climate change,’ ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’,” according to an internal email sent to staff and obtained by NPR. The details of the email were first reported by Politico.” It was sent to employees of the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which is the largest federal funder of clean energy technology. Other banned words include clean energy and energy transition. The email warns employees to avoid using the words in all parts of their work. The prohibition extends to the Energy Department website, internal reports and public documents, including those that describe federal funding opportunities.
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 1990) in energy efficiency and biomass to submit contributions for next year’s Young Energy Researchers Conference next February 24th as part of World Sustainable Energy Days, February 24-27, 2026 in Wels, Austria. Altogether there are five dedicated conferences and a tradeshow packed into the four days. The theme of this year’s energy efficiency conference is “Energy transition = Energy independence.” The young energy researchers conference has 2 tracks, one for energy efficiency and one for biomass. Submissions (in English only) are welcome from all scientific fields (e.g. technology, engineering, economics, social sciences, architecture, law, arts). The deadline for submissions is October 10th.
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. Note, however, EiD post on latest cancellation.
- 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.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule. He provides an encouraging message this week: “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they can seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it, always.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- New EEA report on the overall state of the environment: environmental damage is putting European way of life at risk
- Night trains linking Paris to Vienna and Berlin to end as France cuts subsidies
- Another business-led effort from the financial sector to fight climate change is unraveling
- China, unlike many other countries, tends not to make climate commitments that it doesn’t understand or intend to keep
- Summary from the ENERNOW SDG7 Action Forum
- The climate and environmental impact of military aviation operations could be reduced if sustainable aviation fuels are introduced
- Australia’s energy transition: More focus on transport sector needed
- Among the many questions raised by the rise of artificial intelligence, its compatibility with decarbonisation should be a central concern
- World must come together to fight climate change, Pope Leo says
- IEA’s Energy Business Council discuss market developments
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 