Oil and gas companies including Norway’s Equinor and a lobby group backed by Shell, TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips have called for the EU to drop an effective ban on future drilling in the Arctic, according to the Financial Times. More than 10 oil and gas companies and industry groups seized on arguments about energy security in response to an EU consultation on its Arctic policy, stressing the need for its continued access to hydrocarbons. “There is no European energy security without Arctic energy,” said Norway’s KonKraft group, reflecting the views of organisations including Offshore Norge and the Federation of Norwegian Industries.“ Surely there are other solutions.
In another FT article, fed up with train delays, Germans are betting on how late they’ll be. “Last year, Deutsche Bahn’s punctuality fell to the lowest level recorded in the 190 years since the first railway line was opened between Nuremberg and Fürth in Franconia. A mere 60 per cent of all long-distance trains arrived with less than six minutes delay, compared with 90 per cent two decades earlier.” Well, an enterprising Austrian comes to the rescue but not the way you would think – with humour. “This month, a 33-year-old Austrian called Caio van Caarven launched a platform on which users can place mock bets on real-time train delays. Users sign up for free and get €1,000 of virtual money, called “caßh”, to make bets on which trains will be late. The money isn’t real but the train data on Bahn.bet comes straight from Deutsche Bahn. . . . The website has attracted close to 13,000 active users since it was launched, doling out more than €40mn in caßh.” Let us know if you’ve been one of the lucky winners!
The New York Times reports that a pub in California is pulling carbon dioxide from the air to carbonate pints of beer. If the business model works, it could give the broader carbon-capture industry a boost. The bubbles come from carbon dioxide captured in the brewery’s parking lot. “While air capture machines at a few pubs won’t solve global warming, the devices, made by Aircapture, a company based in nearby Berkeley, could be “extremely useful for the climate,” Dr. Realff said, if they help to make carbon capture cheaper and more widely available.” This climate and energy transition certainly takes on some interesting twists.
The European Commission has launched a 12-week open public consultation and a 4-week call for evidence to help shape EU energy efficiency rules for the decade ahead. The Commission would like to hear our views. This call for evidence is open for feedback. Your input will be taken into account as the Commission further develops and fine-tunes this initiative. Here’s your chance.
Many relevant events are coming up – you can see the latest list here. If you know of an upcoming event that EiD readers should know about, please contact us. Let us know your experience.
Some 100 presentations from eceee’s Zero Carbon Industry held 3–5 February in Rome held 3–5 February in Rome are now available online. It was a great event. Check out the presentations. Speaking about the eceee, it wants to hear from you, whether you’re a member or not. In this energy transition (and, yes, now in an energy crisis) we need to address energy demand more than ever. Remember that eceee is Europe’s largest and oldest NGO dedicated to energy efficiency. Fill out its survey on its role and future direction. eceee needs to hear from everyone.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here are some useful ideas to help you along:
- The Man in Seat Sixty-One explains how to travel comfortably & affordably by train or ferry, rediscovering the pleasure, romance & adventure of the journey.
- Check out the Good Night Train website for the unique way to travel through Europe while you sleep. Check out this video: Sleeper trains — the future of travel? A Berlin startup is developing compact sleeper cabins, designed to make night trains cheaper and greener.
- 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 in 2026.
Earl Warren (1891-1974), Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court provides some wise words on our view of government: “Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- Earth’s climate more unbalanced than ever but . . .
- A philosophical puzzle can help explain why some people and governments aren’t acting quickly enough to tackle climate change
- Why thinking the world will end can shape climate action
- What will it take to ensure a sustainable supply of copper?
- Water is a key component of the energy transition
- Energy transition: turning air conditioning units into home battery systems
- Energy transition: one German village shows lead in energy independence
- Efficient motor technology can play a big role in ensuring a sustainable water sector
- South Africa’s energy transition: national electricity utility faces reality
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 