Author: Rod Janssen

New standards should bring greater scrutiny of carbon offsets and give buyers confidence their money is helping protect the environment

Recent investigations have revealed widespread problems with offsetting. Fiona Harvey writes on The Guardian website about new efforts by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market to introduce new standards to reassure consumers of the impact of their carbon offset efforts. What are your views?   New carbon offset standards ‘should bring greater scrutiny’ … Continue reading New standards should bring greater scrutiny of carbon offsets and give buyers confidence their money is helping protect the environment →

The demand for electric tuk-tuks is growing in Thailand

Thailand suffers from serious air pollution problems in its big cities like Bangkok. Mobility is dominated by cars and there are efforts to increase the number of electric vehicles. In cities tuk-tuks play a major role and traditional ones are highly polluting. Now, as Rebecca Root explains in an article on The Guardian website, electric … Continue reading The demand for electric tuk-tuks is growing in Thailand →

The Netherlands is facing a surprising threat: souped-up electric bikes

Senay Boztas writes on The Guardian website about a big menace facing Amsterdam, souped-up electric bikes. As many say, the bike situation is definitely unsafe. Have you experienced this problem?   Amsterdam calls for crackdown on menace of souped-up e-bikes Debby Nieberg was cycling home from the dentist last October, when she was knocked to … Continue reading The Netherlands is facing a surprising threat: souped-up electric bikes →

Is carbon removal technology the answer to addressing climate change?

To prevent further global heating, humans need to stop burning fossil fuels. But that's not enough — experts now say we also need to remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. What are our options? Martin Kuebler and Gero Rueter discuss the issues in an article on the Deutsche Welle website.   Can … Continue reading Is carbon removal technology the answer to addressing climate change? →

Trees, trees and yet more trees can help make Europe’s cities more comfortable

Jon Henley writes on The Guardian website about the importance of trees in urban settings. Sadly, many EU cities are less green than they were a century ago.   ‘We need trees’: green vision struggles to take root in Europe’s cities From Madrid to Berlin and Paris to Budapest, scientists and planners agree, trees, trees … Continue reading Trees, trees and yet more trees can help make Europe’s cities more comfortable →

At Davos, UN Secretary General critical of fossil fuel industry of refusing to abandon a business model at odds with human survival

The Secretary General has really taken the lead to work at every angle to get climate change policies on track to meet our Paris climate agreement. At COP27, he was very vocal, thankfully. This week Mr. Guterres was at Davos, criticising big companies that, ‘like the tobacco industry’, ride roughshod over their own science. Larry … Continue reading At Davos, UN Secretary General critical of fossil fuel industry of refusing to abandon a business model at odds with human survival →

‘Make Europe the home of clean tech’: European Commission President calls for more subsidies to fund EU’s future

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a "Net Zero Industry Act" to boost clean tech. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, she also vowed to support Ukraine "as long as it takes." Deutsche Welle provides a news item on Mme von der Leyen’s announcement.   European Commission outlines plan for clean tech … Continue reading ‘Make Europe the home of clean tech’: European Commission President calls for more subsidies to fund EU’s future →

New EU mobility patterns study: insights into passenger mobility and urban logistics

The European Commission recently published the results of a broad study on new mobility patterns, unveiling the mobility choices of citizens across the EU, and how the urban logistics sector is developing in 16 cities. Key findings The EU-wide survey on passenger mobility showed that, on average, EU citizens travelled 27 km per day, for … Continue reading New EU mobility patterns study: insights into passenger mobility and urban logistics →

Indonesia’s energy transition: a role for renewable energy?

Firdaus Cahyadi Indonesia Team Leader for the climate campaign group 350.org,, writes on the Mongabay website on the Indonesian government’s approach to renewable energy. Do any of you have experience in Indonesia? For readers not familiar with Mongabay, it is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform that produces original reporting in English, Indonesian, Spanish, … Continue reading Indonesia’s energy transition: a role for renewable energy? →