Australia has also quietly become a renewable energy powerhouse

While coal and fossil fuels in general have dominated energy policy in Australia, the country more and more has turned to renewable energy. Livia Albeck-Ripka and Ivan Penn explain recent developments in an article on the New York Times website. How Coal-Loving Australia Became the Leader in Rooftop Solar Australia is the world’s second-largest … Continue reading Australia has also quietly become a renewable energy powerhouse →

Fire safety should be integrated into Europe’s buildings energy policies

MEPs TANJA Fajon (Slovenia) and Sirpa Pietikäinen from Finland have joined forces with Fire Safe Europe in calling upon the European Union and national policymakers to integrate fire resilience within the EU Green Deal’s initiatives on buildings. This is an article on the Fire Safety Matters website. MEPs support inclusion of fire resilience within … Continue reading Fire safety should be integrated into Europe’s buildings energy policies →

Some of the challenges for a carbon-neutral energy transition

International trade agreements are important. However, investor-state dispute-settlement provisions are blamed for impeding government action and that can have a negative impact on environmental policies. An article in The Economist gives a good account of many of the issues at stake. How some international treaties threaten the environment In use for over six decades, … Continue reading Some of the challenges for a carbon-neutral energy transition →

Irish government publishes new climate law which commits Ireland to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

Paul O’Donoghue writes on the Times website about a new climate action bill published by the Irish government. The bill is a positive step forward for the climate agenda, but also for Ireland. It will make Ireland a leader when it comes to climate action. Climate change bill ‘will improve poor emissions record’ The … Continue reading Irish government publishes new climate law which commits Ireland to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 →

New report from JRC: Enabling Positive Energy Districts across Europe: energy efficiency couples renewable energy

From an energy perspective, zero or positive energy districts (PED) provide opportunities to achieve cost-effective levels of high-energy efficiency and renewable energy systems. This newly published report by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) aims to understand how to handle energy performance targets by moving beyond individual buildings towards a district level. This is a … Continue reading New report from JRC: Enabling Positive Energy Districts across Europe: energy efficiency couples renewable energy →

Sweden tops the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transitions Index

Harry Kretchmer writes on the WEForum website about the progress that Sweden has made in its energy transition and that the country now tops the WEF Energy Transitions Index. How is your country doing? Transforming homes into power stations - how Sweden is disrupting energy production 54% of Sweden’s power comes from renewables and … Continue reading Sweden tops the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transitions Index →

While Germany has seen recent gains in renewable energy there is still a long way to go to reach the 65% renewable target by 2030

While all the world has been watching Germany’s ambitious Energiewende (energy transition), while there have been many improvements there are still many challenges to reach its long-term goals. Recent developments in renewables is described in a news item on the renews.biz website. German renewables hits 'almost 50%' of consumption Renewable energy accounted for 48% … Continue reading While Germany has seen recent gains in renewable energy there is still a long way to go to reach the 65% renewable target by 2030 →

UK government agrees to review energy policy after pressure from environmental campaigners

Campaigners have been concerned that the current National Policy Statement that dates back to 2011 allows for new fossil fuel projects to proceed. The government has now agreed to review its national energy policy in light of the UK’s more ambitious climate targets. Madeleine Cuff explains in an article on the inews website. Green … Continue reading UK government agrees to review energy policy after pressure from environmental campaigners →

Whether dealing with Covid-19 or climate change, listen to the science

Jeffrey Frankel, professor at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government writes on The Guardian website about the importance of three things that are also necessary to tackle both Covid-19 and global warming: science, public policy, and international cooperation. Covid-19 and the climate crisis are part of the same battle From early on … Continue reading Whether dealing with Covid-19 or climate change, listen to the science →

Reviewing international plans to cut GHG emissions

Jeannette Cwienk writes on the Deutsche Welle website about plans announced to reduce GHG emissions and whether they are enough to meet our Paris climate targets. How successful are international climate efforts? China has joined the EU in presenting new plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But are they doing enough? And how about … Continue reading Reviewing international plans to cut GHG emissions →