California recently adopted a landmark rule requiring more than half of all trucks sold in the state to be zero-emissions by 2035. Hiroko Tabuchi discusses latest developments on the New York Times website. New Rule in California Will Require Zero-Emissions Trucks Rebuffing strong opposition from industry, California on June 25th adopted a landmark rule … Continue reading California taking major steps to curb emissions from trucks
Author: Rod Janssen
Renewable energy firms are failing on serious ethical issues, with not one of those assessed “fully meeting” their responsibilities to human rights
Of the 16 largest publicly traded solar and wind companies assessed against the new Renewable Energy and Human Rights benchmark, not one was found to be respecting land rights, and only one has a public commitment on indigenous rights. The sector overall has faced allegations of human rights abuse, including killings, threats and land grabs, … Continue reading Renewable energy firms are failing on serious ethical issues, with not one of those assessed “fully meeting” their responsibilities to human rights
Move to have airlines postpone their climate obligations deflated the little ambition of the aviation’s sector climate plan, which was already “far below what is needed to avoid climate catastrophe”
A handful of countries on the council of the International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to change the rules to reduce the sector’s carbon costs. There are serious climate implications. Chloé Farand explains in an article on the Climate Change News website. Airlines' climate obligations postponed as UN body endorses industry proposal Airlines have wriggled … Continue reading Move to have airlines postpone their climate obligations deflated the little ambition of the aviation’s sector climate plan, which was already “far below what is needed to avoid climate catastrophe”
Northern Ireland’s unique context, particularly in energy, will require further innovation and a strategic joined up approach to improve energy performance of its buildings
While decarbonisation of the heat network remains one the toughest challenges, an energy efficient building fabric is needed to be both effective in cost savings and emissions reductions. Patrice Cairns discusses the situation in Northern Ireland in an article on The Irish News website. Overhaul of energy performance in existing housing stock essential Under … Continue reading Northern Ireland’s unique context, particularly in energy, will require further innovation and a strategic joined up approach to improve energy performance of its buildings
A team of researchers reconstructed the global average temperature over the Holocene Epoch to show the full impact since the industrial revolution started 150 years ago
In little more than 150 years, humans have reversed a 6,000-year pattern of global cooling, a major study into historic temperatures has found. Harry Cockburn explains the results in an article on The Independent website. Climate change over last 150 years has undone 6,000 years of global cooling, study shows In little more than … Continue reading A team of researchers reconstructed the global average temperature over the Holocene Epoch to show the full impact since the industrial revolution started 150 years ago
Record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste dumped globally last year, says UN report
A record 54m tonnes of “e-waste” was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21% in five years. Worryingly, just 17.4% of the world's discarded electronics was recycled. Damian Carrington discusses the report in an article on The Guardian website. Surely these trends are not sustainable. What are your views? $10bn of precious metals dumped each … Continue reading Record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste dumped globally last year, says UN report
Pension funds in UK being urged in a new campaign to invest the nation’s savings to help fight the climate emergency
In an initiative launched by celebrity film director Richard Curtis and ex-Bank of England governor Mark Carney there is a new campaign to get pension funds to support investments in climate change. Tanya Jefferies explains in an article on the Thisismoney website. Are we seeing similar developments in other countries? Mark Carney and Comic … Continue reading Pension funds in UK being urged in a new campaign to invest the nation’s savings to help fight the climate emergency
The challenge for architects to integrate all design requirements including improving energy performance but also coping now with the 100-year viral pandemic
We have developed complex codes, regulations and guidelines to achieve goals such as structural safety, fire safety, adequate ventilation and energy efficiency, and to anticipate extreme scenarios such as 100-year floods. The question for architects now is whether and how the 100-year viral pandemic will change architectural design and building operations. This is the challenge … Continue reading The challenge for architects to integrate all design requirements including improving energy performance but also coping now with the 100-year viral pandemic
New EEA briefing on CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in 2019
According to provisional data, published this week by the European Environment Agency (EEA), average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new passenger cars registered in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom (UK), increased in 2019, for the third consecutive year. The average CO2 emissions from new vans also increased slightly. Zero- and … Continue reading New EEA briefing on CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in 2019
Housing retrofits must be the ‘number one investment priority’ for the UK’s post-Covid-19 recovery, as lockdown confines Britons to overheating homes
Madeleine Cuff writes about the vulnerability of British homes but the same can be said for many countries. What are your views? Lockdown has revealed 'vulnerability' of UK homes to climate threat, government advisers say As the country bakes under a heatwave, the Government’s climate advisers have warned British homes are ill-prepared to cope … Continue reading Housing retrofits must be the ‘number one investment priority’ for the UK’s post-Covid-19 recovery, as lockdown confines Britons to overheating homes
