Daimler announced in December that it is making major effort on batteries

Before the end of the year, Daimler announced it was going to spend €21 billion (US $23 billion) on batteries and manufacturing facilities as it gears up on electric vehicles. Charles Riley explains in an article on the CNN website. The maker of Mercedes cars is spending $23 billion on batteries The maker of … Continue reading Daimler announced in December that it is making major effort on batteries →

2018 saw the biggest increase in carbon emissions in the US in eight years

We are increasing concerned about the growth in carbon emissions after a period where we thought they had been stymied. Brad Plumer writes in the New York Times about latest developments in the US. U.S. Carbon Emissions Surged in 2018 Even as Coal Plants Closed America’s carbon dioxide emissions rose by 3.4 percent in … Continue reading 2018 saw the biggest increase in carbon emissions in the US in eight years →

Coming back full circle: the idea of a circular economy goes back to ancient times

Sometimes it is good to look back to see how other civilisations dealt with issues that we are struggling with. Such is the case with the circular economy, as Maikel Kuijpers, Assistant Professor at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science explains in an article on The Conversation website. Circular economy: ancient … Continue reading Coming back full circle: the idea of a circular economy goes back to ancient times →

Why can’t we effectively tackle fuel poverty?

Paul Brown wrote an article in The Guardian that there continues to be many deaths when there is cold weather in Britain. Surely, after so many years of addressing this, we know how to solve it and, more importantly, we are addressing it effectively. Brown mentions that last winter there were 50,100 excess deaths in … Continue reading Why can’t we effectively tackle fuel poverty? →

Reviewing some of the good climate change news from 2018

Seven British academics have co-written an article on The Conversation website to provide some positive news about climate change in 2018. Do you have a good news item you could add? Climate change: six positive news stories you probably missed in 2018 Climate change news can be incredibly depressing. In 2018 alone, The Conversation … Continue reading Reviewing some of the good climate change news from 2018 →

The air conditioning challenge in the Mediterranean Basin

Frédéric Dubessy writes on the econostrum.info website about a recent study by the World Bank to address the increasing penetration of air conditioning with the need to promote energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Solar power bringing energy efficiency to Mediterranean air-conditioning Faced with an explosion in the numbers of air-conditioners in the Mediterranean … Continue reading The air conditioning challenge in the Mediterranean Basin →

New support to improve energy performance of buildings in Lithuania

We all know the challenges to decarbonise the building stock in Europe as part of the EU’s objective of meeting its Paris climate obligations. Financing is fundamental and there is a growing array of initiatives from the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG), the Sustainable Energy Investment Forums, Smart Finance for Smart Buildings and much … Continue reading New support to improve energy performance of buildings in Lithuania →

What is the true impact of fuel economy standards on the poor?

Energy efficiency policies in the US certainly have their challenging moments. Steve Hanley writes a spirited article on the CleanTechnica website about the divergent views on fuel economy standards for vehicles on the most vulnerable. What are your views? Big Oil Claims Higher Fuel Economy Standards Hurt Poor People The Most. That's A Lie. … Continue reading What is the true impact of fuel economy standards on the poor? →

Important lessons from the energy transition in Spain

The Transnational Institute (TNI) published an article on its website about important developments in Spain’s energy transition. What do you think? A renewable energy model based on participation, collective ownership and gender equity The Spanish electricity sector has undergone major changes since 1997, when the government of José María Aznar adopted a decision to … Continue reading Important lessons from the energy transition in Spain →

Only two in five of Scotland’s smaller firms feel prepared for risks posed by climate change

This is a problem for practically every country, but it is good to see that there has been a study to see the level of preparation of SMEs in Scotland to cope with climate change. Hannah Burley explains in an article on The Scotsman website. So, what is the situation in your country? Scottish … Continue reading Only two in five of Scotland’s smaller firms feel prepared for risks posed by climate change →