While there has been understandable focus on the UN’s Climate Summit this week, the International Institute for Sustainable Development also reports on a meeting of another high-level group. Major Economies Forum Convenes Foreign Ministers MEF21 September 2014: The 20th Meeting of the Leaders' Representatives of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change … Continue reading Valuable diplomatic manoeuvring underway on climate change
Author: Rod Janssen
Coming to grips with how we feel about climate change
This article was written by George Marshall on the eve of the climate summit this week. He assesses how we internalise climate change and one of his points is particularly important: “So if we are to really mobilise action on climate change it is vital that we recognise that it exists in two forms: the … Continue reading Coming to grips with how we feel about climate change
The need to shift to energy-efficient appliances
While the Climate Summit was held this week, focus was on the range of ways to address climate change. Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) provided the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) with a guest article on the importance of shifting to energy-efficient appliances. It is well worth reading. Following its publication, … Continue reading The need to shift to energy-efficient appliances
Turkey’s battle against large energy-consuming appliances
Turkey does not implement all the EU energy efficiency directives, but it does implement those for Ecodesign (energy-efficient appliances) and for energy labelling. This article in the Daily Sabah shows what is happening with respect to refrigerators. While Turkey follows the Ecodesign directive, it has a special consumption tax which is actually lower for the … Continue reading Turkey’s battle against large energy-consuming appliances
China’s carbon footprint growing
While everyone knew that China’s carbon emissions were high, there was definitely the view that on a per capita basis, they were quite behind Europe. That is no longer the case, as explained by Matt McGrath on the BBC News website. China's per capita carbon emissions overtake EU's New data on carbon shows that … Continue reading China’s carbon footprint growing
New call for energy efficiency to lead a new energy policy approach in Europe
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, writes recently on the BPIE website to remins us of the challenge we have in the upcoming weeks to argue for a paradigm shift in energy policy in Europe. Rapf says it is self-evident about energy efficiency and low carbon being at the heart of … Continue reading New call for energy efficiency to lead a new energy policy approach in Europe
Renewables increasingly cost competitive
There are fundamental shifts in the US energy market, according to an article by Ed Crooks in the Financial Times. As the article reports, renewables are increasingly cost-competitive with natural gas-fired power, even without subsidies. US solar and wind start to outshine gas Large wind farms and solar plants are now cost-competitive with gas-fired … Continue reading Renewables increasingly cost competitive
The EU challenge to find a united approach to achieving emissions targets
There are few who would argue with meeting emissions targets in Europe. But, they are expensive to achieve and many of the new member states have found it difficult to give this a priority when there are so many other economic and social issues to deal with. Christian Oliver writes in the Financial Times about … Continue reading The EU challenge to find a united approach to achieving emissions targets
East Europe showing its competitive edge
This is an interesting article by Clare Nuttall in businessnewseurope. It is not an energy story per se but it shows the apparent robustness of the industrial sector in Eastern and Central Europe. It is well worth the read. Europe’s low-cost factory Southeast Europe is fast becoming the low-cost manufacturing centre for the Continent, … Continue reading East Europe showing its competitive edge
Geothermal power reaches new global heights
Renewable Energy Magazine writes about the strong growth in geothermal power capacity globally. The three big leaders are the United States, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The article refers to electricity produced from geothermal but not direct heating. Geothermal Power Approaches 12,000 Megawatts Worldwide In 2013, world geothermal electricity-generating capacity grew 3 percent to top … Continue reading Geothermal power reaches new global heights
