This year’s assessment of the transparency and integrity of companies’ climate pledges

Companies around the world are increasingly alert to the climate emergency, facing calls from a growing range of stakeholders to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities. Most large companies now have public climate strategies and targets, many of which include pledges that, on the face of it, appear to significantly reduce, or … Continue reading This year’s assessment of the transparency and integrity of companies’ climate pledges

Fuel poverty can directly and indirectly impact people’s mental and physical health

With energy prices skyrocketing, there are major concerns of how they impact on vulnerable segments of society. Apostolos Davillas, Associate Professor in Health Economics at University of East Anglia; Andrew Burlinson, Lecturer in Energy Economics at the University of East Anglia; and Hui-Hsuan Liu, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Comparative Biomedical Science at the Royal … Continue reading Fuel poverty can directly and indirectly impact people’s mental and physical health

Heat pumps show there is life beyond gas boilers

Heat pumps and solar thermal systems are keeping users all across Europe well in their comfort zones –  physically, financially, and environmentally. The latest Coolproducts analysis reveals that 88% of European users are satisfied with the switch to renewable heating.   Heat pumps perform successfully across Europe – New consumer analysis There is life beyond … Continue reading Heat pumps show there is life beyond gas boilers

As climate stress tests become increasingly common, their findings and implications will reverberate across the entire financial industry

Ryan Riordan, Professor & Distinguished Professor of Finance, Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen's University in Ontario discusses the value of stress tests in an article on The Conversation website.   What is a climate stress test? A sustainable finance expert explains Imagine this: You take out a mortgage to purchase your … Continue reading As climate stress tests become increasingly common, their findings and implications will reverberate across the entire financial industry

New McKinsey report says reaching net zero is vital to avoiding the most catastrophic impacts of global heating and the transformation becomes more expensive the longer action is delayed

In a new report by McKinsey, the global management consulting company, they look at the economic transformation that a transition to net-zero emissions would entail—a transformation that would affect all countries and all sectors of the economy, either directly or indirectly. Damian Carrington discusses the report in an article on The Guardian website.   McKinsey: … Continue reading New McKinsey report says reaching net zero is vital to avoiding the most catastrophic impacts of global heating and the transformation becomes more expensive the longer action is delayed

New EEA report on analysis of air quality in Europe

The vast majority of Europe’s urban population is exposed to levels of air pollutants above new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to an updated European Environment Agency (EEA) analysis on air quality in Europe released this week.   Europe’s urban population remains at risk due to levels of air pollution known to damage health … Continue reading New EEA report on analysis of air quality in Europe

Total annual investment in efficient energy worldwide needs to triple by 2030 to be consistent with a path towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050

Global energy efficiency improvements are returning to pre-pandemic levels; however, they remain well below the pace needed in a net zero pathway to meet international climate goals.  Zeenat Ganie discusses the recently published report by the IEA on energy efficiency on the ESI Africa website.   Energy efficiency improvements are too slow to reach net … Continue reading Total annual investment in efficient energy worldwide needs to triple by 2030 to be consistent with a path towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050

New EEA interactive report providing updated overview of how climate hazards are changing across Europe’s different regions

As extreme weather events and other climate hazards are increasing in frequency and severity across Europe, solid information is needed for assessing climate risks and planning for adaptation. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) new interactive report, published this week, gives an updated overview of how climate hazards are changing across Europe’s different regions.   Climate … Continue reading New EEA interactive report providing updated overview of how climate hazards are changing across Europe’s different regions

Governments around the world are struggling with ithe immense contribution their militaries are making to the climate crisis

To get a sense of the problem, a recent study showed that if the US military were a country, its fuel usage alone would make it the 47th largest emitter of GHGs in the world. Despite the outsized role of militaries, we know surprisingly little about their emissions. Doug Weir, Research and Policy Director at … Continue reading Governments around the world are struggling with ithe immense contribution their militaries are making to the climate crisis

Conventional economic analysis approaches have consistently understated the risks from unmitigated climate change and overstated the costs of a low-carbon transition

Fifteen years on from the Stern Review, we can say with great confidence that the risks of action are far lower than the risks of inaction. Dimtri Zenghelis, Special Advisor to the Bennett Institute, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge and a senior economist on the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change … Continue reading Conventional economic analysis approaches have consistently understated the risks from unmitigated climate change and overstated the costs of a low-carbon transition