Category: Analysis

2012 – the year in graphs

The Washington Post asked many experts for the graph that they felt best explained 2012.  Two of the graphs relate to sustainable energy.  First, the nominee related to climate change was Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org. The second graph is by Michael Greenstone, professor of economics at MIT and Director of the Hamilton Project.  It … Continue reading 2012 – the year in graphs →

Cars in Europe cause serious negative impact on environment

Peter Walker writes in the Guardian of recent research that shows the cost of cars to our environment. Car pollution, noise and accidents 'cost every EU citizen £600 (€750) a year' Researchers challenge view that drivers are overtaxed, saying they are subsidised by other taxpayers The perennial complaint from drivers that they are excessively taxed … Continue reading Cars in Europe cause serious negative impact on environment →

Positive impact from home air conditioning

Juliet Eilperin recently wrote in the Washington Post about a new study that has analysed the impact of deploying air conditioning on a wide scale to reduce deaths from excessive heat.  While this is interesting indeed, it does not mention that maybe houses should be better built to integrate passive heating and cooling in order … Continue reading Positive impact from home air conditioning →

New survey on the state of implementation of energy efficiency policies in the EU

Energy Efficiency Watch 2 has recently published an extensive survey on the progress of energy efficiency policies and their implementation of national energy efficiency policies. More than 700 experts from all 27 Member States contributed to the survey between April 2011 and September 2012. More information on the survey is available here. You can download … Continue reading New survey on the state of implementation of energy efficiency policies in the EU →

Now the insurance industry is starting to take climate change seriously

Kenneth Weiss of the Los Angeles Times writes about a new study undertaken by Evan Mills of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  Evan has just written a column on the subject for eceee and this article complements that column well. Climate change taken seriously by insurance industry, study says Paying out billions of dollars here and … Continue reading Now the insurance industry is starting to take climate change seriously →

bigEE launched

bigEE has now been launched. bigEE is an international initiative of research institutes for technical and policy advice and public agencies in the field of energy and climate, co-ordinated by the Wuppertal Institute (Germany). Its aim is to develop the international web-based knowledge platform bigee.net for energy efficiency in buildings, building-related technologies, and appliances in … Continue reading bigEE launched →

2012 Sustainability Society Index now available

The report of the newest update of the Sustainable Society Index, SSI-2012, is available on-line, showing at a glance the level of wellbeing and sustainability for 151 countries.  The index is prepared by the Sustainable Society Foundation, SSF, a non-profit organisation, established in 2006 with the objective of stimulating and assisting societies in their development … Continue reading 2012 Sustainability Society Index now available →

Renewable energy policy in Germany

Paul Hockenos of Renewable Energy World provides an excellent blog on the lead Germany has in deploying renewable energy by focusing on benefits rather than on costs and sacrifices. Fight Climate Change like a German The in-progress Doha Climate Change Conference presents the perfect opportunity to read Global Cooling: Strategies for Climate Protection by Hans-Josef … Continue reading Renewable energy policy in Germany →