Category: Analysis

Neither sermons nor silence

The Green Alliance in the UK has published a valuable report entitled “Neither sermons nor silence - the case for national communications on energy use”. The report examines previous Government-led national communication campaigns, including "Act on CO2" and argues that they lacked enabling policy to underpin them. There are behavioural barriers to uptake and the … Continue reading Neither sermons nor silence →

Discussing Germany’s nuclear exit

This is an important article by Damian Carrington of the Guardian on the costs of Germany’s phase out of nuclear.  This is important because there is so much mis-information around. For all countries, watching this “experiment” in Germany and learning lessons from it will be essential.  There is a need for more than just a … Continue reading Discussing Germany’s nuclear exit →

Southern Voices on climate policy choices

This report from the Southern Voices programme provides an analysis of the tools and tactics advocacy groups use to influence policy responses to climate change at international, regional, national and sub-national levels. More than 20 climate networks and their member organisations contributed to the report with their experiences of advocacy on climate change, including over … Continue reading Southern Voices on climate policy choices →

Reports from the European Environment Agency

The European Environment Agency has come out with a couple of very interesting and important reports recently.   * Do we live in a 'green economy'? New report assesses progress in Europe Despite progress in some areas, Europe must do more to create the 'green economy' needed for the continent to become sustainable, according to … Continue reading Reports from the European Environment Agency →

New study on the macroeconomic benefits of energy efficiency

The report, ‘The Macroeconomic Benefits of Energy efficiency: The case for public action’ by E3G, an independent not-for-profit organisation in the UK, argues the current UK and wider European focus on austerity combined with structural reforms will not be enough to drive economic recovery in the short term. A second round of stimulus packages looks … Continue reading New study on the macroeconomic benefits of energy efficiency →

New study related to energy efficiency obligations

At a time of heated debate around the merits of energy efficiency obligations within the draft Energy Efficiency Directive, a new report by the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and eceee “Determining Energy Savings for Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes” provides a no-nonsense set of guidelines for determining energy savings under such schemes.  Based on a detailed … Continue reading New study related to energy efficiency obligations →

New report on industrial energy management

The International Energy Agency (IEA), in partnership with the Institute for Industrial Productivity (IIP), has published “Energy Management Programmes for Industry: Gaining Through Saving.” This report is part of IEA’s Policy Pathway publication series detailing implementation of the “IEA 25 Energy Efficiency Policy Recommendations.”  The report is available on the IEA website. The document details proposals … Continue reading New report on industrial energy management →

Employment impacts from retrofitting Poland’s buildings

Central European University in Budapest has just published Employment Impacts of a Large-Scale Deep Building Energy Retrofit Programme in Poland.  The report was funded by the European Climate Foundation. The research demonstrates that up to 84% of energy used to heat Polish buildings, and corresponding CO 2 emissions – can be avoided by a wide-spread … Continue reading Employment impacts from retrofitting Poland’s buildings →