Evangelical Christians starting to take new approach to climate change

Conservative Christians have long opposed climate science, saying human induced warming goes against God’s omnipotence. Opinions divide on whether that thinking might slowly be changing. Shay Meinecke discusses in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. God and the earth: Evangelical take on climate change When Reverend Mitchell Hescox organized an environmental stewardship conference for … Continue reading Evangelical Christians starting to take new approach to climate change →

Are you a fluid thinker? A Prius or wine? Or possibly both?

Sometimes one needs to read an article that just takes a different slant on life. Dave McIntyre writes a good article in the Washington Post about your wine choice. Even if you are having a dry January, you should enjoy. What your wine choices say about the way you think “You’re a fluid thinker,” my … Continue reading Are you a fluid thinker? A Prius or wine? Or possibly both? →

How one family is following a low-carbon lifestyle

Undoubtedly, this low-carbon energy transition makes us wonder what it means for us. Tereza Stastna writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the efforts of one family in Berlin. It ends with a very good quote we should all reflect on: "It's not just a project, and it's not a game," she says. "Our kids … Continue reading How one family is following a low-carbon lifestyle →

The power of positive stories in addressing climate change

Stories with positive role models and which focus on the positive outcomes of solutions are much more likely to inspire action to solve it, says Denise Baden, Associate Professor in Business Ethics at the University of Southampton. She explains in an article on The Conversation website. Environmental storytelling can help spread big ideas for … Continue reading The power of positive stories in addressing climate change →

In advance of publication from UN climate science panel, one expert raises concerns about public apathy

Leo Barasi, author of The Climate Majority: Apathy and Action in an Age of Nationalism, published by New Internationalist, writes in the Guardian about the effect of public apathy concerning climate change. As he writes: “Persuading people to cut down on things they enjoy for the sake of the climate might seem impossible.” However, we … Continue reading In advance of publication from UN climate science panel, one expert raises concerns about public apathy →

New Irish report shows that people can be nudged into doing their bit to save the planet

This summer Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) published a report by its Behavioural Economics Unit entitled Changing energy behaviour – what works? It is a good question to explore. Conor Pope writes an article in the Irish Times about it. ‘A lot of people genuinely care about the environment’ Most people, when asked if they … Continue reading New Irish report shows that people can be nudged into doing their bit to save the planet →

Events past and future

This week there are a couple of upcoming events that you should note. EiD would also like to hear from you about past events. For example the International Energy Policy and Programme Evaluation Conference was recently held in Vienna. It would be good to have the reflections on the conference from some attendees. The same … Continue reading Events past and future →

Using cultural analysis to explain the dynamics in our energy systems

Decision-making is not easy but we often start from a bias one way or another. Dave Toke, Reader in Energy Policy at the University of Aberdeen, provides a very thoughtful article on The Conversation website about the importance of our biases in the various technologies we tend to support in our energy system. What are … Continue reading Using cultural analysis to explain the dynamics in our energy systems →

Interesting lifestyle changes in US leading to energy savings

It is always good to monitor changes in consumer behaviour. Ashok Sekar, Postdoctoral Fellow, at the Energy Systems Transformation (EST) Research Group of the University of Texas at Austin and Eric Williams, Associate Professor of Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology write an interesting article on The Conversation website about the energy impacts from … Continue reading Interesting lifestyle changes in US leading to energy savings →

Effect of telling stories about climate change on changing behaviour

The types of stories that are told can have a positive impact on behaviour. Two academics, Tom van Laer from the University of London and Ross Gordon from Macquarie University provide a good article on their related research work on The Conversation website. Concerning story telling, EiD would also recommend you go to the IEA … Continue reading Effect of telling stories about climate change on changing behaviour →