More on nudges

Last week EiD reported on whether to nudge or not. This week Steffan Kallbekken, senior research fellow at CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo and co-founder of GreeNudge, writes in Guardian Sustainable Business the role of nudges on our utility bills. No doubt this is an area that the IEA Demand … Continue reading More on nudges →

To nudge or not to nudge . . .

More and more we are hearing about more nuanced approaches to get us to take action in anything from climate change to whatever. There has been much discussion about “nudges”, a concept that is relatively new but has almost always been used. Some question whether there should be nudges or mandates when it comes to … Continue reading To nudge or not to nudge . . . →

Understanding climate deniers

David Robert Grimes of Oxford University has written an excellent article in The Guardian about what really motivates deniers. As Grimes writes, true sceptics test a hypothesis against the evidence, but climate sceptics refuse to accept anything that contradicts their beliefs. Denying climate change isn't scepticism – it's 'motivated reasoning' The grim findings of the … Continue reading Understanding climate deniers →

The truth be told . . .

H&V News reports about a new survey in the UK to get a better understanding of what British people feel about energy efficiency. Interestingly, the highest percentage has an exaggerated view about how energy efficient they are. It would be good to know how the British compare with others in Europe and globally. They probably … Continue reading The truth be told . . . →

Evaluating behavioural energy efficiency programmes

Katherine Tweed writes on the Greentechefficiency website about the difficulty in evaluating many energy efficiency programmes in the US. She reviews a recent report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). She explains that a dearth of data is making it difficult to effectively evaluate nearly 300 programmes across the U.S. Can … Continue reading Evaluating behavioural energy efficiency programmes →

Awareness campaign falls flat

Paul Melia writes in the Irish Independent about an energy saving campaign in Ireland that failed to meet expectations according to recent analysis. The findings are useful for EiD readers to reflect upon. Power of None – €10m energy saving campaign fails to deliver A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said … Continue reading Awareness campaign falls flat →

New report: Greening Household Behaviour: The Role of Public Policy

The OECD has recently published a valuable report on the role that public policy can play in affecting our household behaviour. Household consumption patterns and behaviour have an impact on stocks of natural resources, environmental quality and climate change. This is expected to increase significantly in the future. In response, governments have introduced a variety … Continue reading New report: Greening Household Behaviour: The Role of Public Policy →

There are some things we should not ignore – but we do

If you don’t read everything Andrew Sims writes, you should. Andrew Simms is chief analyst at Global Witness, a fellow of the New Economics Foundation, and the author of Ecological Debt, Tescopoly and Eminent Corporations. What he does is make us think. This article is must reading. We keep moaning about population, but ignore … Continue reading There are some things we should not ignore – but we do →

The idea of a value-based economic structure

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, a Sufi teacher and author, writes in the Guardian about an alternative view of economic growth and sustainability. The author argues that corporate visions of sustainability focus on material prosperity – but leaders must respect the soul as well as the soil. Eco-spirituality: towards a values-based economic structure As our world stumbles … Continue reading The idea of a value-based economic structure →

Influences on choosing energy efficiency

Ashutosh Jogelekar writes an excellent article in the Scientific American about the effect of one’s political position has on whether you invest in energy efficient technologies or not. Political ideology can dominate other factors in choosing energy efficiency Political ideology - tracking from liberal to conservative from left to right - can influence the purchase … Continue reading Influences on choosing energy efficiency →