After Armenia became independent I worked there on an emergency programme to revamp the entire energy system, including making energy efficiency a priority. We worked with up to four hours of electricity a day in unheated offices and horrendous conditions. The number of people dying from cold was staggering. It was discouraging to read this … Continue reading Saving energy not a consumer priority in Armenia
Category: behaviour/attitudes
Trying to change attitudes towards fracking
Damian Carrington has an excellent blog in the Guardian about what won’t work to convince the British of the need and benefits of fracking. It is definitely going to take a lot of convincing. Fracking: shock and awe will not win the battle of Britain Removing the ability of people to block shale exploration under … Continue reading Trying to change attitudes towards fracking
A disconnect between climate change and economic havoc
Using the US report on climate change as a starting point, Don Pittis provides three good reasons on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s website about why businesses are seemingly ignoring the problem. Climate change: 3 reasons businesses aren't seeking solutions Climate change causing economic havoc, according to new U.S. Congressional report It seems a strange disconnect. … Continue reading A disconnect between climate change and economic havoc
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
