Prof. Steve Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich wrote in a letter to the editor published in the Financial Times this week about the impact small modular reactors (SMRs) to be a major source of low-carbon energy. He questions the length of time to build SMRs. Even new ones in Russia have … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, February 1-2, 2026
Category: carbon emissions
Plans for Thames River to be the source for heat pump in central London
A news item on the BBC News website describes the plan to use the Thames River as the source for low-carbon heating in London. Plans to power London landmarks with Thames heat A new £72.7million communal heat network could provide low-carbon heating for the National Theatre and other London landmarks near Waterloo and the … Continue reading Plans for Thames River to be the source for heat pump in central London
The carbon cost of the super-rich’s luxury travel
Rowland Atkinson, Professor and Research Chair in Inclusive Societies, University of Sheffield writes on The Conversation website about the impact of the super-rich on our global GHG emissions. The politics of the hyper-polluting private transport used by the world’s super-rich is hotting up While millions of people make the effort to sort their recycling, … Continue reading The carbon cost of the super-rich’s luxury travel
Energy in Demand News, January 25-26, 2026
The Financial Times reported this week that Norway’s oil fund wants companies to be allowed to water down their climate goals, arguing the alternative was for a major net zero initiative to fall apart. “The $2tn oil fund told the FT it feared companies could back away from the idea of science-backed climate targets unless … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 25-26, 2026
What happens when we stop putting a price on clean air?
In an article on The Conversation website, Jenni Shearston, Assistant Professor of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, discusses the impact of air pollution to our health and well-being. Shearston questions why the US has recently stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules. The New York … Continue reading What happens when we stop putting a price on clean air?
Decarbonising home heating: UK bets £15bn on solar and heat pumps
Esme Stallard and Justin Rowlatt write on the BBC News website about the latest programme to decarbonise Britain’s homes. Ministers are tilting Britain’s “homes upgrade” spending away from insulation and towards technologies such as solar panels, batteries and heat pumps as they seek to lift 1mn families out of fuel poverty. Is this the right … Continue reading Decarbonising home heating: UK bets £15bn on solar and heat pumps
While AI uses a lot of energy, it can also make systems cleaner and smarter
Nir Kshetri, Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, writes on The Conversation website that the positive benefits from AI almost certainly will be much more important than the negative ones when it comes to improving the environment. Despite its steep environmental costs, AI might also help save the planet The rapid growth … Continue reading While AI uses a lot of energy, it can also make systems cleaner and smarter
Energy in Demand News, January 18-19, 2025
This week, the Washington Post reported that the US Environmental Protection Agency will no longer consider health costs in pollution regulations. “The EPA can effectively manage the balance between protecting the environment and spurring economic growth without misleading the public and assigning arbitrary dollar amounts to human health,” said West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, January 18-19, 2025
Will the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement really go against the EU’s climate commitments?
The EU is set to sign a long-awaited trade deal with South America's trade bloc, Mercosur. It may offer unexplored opportunities, but critics say the environmental fallout is being sidelined. In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Martin Kuebler discusses the main issues. What the EU-Mercosur deal might mean for the environment Ursula … Continue reading Will the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement really go against the EU’s climate commitments?
“It is a stretch to suggest that treating ChatGPT politely comes at significant environmental cost”
In article on The Conversation website, Richard Morris, Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, New Zealand discusses the hidden environmental footprint of AI. The author writes that “the popularity of the “please” myth is therefore less a mistake than a signal. People sense AI has a footprint, even if the language … Continue reading “It is a stretch to suggest that treating ChatGPT politely comes at significant environmental cost”
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 