Owners of the 140 distilleries in Scotland have pledged, voluntarily, to transform the industry and make their operations “net-zero”

Making Scotch whisky can be a dirty business — an energy-intensive, carbon-spewing, peat-burning industry, mostly owned by multinational conglomerates that ship their $50-plus bottles to swells around the world. William Booth writes on the Washington Post website about how the industry in Scotland has committed to reach “net zero.” In Scotland, making whisky with … Continue reading Owners of the 140 distilleries in Scotland have pledged, voluntarily, to transform the industry and make their operations “net-zero” →

Britain’s energy transition: looking at its building stock, the challenges are daunting to meet the net-zero target

Thursday, March 30th, the UK government announced its net-zero strategy and you can get the main elements of it here in an article on the Guardian website. Jillian Ambrose wrote a very important background article on Monday on the Guardian website, focusing on the negligible progress made in improving the energy efficiency of its building … Continue reading Britain’s energy transition: looking at its building stock, the challenges are daunting to meet the net-zero target →

Member states should take more responsibility for meeting the targets of the EU buildings directive

Aneta Zachová writes on the EURACTIV website about the views of energy-saving construction expert Petr Holub that the onus for meeting targets from the EPBD should be on member states and not individual owners. Do you have any views on this? Czech expert: EU Building Directive targets should be met by states, not owners … Continue reading Member states should take more responsibility for meeting the targets of the EU buildings directive →

Is carbon dioxide capture and storage an important tool for slowing climate change?

Nils Markusson, Lecturer in Environmental Politics at Lancaster University writes on The Conversation website about the possible impact of CCS on addressing climate change. Does carbon capture and storage hype delay emissions cuts? Here’s what research shows Is carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) an important tool for slowing climate change, or merely a … Continue reading Is carbon dioxide capture and storage an important tool for slowing climate change? →

What the new head of the World Bank needs to cope with

Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University, writes on The Conversation website about what the next head of the World Bank needs to do to address our climate and debit crises. It should be noted that Ajay Banga is the only candidate for World Bank president. Can this former CEO fix the … Continue reading What the new head of the World Bank needs to cope with →

A political battle over firewood’s future in the EU’s energy transition is playing out in Brussels

As Europe races to replace Russian fossil fuels with cleaner power sources, EU lawmakers are weighing up the future of firewood as a renewable energy source. The debate is getting heated. In an article on the Deutsche Welle website, Sarah Steffen and Tamsin Walker discuss latest developments. EU weighs up future of wood-burning as … Continue reading A political battle over firewood’s future in the EU’s energy transition is playing out in Brussels →

“We are not fully in agreement yet” – Germany facing a growing backlash inside the EU over its U-turn on a law to phase out the combustion engine in new cars by 2035

The row is a further signal of tensions over the green deal landmark proposals to tackle climate crisis. In an article on the Guardian website, Jennifer Rankin and Philip Oltermann discuss what happened in this week’s meetings in Brussels. Germany faces EU backlash over U-turn on phasing out combustion engine Germany is facing a … Continue reading “We are not fully in agreement yet” – Germany facing a growing backlash inside the EU over its U-turn on a law to phase out the combustion engine in new cars by 2035 →

Rather than embrace the task of decarbonising the Australian economy, the new government is going all out to exploit fossil fuels

Richard Denniss, Adjunct Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University writes on The Conversation website about the impact that new fossil fuel projects in Australia will have. It will be interesting how the Australian government explains this at COP28. Australia’s 116 new coal, oil and gas projects equate to … Continue reading Rather than embrace the task of decarbonising the Australian economy, the new government is going all out to exploit fossil fuels →

A pact to phase out fossil fuels in November’s UN climate talks is the only credible response to the warnings of scientists

Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London and University of Leeds provides an opinion piece in the Guardian giving two reasons why the just published IPCC synthesis report is crucial for the upcoming COP28 in November-December. What are your views? The IPCC’s climate report has drawn the battle lines for … Continue reading A pact to phase out fossil fuels in November’s UN climate talks is the only credible response to the warnings of scientists →

The EU’s plans to reduce GHG emissions are still not in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement

Science says it loud and clear that the EU’s plans to reduce emissions are not in line with the Paris Agreement. The question is whether EU member states will set things right and shoot beyond the minimum ambition with their National Climate and Energy Plans, write Brigitta Bozsó and Klaus Röhrig, policy experts at Climate … Continue reading The EU’s plans to reduce GHG emissions are still not in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement →