New EEA briefing on methane emissions in the EU

While emissions of methane across the European Union have decreased over past years, the overall reduction in emissions needs to accelerate to meet 2030 and 2050 EU climate objectives. Increased global efforts to reduce methane emissions would also be needed to mitigate global warming in the short term, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) … Continue reading New EEA briefing on methane emissions in the EU →

“Why can’t we do what we need to do to stop destroying our planet while we still have the chance?”

That question animates Dr. Ann-Christine Duhaime’s new book, “Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis,” published by Harvard University Press. A neurosurgeon explores how our tendency to prioritise short-term consumer pleasures spurs climate change, but also how the brain’s amazing capacity for flexibility can—and likely will—enable us to prioritise the long-term … Continue reading “Why can’t we do what we need to do to stop destroying our planet while we still have the chance?” →

Hope is not lost: 2022 was an historic year for international climate policy

A lot of the reports out of COP27 in Egypt reflect failure of the international community to make any progress to raise the ambition needed to stay on the path to limit global warming to 1.5℃. Katherine Lake, Research Associate at the Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Melbourne takes … Continue reading Hope is not lost: 2022 was an historic year for international climate policy →

New EEA publication on Europe’s commitments for sustainability and energy system from the perspective multiple, interconnected crises

The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessments have shown that Europe and world face unprecedented environment and climate challenges that require ambitious policy responses, such as the European Green Deal. Published recently, EEA Signals 2022 looks at Europe’s commitments for sustainability and energy system from the perspective multiple, interconnected crises. Moving towards sustainability in times … Continue reading New EEA publication on Europe’s commitments for sustainability and energy system from the perspective multiple, interconnected crises →

The latest EU state to leave the Energy Charter Treaty: Luxembourg

The Luxembourg government has decided to exit the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), an international trade and investment agreement concluded in the early 1990s to protect investments in the energy sector, Luxembourg’s Minister of Energy and Spatial Planning, Claude Turmes, announced on Friday 18 November. Frédéric Simon discusses latest developments in an article on the Euractiv website. … Continue reading The latest EU state to leave the Energy Charter Treaty: Luxembourg →

French food group Danone sets up global energy programme

Danone SA executives expect a global energy programme announced Nov. 17 to improve energy efficiency by 35% by 2025 and to reduce the company’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by a minimum of 42% by 2030. Through the programme, Danone also plans to increase its use of renewable energy and have 100% of its … Continue reading French food group Danone sets up global energy programme →

How to reduce your dog’s carbon pawprint by almost 700 per cent

Your choice of dog or cat food makes a radical difference to the amount of carbon dioxide you produce, scientists have found. Meat-rich wet food causes eight times more emissions, giving some dogs the same carbon footprint as a human. Damian Carrington discusses the carbon pawprint in an article on the Guardian website. Wet … Continue reading How to reduce your dog’s carbon pawprint by almost 700 per cent →

A country’s ability to pursue major energy reforms hinges on the government’s capacity to defuse political opposition

Jared Finnegan, Lecturer in Public Policy at University College London (UCL) writes on The Conversation website about why some have been more successful than others in pursuing energy reform. Energy transitions: why countries respond differently to the same problem Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended global energy markets. Sanctions on Russian exports and the suspension … Continue reading A country’s ability to pursue major energy reforms hinges on the government’s capacity to defuse political opposition →

In an age of climate chaos and economic crisis, the ideas of the father of ecological economics that inspired a movement to live within our means are increasingly essential

Herman Daly became convinced that economics should no longer prioritize the efficiency of this one-way process but instead focus on the “optimal” scale of an economy that the Earth can sustain. Today, the imprint of his career can be found far and wide, including measures of the Genuine Progress Indicator of an economy, new Doughnut … Continue reading In an age of climate chaos and economic crisis, the ideas of the father of ecological economics that inspired a movement to live within our means are increasingly essential →

With the current architecture for climate finance, cities are being left out

The current architecture of the institutions and funds that provide climate finance is, however, not designed to work at a sub-national level. Therefore across the globe, cities are being left out. This situation is even more pertinent for African cities as Africa is both the fastest urbanising continent in the world and among the most … Continue reading With the current architecture for climate finance, cities are being left out →