Latest update on climate finance

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides the March update on global developments in climate finance. March 2016 Climate Finance Update: Fund Boards Meet, Carbon Markets Under the Spotlight In the Paris Agreement, agreed upon by 195 UN Member States in December 2015, countries agreed to make “finance flows consistent with a pathway … Continue reading Latest update on climate finance →

World Bank refocusing financing efforts towards the low carbon transition

International financial institutions play a key role in providing important financing to drive economic and social objectives. The funding decisions provide valuable signals to governments and other funders. Fiona Harvey writes in The Guardian about the refocus of the World Bank in its financing efforts towards tackling climate change. World Bank to spend 28% … Continue reading World Bank refocusing financing efforts towards the low carbon transition →

An emerging battle over how the USA should shift to renewable energy

There is a growing battle going on to transmit renewable energy to needy consumers. Diane Cardwell writes in the New York Times about recent developments. Is this a concern in Europe as well? Fight to Keep Alternative Energy Local Stymies an Industry Up and down the center of the country, winds rip across plains, … Continue reading An emerging battle over how the USA should shift to renewable energy →

There is a way to avoid stranded assets

The low carbon energy transition is on and a recent study by Oxford academics shows that very soon any new thermal power plants will end up with a very short lifetime if we are to meet our greenhouse gas emissions targets. Pilita Clark writes in the Financial Times about the recent study. Energy companies … Continue reading There is a way to avoid stranded assets →

More arguments why improved energy efficiency needs to be seen as an infrastructure issue

Last week EiD reported on a new briefing note by E3G on energy efficiency as infrastructure. Now we have a good post by Dr. Sam Gardner of WWF Scotland in the Herald Scotland arguing that improved energy efficiency must be seen as a national infrastructure project. This is an important argument that we hope gains … Continue reading More arguments why improved energy efficiency needs to be seen as an infrastructure issue →

The “biosphere” now a “net source” of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere

Chris Mooney writes in the Washington Post about a new study that discusses the hidden driver of climate change that we too often ignore. Humans are making global warming worse, all right — but in more ways than you think That’s the result of an important new study in Nature, which finds that the … Continue reading The “biosphere” now a “net source” of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere →

Is China now on a more sustainable path?

It is heartening to read that China’s carbon emissions may have peaked. There have been several articles on this important study by two groups at the London School of Economics. Chelsea Harvey provides a good account in the Washington Post. China vowed to peak carbon emissions by 2030. It could be way ahead of … Continue reading Is China now on a more sustainable path? →

Have your say . . .

Silvia Zinetti is well known to many of us who have been working in and around Brussels. Last year she moved to the San Diego area but has continued to work in the field of sustainable energy and wrote a post for EiD last summer. She is very involved with many local groups encouraging sustainable … Continue reading Have your say . . . →

Two important new reports

There are two important new reports that EiD wants to bring to your attention. • Energy efficiency as infrastructure: leaping the investment gap This is an important briefing paper by Ada Ámon and Ingrid Holmes for E3G. As Europe moves to implement the Paris Climate Agreement, two-thirds of its low carbon energy infrastructure investment … Continue reading Two important new reports →

Progress in energy efficiency improvements expected to continue even with Supreme Court challenge

The Obama Administration is certainly keeping up the momentum even though there are often legislative and judicial roadblocks. Steven Mufson and Chris Mooney write in the Washington Post about recent developments. Despite the Supreme Court, here’s why the White House says we’ll cut carbon anyway The Supreme Court stay on the Obama administration’s Clean … Continue reading Progress in energy efficiency improvements expected to continue even with Supreme Court challenge →