Experiments with magnets are helping us understand how climate systems collapse

In an article on The Conversation website, John Dearing, Emeritus Professor of Physical Geography, University of Southampton; Roy Thompson, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Geophysics, University of Edinburgh; and Simon Willcock, Professor of Sustainability, Bangor University discuss the use of magnets to better understand climate tipping points.   Gradual v sudden collapse: what magnets teach us … Continue reading Experiments with magnets are helping us understand how climate systems collapse

Understanding Europe’s current carbon offset market

Serdar Vardar writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the current state of carbon offsets in Europe. Carbon credit projects are booming in Europe, but there are also some scams and unintended consequences. While claiming to compensate for emissions, not all schemes deliver what they promise.   Europe's carbon credits: Solution or environmental scam? Ornithologist … Continue reading Understanding Europe’s current carbon offset market

The green energy transition: shifting away from fossil fuels is particularly challenging

In an article on The Conversation website, Martin Brueckner, Charles Roche and Tauel Harper all from  Murdoch University in Australia discuss the difficulties in getting off fossil fuels and  the little progress that Australia has made to date. How much success is your country having?   Getting rid of fossil fuels is really hard – … Continue reading The green energy transition: shifting away from fossil fuels is particularly challenging

Energy in Demand News, August 24-25, 2025

Encouragingly, the Financial Times reports that solar power generation in Britain so far this year has surpassed the total for 2024 “as panels are rapidly installed amid favourable weather, underlining renewable energy’s increasing importance to the grid. . . . Some 14.08 terawatt hours of electricity was produced from solar in Great Britain by August … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 24-25, 2025

Toronto uses Lake Ontario for its cooling network

Abdul Matin Sarfraz writes on the National Observer website about the world’s largest deep lake water cooling network. While more than 100 buildings are connected, two hospitals are saving 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, enough to power more than 1,300 homes by parting with older chillers and rooftop towers that consume far more … Continue reading Toronto uses Lake Ontario for its cooling network

America’s climate transition: a moment of crisis for the environmental community

As President Trump dismantles the country’s efforts to fight climate change, environmental groups are back on their heels. In an article on the New York Times website, David Gelles, Claire Brown and Karen Zraick discuss latest developments. While not mentioned, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) … Continue reading America’s climate transition: a moment of crisis for the environmental community

Greenpeace report: in Europe, the train remains significantly more expensive than the plane

According to a study conducted by Greenpeace Europe and published Thursday, August 21, nearly 60% of the hundred or so European journeys compared are cheaper by plane than by train, a means of transport that emits significantly less carbon dioxide. The prices for each route were analysed over nine separate days, divided into three booking … Continue reading Greenpeace report: in Europe, the train remains significantly more expensive than the plane

The EU’s non-financial reporting (NFR) regulations relating to sustainability have strong implications for the Majority World, the countries and territories outside Europe and North America where most people live

In an article on The Conversation website, Mira Manini Tiwari, Research Associate at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute discusses the impact of the EU’s NFR regulations, at a time when global, systemic policy effects are more important than ever   EU efforts to measure companies’ environmental impacts have global effects. … Continue reading The EU’s non-financial reporting (NFR) regulations relating to sustainability have strong implications for the Majority World, the countries and territories outside Europe and North America where most people live

Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025

It was certainly disappointing that the UN negotiations for a global treaty on plastics pollution collapsed without an agreement. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a number of other petrostates would not budge from their long-standing refusal to agree measures that address the production of plastic, agreeing only to waste management. It is not clear when negotiations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025

Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week

In an article on The Conversation website, Melanie MacGregor, ARC Future Fellow and Matthew Flinders Fellow in Chemistry, Flinders University gives her views on what happened in Geneva the last two weeks.   The global plastics treaty process has fallen flat. Here’s what went wrong, and how you can help Progress towards a legally binding … Continue reading Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week