A real gold mine of information

Young volunteers for the environment from the Climate and Development Network (Réseau Climat & Développement) have come up with a document listing more than 200 information sites on economic, social and environmental issues. While the names of the various sites are in French the web address frequently uses the English name so it’s easy to … Continue reading A real gold mine of information →

Carbon footprints of hotels

If you want to shrink your carbon footprint when you check into a hotel, you may be better off staying at a mid-range or budget chain hotel. That's the conclusion from a report released by Brighter Planet, the eco-minded tech firm in Vermont that creates digital apps and other technology to measure environmental effects. The … Continue reading Carbon footprints of hotels →

Quotes from Jeffrey Sachs

At the Asian Development Bank annual meeting this week, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute and professor of sustainable development at Columbia University in the US, said: "We won't meet the carbon targets if nuclear is taken off the table," and further: "Emissions per unit of energy need to fall by a factor of … Continue reading Quotes from Jeffrey Sachs →

From the Clean Energy Ministerial

The third Clean Energy Ministerial of 23 leading countries was held in London late April. Leaders from the 23-government Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4All) have given their backing to a renewed push to increase energy efficiency worldwide. Meeting at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM3) taking place … Continue reading From the Clean Energy Ministerial →

Quote of the week

Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream, will soon be sold by auction and is expected to reach a sizable sum. The Norwegian’s painting (there are actually four versions of The Scream) is one of the most well recognised globally. The Norwegian businessman, Petter Olsen, whose family has owned the painting since 1937, recently gave his view … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Employment impacts from retrofitting Poland’s buildings

Central European University in Budapest has just published Employment Impacts of a Large-Scale Deep Building Energy Retrofit Programme in Poland. The report was funded by the European Climate Foundation. The research demonstrates that up to 84% of energy used to heat Polish buildings, and corresponding CO 2 emissions – can be avoided by a wide-spread … Continue reading Employment impacts from retrofitting Poland’s buildings →

Achim Steiner: head of UN Environment Programme

Michael McCarthy of the Independent newspaper from the UK has provided an excellent article on Achim Steiner. In the lead up to Rio+20, this is excellent background information on one of the leading figures in the preparation of the summit for all EiD readers. Achim Steiner: 'We haven't even begun to understand the damage … Continue reading Achim Steiner: head of UN Environment Programme →

What’s a carbon footprint and how is it worked out?

This is a useful description of a carbon footprint written by Duncan Clark a consultant editor for The Guardian on April 4th. What's a carbon footprint and how is it worked out? A carbon footprint is an estimate of the climate change impact of activity – such as making a product, living a lifestyle or … Continue reading What’s a carbon footprint and how is it worked out? →

Russian steps . . .

Rod Janssen of EiD has worked in many regions of Russia and can testify to the problems with improving energy use in the country. This is an excellent article from Reuter’s on many of the issues facing Russia. Reluctant Russia wakes up to energy waste by Jennifer Rankin MOSCOW, March 20 (Reuters) - The … Continue reading Russian steps . . . →

IEA unveils new initiatives on sustainable energy policies and technologies in the buildings sector

Cutting back on the amount of energy consumed in buildings all over the world will represent a significant step forward in efforts to strengthen energy security and combat climate change, International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said as she announced new IEA initiatives on sustainable energy policies and technologies in the buildings … Continue reading IEA unveils new initiatives on sustainable energy policies and technologies in the buildings sector →