Understanding extreme weather

In an article on The Conversation website, Simon H. Lee, Lecturer in Atmospheric Science, University of St Andrews; Hayley J. Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts, Newcastle University; and Paul Davies, Chief Meteorologist, Met Office and Visiting Professor, Newcastle University discuss how traditional thinking about the climate falls short when the climate itself is rapidly … Continue reading Understanding extreme weather

Nobel winners hit out at removal of fossil fuels from draft UN pact

Nearly 80 Nobel prizewinners and former world leaders have hit out at the removal of a specific mention of fossil fuels from the draft of a UN climate pact at the centre of a summit in New York next month. Nina Bo Wagner discusses the letter in an article on the Research Professional News website. … Continue reading Nobel winners hit out at removal of fossil fuels from draft UN pact

Energy in Demand News, August 11, 2024

This week Lord Adair Turner, the former chairman of the UK’s Climate Change Committee and the current chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, was interviewed in the Financial Times (behind a paywall). There are two particularly important quotes from him. The first concerns what it will cost to get to net zero: “In 2020, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 11, 2024

Global “backlash” against climate action was being stoked by the fossil fuel industry

In an article on the Guardian website, Fiona Harvey writes that the UN says a global ‘backlash’ against climate action is being stoked by fossil fuel companies. This is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. But how?   ‘Massive disinformation campaign’ is slowing global transition to green energy Fossil fuel companies are running … Continue reading Global “backlash” against climate action was being stoked by the fossil fuel industry

Zimbabwe’s energy transition

The Zimbabwean government is racing against time to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, the race towards green energy is top-down and mostly privatised. New technology is being introduced or sold to individuals or small families, but renewable energy is not being … Continue reading Zimbabwe’s energy transition

How communities are coming together to retrofit their homes and take important steps to address climate change

From weekly skills-sharing to rewilding streets, communities in Britain are working to improve the planet while bolstering the health of people. Hazel Sheffield discusses some of the initiatives underway in an article on the Guardian website.   ‘Building something better’: the UK residents retrofitting their homes amid the climate crisis At first glance, Melrose Avenue … Continue reading How communities are coming together to retrofit their homes and take important steps to address climate change

The more successful the IPCC becomes in disseminating climate knowledge, the more deeply imbued in climate politics it becomes

In an article on The Conversation website, Hannah Hughes, Senior Lecturer International Politics and Climate Change at Aberystwyth University writes about the political struggles at the IPCC to get the next phase underway. EiD’s last newsletter highlighted the most recent IPCC meetings that recently ended.   Inside the political struggle at the IPCC that will … Continue reading The more successful the IPCC becomes in disseminating climate knowledge, the more deeply imbued in climate politics it becomes

Hopes have grown that AI may also help humanity tackle global environmental problems such as climate change

In an article on The Conversation website, Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University and Seyedali Mirjalili, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Business and Hospitality, Torrens University Australia  discuss how artificial intelligence can help address many of our global environmental problems.   From climate change to landfill, AI promises to … Continue reading Hopes have grown that AI may also help humanity tackle global environmental problems such as climate change

Energy in Demand News, August 4, 2024

You may remember that in March 2023, the final instalment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) was published. This eight-year long undertaking from the world’s most authoritative scientific body on climate change detailed the devastating consequences of rising GHG emissions around the world — the destruction of homes, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 4, 2024

New OECD report on which SMEs are greening

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) could play a pivotal role in the pursuit of climate objectives. SMEs have a significant carbon footprint on aggregate, but they can also contribute to reaching net zero through their innovations and commitment to the use of environmentally friendly practices. This study develops a novel metric to identify environmental engagement, … Continue reading New OECD report on which SMEs are greening