Marianne Gross, Giorgio Leali and Aude Le Gentil write on the Politico website to show how increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters are straining insurers, widening the protection gap and forcing governments to rethink who bears the financial risk. Climate change is turning parts of Europe into an insurance nightmare As wildfires menaced the outer suburbs … Continue reading When climate change makes Europe uninsurable
Category: climate change
The slow story behind fast disasters
Doug Specht, Reader in Cultural Geography and Communication, University of Westminster, in an article on The Conversation website, argues that while journalism excels at covering dramatic events such as wildfires, it often fails to explain the slower climate processes that make those events more frequent and severe. Wildfires: why media coverage doesn’t always make … Continue reading The slow story behind fast disasters
Buyers want lower bills, not green premiums
Marvin Onumonu writes on the Intermediary website that property buyers clearly value energy efficiency, but primarily because it reduces monthly costs—not because they are willing to pay a substantial premium for an energy-efficient label. Only 2% said they would pay significantly more for an efficient property, while 26% said they would pay a little more. … Continue reading Buyers want lower bills, not green premiums
Roads built for yesterday’s climate
Using Germany as an example, Tim Schauenberg writes on the Deutsche Welle website argues that infrastructure designed for yesterday's climate is no longer fit for tomorrow's temperatures. As the Autobahn buckles under heat waves, Germany is still paving roads for a past climate. Engineers know how to fix that — so what's the holdup? … Continue reading Roads built for yesterday’s climate
The energy success story nobody talks about
A reduction in energy consumption has played a big part in the UK’s progress to net zero, so how come the government appears so reluctant to encourage further efficiency gains? In a column on the July/August issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry, Andrew Warren looks at how decisions appear to be driven by those … Continue reading The energy success story nobody talks about
Holding oil companies accountable for what they sell
In an article on The Conversation website, Aminta Ossom, Lecturer on Law, Senior Clinical Instructor, Harvard University; Harvard Kennedy School writes about a potentially landmark legal shift: companies may increasingly be held responsible not only for their own emissions but also for the emissions generated by the use of the products they sell (Scope 3 … Continue reading Holding oil companies accountable for what they sell
Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026
As this week’s Energy in Demand was being prepared, more than 280,000 people had been ordered to flee or lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 26-27, 2026
A medieval heatwave, a modern warning
Alex Brown, Associate Professor of Medieval History, Durham University writes on The Conversation website about the lessons we should learn from the Medieval Warm Period. History shows societies are vulnerable to climate extremes, while today's warming is faster, global and human-driven. Drought, water shortages and crop failures: how does the medieval warm period compare … Continue reading A medieval heatwave, a modern warning
Blog by Grace Waters: Why France’s nuclear plants are shutting down during peak summer demand
France relies on a highly nuclear-dependent grid because it provides the nation with predictability. Most of the country’s electricity comes from its reactor fleet, which represents a bet on carbon-free baseload power that’s paid off for decades. But that same fleet has a weak spot that heat waves keep exposing. Most reactors depend on river … Continue reading Blog by Grace Waters: Why France’s nuclear plants are shutting down during peak summer demand
When loving Antarctica means leaving it
In an article on The Conversation website, Zdenka Sokolickova, Postdoctoral Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Groningen; Christy Hehir, Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events, University of Surrey; and Elizabeth Cooper, Postdoctoral Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Groningen explore a moral conflict—what happens when people discover that the work they love is at odds with the … Continue reading When loving Antarctica means leaving it
