As the US federal government moves to eliminate climate rules, companies still face pressure to be better stewards of the planet

Ethan I. Thorpe, Fellow at Private Climate Governance Lab, Vanderbilt University; Michael Vandenbergh, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt University; and Zdravka Tzankova, Associate Professor of the Practice in Climate & Environmental Studies, Vanderbilt University write on The Conversation about the climate challenges that American companies still face.   … Continue reading As the US federal government moves to eliminate climate rules, companies still face pressure to be better stewards of the planet

Energy in Demand News, March 23-24, 2025

Undoubtedly, executives of big companies are as pleased as could be. Many big companies have started to drop climate goals from executive pay plans, as reported by the Financial Times (behind a paywall). For example, the Swiss bank UBS’s annual report this week dropped language that linked executives’ pay to environmental, social and governance goals … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, March 23-24, 2025

Greenpeace hit with $660mn damages bill in US court over oil pipeline protests

The North Dakota court’s ruling has brought a wave of solidarity against ‘strategic lawsuit against public participation’ (SLAPP) lawsuits designed to silence campaigners. In an article on the Climate Home News website, Isabella Kaminski discusses the ruling and what is planned for next. Greenpeace’s $660m damages ruling a ‘wake-up call’ to climate movement Organisations and … Continue reading Greenpeace hit with $660mn damages bill in US court over oil pipeline protests

Energy in Demand News, February 23-24, 2025

It is welcome news that, as of last week, the Baltic States joined the European continental electricity grid after fully disconnecting from Russian and Belarussian networks. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania successfully integrated into the EU internal energy market by joining the European continental network via Poland. According to a Commission press release, “The success of … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, February 23-24, 2025

“Try to be coolheaded about climate risk, and even conventional estimates of damage will overwhelm you”

David Wallace-Wells, an opinion writer for the New York Times, recently published his newsletter on climate risk and climate justice. In the newsletter he discusses these issues with the legal scholar Cass Sunstein about his new book on climate justice. This is an important read for you. Do you have any comments?   In a … Continue reading “Try to be coolheaded about climate risk, and even conventional estimates of damage will overwhelm you”

Energy in Demand News, February 2, 2025

Who would have guessed? Norway’s coalition government has collapsed because of the EU’s energy efficiency directive, energy performance of buildings directive and renewable energy directive! The Eurosceptic junior coalition partner quit after the Prime Minister pushed to implement the energy directives.  Norway (which is not a member of the European Union) adopts most of the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, February 2, 2025

The shift to renewable energy in Africa must be a just transition

In an article on The Conversation website, Oyeniyi Abe, Research partner: Centre for Comparative Law, University of Cape Town and Victor Azubike, Assistant Professor in Law, University of Huddersfield discuss that the justice dimension must be included in energy policies in African countries. Readers should note that the New York Times (behind a paywall) reports … Continue reading The shift to renewable energy in Africa must be a just transition

The rise in extreme weather is not generating political support for climate action

Fridays for Future organiser Luisa Neubauer warns conspiracy theories are increasingly taking hold despite effects of global heating. In an article on the Guardian website, Ajit Niranjan discusses how the climate struggle in rich democracies has drastically changed.   Extreme weather failing to encourage political climate action, says activist Luisa Neubauer The rise in extreme … Continue reading The rise in extreme weather is not generating political support for climate action

Youth climate activists get major win in Montana Supreme Court

Montana’s Supreme Court agreed late December that the state’s energy policies violated Montanans’ constitutional right to a clean environment. Amy Beth Hanson writes on the NPR website about the ruling.   Montana Supreme Court upholds state judge’s landmark ruling in youth climate case Montana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a landmark climate ruling that said … Continue reading Youth climate activists get major win in Montana Supreme Court

Energy in Demand News, December 15, 2024

BP and Shell are scaling back electricity ambitions to escape the ‘valley of death,’ according to the Financial Times website (behind a paywall). Over the past five years, the two companies had spent a combined US$18 billion to be major players in electricity. But now Shell has sold its retail electricity business in Germany, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 15, 2024