What could a sustainable Europe look like in 2050? A European Environment Agency (EEA) web report, published this week, presents four ‘imaginaries’, or scenarios, offering strongly contrasting approaches to achieving Europe’s socio-economic and environmental goals. The report is based on co-creative work by the EEA and its network (Eionet). What could a sustainable Europe … Continue reading New EEA report sets out four engaging, plausible and clearly contrasting images of a sustainable Europe in 2050
Category: climate policy
Read all about it – important new publications
New JRC report – Prosumerism and energy sustainability This report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre develops a sociotechnical understanding of energy prosumerism to investigate how energy prosumerism can lead to actual reductions of energy and resource demand. The report starts out by explaining what a sociotechnical and broad understanding of prosumerism means. Thereafter, … Continue reading Read all about it – important new publications
New EEA briefing on carbon storage and sequestration potential of Europe’s many land and marine habitats
What is the carbon storage and sequestration potential of Europe’s many land and marine habitats? A first scoping analysis, published recently by the European Environment Agency (EEA), found that forests and wetlands can play an important role in storing carbon but doing so should take account of potential impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. … Continue reading New EEA briefing on carbon storage and sequestration potential of Europe’s many land and marine habitats
The New Zealand government releases plans to prepare the country for the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis: sea level rise, floods, massive storms and wildfires
Tess McClure writes on The Guardian website about the government’s proposals to prepare the country for more floods, massive storms and wildfires include building away from high-risk areas and protecting cultural sites. New Zealand unveils plan to tackle climate crisis by adapting cities to survive rising seas The New Zealand government has released new … Continue reading The New Zealand government releases plans to prepare the country for the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis: sea level rise, floods, massive storms and wildfires
“At Cop27, it is incumbent upon all states and non-state actors to demonstrate a united world that faces climate change challenges through urgent, ambitious, and transformative agenda”
The latest IPCC report and Ukraine crisis show the urgency of phasing out fossil fuels, investing in renewables and developing sustainable agriculture. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the Egyptian UN Climate Change high-level champion and the UN special envoy on financing the 2030 sustainable development agenda writes on the Climate Change News website about some of his views … Continue reading “At Cop27, it is incumbent upon all states and non-state actors to demonstrate a united world that faces climate change challenges through urgent, ambitious, and transformative agenda”
Japan beefing up its building codes
Zero Energy Homes (ZEH) and Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) guidelines will be used to enforce the revised building codes according to a news item on the Rethink Tokyo website. They will come into effect after 2025. Energy conservation architecture to be mandatory for Japan real estate from 2025 On April 22nd, the Cabinet of … Continue reading Japan beefing up its building codes
Calling for greater energy efficiency to reduce EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels
Initiatives to improve energy efficiency can reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. They can also help increase the union’s influence in the global south. Mats Engstrom discusses the issues in an article on the European Council on Foreign Relations website. Efficient influence: Energy initiatives for a geopolitical Europe Russia’s brutal war on … Continue reading Calling for greater energy efficiency to reduce EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels
New EEA briefings: Europe not on track to reach 2030 targets for municipal waste recycling
The European Union (EU) circular economy action plan aims to halve the amount of municipal waste in the EU that is not recycled by 2030. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, achieving this target requires both reducing waste generation and considerably increasing recycling, possibly even beyond the binding recycling target … Continue reading New EEA briefings: Europe not on track to reach 2030 targets for municipal waste recycling
Energy efficiency: the need to look at past successful messages rather than unproven new technology
In the April issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry, Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, sets out the reasons why the Government have managed to issue its' latest energy policy whilst omitting any initiatives to stimulate energy efficiency. It also sets out what needs to be done to rectify the position, … Continue reading Energy efficiency: the need to look at past successful messages rather than unproven new technology
Johnson Controls publishes its latest annual energy efficiency indicator survey
This week Johnson Controls released its latest survey which revealed that 62 percent of organisations surveyed expect to increase investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, or smart building technology in 2022, indicating a return to pre-pandemic levels. Johnson Controls Annual Energy Efficiency Indicator Survey Reveals Investments in Sustainability have Rebounded to Pre-Pandemic Levels, … Continue reading Johnson Controls publishes its latest annual energy efficiency indicator survey
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 