Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely anticipated to play a key role in this transformation by helping to cut carbon emissions worldwide. But relying on CCS may overshadow solutions that focus on reducing our energy demand and making behavioural changes that put sustainability first. Avit K Bhowmik, Assistant Professor of Risk and Environmental Studies … Continue reading “While capturing carbon will be essential in tackling the climate crisis, it shouldn’t be used to delay action now”
Category: climate policy
In this increasingly complex world, there is no time to push climate action out into the future
Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University writes on The Conversation website about how things have evolved since COP26. Ms. Kyte should know. Prior to joining Fletcher, Kyte served as special representative of the UN secretary-general and chief executive officer of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). She previously was the World Bank Group vice … Continue reading In this increasingly complex world, there is no time to push climate action out into the future
New EEA report sets out four engaging, plausible and clearly contrasting images of a sustainable Europe in 2050
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
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 in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 