Germany’s 9 euro summer rail pass experiment brought many benefits

After three months, the special offer in Germany of the 9-euro ticket for nationwide use on local and regional public transport made tourist highlights accessible at low cost and even achieved some carbon emissions reductions. Some news agencies note that 52 million tickets were purchased during the three month experiment. Kate Connolly discusses in an … Continue reading Germany’s 9 euro summer rail pass experiment brought many benefits →

New EEA report on energy prosumers

Citizens, institutions and businesses can help deploy renewable energy and reduce fuel imports by becoming prosumers who both produce and consume energy. A European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published recently, shows that prosumption already exists in many forms and it is expected to grow with enabling policies and better and cheaper technology. Citizens can … Continue reading New EEA report on energy prosumers →

Dozens of local energy cooperatives ¬– citizen-owned initiatives investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency – in operation in Belgium

Gabriela Baczynska writes on the Reuters website about energy cooperatives in Belgium. These cooperatives, which rely on their own production rather than buying from volatile markets, have seen a huge spike in demand as the energy crunch has hit consumers. Many of the cooperatives have also seen demand jump in the current high-inflation environment in … Continue reading Dozens of local energy cooperatives ¬– citizen-owned initiatives investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency – in operation in Belgium →

To nudge or not to nudge, that is the question

Magda Osman, Principal Research Associate in Basic and Applied Decision Making at the Cambridge Judge Business School writes on The Conversation website about the value of the nudge theory now evidence shows it doesn’t work. Nudge theory doesn’t work after all, says new evidence review – but it could still have a future t … Continue reading To nudge or not to nudge, that is the question →

Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues

Establishing measurable goals at the city level needs and will result in the engagement of residents. Everybody wins in the long run — quality of life improves, urban governance is more effective, and businesses develop more efficient models. Professors Sylvie Albert and Manish Pandey at the University of Winnipeg in Canada explain their views in … Continue reading Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues →

Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies

Rihab Khalid, Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Consumption at the University of Cambridge writes on The Conversation website that energy policies that try to be gender neutral usually leave women’s energy needs marginalised and there is a need to think about how women use energy and space. If we want to build truly sustainable … Continue reading Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies →

New EEA report on role consumers can play to raise demand for goods and services that have adopted circular economy principles

While companies have huge influence in framing and shaping demand for products, consumers play a key role in raising demand for goods and services that have adopted circular economy principles, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published this week. Consumers can play key role in creating demand for ‘circular’ goods and services … Continue reading New EEA report on role consumers can play to raise demand for goods and services that have adopted circular economy principles →

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 →

Research shows that the tactics of climate change activists can yield significant advantages for their cause, but such radical actions also carry significant risks

Climate protesters who take radical and provocative action risk alienating their allies and repression from authorities, but their tactics can yield significant advantages for their cause. Alistair Walsh discusses the impact of climate change activists in an article on the Deutsche Welle website. What do you think? Disruptive climate protests — do they help or … Continue reading Research shows that the tactics of climate change activists can yield significant advantages for their cause, but such radical actions also carry significant risks →

There are ways of conveying the hard scientific facts about climate change to young people while at the same time fostering resilience

Today’s teens and people in their 20s are experiencing increased anxiety, grief, fear or guilt about the planet’s future as well as their own. Fortunately, there are ways of conveying the hard scientific facts about climate change while at the same time fostering resilience. Simon Appolloni, Assistant Professor, School of the Environment at the University … Continue reading There are ways of conveying the hard scientific facts about climate change to young people while at the same time fostering resilience →