The richest 10% are responsible for half of all global emissions

Carbon emissions of richest 10% are up to 40 times bigger than poorest, and ignoring divide may make ending climate crisis impossible, experts say. Damian Carrington discusses recent analysis in an article on the Guardian website.   Revealed: the huge climate impact of the middle classes The richest 10% of people in many countries cause … Continue reading The richest 10% are responsible for half of all global emissions

“Regardless of an individual’s stated environmental opinion and beliefs most opted for the easiest, but least impactful options”

In an article on The Conversation website, Alice Brock and Ian Williams of the University of Southampton discuss how too many of us, while aware of climate change and its impact, are simply too complacent to take effective action. Do you agree with them?   Climate complacency: study finds even the most informed people would … Continue reading “Regardless of an individual’s stated environmental opinion and beliefs most opted for the easiest, but least impactful options”

“From a psychology point of view, motivating us to take action on climate is a wicked problem”

In an article on The Conversation website, Jeff Rotman. Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Consumer Psychology & Co-Director of the Better Consumption Lab at Deakin University in Australia discusses our behaviour from a psychological point of view. Misinformation and doubt are particularly damaging to climate action. They let us feel OK about inaction. He concludes: … Continue reading “From a psychology point of view, motivating us to take action on climate is a wicked problem”

One particularly significant strategy the oil industry has adopted is to place responsibility for climate change mitigation and adaptation on the individual

In an article on The Conversation website, Sarah M. Munoz, Doctoral researcher in political science at the Université de Montréal discusses how oil companies have effectively made consumers responsible for curbing the climate crisis. What are your views?   How oil companies put the responsibility for climate change on consumers The political response to the … Continue reading One particularly significant strategy the oil industry has adopted is to place responsibility for climate change mitigation and adaptation on the individual

The benefits of sustainable housing

Andréanne Doyon, Assistant professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University and Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University provide a very good review in an article on The Conversation website about the range of benefits of sustainable housing.   How sustainable, liveable and resilient housing … Continue reading The benefits of sustainable housing

Paris 50 degrees: a full-scale exercise in the 13th and 19th arrondissements

On October 13, 2023, the capital staged a full-scale crisis exercise to deal with the future heatwaves that await us. "Paris 50°": this is the name of the crisis exercise that the capital launched. Faced with global warming and heatwaves that are likely to multiply and intensify in the coming years, the City of Paris … Continue reading Paris 50 degrees: a full-scale exercise in the 13th and 19th arrondissements

Why you should be doing an energy renovation of your home

Teresa Siqueira writes on the Porch website about the many benefits from renovating your home. Porch sprang to life in 2013 to tackle the age-old problem of connecting homeowners with high-quality home improvement professionals. While it is based in Seattle, there are lessons for all of us.   Renovation Strategies for Long-Term Value: Investments That … Continue reading Why you should be doing an energy renovation of your home

Energy in Demand News, October 8, 2023

As we get closer to COP28 in Dubai, there are some disturbing signs. For example: the US and China  failed to pledge to the UN Green Climate Fund (most countries, including Germany, Austria and France, increased their pledges, while Denmark, Ireland and Liechtenstein doubled theirs but total pledges still did not reach target); Russia says … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, October 8, 2023

Lessons to be learned in how France lowered its electricity consumption last winter

Ariane Millot, Research Associate in Energy Systems Modelling, Imperial College London and Steve Pye, Associate Professor in Energy Systems at UCL discuss how France was able to lower its electricity consumption last winter by an impressive 10 %. To avoid shortages, France implemented a “sobriety plan” with the aim of lowering total energy consumption by … Continue reading Lessons to be learned in how France lowered its electricity consumption last winter

Energy in Demand News, September 24, 2023

The UN Climate Ambition Summit was held this week, and there were great expectations that this would be the occasion when the world’s leaders would finally understand that it was their most critical priority to address the climate crisis. Yet at the summit, UN Secretary General António Guterres could not hold back his concerns:  “Humanity … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 24, 2023