The Financial Times, a newspaper of record for business and politics, has become almost passionate about climate change. “Even now, when weather records are being broken, when climate change is demonstrably here, not in the future, we seem frozen. We still go about our carbon-greedy lives: snapping up the last air-conditioning unit, booking another flight, … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 16-17, 2026
Category: energy policy
The hidden crisis Britain’s Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary must confront
The new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary has signalled her support for tackling fuel poverty, but she's inherited a Warm Homes Plan that is yet to be finalised and, as Andrew Warren warns in an article on the Business Green website, energy efficiency jobs are being lost as the wait to fill the policy … Continue reading The hidden crisis Britain’s Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary must confront
The demand-side blindness at the heart of UK energy policy
The debate over the UK's energy future is still overwhelmingly focused on how to generate more power, while far less attention is paid to the cheapest and fastest energy resource of all: using less. In this commentary, the environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt argues that this imbalance is not accidental but reflects decades of political choices … Continue reading The demand-side blindness at the heart of UK energy policy
The cheapest gas is the gas Europe never uses
Michael Kern writes on the Oil Price website that rather than focusing on securing ever more LNG imports, Europe can strengthen its energy security by reducing gas demand through heat pumps, renewable electricity and energy efficiency. Hitting EU Renewables Targets Could Slash Gas Demand a Quarter by 2030 The European Union could save a … Continue reading The cheapest gas is the gas Europe never uses
Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026
The EU has big plans to electrify. It has set its first-ever electrification target: 46% by 2040. Electrification has hovered just under 24% for more than a decade. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters in Brussels on Friday: “With this plan, we are putting Europe on a course to become the world’s first electro-continent.” Check … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 19-20, 2026
European Commission boosts Europe’s competitiveness, decarbonisation and independence with Electrification Action Plan and ETS review
On July 17th the Commission presented an Electrification Action Plan to make Europe the first electro-powered continent, and a stronger carbon market to support EU's industry in the clean transition and electrification. Europe's reliance on imported fossil fuels has repeatedly exposed it to geopolitical shocks. These have driven up energy prices for both households and companies, and dragged down our competitiveness. While … Continue reading European Commission boosts Europe’s competitiveness, decarbonisation and independence with Electrification Action Plan and ETS review
Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026
Eurostar, the international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, will now be building its new generation of trains to withstand 55C summers. The new trains, to be built by Alstom, were originally designed to cope with conditions of up to 45C. But the UK Times website quotes Gwendoline Cazenave, chief executive of Eurostar, saying: “We … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 12-13, 2026
The oil crisis isn’t over—the safety net is gone
Dmitry Zhdannikov, Robert Harvey and Ahmad Ghaddar write on the Reuters News website about the global economy weathered the Iran-related supply shock by drawing down strategic reserves, but those depleted buffers leave the world more exposed to future disruptions. We definitely need a more sustainable approach to our energy future. World absorbs historic Iran … Continue reading The oil crisis isn’t over—the safety net is gone
Clean energy means security: The European Commission’s energy priorities
In this interview on the Open Access Government website, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission’s Spokesperson for Climate, Energy, Environment, Transport, and Housing, discusses the European Commission’s strategic vision for Europe’s energy future. The European Commission’s energy priorities Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the Spokesperson for Climate, Energy, Environment, Transport, and Housing, outlines the European Commission’s energy priorities … Continue reading Clean energy means security: The European Commission’s energy priorities
Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency was definitely front and centre for many this week, starting with the International Energy Agency’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal, June 29-30th. There were around 600 attendees from 60 countries. There were 40 ministers or heads of delegations, with about 25 at the ministerial level. There were about 70 … Continue reading Reflections on the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency
