During our current energy crisis, there are concerns that if sufficiency is not accepted, then rationing will be the inevitable solution

In an editorial on the Le Monde website, three leaders of energy companies called for reducing energy consumption. But the French government has been too slow in its efforts to encourage people to truly change their behaviour.   The need for public leadership on energy sufficiency It is quite rare for companies to encourage their … Continue reading During our current energy crisis, there are concerns that if sufficiency is not accepted, then rationing will be the inevitable solution

The Supreme Court limited the EPA’s authority on emissions, dealing a blow to efforts to address climate change

The EPA ruling means it may now be mathematically impossible through available avenues for the US to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions goal. Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution, provides his views in an article on The Guardian website.   The US supreme … Continue reading The Supreme Court limited the EPA’s authority on emissions, dealing a blow to efforts to address climate change

Modernisation of Energy Charter Treaty seen as “a real threat” to the landmark Paris climate agreement

The members of the Energy Charter Treaty on Friday struck a deal to “modernise” the energy charter treaty. The 1994 agreement allows investors to sue governments for changes in energy policy that harm their profits. The compromise agreement, which was largely designed by the EU, reduces the protection afforded to companies that have invested in … Continue reading Modernisation of Energy Charter Treaty seen as “a real threat” to the landmark Paris climate agreement

Energy efficiency is back on the table in the face of rising costs and international conflicts

Lloyd Alter writes on the Treehugger website that energy efficiency is now seen as a critical solution to many of the world’s most urgent challenges. Now let’s see serious implementation to show it is true.   International Energy Agency Calls for Serious Energy Conservation The International Energy Agency (IEA) was set up by former U.S. … Continue reading Energy efficiency is back on the table in the face of rising costs and international conflicts

While committed to climate action, new Australian government still supports expansion of fossil fuel exports

Australia could fall into what is called the “Norway trap”: clean at home, dirty abroad. Jeremy Moss, Professor of Political Philosophy at UNSW Sydney in an article on The Conversation website, discusses the challenges facing the new government.   To walk the talk on climate, Labor must come clean about the future for coal and … Continue reading While committed to climate action, new Australian government still supports expansion of fossil fuel exports

Fossil fuel companies have access to an obscure legal tool – the investor-state dispute settlement – that could jeopardise worldwide efforts to protect the climate

If you do a search on the EiD website for the Energy Charter, you will see many posts that show the Energy Charter Treaty could undermine efforts of the Paris climate agreement. Rachel Thrasher, Law Lecturer and Researcher at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, Boston University; Blake Alexander Simmons, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in … Continue reading Fossil fuel companies have access to an obscure legal tool – the investor-state dispute settlement – that could jeopardise worldwide efforts to protect the climate

One African’s view of the recent IPCC report

Victor Ongoma, Assistant Professor at Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique in Morocco writes on The Conversation website about his views on the latest IPCC report published this week.   Climate change report: what we must do to avert the looming crisis Climate change is a threat to all aspects of our lives. Every degree of global warming … Continue reading One African’s view of the recent IPCC report

New publication from OECD: Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions

Accounting for nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and sometimes up to 70% in large cities, buildings are central to the low-carbon transition. Decarbonising buildings, especially older stock, through energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy use not only reduces carbon emissions, but also generates co-benefits in health, energy affordability and the labour market. … Continue reading New publication from OECD: Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions

New EEA briefing: Europe’s air quality status 2022

Ninety-six percent of Europe’s urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter above the health-based guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the latest annual European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality assessment published this week   Vast majority of Europe’s urban population remains exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution Despite a … Continue reading New EEA briefing: Europe’s air quality status 2022

The electricity alignment of Ukraine and Moldova is more than a technical integration, it is also a strategic political alignment

But more than just a technical integration of systems and capacity, electricity alignment is also a strategic political alignment not far from the level of joining the EU. Indeed, Russia’s invasion has opened a discussion across Europe and beyond about how and where countries source their energy. It might not guarantee energy security as critical … Continue reading The electricity alignment of Ukraine and Moldova is more than a technical integration, it is also a strategic political alignment