Summary of UN Summits Week 2023

Last week, the UN Headquarters was busy with the General Debate of the 78th session of the General Assembly together with summits on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on climate change. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) does an incredible job … Continue reading Summary of UN Summits Week 2023 →

We are not moving fast enough, on enough fronts, to wean ourselves off fossil fuels

In an article on The Conversation website, Pep Canadell, Chief Research Scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency writes about what more is needed to get us back on track to meet our decarbonisation objectives. He ends with an important message: “Climate scientists, on … Continue reading We are not moving fast enough, on enough fronts, to wean ourselves off fossil fuels →

Highways still favoured over rail networks in Europe

Research commissioned by the European Mobility4All campaign provides disappointing reading for those who thought that our governments had turned a corner and were giving more attention to our rail systems. Rail networks in most countries have been starved of funding while motorways lengthen, the study shows. Ajit Niranjan explains in an article on the Guardian … Continue reading Highways still favoured over rail networks in Europe →

British PM and the net zero transition – lessons from history about flip-flopping on the environment

This has been a very interesting week in climate policy in Britain, with the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, defied official advice and rolled back on the net zero timetable. Marc Hudson, Visiting Fellow, Science Policy at the University of Sussex writes on The Conversation website giving us a history lesson on the experience of … Continue reading British PM and the net zero transition – lessons from history about flip-flopping on the environment →

Energy in Demand News, September 17, 2023

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) is undergoing some changes. SBTI show companies how much and how quickly businesses need to reduce their GHG emissions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, leading them on a clear path towards decarbonisation. By guiding companies in science-based target setting, SBTi enables them to tackle climate change … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 17, 2023 →

The latest Eurobarometer shows that Europeans approve measures taken to tackle the energy crisis, to promote sustainability and to support Ukraine

The Flash Eurobarometer survey published this week shows an overwhelming support among Europeans for the measures taken over the last year to protect consumers and companies from volatility of energy prices, as well as action to foster energy security and the green transition. It also confirms a large consensus among EU citizens in favour of … Continue reading The latest Eurobarometer shows that Europeans approve measures taken to tackle the energy crisis, to promote sustainability and to support Ukraine →

Energy in Demand News, September 10, 2023

This weekend’s G20 Summit in New Delhi has the theme “One Earth · One Family · One Future” (drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad) which is quite fitting, given the range of topics being covered. There have been discussions regarding strategies to tackle the challenges presented by climate change. Developing nations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 10, 2023 →

Chasm between climate action and scientific reality laid bare in UN stocktake

The chasm between the climate action being taken and the emissions cuts required is set out bluntly in the new “global stocktake” report from the UN, produced in collaboration with nations. In an article on the Guardian website, Fiona Harvey discusses a major UN report that argues that governments are failing to cut emissions fast … Continue reading Chasm between climate action and scientific reality laid bare in UN stocktake →

In the search for critical minerals for our clean energy future, recycling is the way forward

Serasu Duran from the University of Calgary, Atalay Atasu and Clara Carrera from INSEAD write on The Conversation website about the importance that recycling should play as globally we look for critical minerals for our renewable energy technologies. How recycling could solve the shortage of minerals essential to clean energy What do silver, silicon … Continue reading In the search for critical minerals for our clean energy future, recycling is the way forward →

The world’s poorest countries, mostly in Africa, are effectively priced out of the clean energy action by a global lending system that considers them too risky for investment

Max Bearak writes on the New York Times website about the lack of access to needed financing. A big obstacle is the lack of loans, a subject of intense disagreement between richer and poorer countries. But in Congo, where Mr. Bearak is writing from, a hard-fought solar investment shows a possible path forward. Clean … Continue reading The world’s poorest countries, mostly in Africa, are effectively priced out of the clean energy action by a global lending system that considers them too risky for investment →