Los Angeles is promising a “car-free” Summer Games for 2028 Olympics

The car remains king in LA, despite growing public transit options. Los Angeles is a city where the car remains king. It dismantled its public transport system after World War II. Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, at Boston University, in an article on The Conversation website discusses the challenges … Continue reading Los Angeles is promising a “car-free” Summer Games for 2028 Olympics →

EEA publishes updated European city air quality viewer: Uppsala is Europe’s cleanest city

Published this week, European Environment Agency’s (EEA) updated European city air quality viewer shows that people in Uppsala and Umeå, Sweden, and Faro, Portugal, can enjoy the cleanest city air in Europe. Three out of four Europeans live in urban areas and most of them are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution. Improving air … Continue reading EEA publishes updated European city air quality viewer: Uppsala is Europe’s cleanest city →

“We need to embrace a circular economy for our energy landscapes”

In an article on The Conversation website, Martin J. Pasqualetti, Professor of Geography and Senior Global Futures Scientist, Arizona State University; Chad Walker, Assistant professor, Low-carbon Transitions, School of Planning, Dalhousie University; and Michelle Adams, Associate professor, School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University discuss the need for the recycling of energy landscapes in … Continue reading “We need to embrace a circular economy for our energy landscapes” →

Energy in Demand News, August 18, 2024

Expanding oil production certainly gets a lot of attention these days. In an energy newsletter by the Financial Times (behind a paywall) this week, the lead article was on a technology breakthrough by Chevron that could extend the production lifespan of the US Gulf of Mexico oil basin and “and potentially bring billions of additional … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 18, 2024 →

The US government has told campaigners that it will push for a new global treaty on plastic waste to limit the production of plastics rather than just encouraging measures like recycling

In an article on the Climate Home News website, Joe Lo writes about the US government’s shift in its position on plastic pollution. The shift sparked accusations of betrayal from the plastics industry and celebrations from environmental campaigners and a Pacific negotiator. US turns against plastic producers, boosting hopes for ambitious treaty After two … Continue reading The US government has told campaigners that it will push for a new global treaty on plastic waste to limit the production of plastics rather than just encouraging measures like recycling →

Blog by James Ritter: How does reducing our water consumption impact the environment?

Water is an essential part of life on Earth, so it’s crucial that we carefully consider and monitor how we are using it. With the global population expanding and water scarcity being exacerbated by climate change, the need to be mindful of our water consumption is more important than ever. Not only does conserving water … Continue reading Blog by James Ritter: How does reducing our water consumption impact the environment? →

Olympic sports and their sustainability strategies

Thomas Cuckston, Professor of Accounting and Ecology, University of Birmingham writes on The Conversation website about the sustainability of the sports that participated in the recent Paris Olympics. The final paragraph sums up the results very well: “While some sports are showing impressive leadership, others are falling behind. Some are not showing any signs of … Continue reading Olympic sports and their sustainability strategies →

Nobel winners hit out at removal of fossil fuels from draft UN pact

Nearly 80 Nobel prizewinners and former world leaders have hit out at the removal of a specific mention of fossil fuels from the draft of a UN climate pact at the centre of a summit in New York next month. Nina Bo Wagner discusses the letter in an article on the Research Professional News website. … Continue reading Nobel winners hit out at removal of fossil fuels from draft UN pact →

Energy in Demand News, August 11, 2024

This week Lord Adair Turner, the former chairman of the UK’s Climate Change Committee and the current chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, was interviewed in the Financial Times (behind a paywall). There are two particularly important quotes from him. The first concerns what it will cost to get to net zero: “In 2020, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 11, 2024 →

Zimbabwe’s energy transition

The Zimbabwean government is racing against time to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, the race towards green energy is top-down and mostly privatised. New technology is being introduced or sold to individuals or small families, but renewable energy is not being … Continue reading Zimbabwe’s energy transition →