Climate friendly Paris Olympic Games focused on low carbon, repurposed construction

Ciaran Varley and Dave Lockwood write on the Guardian website how the Paris Olympics are doing their best to be the greenest ever. EiD did an earlier post on the Paris Olympics in April that gives more background.   Recycled bottle tops and tables made from shuttlecocks - the greenest Olympics? The organising committee of … Continue reading Climate friendly Paris Olympic Games focused on low carbon, repurposed construction

Energy in Demand News, July 21, 2024

The energy transition is proving to be quite a challenge. This week, the New York Times (behind a paywall) wondered why the oil industry is booming.  High prices and growing demand have helped US oil producers take in record profits despite global efforts to spur greater use of renewable energy and electric cars. The article … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 21, 2024

High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development closed this week

In its energy update newsletter, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a summary of the meeting that just ended this week. The climate crisis was centre stage at the HLPF.   "The SDGs cannot be achieved while climate change, inequality, and conflict persist." The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development came to … Continue reading High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development closed this week

The energy giant Shell promised to turn 1m tonnes of plastic waste into oil each year, but now says goal is unfeasible

Dharna Noor writes on the Guardian website about Shell’s decision to roll back on the promise to increase “advanced recycling” of plastics. The company said the walk-back was necessary due to changes in the market. Also, slow technology development has indeed been a factor in the advanced recycling market. Many feel Shell made a wise … Continue reading The energy giant Shell promised to turn 1m tonnes of plastic waste into oil each year, but now says goal is unfeasible

Nearly 50 years ago an American oil company warned of climate risks

In an article on the Guardian website, Geoff Dembicki discusses how Marathon Petroleum predecessor warned of  thepotential for ‘social and economic calamities’ in a decades-old publication.   US oil company ran 1977 article predicting climate crisis could cause starvation The corporate predecessor to America’s largest refiner of oil, Marathon Petroleum, explained in a company periodical … Continue reading Nearly 50 years ago an American oil company warned of climate risks

Food’s role in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time

In an article on The Conversation website, Hanqin Tian, Director and Institute Professor, Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College; Eric Davidson, Professor, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Pep Canadell, Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Environment; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO; and Rona … Continue reading Food’s role in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time

Energy in Demand News, July 14, 2024

Despite growing at an unprecedented rate last year, renewable energy sources are still not being deployed quickly enough to put the world on track to meet an international goal of tripling renewables by 2030, new data shows. According to figures published on Thursday by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewables are the fastest-growing source … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 14, 2024

EEA briefing on how to future-proof sustainability policies

To become sustainable, Europe must change some of the ways people live, work, produce and consume. Using policy to achieve such complex and large-scale transformations is not easy. This briefing from the European Environment Agency (EEA) explores how to future-proof sustainability policies and avoid blind spots through a foresight-based framework, which includes several participatory exercises … Continue reading EEA briefing on how to future-proof sustainability policies

For the EU to meet its climate goals, a strong policy push is needed to redirect financial flows towards transition financing

In a news item on the Euractiv website, a new report by the European Climate Neutrality Observatory provides the state of EU progress to climate neutrality, emphasising investment really needs to ramp up.   EU needs to double investment to meet climate goals: report The European Union needs to double targeted investment to meet its … Continue reading For the EU to meet its climate goals, a strong policy push is needed to redirect financial flows towards transition financing

New EEA report on how can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises

How can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises? How do we anchor environment and climate priorities with other emerging ones like security, competitiveness and fairness without losing sight of the long-term sustainability objective of ‘living well within the limits of our planet’? A new strategic foresight report, published by the European … Continue reading New EEA report on how can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises