Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues

Establishing measurable goals at the city level needs and will result in the engagement of residents. Everybody wins in the long run — quality of life improves, urban governance is more effective, and businesses develop more efficient models. Professors Sylvie Albert and Manish Pandey at the University of Winnipeg in Canada explain their views in … Continue reading Residents need to be involved in achieving urban sustainability and climate change issues

Coping with the crisis in Germany: “If the industry can no longer produce here, the demand doesn’t fade. What we produce here will simply be manufactured in other countries, under worse and less sustainable conditions.”

Not a week goes by without warnings of rising gas prices or renewed calls to save energy any way possible. But how are German companies that are highly dependent on the fossil fuel preparing for a looming shortage? Thomas Kohlmann provides some answers in an article on the Deutsche Welle website.   How German industry … Continue reading Coping with the crisis in Germany: “If the industry can no longer produce here, the demand doesn’t fade. What we produce here will simply be manufactured in other countries, under worse and less sustainable conditions.”

Australia’s new government needs to ensure its legislative foundation for climate follows best practice globally

Anita Foerster, Associate professor, Monash University; Alice Bleby, PhD Candidate, UNSW Sydney; and Anne Kallies, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University write on The Conversation website that Australia’s new Albanese government should be guided by lessons from the design and implementation of existing laws in other countries, to ensure it follows best practice. Failing to learn from … Continue reading Australia’s new government needs to ensure its legislative foundation for climate follows best practice globally

The world’s most influential banks need to substantially accelerate climate efforts

Many of the world's biggest banks are falling far short of aligning their practices with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the Earth's warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a new report from the IIGCC warns. The report is discussed in an Associated Press news item on The Independent website.   Banks far … Continue reading The world’s most influential banks need to substantially accelerate climate efforts

Secret work to help power companies protect their profits and fight the transition to cleaner forms of energy

Hundreds of pages of leaked internal documents in the US show how power companies are protecting their profits and, worryingly, fighting the transition to clean energy. Miranda Green discusses latest developments in an article on The Guardian website.   Leaked: US power companies secretly spending millions to protect profits and fight clean energy The CEO … Continue reading Secret work to help power companies protect their profits and fight the transition to cleaner forms of energy

Does expanding nuclear energy in Britain make sense?

We are in the midst of a zero-carbon energy transition globally and Britain has shown leadership with its strategy that sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet the net zero target by 2050. The UK Government is putting nuclear at the centre of its strategy to reach … Continue reading Does expanding nuclear energy in Britain make sense?

“The legacy of all that climate disinformation remains”

David Klepper from The Associated Press writes on the National Newswatch website about the role of climate disinformation. Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, as public awareness of climate change grew, fossil fuel companies poured millions of dollars into public relations campaigns denouncing the accumulating evidence supporting the idea of climate change. We are paying … Continue reading “The legacy of all that climate disinformation remains”

We have a lot of work cut out for us to get the energy efficiency improvements we need

Minimum energy performance standards for buildings coupled with generous tax rebates for renovations – 110% in Italy – could unlock the energy service company market in Europe. Sonja van Renssen discusses the main issues with Jessica Stromback in an article on the Energy Monitor website.   Expect a “seismic shift” on energy efficiency – Jessica … Continue reading We have a lot of work cut out for us to get the energy efficiency improvements we need

New IISD report on how Glasgow Statement signatories can meet their commitment to shift international public finance out of fossil fuels and into clean energy by the end of 2022

The International Institute for Sustainable Development has recently published Turning Pledges Into Action. Glasgow Statement signatories made a commitment to end new international public finance for fossil fuels by the end of 2022 and fully shift their focus toward financing clean energy. Now, it's time to turn those pledges into action. This report analyses the … Continue reading New IISD report on how Glasgow Statement signatories can meet their commitment to shift international public finance out of fossil fuels and into clean energy by the end of 2022

Scotland provides important lessons in how to implement energy efficiency

Devolution has freed the Scottish government to come up with innovative publicly funded energy-saving schemes. Whitehall should take note of their success according to Andrew Warren, chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation, writing in the July/August issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry.   Scotland can show England the way There has been much … Continue reading Scotland provides important lessons in how to implement energy efficiency