The cement and concrete industry is encouraging the use of cement, by claiming that using concrete will reduce the “whole life” carbon emissions from buildings. Alice Moncaster, Senior Lecturer in Engineering at The Open University, in an article on The Conversation website, challenges those claims. Three reasons concrete doesn’t live up to its environmental … Continue reading Claims that using concrete will reduce the “whole life” carbon emissions from buildings are often exaggerated
Category: GHG emissions
Australia and its climate and energy transition
Adam Morton writes on The Guardian website about what is known about the new climate legislation and what it means for climate action. Australia’s climate change targets will become law. What happens now? The Australian House of Representatives has passed the country’s first climate change legislation in more than a decade. The main part … Continue reading Australia and its climate and energy transition
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
