If the world’s energy consumption grows at the pre-COVID rate, technological change alone will not be enough to halve global CO₂ emissions by 2030

Mark Diesendorf, Honorary Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney explains in an article on The Conversation website that we may need to take reducing energy consumption more seriously. Technology alone is not the answer. What are your views? Net zero by 2050 will hit a major timing problem technology can’t solve. We need to talk … Continue reading If the world’s energy consumption grows at the pre-COVID rate, technological change alone will not be enough to halve global CO₂ emissions by 2030 →

New UN group to scrutinise companies’ pledges to cut planet-heating GHG emissions

Saphora Smith writes on the Independent website about a new UN group set up to tackle greenwashing. The chair of the new group, Catherine McKenna, says: ‘I believe that most people want to do the right thing but they have to pushed.’ Hopefully this group will have some real impact. ‘Transparency is the best … Continue reading New UN group to scrutinise companies’ pledges to cut planet-heating GHG emissions →

Europe’s first heat officer to help her city deal with rising temperatures due to climate change helping heat-destroyed British Columbia community

Heat-destroyed Lytton, B.C., features at TED conference seeking political will to solve climate change. Eleni Myrivili, chief heat officer of Athens said she hopes heat events, like those in B.C. and in her country, will be the catalyst needed for meaningful change. Chad Pawson discusses the issues in an article on the CBC News website. … Continue reading Europe’s first heat officer to help her city deal with rising temperatures due to climate change helping heat-destroyed British Columbia community →

The oligarchs’ superyachts: understanding their outsized impact on the climate

Russian oligarch owners have put superyachts in the spotlight since the invasion of Ukraine. But what makes these billionaires' toys the ultimate climate killers? Stuart Braun writes on the Deutsche Welle website what he has found out about the carbon footprints of these billionaires and finds out that an astounding two-thirds of these super-rich emissions are created by … Continue reading The oligarchs’ superyachts: understanding their outsized impact on the climate →

One African’s view of the recent IPCC report

Victor Ongoma, Assistant Professor at Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique in Morocco writes on The Conversation website about his views on the latest IPCC report published this week. Climate change report: what we must do to avert the looming crisis Climate change is a threat to all aspects of our lives. Every degree of global warming … Continue reading One African’s view of the recent IPCC report →

New EEA briefing: Europe’s air quality status 2022

Ninety-six percent of Europe’s urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter above the health-based guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the latest annual European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality assessment published this week Vast majority of Europe’s urban population remains exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution Despite a … Continue reading New EEA briefing: Europe’s air quality status 2022 →

IPCC: New climate change report to sound warning on impacts

This coming week, the IPCC will be publishing its second of three major reports. The study will focus heavily on regional impacts as well as on cities and coastal communities. Matt McGrath previews the findings in an article on the BBC News website. A new report on the impacts of climate change will likely … Continue reading IPCC: New climate change report to sound warning on impacts →

New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe

Textile consumption in Europe has on average the fourth highest impacts on the environment and climate, following consumption of food, housing and mobility. Ahead of the expected EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published this week two briefings that look at measures to reduce those impacts, including on resource … Continue reading New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe →

Call for reform of EU power market rules

The ongoing electricity price hike fuelled by the gas crisis makes a reform of EU power market rules more urgent than ever, argue friends of EiD Mike Parr, director of PWR, and Simon Minett, founder of Challoch-Energy in an article on the EURACTIV website. High electricity prices, renewables and windfall profits – all paid … Continue reading Call for reform of EU power market rules →

The latest IRENA assessment suggests an emerging hydrogen industry could reshape global political and economic relationships

Michael Mazengarb writes on the RenewEconomy website about the findings of a new IRENA report that shows the possible transition of the global energy system away from fossil fuels and towards renewable hydrogen. How renewable hydrogen could shake up the geopolitics of energy The transition of the global energy system away from fossil fuels … Continue reading The latest IRENA assessment suggests an emerging hydrogen industry could reshape global political and economic relationships →