Seeking to ensure there will be a guarantee of free speech at COP28

A statement at the UN human rights council voices ‘disappointment’ after host country, UAE, refuses to change restrictive laws. Patrick Wintour writes in the Guardian about how the UK, a close ally of UAE, is seeking such assurances. UK government asks UAE for assurances over free speech at Cop28 summit The UK has asked … Continue reading Seeking to ensure there will be a guarantee of free speech at COP28 →

The worrying backlash to the European Green Deal

Many of the European Union's heads of state and government leaders have called for a 'regulatory pause' on climate and environmental issues. They are concerned about the consequences of measures designed to lead the EU-27 to carbon neutrality. Many Le Monde correspondents (Virginie Malingre, Thomas Wieder, Allan Kaval, Anne-Françoise Hivert, Sandrine Morel, Cécile Ducourtieux, Hélène … Continue reading The worrying backlash to the European Green Deal →

Energy in Demand News, October 1, 2023

It was encouraging that the heads of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) called on leaders from government, finance and industry across Europe to deliver a clean energy transition that is just, swift and maintains competitiveness. Ministers, ambassadors, business leaders, central bankers and other key … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, October 1, 2023 →

Summary of UN Summits Week 2023

Last week, the UN Headquarters was busy with the General Debate of the 78th session of the General Assembly together with summits on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on climate change. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) does an incredible job … Continue reading Summary of UN Summits Week 2023 →

We are not moving fast enough, on enough fronts, to wean ourselves off fossil fuels

In an article on The Conversation website, Pep Canadell, Chief Research Scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency writes about what more is needed to get us back on track to meet our decarbonisation objectives. He ends with an important message: “Climate scientists, on … Continue reading We are not moving fast enough, on enough fronts, to wean ourselves off fossil fuels →

Energy in Demand News, September 24, 2023

The UN Climate Ambition Summit was held this week, and there were great expectations that this would be the occasion when the world’s leaders would finally understand that it was their most critical priority to address the climate crisis. Yet at the summit, UN Secretary General António Guterres could not hold back his concerns: “Humanity … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 24, 2023 →

At midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the UN summit this week: “Yet today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track. Many are going in reverse. Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind.” Cameron Allen, Research Fellow, Monash University and Shirin Malekpour, Associate Professor in Sustainable Development Governance … Continue reading At midpoint of SDG implementation, the SDGs are in peril →

Energy in Demand News, September 17, 2023

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) is undergoing some changes. SBTI show companies how much and how quickly businesses need to reduce their GHG emissions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, leading them on a clear path towards decarbonisation. By guiding companies in science-based target setting, SBTi enables them to tackle climate change … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 17, 2023 →

Energy in Demand News, September 10, 2023

This weekend’s G20 Summit in New Delhi has the theme “One Earth · One Family · One Future” (drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad) which is quite fitting, given the range of topics being covered. There have been discussions regarding strategies to tackle the challenges presented by climate change. Developing nations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, September 10, 2023 →

The world’s poorest countries, mostly in Africa, are effectively priced out of the clean energy action by a global lending system that considers them too risky for investment

Max Bearak writes on the New York Times website about the lack of access to needed financing. A big obstacle is the lack of loans, a subject of intense disagreement between richer and poorer countries. But in Congo, where Mr. Bearak is writing from, a hard-fought solar investment shows a possible path forward. Clean … Continue reading The world’s poorest countries, mostly in Africa, are effectively priced out of the clean energy action by a global lending system that considers them too risky for investment →