Half of EU countries have no mandatory energy-saving measures in place for next winter, new analysis by European Environmental Bureau shows

Most measures adopted by EU member states to save gas and electricity are voluntary and only targeted at public buildings, new analysis published this week reveals. Governments refraining from mandatory reductions for business and industry are shifting the burden of the energy crisis onto the most vulnerable citizens, warns the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The … Continue reading Half of EU countries have no mandatory energy-saving measures in place for next winter, new analysis by European Environmental Bureau shows →

Excessive personal consumption needs to be addressed in our climate strategies

Fernando Valladares from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Spain, in an article on The Conversation website, discusses a study that found that rich people leave a disproportionately large carbon footprint, and that the share of global emissions for which they are responsible is increasing and there is a need to tax the … Continue reading Excessive personal consumption needs to be addressed in our climate strategies →

The key challenges for Africa to transform its energy systems today

Sebastian Sterl, Assistant Professor, Energy Meteorology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in an article on The Conversation website, discusses the five challenges to develop sustainable energy systems for today’s world. Africa’s energy sector will need to transform radically - these are the five biggest challenges The future of Africa’s energy sector is getting increasing … Continue reading The key challenges for Africa to transform its energy systems today →

Hopes that green capital markets could quickly close Europe’s green investment gap are overblown

The Jacques Delors Centre recently published a policy brief by Sebastian Mack. He argues that with key reforms of the Capital Markets Union stalled, the European Green Deal will rely mainly on bank lending. EU policymakers should acknowledge this and shift the focus to greening banks. The Jacques Delors Centre, founded by Jacques Delors in … Continue reading Hopes that green capital markets could quickly close Europe’s green investment gap are overblown →

What the new head of the World Bank needs to cope with

Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University, writes on The Conversation website about what the next head of the World Bank needs to do to address our climate and debit crises. It should be noted that Ajay Banga is the only candidate for World Bank president. Can this former CEO fix the … Continue reading What the new head of the World Bank needs to cope with →

“The highly profitable and fast-growing bottled water industry is masking the failure of public systems to supply reliable drinking water for all”

As the bottled water market grows, it is more important than ever to strengthen legislation that regulates the industry and its water quality standards. Such legislation can impact bottled water quality control, groundwater exploitation, land use, plastic waste management, carbon emissions, finance and transparency obligations, to mention a few. Zeineb Bouhlel and Vladimir Smakhtin from … Continue reading “The highly profitable and fast-growing bottled water industry is masking the failure of public systems to supply reliable drinking water for all” →

A pact to phase out fossil fuels in November’s UN climate talks is the only credible response to the warnings of scientists

Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London and University of Leeds provides an opinion piece in the Guardian giving two reasons why the just published IPCC synthesis report is crucial for the upcoming COP28 in November-December. What are your views? The IPCC’s climate report has drawn the battle lines for … Continue reading A pact to phase out fossil fuels in November’s UN climate talks is the only credible response to the warnings of scientists →

French court dismisses NGOs’ case against controversial TotalEnergies projects in east Africa

A French court ruled recently rejected a landmark lawsuit against oil giant TotalEnergies that accused it of failing to protect people and the environment as it pursues oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania. The world’s longest heated oil pipeline will pass through forest reserves and game parks before running alongside Lake Victoria, a source of … Continue reading French court dismisses NGOs’ case against controversial TotalEnergies projects in east Africa →

Time for a reality check: latest IPCC synthesis report coming next week

Nerilie Abram from Australian National University writes on The Conversation website about what we are to expect from the upcoming IPCC synthesis report. With the scheduled end of IPCC-58 looming, delegates worked intensively this week to review and approve the proposed text of the Summary for Policymakers. What can we expect from the final … Continue reading Time for a reality check: latest IPCC synthesis report coming next week →

Examining KPMG’s environmental auditing practices in sustainable forest management

At the climate talks in 2021, world leaders pledged to halt forest loss and degradation by 2030. During a nine-month investigation, 140 journalists from 27 countries delved into why and how nations are falling short of meeting that goal. Scilla Alecci writes on the Inside Climate News about the role of the auditing firm KPMG. … Continue reading Examining KPMG’s environmental auditing practices in sustainable forest management →