Money pledged to loss and damage fund at COP28 falls far short of losses developing countries face each year

In an article on The Conversation website, Shannon Gibson, Associate Professor of International Relations and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, writes about the newly approved loss and damages fund at COP28. She says the deal itself leaves much undecided and that it has been met with criticism by climate justice … Continue reading Money pledged to loss and damage fund at COP28 falls far short of losses developing countries face each year

Energy in Demand News, December 3, 2023

This week’s quote below is indicative of how the oil and gas industry sees climate change – as conveyed by Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon Mobil, last week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. Then, in Dubai, attending his first global climate conference, Darren Woods  told the Financial Times (behind a … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 3, 2023

IEA’s new report on energy efficiency sends message on need to address energy demand

This year’s energy efficiency report by the IEA makes clear that a profound transformation is underway in energy efficiency and clean energy more broadly, with many governments introducing new, or strengthening existing, policies and energy-saving programmes. These policies are leading to faster deployment of efficient technologies and are contributing towards an expected peaking of fossil … Continue reading IEA’s new report on energy efficiency sends message on need to address energy demand

New EEA briefing on climate’s impact on seas

Climate change’s triple impact on seas — warming waters, acidification and decreasing oxygen levels — are a major and increasing threat to Europe’s marine ecosystems. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, looks at main threats to Europe’s seas and points to key actions to improve the situation.   Warming, acidification, dropping oxygen … Continue reading New EEA briefing on climate’s impact on seas

Key issues that will dominate COP28

In an article on The Conversation website, Rachel Kyte, Visiting Professor of Government, University of Oxford provides an excellent overview of the important issues that will dominate COP28.   COP28 begins: 4 issues that will determine if the UN climate summit is a success, from methane to money The United Nations climate conference is underway … Continue reading Key issues that will dominate COP28

New EEA report on European air quality health assessment

Air pollution in Europe remains well above recommended World Health Organization (WHO) levels, posing a significant threat to our health. According to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality health assessment published this week, 253,000 deaths could have been avoided in the EU if the fine particulate matter concentrations had met WHO recommendations. Exposure … Continue reading New EEA report on European air quality health assessment

New publication – EU Buildings Climate Tracker: A call for faster and bolder action

Buildings represent a significant potential for GHG emissions mitigation and the EU has many policies in place to help promote the improved energy performance of buildings. The policy foundation is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive that is currently being revised. In fact the next negotiations (the trialogue) between the European Council, European Parliament and … Continue reading New publication – EU Buildings Climate Tracker: A call for faster and bolder action

New EEA briefing on benefits of nature-based climate adaptation

Nature-based solutions, such as restoring wetlands in flood-prone areas or green infrastructure to reduce heat island effects in cities, need to be scaled up and expanded to help Europe better cope with the impacts of climate change. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, assesses the current state of such climate adaptation projects … Continue reading New EEA briefing on benefits of nature-based climate adaptation

Energy in Demand News, November 12th, 2023

When you Google for social media and climate change, you see links on how it positively helps create awareness on the climate and you see others quite negative especially when there is deliberate misinformation. It was surprising this week to see an article in the Financial Times (behind a paywall) that Shell is tapping gamers … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, November 12th, 2023

New EEA report on the urgent need to prioritise the use of biomass

There are increasing and competing demands for using biomass in the EU, using it for bio-based products in sectors such as construction, energy, transport, furniture and textile industries, but also reserving it for nature conservation and carbon sequestration. The European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published recently, stresses that there is an urgent need to prioritise … Continue reading New EEA report on the urgent need to prioritise the use of biomass