Being irrational and “religious” in opposing fossil fuel development

The heat is being turned up in Britain to ensure that the country becomes a world leader in fossil fuel production from fracking. Now, in an article by Patrick Wintour in the Guardian, the Prime Minister is saying that those opposing are irrational. There can be a NIMBY attitude but it hardly seems to me … Continue reading Being irrational and “religious” in opposing fossil fuel development →

Coal use in Germany increases even though the low carbon transition is underway

No one said the transition to a low carbon economy would be high and everyone is watching Germany’s effort with great interest. Stefan Wagstyl writes in the Financial Times that electricity production from brown coal actually rose last year and now it is at the highest level since 1990. The new coalition government envisages the … Continue reading Coal use in Germany increases even though the low carbon transition is underway →

More gloom in retrofitting houses in Britain

Several EiD posts in the past few months have reported on the difficulties in getting the new energy efficiency financing schemes in the UK – the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation – to achieve their expected impact. Damian Carrington writes in the Guardian about, as Andrew Warren of the Association for the Conservation … Continue reading More gloom in retrofitting houses in Britain →

Will there be a new approach to Germany’s energy transition?

Jeanette Seiffert writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the views from the new economics minister on what it will take to reform Germany’s energy transition. Now that Germany has a new coalition government, it will be interesting to watch how the country’s energy policies evolve. Germany's economics minister Gabriel seeks reform for renewable … Continue reading Will there be a new approach to Germany’s energy transition? →

Quote of the week

Patti Waldmeir is the Financial Times correspondent in China. This week she had a blog on “dirty doublethink”. In the blog she quotes about the “benefits” of smog: . . . some Communist party media outlets helpfully pointed out that smog is actually good for me. In an online commentary titled “Five unexpected gains the … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Scaling back efforts to combat climate change will come at a price

As mentioned in EiD last week, the UK government is re-thinking its climate change initiatives and giving more emphasis to energy supply options such as shale gas and nuclear energy expansion. Pilita Clark writes in the Financial Times about a new report from the Committee on Climate Change, an independent, statutory body established under the … Continue reading Scaling back efforts to combat climate change will come at a price →

Power politics – perplexing

The UK had an effective plan for consumers to save energy and save money. This week the UK Chancellor and the six biggest energy suppliers connived to kill it, and together they have handed a sobering message to the rest of Europe that if you want to save energy, don’t trust the energy companies. Since … Continue reading Power politics – perplexing →

Quote of the week

Caroline Lucas, British Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion, wrote in the Guardian this week about changes to energy efficiency policies in the UK: "Going green does not have to cost the Earth," the chancellor said, apparently without a hint of irony – shortly after confirming that the Energy Companies Obligation [editor’s note: the energy … Continue reading Quote of the week →

German farms taking advantage of renewable energy

These are strange days when farmers are making more money from producing electricity than growing crops or raising animals. But these days, many German farmers are taking advantage of renewable energy policies and financial incentives to supplement their incomes. Jeevan Vasagar writes an excellent article in the Financial Times about the situation in Reussenköge in … Continue reading German farms taking advantage of renewable energy →

How important is a warm home?

A survey was recently undertaken in the UK to gauge how important energy efficiency measures are in terms of infrastructure projects. The results are reported on the Energy & Environment Management website. Hopefully decision-makers will take heed. Warmer homes more important than rail and road, says UK public Making homes more energy efficient is a … Continue reading How important is a warm home? →