Some reaction to the complexity of transitioning away from fossil fuels

In an excerpt from the Today’s WorldView newsletter of the Washington Post, Ishaan Tharoor analyses some of the important decarbonisation issues from COP28. U.N. climate talks chart a complex course away from fossil fuels At the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, dubbed COP28, which drew to a close this week, tens of thousands of … Continue reading Some reaction to the complexity of transitioning away from fossil fuels →

Energy in Demand News, December 10, 2023

At COP28, the first “Global Stocktake,” will assess the results of national and international collective action to curb climate change. The UN's Global Stocktake synthesis draft report, released in September, shows that despite some progress since the Paris Agreement in 2015, the world is still far off track to reduce emissions enough to keep temperature … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 10, 2023 →

Appreciate the limitations of carbon capture and “focus on real solutions”

The oil and gas industry wants you to believe it can capture its emissions and keep drilling as usual. That’s no way to avert climate chaos according to Laurence Tubiana and Emmanuel Guérin from the European Climate Foundation in an article on the EURACTIV website. It is behind a paywall, but Peter Coy writes an … Continue reading Appreciate the limitations of carbon capture and “focus on real solutions” →

Reaction to the European Council and Parliament reaching a deal on the proposal to revise the energy performance of buildings directive

The European Council and the European Parliament this week reached provisional political agreement on a proposal to revise the energy performance of buildings directive. The revised directive sets new and more ambitious energy performance requirements for new and renovated buildings in the EU and encourages member states to renovate their building stock. Under the deal, … Continue reading Reaction to the European Council and Parliament reaching a deal on the proposal to revise the energy performance of buildings directive →

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 →

Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Jet Zero’ fuel may not be travel’s green future – it is more “a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to convince governments that SAF will enable aviation to continue its relentless growth on a sustainable basis”

The first transatlantic flight powered only by sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) took off from Heathrow airport this week. Airlines are pinning their hopes on SAF to slash emissions as they try to decarbonise flying before new electric and hydrogen-powered options are developed. In an article on The Conversation website, Gareth Dale, Reader in Political Economy, … Continue reading Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Jet Zero’ fuel may not be travel’s green future – it is more “a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to convince governments that SAF will enable aviation to continue its relentless growth on a sustainable basis” →

For countries to meet their goals to cut GHG emissions, stopping emissions from carbon-intensive industries like steel, cement and chemicals is imperative

Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines; Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex; and Steven Griffiths, Senior Vice President for Research and Development, Professor of Practice in Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University write on The Conversation website about the importance of decarbonising industry if we … Continue reading For countries to meet their goals to cut GHG emissions, stopping emissions from carbon-intensive industries like steel, cement and chemicals is imperative →

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 →

Why is the UK’s ministry responsible for energy still ignoring so many energy saving options?

A new government department designed to deliver net zero seems to be ignoring the strategic role energy efficiency could and should play. Andrew Warren, Chairman of the British Energy Efficiency Federation discusses the approach of the government ministry in the November/December issue of Energy in Buildings & Industry. Note that since this article was published, … Continue reading Why is the UK’s ministry responsible for energy still ignoring so many energy saving options? →

New report on importance of driving forward industrial energy efficiency

Manufacturers have been hit by soaring gas and electricity prices hitting record highs, leaving businesses desperate to cut their energy use, according to a new report Driving Industrial Energy Efficiencies, published this week by Make UK and Inspired PLC. Driving forward industrial energy efficiency is key to meeting net zero targets The new research … Continue reading New report on importance of driving forward industrial energy efficiency →