New IRENA report shows benefits of solar water heaters

Solar water heaters are not a new technology but with declining costs of renewable energy, solar has become especially attractive for water heating. An article on the IRENA website analyses the full range of benefits in developing domestic solar water heating industries.   How Solar Water Heaters Industry Benefits the Local Economy Heating and cooling … Continue reading New IRENA report shows benefits of solar water heaters

Tony Blair’s experts say achieving net zero does not require transforming our live

Tony Blair’s think tank, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, has recently published a report that states that meeting the net-zero goal – and our arguably more difficult interim targets in 2030 and 2035 – cannot rely on technology deployment alone. It will also require significant behavioural changes from consumers (and voters) across the … Continue reading Tony Blair’s experts say achieving net zero does not require transforming our live

New UNEP FI report examines how real estate markets respond to physical impacts of climate risk

A new report investigating the extent that real estate markets are pricing in risk from the physical impacts of climate change has been published this week. In line with increasing investor and regulator requests for forward-looking analyses of assets and portfolios, the authors sought to better understand the variables that can feed into financial modelling … Continue reading New UNEP FI report examines how real estate markets respond to physical impacts of climate risk

New report on cutting emissions through fossil fuel subsidy reform and taxation

Earlier this month, the latest IPCC report gave its starkest climate warning yet. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, this must sound a "death knell" for fossil fuels, starting with an end to new production and with shifting fossil fuel subsidies into renewable energy. The dire message comes amidst some reasons for hope. We … Continue reading New report on cutting emissions through fossil fuel subsidy reform and taxation

Coal power plants in the Western Balkans repeatedly breach pollution control rules

A report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Bankwatch shows, how 18 coal-fired power plants in the Western Balkans emitted twice as much sulfur dioxide than was released by 221 power plants in the EU in one year: 2019. This is in stark contrast to 2015, when emissions of … Continue reading Coal power plants in the Western Balkans repeatedly breach pollution control rules

New book on thermal design of buildings

The way we heat, cool and ventilate our buildings is central to many of today’s concerns, including providing comfortable, healthy and productive environments, using energy and materials efficiently, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As we drive towards a zero-carbon society, design solutions that combine architecture, engineering and the needs of the individual are increasingly being … Continue reading New book on thermal design of buildings

A policy paper for fossil-free districts and cities from Energy Cities now available

A new report by Energy Cities details the key drivers and solutions to ensure that cities can deliver heat planning if required and drive the transition toward a fossil-free future. Good practices that cities are already implementing to phase out natural gas are also showcased.   Why and how fossil fuels in buildings will be … Continue reading A policy paper for fossil-free districts and cities from Energy Cities now available

New EEA briefing analyses the pandemic’s effect on the use of certain single-use plastics products

The coronavirus pandemic has challenged European societies in many ways. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) briefing, published recently, analyses the pandemic’s effect on the use of certain single-use plastics products, which cause GHG and other emissions and can end up littering the environment. It also brings useful lessons to improve our response to future disruptive … Continue reading New EEA briefing analyses the pandemic’s effect on the use of certain single-use plastics products

REN21 publishes its Renewables 2021 Global Status Report

Released on 15 June, the Renewables 2021 Global Status Report compiles developments from the past year on the market, policy and technology trends in renewable energy. The report’s findings are truly global as they are crowdsourced from hundreds of contributors from industry, NGOs, governments and academia from around the world. Additionally, the chapters go through … Continue reading REN21 publishes its Renewables 2021 Global Status Report

Climate change: “We see a growing gap between the rhetoric and what is happing in the energy markets”

The International Energy Agency says massive investment shift is needed in the next decade to get to net zero in 2050. Steven Mufson discusses the recent IEA study in an article on the Washington Post website.   A ‘narrow’ pathway to a net zero future for greenhouse gases, IEA says To limit climate change, by … Continue reading Climate change: “We see a growing gap between the rhetoric and what is happing in the energy markets”