Blog from Jane Marsh: 10 Things to Know About Renewable Energy Recycling

When Russia invaded Ukraine, global gas prices skyrocketed. Individuals search for alternative fuel sources to meet their transportation and energy demands. Rising gas prices and the green revolution influence society’s renewable energy adoption. The solar and wind power industries effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. After photovoltaic (PV) panels and turbines reach their expiration dates, they … Continue reading Blog from Jane Marsh: 10 Things to Know About Renewable Energy Recycling →

European Green Deal: New proposals to make sustainable products the norm and boost Europe’s resource independence

This week the Commission presented a package of European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition. As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and … Continue reading European Green Deal: New proposals to make sustainable products the norm and boost Europe’s resource independence →

Understanding our real water use

Water is a precious resource that we need to preserve, even in countries that they think they have an abundance of it. But cutting down on how much we consume has more to do with the food we eat than the length of our showers. Natalie Muller and Neil King discuss "hidden" or "virtual" water in an … Continue reading Understanding our real water use →

The circular economy should be everyone’s business – new report by Anders Wijkman

In the autumn of 2021 Anders Wijkman prepared a paper for the Global Challenges Foundation that was presented in Glasgow at COP 26. It was one of a series of papers with a focus on the need to improve governance in a number of areas. Anders wrote this to EiD: Among quite a number of … Continue reading The circular economy should be everyone’s business – new report by Anders Wijkman →

New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe

Textile consumption in Europe has on average the fourth highest impacts on the environment and climate, following consumption of food, housing and mobility. Ahead of the expected EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published this week two briefings that look at measures to reduce those impacts, including on resource … Continue reading New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe →

“If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change”

Scott Dunbar, Davide Elmo and John Steen of the University of British Columbia argue that a sustainable approach to mining metals needed for our renewable energy expansion is definitely possible in an article on The Conversation website. It’s not necessary to trash the environment to extract metals needed for renewable energy The use of renewable … Continue reading “If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change” →

New EEA reports show there are clear opportunities to decouple Europe’s waste generation from economic growth

In most European countries and in the EU as a whole, waste generation is growing but at a slower pace than the economy. However, there are no signs that the overall objective of reducing the total generation of waste is close to being achieved, according to a European Environment Agency report published recently. The report’s … Continue reading New EEA reports show there are clear opportunities to decouple Europe’s waste generation from economic growth →

New EEA report on benefits from climate-friendly practices for sourcing raw materials

Climate-friendly practices for sourcing raw materials hold significant potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and globally. According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published this week, focusing on raw material extraction and processing, raw material consumers can use their purchasing power to influence suppliers to become more climate friendly. Including sourcing requirements … Continue reading New EEA report on benefits from climate-friendly practices for sourcing raw materials →

New EEA briefing on applying circular economy principles in the renewable energy sector to address waste and resource challenges

A rapid transition to renewable energy is necessary if Europe is to achieve its climate objectives. Developing the infrastructure to enable this change will require substantial resources and generate large volumes of waste as equipment reaches the end of its service life. Applying circular economy principles in this sector provides a win-win approach to address … Continue reading New EEA briefing on applying circular economy principles in the renewable energy sector to address waste and resource challenges →

Tackling “planned obsolescence” of electric goods

Britain is considering how it can tackle the number of products that end up in landfill. Ministers are also looking at laws to force manufacturers to make spare parts available for at least seven years and encourage repairs rather than replacement of broken products. Andrew Ellson discusses latest developments in an article on The Times … Continue reading Tackling “planned obsolescence” of electric goods →