Low-tech sustainable solutions prioritise simplicity and durability, local manufacture, as well as traditional or ancient techniques

Chris McMahon, Senior Research Fellow in Engineering at the University of Bristol explains the benefits of low-technology in our path to sustainability without the need to always look towards high-tech solutions in an article on The Conversation website. Low-technology: why sustainability doesn’t have to depend on high-tech solutions It’s a popular idea that the path … Continue reading Low-tech sustainable solutions prioritise simplicity and durability, local manufacture, as well as traditional or ancient techniques →

The construction sector is a major GHG emitter, so what can the industry do to cut CO2?

Millions of homes will need to be built for booming city populations in the coming decades. There are major challenges to minimise environmental damage and meet long-term energy and climate objectives. Some argue that tackling the climate crisis and meeting housing demands in cities will require a rethink of how space is used. Natalie Muller … Continue reading The construction sector is a major GHG emitter, so what can the industry do to cut CO2? →

There is little chance of the aviation industry meeting any climate targets if it aims for a return to its pre-pandemic rate of growth

Just before the pandemic, aircraft engines were burning one billion litres of fuel a day. But then the number of daily civil aviation flights fell from 110,000 to less than 50,000 during 2020, on average. With the easing of travel restrictions, air traffic is increasing back towards its pre-pandemic peak. Milan Klöwer, Postdoctoral Researcher in … Continue reading There is little chance of the aviation industry meeting any climate targets if it aims for a return to its pre-pandemic rate of growth →

Coming soon . . . not to miss

eceee summer study 2022 – deadline November 16th for submission of abstracts As we all find our role in the carbon-neutral energy transition, you can be an agent of change at eceee’s upcoming summer study, in Hyères, the South of France, 6–11 June 2022. The eceee 2022 Summer Study offers five intense days of formal … Continue reading Coming soon . . . not to miss →

The unsustainability of our houses getting larger

Katherine Ellsworth-Krebs, Senior Research Associate, Lancaster University has an important message in an article she wrote on The Conversation website: To reduce overall energy demand, we need to start looking much more closely at housing policy rather than improving technology in individual homes. This fits well with the work undertaken by the eceee and expressed … Continue reading The unsustainability of our houses getting larger →

Bigger just means bigger; it doesn’t mean better

After an eceee summer study with the theme of sufficiency, it is good to see this column by the writer and philosopher, Julian Baggini, continuing the theme in The Guardian. As he writes, our desire to always go one better is natural but that doesn’t mean we should let it consume us with envy. What … Continue reading Bigger just means bigger; it doesn’t mean better →

Is efficient sufficient?

For years we have discussed the issue of sufficiency. The European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee) published a report on this in 2010 and continues to keep the discussion going. Lloyd Alter writes on the Treehugger website to further the discussion. What are your views? Efficiency is important, but it is time … Continue reading Is efficient sufficient? →

Understanding sufficiency

Led by Dr. Adrian Muller, Senior Researcher at the Chair of Environmental Policy and Economics at the Institute for Environmental Decisions of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, an opinion paper attempts a new approach on what sufficiency may be, how it may be used and how rather not. The abstract states: Sufficiency is … Continue reading Understanding sufficiency →