Energy in Demand News, July 21, 2024

The energy transition is proving to be quite a challenge. This week, the New York Times (behind a paywall) wondered why the oil industry is booming. High prices and growing demand have helped US oil producers take in record profits despite global efforts to spur greater use of renewable energy and electric cars. The article … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 21, 2024 →

High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development closed this week

In its energy update newsletter, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a summary of the meeting that just ended this week. The climate crisis was centre stage at the HLPF. "The SDGs cannot be achieved while climate change, inequality, and conflict persist." The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development came to … Continue reading High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development closed this week →

Energy in Demand News, July 14, 2024

Despite growing at an unprecedented rate last year, renewable energy sources are still not being deployed quickly enough to put the world on track to meet an international goal of tripling renewables by 2030, new data shows. According to figures published on Thursday by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewables are the fastest-growing source … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, July 14, 2024 →

EEA briefing on how to future-proof sustainability policies

To become sustainable, Europe must change some of the ways people live, work, produce and consume. Using policy to achieve such complex and large-scale transformations is not easy. This briefing from the European Environment Agency (EEA) explores how to future-proof sustainability policies and avoid blind spots through a foresight-based framework, which includes several participatory exercises … Continue reading EEA briefing on how to future-proof sustainability policies →

Energy in Demand, July 7, 2024

The Financial Times columnist, Martin Wolf, argued this week (behind a paywall) that market forces are not enough to halt climate change. He notes that our efforts to decarbonise are going poorly. Furthermore, people just do not want to pay the price of decarbonising the economy. In explaining the global rise in electricity from fossil … Continue reading Energy in Demand, July 7, 2024 →

New EEA report on how can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises

How can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises? How do we anchor environment and climate priorities with other emerging ones like security, competitiveness and fairness without losing sight of the long-term sustainability objective of ‘living well within the limits of our planet’? A new strategic foresight report, published by the European … Continue reading New EEA report on how can Europe stay the course on sustainability amid shocks and crises →

Energy in Demand News, June 30, 2024

Some of the world's biggest companies (including IKEA and Unilever), finance houses, cities and regions have joined forces to urge governments to increase their climate ambition ahead of a February 2025 deadline to deliver their emission-cutting plans to the United Nations. The coalition is named Mission 2025. It is convened by Groundswell - a collaboration … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 30, 2024 →

80 percent of people globally want stronger climate action by governments according to UN Development Programme survey

The UN asked 75,000 people in 77 countries for their views on climate change – and the results show widespread concern and support for action. Joe Lo writes on the Climate Change News website about five things we learned from the survey. To see the complete tables, please to go the link at the end … Continue reading 80 percent of people globally want stronger climate action by governments according to UN Development Programme survey →

Two new EEA reports on how Europe can respond to the pressing and complex societal challenges while moving towards long-term sustainability goals

Global pandemic, war, inflation and other shocks and crises have tested the European Green Deal and its ambition of building a climate-neutral and sustainable economy. Published this week, two new European Environment Agency (EEA) reports discuss how Europe can respond to the pressing and complex societal challenges while moving towards long-term sustainability goals. More … Continue reading Two new EEA reports on how Europe can respond to the pressing and complex societal challenges while moving towards long-term sustainability goals →

Beyond GDP

GDP has long been the main indicator of economic growth used almost everywhere in the world. However, the measurement does not take into account other factors essential to a country’s growth and development, such as social inequalities, the environment and the well-being of citizens. In an article on The Conversation website, these issues are discussed … Continue reading Beyond GDP →