Minimum energy performance standards for buildings coupled with generous tax rebates for renovations – 110% in Italy – could unlock the energy service company market in Europe. Sonja van Renssen discusses the main issues with Jessica Stromback in an article on the Energy Monitor website. Expect a “seismic shift” on energy efficiency – Jessica … Continue reading We have a lot of work cut out for us to get the energy efficiency improvements we need
Category: Sustainable development
New report from UN Habitat – World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a temporary crisis of confidence in the future of cities. However, a broad consensus is that urbanization remains a powerful twenty-first century mega-trend; and that well-planned towns and cities remain central to the sustainable development trajectory. There is a sense of optimism that the crisis may … Continue reading New report from UN Habitat – World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities
What works to slow climate change?
Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliated Faculty at the University of Auckland, writes on The Conversation website argues that that the most effective way to address the climate change problem is to decarbonise economies not to have such alternatives as geoengineering; carbon capture and storage, including “direct air capture”; and planting trees. What are your … Continue reading What works to slow climate change?
New EEA reports on which European cities have the best air quality
The cleanest cities in Europe in terms of air quality during 2020 and 2021 were Umeå in Sweden, and Faro and Funchal in Portugal according to the updated European city air quality data viewer published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) recently. In addition to the viewer, the EEA also published two reports looking at … Continue reading New EEA reports on which European cities have the best air quality
Women and girls are the most affected by the flooding in Bangladesh due to climate crisis
Thaslima Begum writes on the Guardian website about the vulnerability of women and girls in Bangladesh. In the north-east region of Bangladesh, called Sylhet, 414 of the 926 community clinics scattered throughout the region were under water due to flooding from the monsoons. ‘Every year it gets worse’: on the frontline of the climate … Continue reading Women and girls are the most affected by the flooding in Bangladesh due to climate crisis
New report by Coolproducts: Impact of a ban of fossil heating technologies on NECPs and National Energy Dependency
Coolproducts coalition of European NGOs working to ensure that ecodesign and energy labelling truly work for Europeans and the environment. It recently published a report that investigates the potential impact of an EU ban on sales of fossil boilers on achievement of existing targets for heating decarbonisation and energy dependency of the individual Member States. … Continue reading New report by Coolproducts: Impact of a ban of fossil heating technologies on NECPs and National Energy Dependency
Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies
Rihab Khalid, Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Consumption at the University of Cambridge writes on The Conversation website that energy policies that try to be gender neutral usually leave women’s energy needs marginalised and there is a need to think about how women use energy and space. If we want to build truly sustainable … Continue reading Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies
Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’
Sufficiency is a field of action that seeks to enhance the material wellbeing of the world’s poorest but simultaneously supports a more just distribution of the scarce resources provided by the Earth. Sadhbh O'Neill, a lecturer in climate policy and member of Dublin City University Centre for Climate and Society, in an article on the … Continue reading Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’
New EEA report on sewage treatment plants role in helping Europe meet its zero-pollution targets
Sewage treatment can play a key role in Europe’s shift to a zero-pollution future by becoming more resource efficient and contributing to the circular economy, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published recently. Making Europe’s sewage treatment plants more efficient and circular can help meet zero-pollution targets Most of Europe’s urban waste … Continue reading New EEA report on sewage treatment plants role in helping Europe meet its zero-pollution targets
“No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter”
With REPowerEU underway, Europe’s energy and climate strategy demands a rapid change of scenery. We must utilise the full palette of solutions available, including household flexibility, says Sophie Yule-Bennett from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) in an article on the FORESIGHT Climate & Energy website. House power: the hidden powerhouse of the new energy … Continue reading “No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter”
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 