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

Inequality is part of the answer as to why there is little action on climate change

Murray Leibbrandt, University of Cape Town and Anda David, Agence française de développement (AFD) argue in an article on The Conversation website that inequality is part of the answer as to why there is little action. Furthermore, reducing inequalities allows us to shift from the gridlock of only talking to the established elite. In turn, … Continue reading Inequality is part of the answer as to why there is little action on climate change

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

Maintaining liveability in future cities will depend on institutions that are able to recognise the needs and capacities of informal settlement dwellers

With a billion of the world’s most climate-vulnerable people living in informal settlements, we need to find ways to help them because the scale of the climate change challenge is such that communities can no longer deliver adaptation alone. Vanesa Castán Broto, Professor of Climate Urbanism at the University of Sheffield; Emmanuel Osuteye, Lecturer in … Continue reading Maintaining liveability in future cities will depend on institutions that are able to recognise the needs and capacities of informal settlement dwellers

As governments redirect emergency aid to Ukraine, they need to find additional funds for climate finance and not pitch the two crises against each other

Mattias Söderberg, chief advisor at humanitarian NGO DanChurchAid, provides his views on the need to keep financing climate change in an article on the Climate Change News website.   Climate finance should not be made to compete with aid to Ukraine A little over four months ago, ministers from developed countries attending the Cop26 UN … Continue reading As governments redirect emergency aid to Ukraine, they need to find additional funds for climate finance and not pitch the two crises against each other

The Australian government has won an appeal against a ruling that it has a duty of care to protect children from harm caused by climate change

Last year, eight teenagers and an 87-year-old nun convinced a court that the government had a legal duty to children when assessing fossil fuel projects. The decision was hailed as a world first, but it has been successfully challenged by the environment minister. The situation is discussed in a news item on the BBC News … Continue reading The Australian government has won an appeal against a ruling that it has a duty of care to protect children from harm caused by climate change

Sustainability reporting is useful to employees, customers, citizens and governments to assess the impact and sustainability of an organisation’s activities

Sustainability reporting — sometimes also referred to as environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting — requires organisations to publicly report on a wide range of performance goals, not just profits. In an article on The Conversation website, David Cooper, Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Alberta; Daniela Senkl, Assistant Professor in Accounting at … Continue reading Sustainability reporting is useful to employees, customers, citizens and governments to assess the impact and sustainability of an organisation’s activities

New EEA briefing that addresses the links between natural resources and Europe’s ambitions in shifting to a sustainable future

Addressing the links between natural resources like food, energy, water, land, materials and ecosystems services is key to supporting Europe’s ambitions in shifting to a sustainable future, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published this week.   A better understanding of links between natural resources can help the EU’s sustainability drive Europe’s drive … Continue reading New EEA briefing that addresses the links between natural resources and Europe’s ambitions in shifting to a sustainable future

After a decade of market-driven policy failure, Britain remains the ‘cold man of Europe’

Britain has homes that are older, draughtier and harder to heat than anywhere else in western Europe. The poor are paying for the problem that is much older than the current energy crisis. Caroline Molloy discusses in an article on the Open Democracy website.   Putin isn’t to blame for fuel poverty in the UK … Continue reading After a decade of market-driven policy failure, Britain remains the ‘cold man of Europe’

A better understanding of energy usage helps lead to lower energy bills

David Glew, Head of Energy Efficiency and Policy at Leeds Beckett University in an article on The Conversation website discusses the importance of “energy literacy.”   How to lower your bills with a better grasp of home energy use The future does not look bright for energy bills, with fuel poverty set to affect over 6 … Continue reading A better understanding of energy usage helps lead to lower energy bills