Category: Sustainable development

How the link between economic growth and rising energy use has broken and what it means

Economic growth no longer translates directly into energy use. Tom Chivers explores  in an article on the Business Green website how the link between economic growth and rising energy use has broken - and what it means fora modern, service-oriented economy.   Is a very low energy economy something to aspire to? You might think … Continue reading How the link between economic growth and rising energy use has broken and what it means →

Fears that new mining operations in the north east of South Africa could threaten communities, tourism and the environment

Plans to resume coal mining operations at a Unesco World Heritage Site in South Africa area raising many issues about sustainability.  Llewellyn Leonard, Professor Environmental Science at the University of South Africa discusses many of the issues in an article on The Conversation website.   Why there’s resistance to coal mining at a world heritage … Continue reading Fears that new mining operations in the north east of South Africa could threaten communities, tourism and the environment →

Confronting the elephant in the room—the ‘trilemma’ of population growth, economic growth and environmental sustainability

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies provides a good article on the phys.org website about sustainable development. What are your views?   Can sustainable development co-exist with current economic growth? In low-income countries, populations often depend on extractive industries such as fishing, agriculture and mining, but have lower per capita consumption rates … Continue reading Confronting the elephant in the room—the ‘trilemma’ of population growth, economic growth and environmental sustainability →

Discussing the market for sustainable products in Asia

While there is a greater appreciation for sustainable products, too often consumers opt for cheaper products. People often say they will pay a premium for sustainable products. But there’s a difference between what people say in a survey and what they actually do in a store. Are Asian consumers ready to pay more for green … Continue reading Discussing the market for sustainable products in Asia →

Can we stay cool sustainably? Cooling devices are critical for millions of people worldwide but they are also big contributors to global warming

Irene Banos Ruiz discusses in an article on the Deutsche Welle website about the issues relating to cooling more sustainably than we are now.   How to prevent cooling from warming up the world Cooling devices are critical for millions of people worldwide, particularly with rising temperatures. But while such appliances save lives, they're also … Continue reading Can we stay cool sustainably? Cooling devices are critical for millions of people worldwide but they are also big contributors to global warming →

Global risks of lack of access to cooling

Stefan Jungcurt writes on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub about a new report that raises concerns about the large number of people with insufficient access to adequate refrigeration and cooling.   SEforALL Report Sounds Alarm on Risks Related to Lack of Access to Cooling Around the world, 1.1 billion people have … Continue reading Global risks of lack of access to cooling →

The challenge of sustainable development together with free trade

Alf Hornborg, Professor of Human Ecology at Sweden’s Lund University discusses a modern dilemma in an article on The Conversation website: free trade promoted by most economists and politicians continues to drive a substantial part of the greenhouse gas emissions that they want to reduce, and yet the sustainable technologies they propose to cut emissions … Continue reading The challenge of sustainable development together with free trade →

Blockchain’s potential role in sustainable development

Adam Fishman Lynn Wagner explains on the International Institute for Environment and Development SDG Knowledge Hub website about blockchain’s potential for contributing to SDG implementation.  This week Energycities also announced a new report on blockchain and the energy transition. It is available here.   Policy Brief: SDG Knowledge Weekly: Blockchain in Practice This week’s brief … Continue reading Blockchain’s potential role in sustainable development →

New online platform to facilitate users’ efforts to evaluate and visualise the state of the environment

Lynn Wagner explains on the International Institute for Environment and Development SDG Knowledge Hub website about a new platform to help users monitor environmental conditions. It could be useful for you.   Resource Watch Facilitates Data Access and SDG Monitoring The World Resources Institute (WRI) and over 30 partners have released the beta version of … Continue reading New online platform to facilitate users’ efforts to evaluate and visualise the state of the environment →