UN Secretary-General launches SE4ALL energy efficiency hub

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) opened a new global centre for Energy Efficiency  as part of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. The Energy Efficiency Hub (EE Hub), in Copenhagen, Denmark, will seek to help “drastically increase” energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment. … Continue reading UN Secretary-General launches SE4ALL energy efficiency hub

New reports to watch out for

There is some valuable reading in store for you as you explore various aspects of sustainable energy. • Why energy efficiency needs to have priority as part of the Energiewende E3G, based in the UK, has come out with an important briefing paper on the energy transition (Energiewende) in Germany.  E3G analysis shows that regardless … Continue reading New reports to watch out for

New books you need to read

There are two excellent new books that have come across the EiD desk this week.  These are authored or co-authored by friends of EiD and should definitely be of interest for those involved in various aspects of sustainable energy Energy Efficiency: The Definitive Guide to the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Source of Energy by Steven Fawkes … Continue reading New books you need to read

Business and sustainable development

With the next eceee industrial summer study less than a year away, analysing how business considers the various aspects of sustainability is very important.  John Drummond, chairman of sustainable behaviour change at Corporate Culture, wrote recently in the Guardian about a new survey that shows that the majority of businesses are taking behaviour change seriously … Continue reading Business and sustainable development

Bringing electricity to the developing world

Tina Rosenberg, former Pulitzer Prize winner, recently provided this opinion piece in the New York Times.  As we are seeking solutions to increase access to modern energy services to meet the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Energy for All, Ms. Rosenberg’s article provides important evidence that many of our modern devices that … Continue reading Bringing electricity to the developing world

Concern about the overuse of ‘sustainability’

The word has become so corrupted as to not only be meaningless, but to actually obscure the real issues, according to a very thoughtful article provided by Doug King in The Guardian.   Why the word 'sustainability' should be banned While the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that became all the rage some time … Continue reading Concern about the overuse of ‘sustainability’

News from the European Commission

DG Energy has published report on energy performance certificates On 20 June 2013, the Commission published a study on "Energy performance certificates in buildings and their impact on transaction prices and rents in selected EU countries". The study shows a positive impact of the Energy Performance Certificate under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Directive … Continue reading News from the European Commission

There are some things we should not ignore – but we do

If you don’t read everything Andrew Sims writes, you should. Andrew Simms is chief analyst at Global Witness, a fellow of the New Economics Foundation, and the author of Ecological Debt, Tescopoly and Eminent Corporations.  What he does is make us think.  This article is must reading.   We keep moaning about population, but ignore … Continue reading There are some things we should not ignore – but we do

China taking more action to address air pollution

Keith Bradsher reports in the New York Times that the Chinese cabinet recently approved new measures to tackle the increasing problem of air pollution.   China Sets New Rules Aimed at Curbing Air Pollution China’s cabinet has adopted 10 measures to improve air quality in the latest move aimed at responding to the dense smog … Continue reading China taking more action to address air pollution

New report on cities and the contribution green policies can make to growth

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has recently published report on the benefits that can be achieved by cities taking a “green” approach. Cities can generate growth and jobs while becoming greener – this is the message of the OECD’s new Green Growth in Cities report.  Drawing on case studies of Paris, Chicago, … Continue reading New report on cities and the contribution green policies can make to growth