The environmentalist Tony Juniper writes an excellent article in the Guardian hoping sustainability will be firmly on the political agenda in 2014 but fearing the philosophy of growth at any cost will continue. The growth versus environment narrative needs to change in 2014 The last year was not a landmark one for progress on … Continue reading Views on sustainability
Category: Sustainable development
Power of the people
Sarah Shemkus reviews an interesting three-day conference in the Guardian that was held in the US recently. The conference was on Crowds and Climate. Harnessing the crowd to promote sustainable innovation MIT's crowds and climate conference discussed the crowd's power to champion sustainability – but is the market ready? Hundreds of academics, activists, scientists, municipal … Continue reading Power of the people
US changes stance on funding coal-fired power plants
The World Bank has often been criticised for funding large-scale energy projects – from large hydropower dams to coal-fired power plants – that can have serious environmental consequences and certainly not in the realm of sustainable energy. Michael Shear writes in the New York Times that its largest funder, the US, has now taken a … Continue reading US changes stance on funding coal-fired power plants
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
