Reaction to IEA’s review of Canada’s energy policies

Bruce Campbell, Adjunct professor, faculty of environmental and urban change, at York University in Canada writes on The Conversation website about the praise the IEA gave Canada’s policies only weeks after the government’s Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner released a scathing report on Canada’s climate record. Well, no one said the carbon-neutral energy transition would … Continue reading Reaction to IEA’s review of Canada’s energy policies →

Europe energy savings practices for business is inefficient, auditors say

Kate Abnett reports on the Reuter’s website that auditors have found that significant EU funding to help businesses save energy were misspent in the 2014-2020 budget. The auditors estimated that projects backed by that funding achieved only 0.3% of the annual savings needed to reach the EU's target to cut final energy consumption by 32.5% … Continue reading Europe energy savings practices for business is inefficient, auditors say →

Germany’s new economy and climate protection minister calls for accelerating action to create a climate neutral country

Kate Connolly writes on The Guardian website about the call of the new German climate minister for a threefold increase in the speed with which carbon dioxide emissions are reduced. The minister, Robert Habeck, warned Germany was currently “dramatically behind” in its aim to achieve a goal for 80% of energy to come from renewable … Continue reading Germany’s new economy and climate protection minister calls for accelerating action to create a climate neutral country →

“If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change”

Scott Dunbar, Davide Elmo and John Steen of the University of British Columbia argue that a sustainable approach to mining metals needed for our renewable energy expansion is definitely possible in an article on The Conversation website.   It’s not necessary to trash the environment to extract metals needed for renewable energy The use of renewable … Continue reading “If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change” →

Blog from Jane Marsh: Why We Need a Greener Power Grid More Than a Resilient One

Major weather events and aging grid infrastructure have led many to call for a resilient grid that can stand up to the elements. However, prioritizing resilience may be the wrong approach — instead, grid officials should consider how sustainability could future-proof the grid and protect it from future crises. Climate change and extreme weather are … Continue reading Blog from Jane Marsh: Why We Need a Greener Power Grid More Than a Resilient One →

EU taxonomy proposed change is a “recipe for a greenwashing disaster”

The leaked EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy proposal for a complementary Delegated Act sets out the role of fossil gas, two devastating scenarios emerge – both a far cry from net-zero by 2050.  The leaked proposal is discussed in a briefing by Lina Strandvåg Nagell on the Bellona Europe website. Note that the EC began expert … Continue reading EU taxonomy proposed change is a “recipe for a greenwashing disaster” →

How eco-friendly is wind power really?

Wind power is essential to fighting climate change, yet building the turbines is energy-intensive and the blades are made from plastics. So how eco-friendly is wind power really? Gero Rueter discusses the sustainability of wind power in an article on the Deutsche Welle website.   How sustainable is wind power? Together with solar power, wind … Continue reading How eco-friendly is wind power really? →

Pinpointing the most efficient combinations of materials to make clean energy from wasted heat

Jan-Hendrik Pöhls at McMaster University in Canada, in an article on The Conversation website, discusses a new way to convert wasted heat into useful electricity. What are your views?   A new approach finds materials that can turn waste heat into electricity The need to transition to clean energy is apparent, urgent and inescapable. We must … Continue reading Pinpointing the most efficient combinations of materials to make clean energy from wasted heat →

Important new reports from EC Joint Research Centre

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has recently published two important reports.   Mobilizing citizens to invest in energy efficiency One example of a way for citizens to contribute to the low-carbon energy transition is by investing in energy efficiency (EE). However, there are still multiple barriers that make the socially optimal level of adoption … Continue reading Important new reports from EC Joint Research Centre →

The technology to capture carbon is in development, but one burning question remains: where on Earth should we store all that carbon?

Kian Mintz-Woo, Lecturer in Philosophy, Environmental Research Institute at the University College Cork writes on The Conversation website about the challenges to use carbon capture and storage to reach zero emissions.   Carbon capture and storage: where should the world store CO₂? It’s a moral dilemma The recent Glasgow climate pact committed 197 countries to … Continue reading The technology to capture carbon is in development, but one burning question remains: where on Earth should we store all that carbon? →