Is air quality affecting house prices?

As we see our cities tackling air pollution, we understandably first turn to the health of their citizens. Katie Morley writes in The Telegraph about another concern, the impact on house prices. Have you experienced this?   High pollution is reducing house prices by 15pc as buyers reject 'unhealthy' homes Property listings will include traffic … Continue reading Is air quality affecting house prices? →

How sustainable is the paper industry?

To mark Arbor Day in the US, Gary M. Scott, chair of the Paper and Bioprocess Engineering Department at State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, answered five questions about the pulp and paper industry – a major consumer of trees. This was published on The Conversation website.   Is the … Continue reading How sustainable is the paper industry? →

Comparing wind energy generation in the US and the EU

Michael MacDonald from the Energy Performance Measurement Institute and a friend of EiD provides an important comparison of wind energy developments in 2015, comparing the United States with the European Union.   Wind Electricity Generation for the US and EU28, 2015 Wind electricity generation has been growing dramatically this decade, and this brief note summarizes … Continue reading Comparing wind energy generation in the US and the EU →

Better understanding how polluting our cars are

Almost daily we are reading about the emissions coming from vehicles and what they are doing to our air quality and health. Paul Nieuwenhuis, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director, Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence (EVCE) at Cardiff University, writes a reviewed article on the Conversation website comparing diesel and petrol vehicles.   Are diesel cars really … Continue reading Better understanding how polluting our cars are →

It is hard to be against a 40% energy savings target

A timely report released this week by OpenExp provides evidence that all the arguments against 40% energy savings target are irrelevant! The report entitled “Clean Energy for All Europeans – Do the Commission’s Impact Assessments Assign the Right Role to Energy Efficiency?” is based on the Commission’s modelling results included in the EED and the … Continue reading It is hard to be against a 40% energy savings target →

Latest developments in mitigation

The International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub provides an update on mitigation efforts globally.   Mitigation Update: Countries Progress Towards Renewable Energy Targets, CDM Enhances Access for Electricity Projects Investments in renewable energy can be a way to simultaneously achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and … Continue reading Latest developments in mitigation →

Blog from Silvia Zinetti: The Community Choice Energy model is gaining momentum in California. Can this knowledge be transferred to Europe?

In my previous post I introduced the concept of Community Choice Energy (CCE) (1) business model and how cities and local governments in California are gaining momentum in leading the way towards sustainable energy transition at the local level. There is definitely an interesting situation. Contrary to what the federal government is doing, California is … Continue reading Blog from Silvia Zinetti: The Community Choice Energy model is gaining momentum in California. Can this knowledge be transferred to Europe? →

Transferring fossil fuel subsidies to clean energy could yield major savings in dollars and GHG emissions

A new report from the Nordic Council of Ministers finds that redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward the clean energy transition could help climate vulnerable countries reap major savings while slashing greenhouse gas emissions. This is according to a study by the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and Gaia Consulting, “Making … Continue reading Transferring fossil fuel subsidies to clean energy could yield major savings in dollars and GHG emissions →

House size can have important impact on resource use as well as environment

In many countries, new houses are getting increasingly bigger. The phys.org website reports on the a graduate student’s research that documents the impact of house size on resource use and impact on the environment.   Is building bigger houses a waste of energy? Research by Iman Khajehzadeh, who graduates with a PhD in Architecture next … Continue reading House size can have important impact on resource use as well as environment →