China setting performance standards for industry to reduce overcapacity problems

Girish Shetti writes a good article on the China Topix website about recent policy changes in China to impose stricter environmental, safety, and energy efficiency standards.   China to Impose Tough Environmental and Energy Efficiency Standards to Tackle Overcapacity To overcome overcapacity across key Industrial sectors, the Chinese government has decided to impose stricter environmental, … Continue reading China setting performance standards for industry to reduce overcapacity problems

We need a new approach to staying cool

Air conditioning has made modern living bearable in many cities. The percentage of homes and offices with air conditioning in warm countries is increasing at a staggering rate. Surely, since we know how to build passive buildings, there must be a way of significantly slowing the rate of deployment. John Vidal writes in The Observer … Continue reading We need a new approach to staying cool

Humanity’s demands on the planet are unsustainable

Our resource consumption is simply unsustainable and yet we continue with “development” project after “development” project. We are getting more evidence but so far we have not had the wake up call for us to take meaningful action. As Andrew Simms writes in The Guardian, we need a policy that focuses on renewable energy, green … Continue reading Humanity’s demands on the planet are unsustainable

New report shows important role multilateral development banks in climate finance

We assume that multilateral development banks are playing an important role in providing climate finance to important initiatives, but it takes some evidence to show us exactly what is happening globally. The International Institute for Sustainable Development writes about a recent report that documents developments in 2015.   2015 Climate Finance by MDBs at US$25 … Continue reading New report shows important role multilateral development banks in climate finance

More cities join the efforts to manage emissions and build resilience

It is encouraging to see how cities are increasingly embracing the need to take measures to lower the impact from global warming. There is a good article on the CDP website about recent developments that are most encouraging.   Unprecedented global rise in cities disclosing climate strategies A record number of cities are now measuring … Continue reading More cities join the efforts to manage emissions and build resilience

Singapore opens academy to promote the energy transition

We are all looking for ways to get the wider community to understand what it takes to fully embed the energy transition. Samantha Boh writes a good article in the Singapore Strait Times about a new academy that is being built to help people better understand “how to operate in more environmentally-friendly ways.” What do … Continue reading Singapore opens academy to promote the energy transition

SMEs at the heart of Germany’s energy transition

Roy Hales writes on the CleanTechnica website about the role SMEs play in Germany in its low carbon energy transition. There are important messages for all of us.   SMEs Are Energiewende’s Backbone A number of prominent companies come to mind when you mention Germany’s energy transition. Names like E.ON, Volkswagen, and Siemens are recognized … Continue reading SMEs at the heart of Germany’s energy transition

Latest update on climate finance

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides the July update on global developments in climate finance.   July 2016 Climate Finance Update: Meetings Call for Access, Mobilization, Scaling Up During the month of July, a number of high-level meetings highlighted the need for enhanced focus on climate finance. Resilience and disaster recovery projects in … Continue reading Latest update on climate finance

US making good steps forward to promote energy efficiency in buildings

The Obama administration is doing everything within its powers to drive the energy transition forward, given the congressional roadblocks. Carl Weinschenk writes a good article on the Energy Manager Today website about recent developments to improve the energy performance of America’s buildings.   The Feds Double Down on Energy Efficiency In their long-term planning, energy … Continue reading US making good steps forward to promote energy efficiency in buildings