Such talk can give you a chill

Alex Kirby reports for the Climate News Network on warnings by Bob Watson, well known for formerly chairing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The signatories to the 2009 Copenhagen Accord agreed to do what they could to keep global temperatures from climbing above 2°C. The IEA in late 2012 raised concerns that this could … Continue reading Such talk can give you a chill →

Congratulations

EiD would like to congratulate Sergio Tirado-Herrero from the Central European University in Budapest for successfully defending his doctoral dissertation (summa cum laude) on Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. His dissertation was: Fuel poverty alleviation as a co-benefit of climate investments: Evidence of Hungary. Sergio recently spoke at an IEA event that addressed the multiple-benefits of … Continue reading Congratulations →

Is it time for better store closing?

Ed King from the Responding to Climate Change website provides an article that has probably had EiD readers puzzled as well as you have gone shopping recently. Closing the door on energy efficiency Imagine it’s is the middle of winter, but instead of battening down the hatches you wedge the front door open, and put … Continue reading Is it time for better store closing? →

How consumers can work together to finance climate change solutions

Lisa Palmer recently provided a blog in the New York Times about how consumers can bundle their efforts to finance climate change solutions. A Climate Proposal: Bundling Consumer Buying Power Each year, an estimated 46 percent of the population is responsible for 77 percent of discretionary spending in the United States. To strengthen individual buying … Continue reading How consumers can work together to finance climate change solutions →

Energy taxes in the US now being discussed

Eduardo Porter wrote recently in the New York Times about the pros and cons of introducing energy taxes in the US. Droughts and hurricanes are starting to stir some debate. But the conclusion is that, even with all the benefits of new energy taxes, the US seems a long way off from introducing them. In … Continue reading Energy taxes in the US now being discussed →

A Q&A on a carbon tax versus cap-and-trade

Luca Taschini, Simon Dietz and Naomi Hicks of Grantham Research Institute recently provided a Q&A in the Guardian comparing a carbon tax against cap-and-trade. This is a useful article for all EiD readers. Carbon tax v cap-and-trade: which is better? Economists argue that, if the market is left to operate freely, greenhouse gas emissions … Continue reading A Q&A on a carbon tax versus cap-and-trade →

European Environment Agency to give emphasis to climate change and energy in its new work programme

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released its “Annual Management Plan 2013,” which outlines the EEA work programme that will address a broad range of issues including: air quality and noise; air pollutant emissions; climate change mitigation; climate change adaptation; energy; and transport. The Annual Management Plan includes sections on: EEA mission statement, vision and strategic objectives; … Continue reading European Environment Agency to give emphasis to climate change and energy in its new work programme →

Two new reports from the IEA

The International Energy Agency publishes many reports annually. Two recent ones should be of special interest to EiD readers. The first is on the use and public funding of economic instruments, i.e. government financial tools, in IEA countries to support energy efficiency, particularly in the buildings sector. It is called "Mobilising investment in energy efficiency" … Continue reading Two new reports from the IEA →

Quote of the week

Obama made a point of highlighting how much emphasis he gave the issue after Representative Henry A. Waxman (Democrat-Calif.) thanked him afterward for mentioning climate change. “I didn’t just mention it, I talked about it,” Obama parried, according to Waxman.

New study shows that Canada can achieve an 80% carbon reduction by 2050

Ralph Torrie, Managing Director of the Trottier Energy Futures Project, describes a new study they have just released. While the focus is Canada, it reviews low-carbon scenario research from eight industrialised countries. This is an important study that deserves An 80% Carbon Reduction: It’s Not Just Business as Usual An 80% reduction in Canada’s … Continue reading New study shows that Canada can achieve an 80% carbon reduction by 2050 →