We’ve now had the election for the European Parliament and there is an interesting division. The Greens and Liberals have done well. But the right-wing populists have also improved to some extent. This article on the Deutsche Welle website by Harald Franzen raises an important question about the possible threat to climate policy. What are … Continue reading Europe’s climate hardliners and their potential impact on the future of climate policy
Tag: climate policy
Ireland becomes second country to declare climate emergency
As Greta Thunberg said, having heard of Ireland’s decision, “Who is next?” Michelle Devane writes in the Irish Independent to discuss the decision made May 9th. For background, the International Energy Agency recently reviewed Irish energy Policies. In its review it is stated: “Ireland is not on track to meet its climate target of a … Continue reading Ireland becomes second country to declare climate emergency
Ireland falls short in its level of ambition for the low-carbon energy transition
EU member states have submitted their draft national energy and climate plans and the one from Ireland gets bad marks in an assessment made by the Climate Action Network. The report concludes Ireland’s plan “does not demonstrate high ambition on energy savings and renewable energy, indicating a lack of focus in their actions for the … Continue reading Ireland falls short in its level of ambition for the low-carbon energy transition
Collaboration needed to set climate change policies in Canada, not the courts
Only two years ago there was relatively good consensus on the way forward for climate change policy in Canada. Since then there has been increased “resistance”. Nathalie Chalifour and Jason MacLean provide a good article on the Policy Options website about the situation in the country. As we often hear, no one said the low-carbon … Continue reading Collaboration needed to set climate change policies in Canada, not the courts
Germany in midst of its low-carbon energy transition yet not all objectives are being met
We have been watching with great interest the progress made in Germany’s energy transition. It is of concern to read on the Deutsche Welle website that Germany is to miss its 2020 GHG emissions target. Germany to miss 2020 greenhouse gas emissions target Economic and population growth are to blame for Germany missing its … Continue reading Germany in midst of its low-carbon energy transition yet not all objectives are being met
Canada’s growing challenge to achieve its climate obligations
A country that has based its economy on exploiting resources – including fossil fuels – will never have an easy time in the low-carbon energy transition. Markus Hecker, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Predictive Aquatic Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan and Jackie Dawson from the University of Ottawa write on The Conversation website … Continue reading Canada’s growing challenge to achieve its climate obligations
New Zealand has set itself a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050
It is encouraging to see the level of ambition shown in New Zealand. Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics at Massey University explains latest developments in an article on The Conversation website. New Zealand's productivity commission charts course to low-emission future New Zealand has set itself a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. A … Continue reading New Zealand has set itself a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050
How many Republican politicians in the US are addressing climate change
We are all too aware that the Trump administration is doing everything possible to undermine climate policies. Yet, in the US, there is progress being made in address climate change. Nicolas Gunkel, Research Fellow at Boston University Initiative on Cities explains in an article on The Conversation website that not only Democrat politicians are taking … Continue reading How many Republican politicians in the US are addressing climate change
Alaska realises it cannot avoid taking major steps to fight climate change
While the Trump Administration may be negative in its approach to climate change, more and more states are taking action. We have regularly read about California, but now we are seeing that Alaska, with its fragile environment is now developing a long-term plan. Brad Plumer explains in an article in the New York Times. … Continue reading Alaska realises it cannot avoid taking major steps to fight climate change
Britain needs more ambition in its climate strategy
The Paris climate agreement is making everyone take a second look at whether they are doing enough to achieve the long-term targets. Actually, we do not even know if the Paris agreement is enough but it is an important milestone in getting most of the world’s countries to take an active role in addressing the … Continue reading Britain needs more ambition in its climate strategy
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 