SF6, the most potent greenhouse gas in existence, was banned for all applications in the EU in 2014 – except in the electricity industry. The reason for the exemption, writes Nicholas Ottersbach, researcher at German cleantech startup Nuventura, was that there was no viable alternative. But according to Ottersbach that is no longer the case. He calls on EU policymakers to ban SF6, in the electricity industry when the relevant EU legislation is … [Read more...]
Search results for Climate Policy Tags
We examined 885 European cities’ plans to tackle climate change – here’s what we found
Cities are taking climate change threats seriously but more could be done according to a new study looking at the climate plans of 885 European cities. The role of governments in providing legal and regulatory frameworks and guidance is essential to ensure that cities are well prepared for climate change, write Oliver Heidrich of Newcastle University and Diana Reckien of the University of Twente. Courtesy: The Conversation … [Read more...]
For Eastern Europe, controllable renewable power is a good alternative for new nuclear power
Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are all planning to build new nuclear power plants. But according to a new study by Energy Brainpool, commissioned by Greenpeace Energy, they could also opt for controllable renewable power plants. These are cost-competitive with nuclear, at least as reliable, and also allow for energy independence, write Philipp Heidinger, Fabian Huneke and Simon Göß from Energy Brainpool. … [Read more...]
Investors have a choice: vote for Shell’s “whatever world” or the world of the Church of England
The climate resolution which will be voted on at the upcoming Shell annual shareholdings meeting on 22 May, is not about Shell alone, writes Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, the investor group who introduced it. Van Baal calls on investors to follow the advice of the Church of England to vote for the resolution, and not that of the directors, who are demanding they will be given  “the flexibility to continue to thrive in whatever world … [Read more...]
‘Tsunami’ of hydropower dam building threatens Europe’s last wild rivers – campaigners
The transition to low-carbon energy sources in the Balkans could cause irreversible environmental damage, environmentalists fear. Proposed hydropower dam constructions endanger Europe’s last wild rivers and some diversity hotspots, writes Umberto Bacchi of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Courtesy: Thomson Reuters Foundation. … [Read more...]
The extremism of Donald Trump
Now that Donald Trump has blown up the  Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran, which he accuses of supporting “extremism and terrorism”, it seemed appropriate to hold up a mirror to the U.S. and ask whether perhaps that country has itself become an “extremist” state. No one better suited for this task than Tom Engelhardt, author a new book, A Nation Unmade by War, and editor of the website Tomdispatch.com, which has been documenting … [Read more...]
How the European Commission, European Court of Justice and Member States are scaring away investors in the energy sector
Both EU institutions and member states are actively undermining the investment climate in the energy sector, writes Alan Riley, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Statecraft in London. The European Commission is undermining investor protection by its determination to apply EU state aid law to arbitration awards. Member States are disrupting investor expectations through arbitrary political interventions in the energy sector. Worst of all, the … [Read more...]
Energy companies under pressure to improve non-financial reporting – “the accountants are taking over”
Most energy companies today report on their climate, environmental and social impacts. In the EU they are even legally obliged to do so. But how transparent are these reports? How can they be compared? And how will they be used by investors and policymakers? Clare Taylor spoke to a number of experts and learned that energy companies are increasingly under pressure to improve their non-financial reporting – and that there is more legislation to … [Read more...]
EU policy must wake up to carbon dioxide removal
Most scenarios to meet the Paris Agreement’s targets require negative emissions technologies. However, carbon dioxide removal is not part of the EU’s climate policy yet. Its integration presents a serious challenge to the EU’s low-carbon policy paradigm and experience, write Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Vivian Scott of the University of Edinburgh and James Palmer of the University of Bristol. … [Read more...]
Interview Iberdrola’s Director of Climate Change Saenz de Mira: “Europe is losing leadership” (Energy Post Weekly)
“In renewables there are more investments today in the US and China”, says Gonzalo Saenz de Miera, Director of Climate Change at Iberdrola, a world leader in renewables, in an interview with Energy Post. “Europe is losing its leadership.” Saenz de Miera calls for a binding target for 2050, not just 2030, and for it to be more ambitious than the current 80-95% greenhouse gas emission reduction. He also advocates “polluter pays” taxation that puts … [Read more...]
Six reasons to be more optimistic about climate change than five years ago
There are reasons to be more optimistic about climate change now than five years ago, writes climate change economist Adam Whitmore. Several trends, including emissions reduction, carbon pricing or investment into low-carbon technologies, make it appear that the worst of the risks of climate change can be avoided. Courtesy Whitmore's blog On Climate Change Policy … [Read more...]
The dangers of green technology-forcing
Current technology-forcing policies imply that wind and solar power, combined with battery electric vehicles, represent our only viable energy future, observes independent researcher Schalk Cloete. Given the fundamental limitations of these technologies, this is a very dangerous notion, he argues. A shift to technology-neutral policies is needed, especially in developing nations. … [Read more...]
Reducing the costs of nuclear energy in three steps
New nuclear plants shouldn’t have to be expensive, writes David Hess of  the World Nuclear Association. To reduce nuclear costs - and project times - three things need to happen: access to cheap financing should be facilitated, regulatory barriers should be lowered, and industry should improve its performance. … [Read more...]
German electricity market in 2017: records for battery storage and redispatch
Renewable energy generation is still on the rise in Germany, though at a much lower pace than in the years around 2010, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University in a detailed overview of the German electricity market in 2017. Costs of the feed-in tariff are stagnating, notes Buchmann, but redispatch costs which grid operators incur to keep the system stable, reached a new record far above €1 billion. Courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
EVs alone won’t solve our transport problem
Electric cars are a quick fix that helps tackle climate change and improve air quality to a point, but they won't get us to a sustainable mobility system, warns Martin Brueckner of Murdoch University. We need a new transport paradigm. Courtesy The Conversation. … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- …
- 48
- Next Page »