Activists are taking firms to court over deceiving consumers with questionable climate pledges. Isabel Sutton at Clean Energy Wire summarises the issues. Greenwashing, and therefore misdirecting consumer behaviour, is clearly a barrier to achieving climate goals. The latest IPCC report says consumer behaviour and changes to our lifestyles can result in a 40%–70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But unregulated advertising can say … [Read more...]
Imagine it’s 2030 and net-zero is on track. How did we do it?
Imagine it’s 2030. The energy transition is on track and net-zero goals are entrenched across the global economy. How did we get there? Tim Buckley at IEEFA imagines it for us and sends us a postcard from the future. Writing in the past tense, he flags actual events and policies happening today to “remember” the major changes that took place to achieve it. Weather-related disasters compelled governments to act, recognising – apart from the … [Read more...]
Where to build new Wind Turbines in Germany? Lowest cost vs residents and nature
Germany was a wind energy leader. But by 2019 it was only ranked sixth globally for newly installed capacity per year. Antje Nieber and Paul Lehmann at the University of Leipzig explain why. At its heart is a conflict of priorities: lowest cost versus the interests of residents and nature, being played out at the national and federal levels. The switch from feed-in tariff support to lowest-cost tenders stalled a lot of wind projects. Lawsuits and … [Read more...]
Are Regulations and Climate Activism the main driver for coal exits, not Gas and Renewables prices?
It’s widely thought in the media and politics that market forces are now the primary driver for the demise of coal: mainly natural gas prices, and the rising adoption and competitiveness of wind and solar. However, David Drake and Jeffrey York at the University of Colorado Boulder present their research from the U.S. that suggests the two main drivers are federal policy and climate activism. They studied the retirement of 348 coal-fired units … [Read more...]
