Posts filed under 'Environment and climate change'
The World Wildlife Fund’s contribution to the EE Green Paper states that energy efficiency must not become a goal in itself, but has to be a tool to achieve energy conservation and fight climate change. The WWF say that this link must be acknowledged and emphasised.
They also say that the EU will benefit from opportunities to enter new markets, and offer technologies, when developing countries start introducing advanced technologies.
January 20th, 2006
Europe’s climate may depend upon a complex interaction between the emissions of pollutants from factory chimneys, forest fires, and energy-efficient actions such as the reduced burning of fossil fuels.
Polluted air results in clouds with larger number of droplets than unpolluted clouds, reflecting more of the sun’s heat and energy back into space. This reduction in the amount of heat reaching the earth is known as “Global Dimming”.
January 17th, 2006
A UK project to study the economic challenge of addressing climate change could draw attention to the crucial role of energy efficiency actions.
This reflects growing concern about the cost of achieving Kyoto protocol targets, which have been recently estimated to lead to Britain, Germany, and Italy each losing 200,000 jobs. In Spain, more than 600,000 jobs would be lost.
January 12th, 2006
The Green Paper describes information and education as underused tools, and identifies the role of publicity and information in strengthening a culture of energy efficiency in Europe.
In discussing the Green Paper there has also been mention of the difficulties that politicians have in focussing on longer term goals, due to their likely short terms in office.
But do we not all share this inability to visualise the medium and longer term future, and relate it to our current behaviour? The success of the Montreal Protocol is often cited as an example our capability to work together globally on major environmental issues. But its overall impact on business, day-to-day activities, living standards and aspirations, was much more limited.
January 3rd, 2006
Although the need for integrated pollution control (IPC) in energy production is now well understood, and managed since the early 1990s by legislation etc, appreciation of a similar urgency on the environmental impact of energy consumption is relatively new.
There appears to be a need for much closer coordination in Europe between plans and actions on energy and the environment. This spans the responsibilities and skills at both national and EC level, of government ministries, enforcement bodies, research agencies. Most of these bodies were originally set up to address quite separate areas.
Ideally this should span not just the energy saving/climate change/atmospheric pollution interface, but the full impact on the environment of overall energy strategies, and specific issues such as the use of agricultural land for biodiesel and bioethanol, public health etc.
November 7th, 2005
The Climate Group has issued for the 2nd time its report ‘Carbon Down - Profits Up’ demonstrating the carbon reduction potential of corporations, cities and regions. Total 74 companies, 34 cities and 16 regions have actually reduced emissions by up to 50%, set targets up to 80%. Some are close to carbon neutrality on specific energy-using sectors.
Energy efficiency invariable shows up in the measures taken by actors to reduce carbon emissions. 43 out of 74 companies have reported total $11.6 Billion energy cost savings resulting from their carbon reduction programme. Amounts invested are rarely reported.
View report
October 24th, 2005