EU-funded efforts to boost the uptake of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have failed largely because of a lack of coordination and long-term strategies that scared away investors, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors. Sam Morgan takes a closer look.
Author: Energiewende Team
#Fracking4Plastics – a link that drives plastic and climate pollution
The plastics industry has reaped massive hidden benefits from the environmentally destructive fracking boom. Andy Gheorghiu of Food and Water Europe makes a connection business interests and US politics.
The Czech nuclear vision
The Czech Republic’s new government has made one of its central promises to build new nuclear reactors. Most administrations have made similar pledges, but new ground has not been broken since 2004. Martin Sedlák asks: can the government succeed this time?
Global renewable energy transition could lead to conflict without proper management
The transition to 100 percent renewable energy needs a lot of minerals to build wind, solar, and battery technology. This has the potential to cause fuel fragility, conflict, and violence if not managed responsibly. Joshua S. Hill takes a look at the recent report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Questionable methane estimates in the gas industry: the lesson from the U.S.
Have you heard that fracking is terrible for the environment? The problem might be natural gas in general: it turns out that regardless of extraction techniques, methane losses are about 60 per cent higher than officially reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lorenzo Cremonese explains.
Stricter CO2 standards for vehicles are not the reason for job losses
Despite negative media reports, environmental regulation cannot be blamed for the coming upheavals in the automobile sector. It’s the failure of the auto industry to react to the transition to electric vehicles that spells disaster, Daniel Rieger explains.
Climate change insurance is not a silver bullet
Developing countries have contributed the least to climate change, yet they are the most vulnerable to climate catastrophes. Now rich countries are championing the “solution” to climate catastrophes in the form of premiums for insurance schemes. Liane Schalatek and Julie-Anne Richards explain why insurance hasn’t worked in Dominica and Malawi.
Will energy efficiency stall climate disruption?
The world could hit its sustainable development goals if we invest in energy efficiency. But energy efficiency must be coupled with reduced consumption to be effective, argue David Suzuki and Ian Hanington.
No longer a novelty, clean energy technologies boom all across the US
Today, the U.S. has about six times as much renewable energy as it did ten years ago, and some states aim to be 100% renewable by 2050. Julia Pyper explores a new report about the American democratization of renewables, energy storage and electric vehicles.
Devil in the detail of Europe’s 2050 transport model
As the EU puts together a mid-century climate strategy, Carlos Calvo Ambel explains how the European Commission’s choice of modelling could be severely underestimating what emission cuts can be gained from the transport sector.