On the campaign trail in 2024 and since the November election, former president Donald Trump has not let up in denying the tie between fossil-fuel use and global warming. His supporters include the world’s largest petroleum companies and they are expecting to be paid back. But it won’t happen on ‘day one,’ as he claims. Paul Hockenos reports.
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A mess made in Germany: Volkswagen’s trials warn against resisting the green transition
The woes of the German automobile giant Volkswagen (VW) offer a lesson that applies beyond Germany and Europe: resist the green transition at your own peril – as laggards will pay a heavy price. Paul Hockenos reports.
Renewable energy in Argentina: a utopia for the global south?
Faced with the urgent challenge of climate change, Argentina needs to transform its energy matrix to use renewable sources. The energy transition (ET), focused on adopting clean energy, could open a door to breaking with an economic model dependent on fossil fuels and raw material exports. This transformation is not just an environmental issue but an opportunity to reduce structural vulnerability and build a more diversified and resilient economy. The question remains whether Argentina can make this shift without repeating cycles of dependency and economic volatility that have characterized its recent history. Sofía Croxatto reports.
Delivering a fair household energy transition: learning and priorities
The green technologies needed to rapidly cut our greenhouse gas emissions are already on the market. What’s more, they are, or very soon will be, cost effective. In other words, from the perspective of the household, it is, overall, cheaper to go green. However, there’s a catch: access to capital is king in the household energy transition. Alex Chapman reports.
Side effects of the energy transition in Brazil
In recent weeks, São Paulo has been featured as the most polluted metropolis in the world. The haze enveloping the city of 11.4 million inhabitants originates from the smoke of wildfires ravaging the country and from atmospheric pollution. In this dramatic context, amid terrifying news about the growing number of climate migrants, the need for more sustainable energy sources is impossible to ignore. Poliana Dallabrida reports.
Net zero and energy bills: more payback, less push back
To win hearts and minds, and to prevent green backlash, net-zero policies must translate into lower bills and better services for ‘ordinary’ households. An inclusive demand flexibility strategy is vital to this. Sophie Yule-Bennett and Euan Graham report.
How AI is fuelling the climate crisis, not solving it
‘Artificial intelligence will make it easier to combat climate change.’ That’s the bold claim made by billionaire and self-proclaimed climate problem–solver Bill Gates. But Gates – a well-known advocate of geoengineering – is not alone in promoting the idea that technology can be our saviour. Seden Anlar reports. Read More
What Labour has done on green energy — and what it could do next
Tough decisions lie ahead for the UK government as it tries to decarbonise electricity generation by 2030. Several key decisions have been made but much remains unknown, particularly on reform of the electricity market and the detail of collaboration with the EU. Ros Taylor reports.
Decentralizing Ukraine’s energy future: microgrids as a path to independence
Ukraine’s energy landscape has been profoundly impacted by the ongoing conflict, with extensive damage to infrastructure and a historical reliance on Russian imports for traditional energy sources like coal, gas and nuclear fuel. Rebuilding the centralized, Soviet-era energy system is no longer a viable option. Attempts to restore a fossil fuel or nuclear-based centralized sector are fraught with military risks, slow progress, high costs for the state and lack of appeal for private investors wary of vulnerable, high-risk assets. Razom We Stand reports.
Germany’s mixed record disappoints the climate conscious
Despite a record rollout of renewables, expectations for a notably greener Germany have not been met. Environmental think tanks and NGOs are taking their gripes to court to make the German government comply with German law – and the coalitions’ own promises. Paul Hockenos reports.