It’s official: more money was invested in renewables and more generation capacity added in 2015 than ever before. Conventional wisdom has always been that low fossil fuel prices would make renewables uncompetitive even as the cost of renewable energy continues to drop. In that view, fossil fuel prices drive investments in renewables. It’s not happening, however, so maybe it’s time to consider the reverse paradigm: renewables driving fossil fuel prices. Craig Morris investigates.
All posts tagged: Emissions
100 percent renewables in 139 countries
Stanford’s Mark Jacobson and Mark Delucchi made headlines at the end of November for their pronouncement that 100 percent renewable energy is possible in most countries. The publication came out in time for the COP 21 conference in Paris. The findings do not overlap with what researchers in Germany publish. Craig Morris explains.
In Poland, is the devil green?
The main message of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si has not yet reached many parts of Polish society. These days, diplomats in Paris are trying to agree on an international treaty which would combat global warming. Around the world, thousands of green initiatives have been created. Secular, clergy, leftists and right-wing groups increasingly realize that climate change is not an invention by freaky scientists, but that it is in fact one of the biggest challenges to our societies of our time. Michal Olszewski explains.
Germany aims to plug hole in energy transition
Germany produces more power from renewable energies than ever, yet pushing dirty lignite out of the power market has proven to be a contentious issue. Steve Baragona summarizes the social, political and economic hurdles currently delaying a coal phase-out.
Can Mexico build a more energy-efficient urban transport through Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems?
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have been widely hailed as innovative solutions for growing urban agglomerations around the world. Lillian Sol Cueva argues that their introduction helped to ameliorate pressing issues of congestion and harmful emissions in Mexico. But for the systems to be truly successful, a holistic approach towards public transportation is necessary.
How lax EU standards could enter the US
Europeans fear that the TTIP free trade agreement between the United States and the EU would water down their environmental standards, but the recent diesel emissions scandal shows that the opposite could be the case. Craig Morris explains.
The Polish conservatives and the ecology issue
There is a political shift in Poland. The right leaning parties have won the general elections: this means that the centrist Civic Platform (PO) – after eight years of ruling – has turned into the opposition again. As Michał Olszewski warns, this could lead to a number of severe consequences for the Polish political landscape, however, there are also some possibilities of shaping environmental policy, both nationally and internationally.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) teams up on renewables and energy efficiency – A view from South Africa
If Africa wants to realise its ambitions of a Cape-to-Cairo trade route of bankable renewable energy suppliers, it’s going to need political will that crosses national borders. Last month, the southern continent’s economic bloc SADC announced that it is on track to launch its regional renewable energy strategy next year, writes Leonie Joubert.
Safe, clean cooking in Southern Africa
Finding ways to cook in Southern Africa informal cityscapes – ways that are safe, reliable, affordable, and low-carbon – means trying low-tech energy efficient methods, municipalities supporting a switch to cleaner fuels, and protecting people from dangerous and cheap paraffin stoves. Science writer Leonie Joubert takes a look.
The right lessons from the Energiewende
Foreign onlookers are interested to know what lessons can be learned from Germany’s energy transition. In a recent article, a German energy sector executive drew conclusions for the outside world themselves. Craig Morris can’t follow the logic.