The biggest nuclear site in Europe containing the world’s biggest stockpile of nuclear explosives is at risk of blowing up. What does this short-term decay tell us about the very long-term sustainability of a technology whose toxic waste last at least 24,000 years? Dr David Lowry takes a closer look.
All posts tagged: United Nations
Playing for time at climate conferences
2018 saw temperatures, natural disasters and CO2 emissions hit record highs. Meanwhile, our world leaders are procrastinating, says Michał Olszewski.
Next stop on the climate party circuit – Katowice, Poland
The UN Climate Summit kicks off today in Poland. These events are always full of promises and deals. Bentham Paulos takes a look back at the promises made at September’s summit in California to see what the Poland meetings will mean for future progress.
Solar steam powers homes – and new jobs – in South Africa
South Africa still gets most of its energy from coal, but in sunny Northern Cape province, a different electricity source is taking hold. Munyaradzi Makoni of the Thomson Reuters Foundation explores how thermal solar plants are affecting the region.
Why Native American women are going after Europe’s banks to divest from Big Oil
From Standing Rock to Switzerland, Native American women are putting pressure on banks to divest. Shannan Stoll speaks to Jackie Fielder about the delegation of Indigenous women who recently visited Europe, and the future of the movement to defund fossil fuel projects that threaten Indigenous peoples.
COP23: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Bonn
Climate change was again placed at the centre of global diplomacy as diplomats and ministers gathered in Bonn for the latest annual round of United Nations climate talks. COP23, the second “conference of the parties” since the Paris Agreement was struck, was a technical affair as countries continued to negotiate the finer details of how the agreement would work from 2020 onwards. Jocelyn Timperley of Carbon Brief covers the summit’s key outcomes.
Celebrating Clean Tech on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
With special knowledge of their regional environments, indigenous people are a substantial resource to build comprehensive solutions to climate change. So on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, instead of celebrating Columbus’ impact on 10,000-year old cultures, Carolyn Fortuna of Cleantechnica looked at ways that indigenous people are taking direct climate action.
Understanding G20: the German presidency and the Trump “wild card”
This blog introduces the new “G20 in Focus,” an interactive portal of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, presents the German G20 agenda, and comments on prospects for the Summit, particularly given the fact that a climate denier will occupy the U.S. White House.
“Sustainable energy for all” transforms not only how energy is generated, but also how it is perceived
The Paris Climate Agreement and the inclusion of energy in the Millennium Development Goals were two key moments in 2015, writes Marie-José Nadeau, Chair of the World Energy Council and member of the Advisory Board of the SE4all initiative of the United Nations, which presented a new five-year strategy in Brussels last week. According to Nadeau, this new strategy has the potential to impact the way energy is perceived across the world, in addition to bringing improvements in energy access. This will have important implications for the global energy sector.
Opportunity to leapfrog into the renewable age – is India on the right track?
India is poised to show the value of renewable energies to developing economies. Its new targets, government programs, alongside other factors, seem to be moving India into a renewable energy age. Srinivas Krishnaswamy takes an in-depth perspective.