Welcome ! As a young French Marketing professional with a Master's in International Management I have been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Sounds great ? Don't hesitate to subscribe now !
With current outdoors temperatures below the freezing point in large parts of Europe, it is easy to think that climate change is either a hoax or that it will be most welcome as it would get us rid of those patches of ice on the roads.
This won’t be the case as the Independent reports : “The bitterly cold weather sweeping Britain and (…) Europe has been linked by scientists with the ice-free seas of the Arctic, where global warming is exerting its greatest influence.”
This is another example of climate change’s influence on weather extremes, and thus another reason to tackle the problem before it really gets out of our control. Continue »
Here is my latest post on Cleantechies : “The European Environment Agency published in November a report on the cost, the toll, of air pollution due to industrial facilities to the European Union. “
” And the costs are staggering as the 10,000 facilities induced up to 102 and 169 billion euros in 2009 alone. However, a small number of these plants are responsible for the vast majority of this pollution. “
As usual to keep reading the article, please check it out there. I hope you will like it and look forward to reading your comments.
According to RIA Novosti – the Russian state-owned news agency – quoting the local emergencies ministry : ” Temperatures in Russia in the past century rose at twice the rate of warming in the rest of the world “
The article goes further : ” (…) In addition, as compared to the 100-year trend, the rate of warming grew several times, annual precipitation figures are growing… as is the frequency and intensity of flooding.”
” (…) Water resources will increase in regions with higher precipitation, while arid zones, on the contrary, will face further precipitation decline.”
With some delay I would like to propose you today my selection of the most important news of 2011. As I wrote close to 250 articles, selecting only 25 proved to be difficult.
I have mixed topics so you will find stuff on climate change, cleantech, environmental issues and sustainable development. I have also mixed personal reflections with news and book reviews.
If you think that I have missed something out or have a more personal selection, please don’t hesitate to share in the comments ! I look forward to read your own selection. Continue »
To GreenTech Media : “ Germany installed more than 2 gigawatts of solar in the month of December alone. (…) Installations for the full year will be nearly 7 gigawatts according to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW).”
The article goes further : “ According to the BSW, solar power contributes approximately three percent of the German electricity supply, with a goal of 10 percent by 2020. “
The European leader in renewables installed in a single month more solar photovoltaic capacity than the whole United States of America installed in a whole year ! Continue »
This is getting truly worrying. To TreeHugger : “The first week of the new year has seen temperatures that are in some parts of the nation nearly 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) higher than average. Which is crazy. “
The situation on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is similar as The Guardian notes : “The first signs of spring are emerging weeks early in the countryside and in gardens as a result of the mild winter, experts said on Sunday. “
So, a year without winter ? I haven’t seen snow this year and it seems I won’t see any. After a year 2011 that was really records-setting, it seems 2012 will break even more records of heat…
Here is a rundown of all the extreme weather we witnessed in the past few months around the world and the numerous calamities that struck all continents without exception…
To The Guardian : ” The year 2011 was another ecologically tumultuous year with greenhouse gases rise to record levels, Arctic sea ice nearly equalling 2007′s record melt, and temperatures the 11th highest ever recorded. “
” It was marked on the ground by unparalleled extremes of heat and cold in the US, droughts and heatwaves in Europe and Africa and record numbers of weather-related natural disasters. “
Is Europe finally moving ? To the European Commission‘s official website : ” On 15 December 2011, the European Commission adopted the Communication “Energy Roadmap 2050. “
” The EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050 in the context of necessary reductions by developed countries as a group. “
I believe this is a sound decision, but its is lacking intermediary deadlines like -30 % percent by 2020. (highly feasible as we have seen). Continue »
To Enerzine [Fr] the world largest offshore wind farm has gone online in the Irish sea. Walney 2 has a capacity of 367,2 MW, enough to power 320,000 British households. It was also the fastest ever installation.
The farm will however quickly lose its title to other projects set to come online in the United Kingdom as well. Indeed, both the Greater Gabbard (500MW) and the London Array (630MW) fams will come online in 2012.
On a global scale, REVE notes that :” Global wind farm capacity accounted for approximately 197 GW in 2010 and will rise to 1,750 GW by 2030, finds a new report from Transparency Market Research. “
Incandescent light bulbs are a relic of the past, a vastly inefficient past. Modern alternatives like CFLs and LEDs consume five to ten times less energy. For these reasons, the European Union or Australia have already phased them out.
More countries will be doing the same, namingly the United States and China. The latter will start banning 100-watt bulbs in October 2012. Last year over a billion of these bulbs were sold in the People’s Republic.
To Grist : ” The ban will save China 48 billion kilowatt hours of power per year. Which, if I’m doing my math right, is the equivalent of almost 100 nuclear reactors or large coal-fired power plants. “
