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 !
The Guardian published last week a lenghty article on how the Rio 20+ conference – which will take place in June – might be a huge disappointment as little has been done since and even less might be done.
Due to last only three days when the original event lasted two full weeks, there shouldn’t be any binding agreement, just a few statements and speeches… Likewise, few political leaders will attend.
Since our representatives haven’t understood yet that the only way to solve our current triple crisis is investing in the Green Economy, WE the people have to step up and make ourselves heard.
Here are some good news on business and economics. To Earth & Industry, as appearing in Cleantechies : ” In 1999, fewer than 500 companies issued sustainability reports. That number is now over 3,500.“
” Once only a concern for a few niche companies with sustainability as a core value and brand differentiator, corporate sustainability has moved categorically into the mainstream. “
The MIT Sloan management review is going further, to them, sustainability is nearing a tipping point in terms of importance. Continue »
What if we could in the same time slow down climate change, increase health and boost agriculture ? Is this too good to be true ? No, as to a NASA scientist we could do just that by focusing on both methane and soot (black carbon).
Out of the 400 ideas that were studied, these 14 were chosen as they have a direct and immediate impact on people’s lives. None of these methods are concerning carbon dioxide, which also have to be tackled in the meantime.
One of the main ways is switching to cleaner burning cookstoves. I have previously tackled this topic here and explained how this could save two million people per year. Continue »
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 »
Here is why cleantech will be a buzzword all throughout 2012 : the United Nations declared this year will be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. As Catherine Banet notes on her blog :
” (the) aim is twofold: increase awareness and find solutions on access to energy (with the objective of universal access by 2030) that is, in addition, affordable, clean and safe. ” Here are the main objectives for 2030 :
Ensuring universal access to modern energy services ; Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency ; Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. (via Cleantechies).
To Ecogeek : “ A team of engineers at the University of Illinois have figured out how to create self-healing circuits in electronics and batteries, a discovery that could lead to longer equipment life ”
” As electronics have become more complex, one small circuit failure can render a device useless, especially since it is hard or often impossible to diagnose where that failure occurred to fix it. “
As our smartphones and other computers seem to last less and less, this invention could sure help solving the issues revolving around e-waste.
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 »
I have recently noted that cleantech is booming globally, but what does it mean for Africa ? In today’s post I will try to give a few answers to this crucial question as still 600 million Africans have no access to electricity.
To a study titled Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the growing continent ” Investment in renewable power in Africa is set to grow from a total of US$3.6-billion in 2010 to $57-billion by 2020. “
I have found several other articles on cleantech in Africa in the past few weeks. Let’s review the main ones. Continue »
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a trillion dollars – that’s a thousand billion, or 748 billion euros – has been invested in renewable energies, energy efficiency and smart energy technologies since 2004.
As stated in the article : ” Annual clean energy investment has risen nearly five-fold, from $52bn (39 billion euros) in 2004 to $243bn (181 billion euros) last year, a compound annual growth rate of 29%. “
Bloomberg believes that world leaders in Durban should focus on how to keep this momentum rather than trying to find a deal on emissions. I blogged recently on how we could do just that…
Do you remember Annie Leonard’s great documentaries The Story of Stuff and the Story of Cosmetics ? Well, she did a few other more, including the latest : The Story of Broke.
In this eight-minute animated clip, she tackles the huge problem of subsidies of all kinds that are given to what she calls ” the Dinosaur Economy “. (Big Ag, Big Food and of course Big Oil…)
Stating that we are not broke but that our economy is broken, she urges us to take back the power and start fighting those subsidies to get a healthier economy and a more enjoyable environment. Continue »
