Month: February 2011

Book review : Factor five

We all know it : energy – and resource – efficiency is the panacea to all our energy and environmental woes. As I finished reading another excellent book on the very matter, I am sharing with you today the main findings. Factor Five is the sequel of the 1997-book Factor Four. It demonstrates how our …

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2% of global GDP can trigger greener growth

According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) : ” Investing two per cent of global GDP into ten key sectors can kick-start a transition towards a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy “ ” The sum, currently amounting to an average of around $1.3 trillion a year (…) would grow the global economy at …

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8 great tips to keep warm during winter

We might be led to thinking that with global warming, we won’t be freezing anymore during winters. Counter-intuitively, this won’t be the case as I wrote in December as global warming may mean colder winters… So we should better learn how to keep warm while still not touching the thermostat or insulating our houses and …

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Coal costs the United States $500 billion each year

It made the headlights last week on practically all environmental websites. The hidden costs – the negative externalities if you prefer – of coal are of 500 billion Dollars per year for the United States alone. Yes, you read it right : burning coal costs the country half a trillion dollar on health costs, premature …

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Singapore is the greenest city in Asia.

I admit I have a strange fascination for Singapore, a hub for Asia as well as a world leader in water treatment. The city -state achieved last year a whooping 15 percent economic growth, ie. ten times more than my home country. Almost despite this, it is according to Siemens’ Asian Green City Index, the …

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Can the US stop subsidizing coal and oil ?

Coal and oil are the two most polluting fossil fuels and energy sources to date. Despite this, both are receiving huge subsidies from the United States federal and local governments. To Climate Progress, the coal industry received around $3 billion (2.2 billion euros) per year between 2002 and 2008 and to the New York Times, …

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Can the world be powered by 100% renewables ?

The WWF believes it can be done in four little decades. As they state on their website: ” All of the world’s energy needs could be provided cleanly, renewably and economically by 2050. “ They are right on one point : energy efficiency’s potential is gigantic. Indeed I am reading a book which thesis is …

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16 GW of solar PV capacity added in 2010

According to Reuters : ” The world added about 16 gigawatts of new solar photovoltaic (PV) power in 2010, double the growth seen a year earlier, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association told Reuters on Monday.” Out of these 16 gigawatts, Europe is behind the vast majority of the growth with an impressive 13 gigawatts. Out …

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Saudi Arabia overstated its oil reserves by 40%

To the Guardian : ” The US fears that Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, may not have enough reserves to prevent oil prices escalating, confidential cables from its embassy in show. The cables, released by WikiLeaks, urge Washington to take seriously a warning from a senior Saudi government oil executive that the …

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