Europe

Europe must cut its CO2 emissions by 30 percent

This is the message published today in three leading European newspapers by the Environment Ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany and France, respectively Mr. Chris Huhne, Dr Norbert Röttgen and Mr. Jean-Louis Borloo. This bold call for action changes from the traditional European Union’s message which clings to cutting emissions by 20 percent by 2020. […]

Europe must cut its CO2 emissions by 30 percent Read More »

A glimpse at the farms of the future

I am fortunate to have half of my family living in the countryside with family members working as farmers. I believe this enabled me to discover the marvels of Nature at a young age. While working one sunny afternoon in April  I was reflecting with one of my uncles that the cow manure collected daily

A glimpse at the farms of the future Read More »

Why it’s time to increase electricity prices

One of the main facts of the latest World Energy Outlook is that energy efficiency “is the largest contributor in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases , accounting for over half of total abatement by 2030.” This means that it has more impact than renewable energies, nuclear power and clean coal combined. But energy is

Why it’s time to increase electricity prices Read More »

Solar Impulse flies for 26 hours non-stop

The solar powered plane Solar Impulse flew for over 26 hours without interruption and landed on July 8th. This plane has a wingspan of 63 meters – the same as a Boeing 777 – weights 1,600 kg and goes as fast as a scooter, 70 km-h. The plane gathered enough energy from the sun during

Solar Impulse flies for 26 hours non-stop Read More »

China has per capita emissions higher than France

This was a shock to me. To TreeHugger : ” According to an assessment of per capita carbon emissions by the Netherlands Environmental Agency, China now emits on a per person basis more than France. ” While emissions in France in 2009 were 6 tons, those in China were 6.1 tons -up from 2.2 tons

China has per capita emissions higher than France Read More »

Siemens’ European Green City Index

Europe is often considered at the forefront of the environmental scene as the EU keeps working on energy efficiency, renewables, biodiversity and other related issues. However not all countries are equal and so are their capital cities. Siemens published a study – the European Green City Index – which “measures and rates the environmental performance

Siemens’ European Green City Index Read More »

Worth an article – my May 2010 tweets

I have been committed since January 2007 to bring you each month a selection of the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change and the world energy sector. But many more news are worth reading. This is why I use Twitter to share more news that are worth your time. I believe it

Worth an article – my May 2010 tweets Read More »

SNCF, à nous de vous faire préférer le train ?

The French National Railways want us to believe their service is so good you will ditch your car and take only trains. At first I thought so as the SNCF indeed enabled me to avoid a tonne of CO2 emissions in 2008. But between their often prohibitive tariffs and their repetitive and long-lasting strikes I am

SNCF, à nous de vous faire préférer le train ? Read More »

Desertec gets international support

According to Enerzine [Fr] and other sources the Desertec Project is getting international support as several companies from Europe, America and Africa are joining the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii). The US company First Solar was the first to join in and five more companies from Morocco, Tunisia, France, Spain and Italy followed suit. Desertec is

Desertec gets international support Read More »

Barcelona’s amazing smart lightning idea

The city of Barcelona and Spanish utility Endesa have been installing smart LED lightning systems that automatically switch themselves off when no one is around. This enables the city to cut by 30 percent its electricity consumption. I really would like this idea to spread across Europe and even the entire world. Indeed, how many

Barcelona’s amazing smart lightning idea Read More »