Over the past few weeks I collected a series of news on how the European Union is going fast forward on climate change. One can expect emissions will keep on decreasing in the near future, and this albeit the fact they are already 23 percent below their 1990 levels.
Greece
EU countries could pay back their debts With renewables
” What if the European Union solved the triple crisis – economy, energy, environment – by solving the financial one ? Alice Stollmeyer sent me last week a link of project to do just that. “ ” Some European nations – Greece, Spain, Ireland, Portugal – are owing more and more money to the European … Read more
Greece plans 10 GW of solar by 2050
What if the answer to all the economic and financial woes Greece is witnessing came from solar ? This is the bet the local government is willing to place as more than 16 percent of the population is unemployed. To Ecogeek :
” Greece has laid out a plan to get out of a recession and to spread renewables through the country and the EU. The plan would see the country expanding its solar capacity to 10 GW by 2050 through financing by international investors.”
Ten gigawatts of capacity in 40 years seems very little when one knows that Germany installed no less than seven gigawatts of capacity in 2010 alone.
Precarity is another reason for a green New Deal
I seldom write about social or economic issues on this blog as I am more prone to tackle environmental ones, and this even if they are part of the sustainable development triptych.
But each time I blog about social topics it seems I am watching Rom burn and collapse. My last post here was on youth unemployment. And the situation on this front haven’t changed for the good but for the worse.
One of the latest issues of Courrier International [Fr] (see the cover above) is on youth unemployment and the massive precarity.
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 of these, Germany account for seven GW and Italy three (and not six as I wrote there…)
Still to Reuters : ” Estimates for the other major European players included the Czech Republic (1.3 GW), France (0.5 GW), Spain (0.4), Belgium (0.25) and Greece (0.2). “
Great astrophotographies – October 2010
This is time for me to present my selection of the best pictures of the NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). This month was a bit special as I could only select ten of them.
To the NASA, today’s picture : “Look closely at this surreal nightscape. In the dreamlike scene, star trails arc over an old ship run aground on a beach near Gytheio, Peloponnesus in southern Greece.”
I am absolutely still amazed at how many splendors can be seen at night. I just hope we may find a way to make our nights darker so more people can see them.
Climate change unites Mediterranean nations
Will fighting climate change become the ultimate fight ? If the Palestinian Authority and Israel can sit at the same table to fight climate change I guess we can save ourselves from warming temperatures. To the AFP: ” Some 15 Mediterranean countries, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority, agreed Friday to work together to combat … Read more
Great astrophotographies – March 2010
This is time for me to present my selection of the best pictures of the NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). As always, this month was packed with beautiful images. It was difficult to select just ten. To the NASA, today’s picture :
” An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of dark dust highlight M78 and other bright reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion. The dark filamentary dust not only absorbs light, but also reflects the light of several bright blue stars.”
I am absolutely still amazed at how many splendors can be seen at night. I just hope we may find a way to make our nights darker so more people can see them.