Earth Overshoot Day, or the power of doomsday messages
This year, August 1 is Earth Overshoot Day. Each year, this is the day at which mankind has used up its stock of biological resources for that year. Never has this Day been so early in the year, meaning that we have never depleted the Earth’s resources so fast. But it would be fairer to
BP redresses its low renewable energy forecasts – too little, too late
In February, BP published a new Energy Outlook. The main difference with previous outlooks lies in its renewable energy forecasts. The previous ones were scandalously low. The company partly redressed this state of affairs, and even confessed that it had previously made ‘a mistake’. But in spite of this, the new forecasts are still on
Wrong question: can we decouple environmental impact from GDP growth?
These days, my inbox is overflowing with messages from concerned scientists warning that mankind cannot pursue economic growth forever; that it should deviate quickly from such a course, in order to prevent global environmental disaster. But as much as I sympathize with their cause, I feel that they are barking up the wrong tree: they
Small solar panels are an affordable way to try solar power
Whereas some solar power projects are large-scale, covering entire fields, and other projects cover entire rooftops, solar power can also be used small-scale. Starting small is a good strategy for people who cannot afford big sized solar panels at once. Small solar panels are available in the market; just a few appliances in the household
Sustainability and moralism, keep them apart
Are sustainability and moralism always connected? Proponents of sustainability often suggest (rather than openly say) that it is immoral to pursue non-sustainable development paths – to put the future of mankind at risk, indeed that of the entire planet. With climate change as the proverbial example. But sustainability and moralism are not intrinsically connected –
Drivers for renewable energy development
The latest Renewables Global Status Report contains an instructive paragraph on drivers for renewable energy development. Otherwise than many might expect, climate policy is not the most important driver anymore. Cost-effectiveness comes to the forefront. And: renewable energy development is by far not restricted to industrialized countries. Cost-effectiveness main driver for renewable energy development True,
Perspective on renewable energy rapidly changing
IEA Global Energy Outlook 2017, released last November, marks a rapid development in the perspective on renewable energy. IEA has always downplayed the importance of renewable energy for future global energy supply; but in its latest outlook, renewable energy and energy efficiency have moved to the forefront. Cheapest source of electricity generation Three of the
Genetic engineering serves sustainability
It is difficult to find out why exactly Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, the two leading organizations in this field, oppose genetic engineering. Clearly it is important to them that a large number of people oppose this technology, and that they represent the vox populi in this. But this cannot be the true reason.
