Affordable green homes
Some proponents of affordable housing may be under the impression that sustainable homes are more expensive to construct and maintain than those built using traditional means. However, there are actually a number of sustainable practices that can make green homes more affordable than traditional homes for their inhabitants. There are a number of cost-effective green
Can we engineer life? 3.3 Well-being for all
In 1971 I did a work placement at Tel Aviv University in Israel. It was a wonderful and decisive period in my life. The researchers in the lab judged it more important that I got to know their country, than that I did some research for them. Saturday, Sabbath, was their only day off, but
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,
