Energy and the Climate Crisis

Europe is missing the point on climate spending

On August 16th, 2022, United States President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), after a year-long fight within the Democratic Party over its climate provisions. While sold as an aid against the record-high inflation the country was facing, the bill was actually the (...)

Friday 19 May 2023

Restrictions on PFAS: Never say never

The restriction of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is being discussed as the biggest ban of any chemical group ever. While we all know – and worry – about things like microplastic, the discussion around PFAS has been rather new to the media agenda. In terms of a chemical, it is (...)

Monday 15 May 2023

The European Critical Raw Materials Act: powering Europe’s industries of the future

In her 2022 State of the European Union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that “lithium and rare earths will soon be more important than oil and gas. […] We must avoid becoming dependent again”. She announced the preparation of a European Critical Raw Materials (...)

Thursday 16 February 2023

Three stories that climate change tells about our continent

The history of Europe as we have been telling it, might not find enough listeners anymore today. The scale of our current challenges seems unprecedented. Where do we find new certainty and stories in the past of our continent, when we face an uncertain future of climate change? Which stories (...)

Friday 10 February 2023

What is Carbon Pricing? A Short Guide and the EU ETS

As the name suggests, carbon pricing means that emitters, such as businesses or industries, must pay a price for their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). It is a measure to address climate change and is based on the ‘polluter pays principle’, meaning those causing environmental damage should pay for (...)

Saturday 14 January 2023

The EU’s Path Towards a Green Transition of Road Transport, Part 1 - The Current State

The automotive industry is an important factor in the EU’s economy with around 7% of the EU’s GDP coming from this industry. The automotive industry not only has linkages with other sectors such as steel, chemical and textile industries, but it is also important for employment as approximately (...)

Wednesday 7 December 2022

COP27 uncertainty and climate promises: What is UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s stance on the climate?

The first few weeks of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s premiership have certainly been tumultuous. Becoming the third Prime Minister this year, he has been met with a host of challenges for the country upon taking up his post, including a cost of living crisis and an ongoing war in Europe. (...)

Friday 11 November 2022

Reducing Emissions from Aviation in the EU (2/2)

As discussed in article one of this series, the aviation sector contributes 4.6% to global warming. In 2015, aviation accounted for 2.1% of global CO2 emissions. Aviation does not only emit CO2 emissions but also other potent GHG emissions, including nitrogen oxides, water vapour and soot. To (...)

Thursday 27 October 2022

Reducing Emissions from Aviation in the EU (1/2)

Aviation is important for connecting people and for the global economy. However, the aviation sector contributes 4.6% to global warming. In 2015, aviation accounted for 2.1% of global CO2 emissions. Aviation does not only emit CO2 emissions, non-CO2 effects account for over half of aviation’s (...)

Friday 29 July 2022

European Maritime Day: Sustainable Alternative Fuels and Shipping

Today is European Maritime Day. The subject this year is ‘Sustainable blue economy for green recovery’. When talking about improving the sustainability of the maritime sector, an important topic is the future of alternative sustainable fuels. Gas is perceived to be an alternative fuel by many (...)

Friday 20 May 2022

Europe’s addiction to Russia’s gas: Why and how the EU must use this moment to invest in renewable energy

Natural gas accounts for about 25%, and oil and petroleum account for about 32% of the EU’s energy consumption, with renewable energy and biofuels making up 18% and solid fossil fuels accounting for 11%. The EU is now the world’s biggest importer of natural gas. Russia is the largest contributor (...)

Wednesday 20 April 2022

Decarbonising Shipping in the EU (2/2)

As discussed in article one of this series, shipping accounts for 2-3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is, therefore, important to tackle these emissions especially given the projected rise of 50-250% above current levels. To recap, the European Commission proposed the ‘Fit for 55 (...)

Saturday 2 April 2022
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