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Archives for Biofuels

Europe’s climate and energy debate keeps on living in Disneyland

30 October, 2008

Friends of Europe’s annual energy summit (held on 30 October) saw tough exchanges between CCS defenders and the renewable energy sector but kept dodging the real question: can we solve the climate/energy crisis without questioning our economic growth and development paradigm? Energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs, as expected, defended his commission resolve not to “deviate” from… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, China, Climate change, energy saving, energy security, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainability, sustainable energy

How financial meltdown could help the energy revolution

10 October, 2008

The energy-and-climate-crisis deniers are having a hell of a party these days. The financial crash has raised their hopes that global warming, peak oil and all the other “humbug” will finally be kicked off the political agenda. One climate policy “monitor” even served us the ludicrous title: “EU: saving the economy or saving green dreams?”… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Climate change, energy saving, energy security, financial crisis, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainability, sustainable energy

Worth reading: new Stern report; Daly on steady-state economy; air travel; CCS; biofuels

6 May, 2008

A few pointers to some must-read reports or articles which I discovered in the last ten days: Nicholas Stern’s latest report “Key elements of a global deal on climate change“: not much different from his 2006 Stern review for the UK government but rings the alarm bell a bit harder as very little has really… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

aviation, Biofuels, Carbon capture and storage, Climate change, Stern report, sustainability

Transatlantic conference hears bleak evaluation of EU climate policies

29 April, 2008

This blog was very silent last week because I was in Washington DC participating in a fascinating two-day climate and energy conference organised by the Transatlantic Platform for Action on the Global Environment (T-PAGE). This dialogue forum was created to facilitate debate among members of EU and US civil society on climate and energy policies… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Climate change, Global Warming, sustainability, US climate policy

Inconvenient questions

4 March, 2008

I am not Al Gore 🙂 and therefore cannot provide you with the “inconvenient truth” but there are a few inconvenient questions that have started to vex me recently as I am thinking and reading more about our global sustainability problematique. Let’s start with a few of my beliefs in order to put my inconvenient… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, energy saving, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable energy

Second-generation biofuels: really better?

1 March, 2008

Now that the EU’s policies on first-generation biofuels is getting more and more headwind, the biofuels advocates in Brussels (and globally) are holding a plea for quicker research and development of cellulosic or second-generation biofuels. In the impact assessment of its 23 January 2008 climate/energy package, the Commission foresees a 30% share of these new… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, renewable energy

Debunking a climate change debunker

5 February, 2008

Eric Grover’s recent contribution to BlogActiv (“Global-warming theology threatens freedom and prosperity”) is a useful example of the denial strategy of the few left-over climate sceptics. Its polemic tone (“global-warming theology”, “romantic environmentalists”, Kyoto as a ploy to undermine the US economy, “Taliban global-warming religionists” who are as dangerous as “resurgent Islamic ideology”) is meant… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Climate change, energy saving, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainable energy

Global low carbon economy: through competition or cooperation?

27 November, 2007

How can Europe lead on the necessary transition to a carbon-constrained economic future when the policy measures needed might undermine the competitiveness of European industries? This was the subject of a major conference “Towards a global low carbon economy” organised as the closing event of the EU Commission’s high-level group on competitiveness, energy and the… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Business and climate change, Climate change, Eco-competitiveness, energy saving, energy security, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainable energy

Climate change not big issue in US election campaign, say experts

15 November, 2007

Three American political commentators do not see global warming as one of the defining issues for the upcoming presidential campaign. The next president will probably be chosen on the basis of personality and domestic issues unless there is a new terrorist attack before November 2008. The three journalists, Rick Burke (NY Times), Carroll Doherty (Pew… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Climate change, energy saving, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainable energy, US climate policy

IEA issues coal-black warning on global energy future

8 November, 2007

I was in London yesterday attending the launch of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2007 and I must admit that the report shocked me (because of its content) but also positively surprised me (because of the new “soft” realism of the IEA) The new Outlook states in cautious and, of course, more diplomatic… » read more

Posted by Willy De Backer

Biofuels, Climate change, energy saving, energy security, Global Warming, renewable energy sources, sustainable energy

Archives for Biofuels

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