healthier, happier and richer

Welcome to Climate Answers

Climate change is the most serious issue ever to have faced humanity. Rightly, it is now high on the public, political, media and business agendas. However, too much of the discussion is still about what we should not be doing or what we should be against. There is not enough discussion or information on solutions – what we can and should do to minimise dangerous climate change, and what should be done to make us not only safer and more secure, but also richer and happier.

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Comment 2 September 2010: Slovenia – nuclear, coal and wood

What I have learned on this week’s trip to Slovenia.

Repowering Communities case study: Freiburg

Freiburg has a well-deserved reputation as Germany’s green capital. It uses on about half of the energy that other European cities of 200,000 people do, and has become a world leader in solar. This article looks at what the city council has done to achieve this.

Serbia – climate and energy statistics

Key statistics on greenhouse emissions and energy sources in Serbia.

Slovenia – climate and energy statistics

Key statistics on greenhouse emissions and energy sources in Slovenia.

CCS: an obvious solution to the energy dilemmas of Poland?

With around 95% of its electricity generated from coal, Poland comes up higher in coal statistics than Australia, the US, South Africa or even China. The coal intensity of electricity generation in Poland is not only a legacy from the past, but also a conscious choice of consecutive Polish governments. As the most abundant energy resource in the country, coal is considered an important pillar of Poland’s energy security. And yet, despite the central position of coal for the energy sector and the environmental pressure from Brussels, there is little enthusiasm for CCS technology among Polish decision-makers and energy sector stakeholders.

Sustainability benchmarking for CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme success in the UK

The debate about climate change is still strong and prominent, and the ways we deal with it are discussed on a regular basis. Organisations need to overcome certain barriers more efficiently and focus on driving change within the working environment, influencing central government to take more actions and avoid a ‘climate summit abject failure’ such as Copenhagen.

Repowering Communities case study: Babylon

How Babylon, New York used money raised from waste collection charges to overcome barriers to getting homeowners to make their properties more energy efficient.

Repowering Communities case study: Upper Austria

Austrian regions (Länder) play a significant role in energy, particularly regarding building efficiency and heating, including district heating. Upper Austria is one of nine regions, covering 12,000km2, with 1.4 million inhabitants. It is highly industrialised, with significant heavy industry (manufacture of steel and machinery).

This article is about how Upper Austria manages to get a third of its total energy use, and almost half its heat, from renewables.

Croatia – climate and energy statistics

Key statistics on greenhouse emissions and energy sources in Croatia.

19 August 2010: Not all old people are poor

Winter fuel payments in the UK should be reformed to give more help to those in fuel poverty or off the gas grid. The government should be put under pressure to do much more to improve existing buildings, including regulating the private rented sector.