The 6th meeting of the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in Bali from February 19 – February 21, 2014 was meant to propel the new Fund toward full operationalization by year’s end. After Bali, however, this tightly timed goal is in peril. For the GCF Board it is now crunch time to deliver at its May meeting.
Shale gas development continues to cause a heated debate on both sides of the Atlantic with the industry touting the increasing number of jobs within the sector, as well as lower CO2 emissions in comparison to coal and oil. Although both seem to be good news for US and EU policy makers and civil society, such arguments are often exaggerated and do not reflect less promising economic and environmental realities.
The impacts of the German energy transition on its European neighbors have hardly been addressed. In 2013, HBF, in cooperation with the Ecologic Institute, invited experts from the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland to discuss the prospects for better cross-border cooperation arising from Germany's energy transition. This report is the result of the trilateral energy expert group's discussion.
The value of nature and its “services” should not only be cherished and given greater visibility as elements of the economy, but should be assigned a monetary value in order to protect them.
This paper demonstrates that an expansion of renewable energy sources is the only path to a secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy system until 2030 and beyond. Renewables not only drastically reduce emissions and other environmental and social burdens; they also reduce energy import dependency and hence increase energy security, strengthen local economies, and create jobs.
Northern tip of Scotland, long known for its waves and currents, is channeling attention from the U.S. and other countries for its dedication to understanding how to harness energy from these elements.
When the Board of the Green Climate Fund meets in Bali, Indonesia from February 19-21, the GCF’s mandated “gender-sensitive approach” is finally full-fledged on the agenda – and no longer treated under “any other business”. This policy analysis by Elizabeth Eggert (UNDP) and Liane Schalatek looks at options to integrate gender considerations into the operational modalities up for discussion and decision in Bali.
As a reaction to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in March 2011, Germany decided to phase-out nuclear power by the year 2022. Three years later, we can see what the temporary effects have been and what the long-term effects are likely to be in the country's energy sector.
The way in which we produce and consume meat affects many aspects of our lives and our environment: health, animal protection, food safety, agriculture, trade, environment and climate impacts are only some of these dimensions. Our new publication, the Meat Atlas 2014, describes and illustrates these relationships.
How have renewable energy cooperatives helped German citizens realize the economic benefits of renewables and how have cooperatives fostered public acceptance of the energy transition?
