SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Corporate Climate Action: The Time to Act is Now
In a time where thousands of young (and slightly less young) people are following the lead of 17-year old Nobel nominee Greta Thunberg by marching the streets in cities all over the world, climate change might be higher on the societal agenda than ever before. Corporate climate action is definitely not a new thing – but today, even companies in traditionally less carbon-intensive sectors must also raise the bar committing to concrete targets to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to the goals in the Paris Agreement. In this article, we propose a straight-forward 5-step approach to start building a pragmatic climate approach.
11 Years Left to Flip the Switch on Energy
The World Economic Forum published its second edition of the Energy Transition Index. The Index benchmarks individual countries on the performance of their energy system and their readiness towards the energy transition. It provides a framework for countries to design long-term energy transition roadmaps by looking at their energy system's current performance. Furthermore, it highlights the necessary enablers that improve a country’s readiness for energy transition.
Can Investors Spur Shell Towards a Clean Future?
As we’ve all been reading for the last years, sustainability is a hot topic for many institutional investors. Over 1,600 asset managers have underwritten the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), representing $62 trillion assets under management. But how does it work in practice? Do sustainable investors truly walk their talk and act on mitigating a topic such as climate change as a risk to their capital invested? Can they use their power to change the course of the companies they put their clients’ money in?
Championing Sustainable Innovations in Energy Transition
In an era where global awareness for climate change and its impacts is more increasing than ever, Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement seems to conflict with recent global trends. Rather than following Trump’s withdrawal, national leaders from different continents are accelerating their efforts. One of the main focus areas to counter climate change is the roll out of renewable energy, with offshore wind as one of the sleeping giants.
Sustainable Energy Week 2017
The 2017 European Union Sustainable Energy Week will take place from 20-22 of June in Brussels, Belgium. Public authorities, private companies, NGOs and consumers are brought together to promote initiatives for the energy transition towards renewable sources.
How Copenhagen Realizes its Ambitious Climate Goals
As part of their round-the-world sailing trip in search of sustainable solutions, the Sailors for Sustainability visited Copenhagen last summer. The Danish capital has set the ambitious target of becoming CO2-neutral by 2025. This innovative policy objective makes Copenhagen the world’s leading capital city on climate change. Transformations in the construction, transportation and energy sectors will be required, which will not only have positive effects on the environment, but also create business opportunities.
Turning Your Tesla into a Green Clean Money Machine
As early as 1505, Emperor Maximilian had the vision to establish a postal network in the European Empire, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. After the collapse of the Empire in the beginning of the 19th Century, the Thurn and Taxis postal system continued as a seperate organization. In current times, with new technologies and postal volumes dropping between 3-9% annually such a network is no longer required. But what can we learn from history when smart charging is applied in the roll-out of the European electrical vehicles recharging network?
Closing Coal Plants Important Signal for COP21 Summit
The Netherlands is the worst performing country in Europe in terms of energy and climate policy, according to recent research by the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen. When it comes to renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy consumption, the Netherlands scores bottom of the list in Europe. In order to start taking action on this, 64 professors wrote a letter to the Dutch government saying: shut down all coal plants.
Why the Dutch Don't Need a Car Industry
The recent Volkswagen emissions scandal, and the new Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations, the topic of climate change is more prominent on the political agenda than ever. Rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is one of the most effective ways to abate greenhouse gas emissions and to address climate change.
