Rhein on Energy and Climate

Archives for Climate change

The decision by Areva, the French engineering company with a turn-over of some € 12 billion and employing 75 000 people around the world, to buy Ausra, a tiny US start-up company with less than 100 employees, is likely to give a further boost solar thermal power generation, after the launch of DESERTEC by a… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

For those fighting to preserve the earth’s climate, the second decade of the 21st century has begun with two bad news: · UN member countries will not honour the deadline of February 1st, by which to submit their climate targets for 2020, as “agreed” in the “Copenhagen Accord”. That might be the beginning of the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

At the Commission Hearings by the EP, January 15, the new Climate Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, has pleaded in favour of continuing to rely on the UN machinery as the way to reach an international agreement on climate change. After two years of unsuccessful preparations, in the UN framework, for the Copenhagen Climate Conference, this is… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

As of January 1st, the new Brazilian climate legislation (“National Policy on Climate Change Act”) has entered into force. It fixes ambitious targets. By 2020 green house gas emissions should be 39 percent lower than “business as usual”, which should bring back Brazil‘s emissions back to 1994 levels. To reach this objective, Brazil must first… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Fighting climate change requires action by all countries, but in particular the small number of major emitting countries- China, USA, EU, Russia, Japan, India, Gulf states, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Korea, South Africa – on which effective mitigation of global climate change hinges. Up to now only the EU and Japan have taken stringent actions… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Climate change is bound to dramatically impair the living conditions of our children and grandchildren. To mitigate the extent of climate change robust action willaction will have to be undertaken by all countries, but in particular by OECD countries, in the course of the coming 20 years. Without such action happening, then it will be… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

After two years of preparation intense diplomatic activity humanity does not seem to ready be up to the task of for taking the necessary action for the dramatic substantial reduction of green houses gases that is necessary to preserve the decent livingclimatic conditions on our small planet earth. As things stand, Formally speaking, tthe Copenhagen… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

China and India have signed a five-year agreement for strengthening their cooperation on energy conservation and efficiency and also taking the lead of developing countries in the run-up to Copenhagen. This is excellent news. Developing countries should put their hand together in Copenhagen for obtaining maximum concessions from developed countries for both emission cuts and… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

At their last preparatory meeting for the Copenhagen Climate Conference the EU environment ministers, October 20-21, have agreed to offer a 95 percent reduction of their green house gas emissions until 2050. This is praiseworthy; but it remains void of meaning unless the EU comes up with answers on three critical questions: What concrete steps… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein