Rhein on Energy and Climate

Archives for Energy Supply

After two years of debate the Council of Transport ministers has arrived at a political compromise concerning the Commission proposal for charging the external costs – air pollution, noise and congestion –caused by lorries. This will be the first time that heavy duty lorries will subject to the principle “polluter pays”. It is a big… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Quietly and without being noted by the wider public, EU institutions have started to address the consequences climate change may have in Europe. European climate policy will therefore in future follow a dual track: mitigation, which has so far been in the limelight, and adaptation. This approach signals the rising awareness of policy makers that… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

With one month to go before the opening of the 16th ministerial climate conference in Cancun, the EU Environment Council, meeting on October 24th, has defined its expectations and “negotiation directives”. The “Council Conclusions” adopted to that end contain a lot of exaggerated hopes, couched in an excessive technical jargon. Who would not agree that… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

On October 9th 2010, the 192 member governments of the ICAO have agreed on a resolution to address C02 emissions from air traffic, which has rightly been dubbed “historic”. It calls upon • a 2 percent annual improvement of fuel efficiency up to 2050; • the development of C02 standards of aircraft engines by 2013;… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

On an ordinary October day 2010 the international media carried four reports concerning EU activities: EU moves to block a Polish deal with Russia; EU claims victory over aircraft C02 emissions; EU Parliament to extend motherhood vacation to 20 weeks; EU Presidency proposes compromise over environmental levies on trucks. Each of these apparently trivial and… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

US militaries have for a long time warned of the impact from climate change global security and, more directly, of the security risks resulting from excessive US dependence on imported oil from an unstable Middle East. But recently, as the New York Times reports, the Army has taken concrete steps towards weaning itself off fossil… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

In view of the stalemate on climate legislation in the Senate President Obama has instructed the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to prepare executive regulations for capping green house gas emissions from automobiles, trucks, refineries, power plants and major industrial emitters. These measures are designed to enter into force in early 2011 if no legislation has… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

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