In a previous article, we discussed the general challenges posed by China’s statistical system. Despite these challenges, the Chinese government has started making a serious effort to establish a credible data infrastructure. Before such a transparent and reliable statistical system becomes fully functional, any research involving Chinese data will not be easy. This is especially the [...]
Making your home more energy efficient has many benefits, including reducing the cost of high energy bills, improving personal comfort, and helping to protect the environment. As the cost of energy rises and people’s awareness of the harmful effects of energy production increases, the demand for environmentally renewable energy sources becomes greater than ever before. [...]
Anyone who has even glanced at my book Integrated Sustainable Design of Buildings will be aware that I am passionate about the power of collaboration. I am firmly of the belief that most challenges can be more effectively met by a holistic approach that involves people from many different disciplines actually talking to each other. Unfortunately [...]
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tried to take all sides of the climate change debate yesterday by acknowledging that climate change is real, agreeing that human activity contributes to it, and then withdrawing New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) that tries to reduce it. He argued that RGGI imposes unnecessary costs on [...]
International climate and energy policies, including the EU’s 20-20-20 agenda, often contain three key elements: reducing carbon dioxide emissions, investing in renewable energy sources, and improving energy efficiency. But while some progress has been achieved in the first two categories, efforts to improve efficiency have fallen far short. Why? In theory, energy efficiency is one of [...]
The call for energy independence has been on the political agenda across the globe for many decades. While most countries share a growing energy demand, their reasons for looking to reduce energy dependency as well as their chosen strategies vary significantly. In the U.S., the desire for energy independence had already emerged during the oil [...]
As oil prices continue to rise, consumers all over the world are feeling the squeeze. Although Americans may be hurting at the pump and reviving debates about energy security, the U.S. economy’s vulnerability to oil price volatility is small relative to the island nations of the Caribbean, which use oil to generate most of their electricity [...]
The price of coal is expected to increase 55% in the next two years, to a peak price of$170 per tonne in 2012 from $110 today. The price of oil is expected to increase more than 100% in the next three years, to a peak price of $200 per barrel in 2013 from under $100 today. The price [...]
Hello, 2011. Ten days in and already the supply chain chatter is in full force. In a recent post, I noted how 2010 saw an incredibly marked increase in attention to supply chain ‘greening’ and sustainability (two different things I might add). 2011 looks to carry this trend to greater heights. Why will there be [...]
The future of renewable energy looks very bright. Although energy efficiency will be the main sector in the coming years, wind energy and solar power will see meteoric growth. The global clean energy market will continue to grow in 2011. According to forecasts by Kachan & Co., a US consulting firm that specializes in green [...]