We need to look at the link between extreme weather and climate change differently
A number of recent extreme weather events such as the Californian drought, the Indian heat wave, blizzards in England are prompting scientists to move beyond the traditionally stated caveat-that it is very difficult to link a single weather event and climate change-and they are now...
India exceeds 4 Gigawatts of installed solar capacity
According to a recent report published by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India now has 4.011 Gigawatts of solar capacity. Last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a significant increase in the country’s solar target under a program called the Jawaharlal Nehru...
A scientist’s perspective of the Pope’s Encyclical letter
Upon review of the Laudato Si from the point of view of a scientist working in the climate change space, I believe that overall, Pope Francis has successfully elucidated the significance of the issues related to climate change and in particular the role that every...
Net zero homes only 5 years away in California
The New Residential Zero Net Energy Action Plan, written by the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission, provides the housing market in California with the drivers for all new houses to be zero net energy (ZNE) within 5 years. It provides a...
Forests could be a carbon source thanks to climate change
The number of growth days for plants could decrease by 11% by 2100 if only limited action is taken to address climate change, according to a study which was a collaboration by the Universities of Hawaii and Montana and recently published in PLOS Biology.A number...
US President Obama turbo charges green energy investment
On June 16 2015, US President Obama announced more than $4 billion in private sector commitments and Executive actions to “turbo charge” investment in clean energy. In the announcement from the White House, the plummeting cost of solar energy systems (50% reduction) over the past...
2014 a record year for renewables around the world-but not in Australia of course!
The latest report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network (REPN) released today (18 June 2015) has shown that 2014 was a record breaking year for renewable energy around the globe (but not in Australia of course). New investment exceeded US$300 billion, and renewables now contribute...