Global News Archives - Pagina 21 di 65

Home » Global News

New Report Urges Western Governments to Reconsider Reliance on Biofuels

Western governments have made a wrong turn in energy policy by supporting the large-scale conversion of plants into fuel and should reconsider that strategy, according to a new report from a prominent environmental think tank. Turning plant matter into liquid fuel or electricity is so inefficient that the approach is unlikely ever to supply a substantial fraction of global energy demand, the report found. It added that continuing to pursue this strategy — which has already led to billions of dollars of investment — is likely to use up vast tracts of fertile land that could be devoted to helping feed the world’s growing population.

Economia circolare: sprecando meno risorse si crea più lavoro

Meno spreco di risorse vuol dire più occupazione. Ma non solo: uno sviluppo basato sul riuso, il riciclo, la riduzione del consumo di materie prime e della produzione di rifiuti potrebbe intaccare anche quello che è considerato il tasso di disoccupazione fisiologico di un’economia perché, oltre a creare lavoro, riduce il disallineamento tra domanda e offerta. È quanto emerge da un nuovo report che parla della realtà del Regno Unito ma che arriva a conclusioni che sono interessanti anche per altre situazioni, quella italiana in primis.

After the oil price crash, it’s time for a carbon tax

The reduction in oil prices should be a good opportunity for Europe to put in place the appropriate tools for combating climate change, and to start the transition to a sustainable economy, writes Alberto Majocchi. Alberto Majocchi is Professor of Public Finance at the University of Pavia; Board Member of the Centre for Studies on Federalism. This op-ed was first published as Comment of the CSF on 19 January 2015.

Voyage au coeur des villes de demain

Aujourd’hui, près de la moitié des habitants sur Terre – soit quelque 3 milliards – vivent dans les villes. En 2050, ils seront 6 milliards. Chaque semaine, un million de personnes viennent s’installer dans ces grandes cités qui occupent seulement 2 % de la surface de la planète, mais qui représentent tout de même 75 % de la consommation énergétique mondiale. Très prochainement, ces métropoles vont devoir faire face à des enjeux majeurs si elles veulent continuer à accueillir et à satisfaire leurs populations.

Smart Cities Lead To Smarter Citizens

The vibrant city of Shanghai, China, was certainly an appropriate venue to host the recent Smart City China Expo & Congress, the most influential smart city forum in China. Sponsored by the China Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, smart city experts joined representatives from nearly 200 national smart city pilot projects and more than 200 international investment and financial companies, along with leading government visionaries, with the goal of sharing new ideas on every aspect of smart city development.

Playing Dumb on Climate Change

Scientist have often been accused of exaggerating the threat of climate change, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that they ought to be more emphatic about the risk. The year just concluded is about to be declared the hottest one on record, and across the globe climate change is happening faster than scientists predicted. Science is conservative, and new claims of knowledge are greeted with high degrees of skepticism.