The EU achieved its 2010 target of 21% of electricity consumption from renewable sources, according to latest analysis by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). In 2010 renewable energies produced between 665 Terrawatt hours (TWh) and 673 TWh, hitting the 21% target given consumption was around 3,115 TWh to 3,175 TWh. If renewable electricity production … Read more
Scotland can realise the employment, economic and environmental benefits of carbon storage. A consortium of Scottish Government, industry and researchers has shown that rocks deep beneath the Moray Firth are capable of storing decades of CO2 output from Scotland’s power stations. This emerging Carbon Capture and Storage {CCS} industry could create at least 13,000 new … Read more
As Biodiversity Year comes to a close, national environmental groups have launched a showcase of biodiversity projects and events which took place in 2010, at the European Representation offices in Dublin. The showcase event, organised in co-operation with the European Commission representation in Ireland, runs until Friday 17th December, is open to the public, free, … Read more
The Fault Analysis Group, a leading research group within the UCD School of Geological Sciences, has been presented with the NovaUCD 2010 Innovation Award. The award was presented to the group in recognition of its successes in the establishment of strategic and collaborative research links with global industry partners and in acknowledgement of its successful … Read more
The European Commission has launched a web-based consultation to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders on policy options for the European Union’s post-2010 EU biodiversity strategy. Opinions are sought from citizens, stakeholders, public administrations, business and civil society on issues including the shortcomings of the existing biodiversity policy, the new approach that the … Read more
Forests have a key role to play in combating climate change, both as a carbon sink and as a source of renewable energy, but initiatives to boost forestry for this purpose need to be subject to proper economic assessment, according to the findings of an inquiry by the British House of Lords Sub-Committee on Agriculture, … Read more
27 business leaders from companies across Europe have supported the move to drive the European Union to toughen greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. In a letter signed by the 27 company heads and published by The Financial Times, Le Monde and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, EU ministers are urged to push for increased carbon-cutting targets. The … Read more
The European Union should agree that forest carbon sinks can be used to offset Ireland’s non-Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) emissions, a new report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Food has recommended. In a report on the European Commission’s Green Paper … Read more
Banned or restricted in more than 50 countries, white asbestos continues to be widely used in China, India, Russia and Brazil, and many developing nations, according to ‘Dangers in the Dust’, a joint report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the BBC’s International News Services. A multinational network of industry-backed trade associations … Read more
GE’s dual fuel DLN2.6+ combustion system technology, which enables a reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 40%, is being installed for the first time in the UK. RWE npower, a leading integrated UK energy company serving around 6.7 million customer accounts in Great Britain, recently selected GE technology to reduce emissions, improve efficiency and … Read more