Save our planet Archives: April 2008

  • Ignacio Henares: Democratic socialism and sustainable development

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    Rating: 5/5 with 3 votes

    Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 09:22
    by eromerof Join PES activists in Save our planet (215 views and 0 comments)

    Willy Brandt: “Democratic socialism has the ability to make new beginnings possible”.

    Democratic socialism has been able to respond to new challenges and to a new a state of affairs through equality and social justice. Just as pacifism or feminism were integrated as new elements in the cluster of socialist values, the time has now come to include sustainable development as a central element of our socialist thinking and political practice.

    The Left should take into account the consequences of environmental degradation for our planet and introduce solidarity as a fundamental principle in the implementation of a model of sustainable development that is fairer and more responsible. The challenge for the 21st century no longer is to achieve a better redistribution of wealth and fight for equal opportunities but also to respond to the more complex challenge of making the environment healthier both at local and global level. Ecosocialism should therefore be understood as a question of solidarity between and among generations, both in time and space.

    A NEW MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT
    Europe has paved the way for environmental policies aiming at ‘cleaning up’ the environment. However setting limits... » read more ...

    Tags: blogger of the week, climate change, environment, renewable energy, sustainable energy


  • Isabella Frenning: What kind of car should I get?

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    Rating: 5/5 with 1 votes

    Published Friday, April 25, 2008 at 12:30
    by Isabella_Frenning Join PES activists in Save our planet (329 views and 0 comments)

    Like most other consumer goods these days, people consider their cars an expression of their personal taste and identity. In the late 90’s a Danish sociologist even named his book about population segmentation ‘If your neighbour was a car’, using different brands of cars as representatives of different life style choices.

    Admittedly, growing up in Copenhagen it never really seemed relevant to bother about getting a driver’s license, so if I was in the market for a new ride, I’d probably be more likely to ask ‘What kind of bike should I get?’ instead. But many for many families the discussion about what car to get seems a quite important one. Since the frightening report of the IPCC we have all been much more concerned about climate changes, wanting to do our bit to help the globe. And reducing our CO2-emissions by choosing environment-friendly means of transportation seems like a reasonable place to start. As a consequence, the question about what car to get is not only about price and design, but also one... » read more ...

    Tags: blogger of the week, sustainable energy, transport


  • Green cities: Keep public transport public

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    Rating: 5/5 with 2 votes

    Published Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11:30
    by Editor in Save our planet (307 views and 1 comments)

    Sometimes it takes old technologies to solve the problems of modern life! This is the case in the Greater Manchester Region, United Kingdom, where good old-fashioned rail helped the regions out of its problems with traffic congestion and pollution.

    Dave Quayle from Labour is a member of the Trafford Borough Council for the last 17 years and Member of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions. He is a strong supporter of the ‘Metrolink’ project and helped reintroduce trams in his region:

    "50 years ago Greater Manchester abandoned its tram system and in the 1980s the area faced major congestion problems. With the introduction of ‘Metrolink’ in 1992 a lot of these problems were solved," explains Dave Quayle.

    40 million car journeys off
    ‘Metrolink’ is unusual because the vehicles are running on both ‘traditional’,... » read more ...

    Tags: environment, green cities, transport


  • Martina Preuss: Green IT and the climate

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    Rating: 4.5/5 with 4 votes

    Published Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 10:25
    by martina Join PES activists in Save our planet (544 views and 2 comments)

    Climate neutrality, or, in scientific terms 'CO2 neutrality', describes processes by which the global CO2 balance remains constant (source: Wikipedia).

    In my opinion this CO2 balance no longer exists – we need to bring back this balance before we can actually maintain it. In a time of increased environmental awareness, this worthy goal can nevertheless produce unusual ideas.

    Our lifestyles are often careless: jetting off to remote countries, taking the car to go to the bakery around the corner, using the tumble dryer and all the other small things which makes life easy. These actions need no longer give us a guilty conscience. By spending a bit of money you can compensate for your polluting sins. For example, take a look at Atmosfair, Greenmiles, The Climate Company or My Climate. There are probably more such projects, especially outside Germany. Yet a study from Tufts University in Boston revealed that only three of thirteen such ‘compensation agencies’, including Atmosfair and My Climate, are actually recommended service providers.

    When travelling by plane, Atmosfair can help you obtain a cleaner conscience. You can pay when you book, but also... » read more ...

    Tags: blogger of the week, climate change, CO2, electricity, energy, environment

    File: IT_climate_DE.pdf


  • The need for wind power

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    Rating: 3.7/5 with 6 votes

    Published Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 15:12
    by Wind Energy in Save our planet (416 views and 0 comments)

    The world is facing an energy and climate crisis. Globally, the energy sector emits 26 billion tonnes of CO2 each year and electricity production alone accounts for 41% of emissions. The International Energy Agency expects CO2 emissions in 2030 to have increased by 55% to reach more than 40 billion tonnes of CO2. The share of emissions coming from electricity production will increase to 44% in 2030, reaching 18 billion tonnes of CO2. Europe is going to be importing a growing share of its energy at unpredictable but most likely higher prices, from unstable regions, in ever-fiercer competition with the rest of the world and at staggering environmental cost. Spare electricity generating capacity is at a historic low. Europe has to invest in new capacity to replace ageing plants and meet future demand. In the period 2005-2030, the EU needs to install 862 GW of new electricity generating capacity. 427 GW of generating capacity will be retired in the EU and an additional 435 GW will be needed to satisfy the growing demand for power. The required capacity exceeds the total capacity operating in Europe (723 GW). Satisfying our energy needs over the coming decades will be a big challenge. For a region that currently imports 56% of its energy – and is on track to reach 70%... » read more ...

    Tags: energy, environment, NGO, wind