Published Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 23:23
by
Editor
in Save our planet (368 views and 3 comments)
The issues raised by the speakers fuelled a very lively debate. Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economics trends and advisor of different European governments on environmental and economic issues, said that “we have to leave aside a burden sharing and benchmarks approaches and start to talk about commercial opportunities, otherwise in Copenhagen in 2009 we will fail”.
EU has the potential to lead the world into the transition to a third industrial revolution. The introduction of renewables, the functioning of buildings as power plants and the setting up of a smart transmission grid which will take up the internet technology, are the main pillars of the “third industrial revolution” strategy. There was consensus among the public on the importance of decentralising energy policies, creating the opportunity to collect and generate energy locally. In this respect, the building sector could play a major role. To put into...
read morePublished Monday, June 9, 2008 at 16:50
by
SARNOUX 
in Save our planet (205 views and 0 comments)
Notre avenir, notre unité, notre marché commun sont en danger du fait de la crise énergétique qui, si nous ne faisons rien, si nous ne proposons rien, détruira notre espace commun social et humaniste. Tout ce qui a été crée ou pensé volera en éclat et nous irons vers la guerre de l'énergie, la guerre de la faim et la guerre de civilisation par l'émergence des nationalismes renforcés.
Notre devoir est de proposer une Politique Energétique Commune pour donner, de nouveau, un visage, une âme et une vision pragmatique de l'Europe à nos concitoyens. L'Europe du concret et de la preuve doit être notre credo !
C’est pourquoi je propose de créer une Politique Energétique Commune afin de créer des solidarités solides et concrètes pour limiter l'impact du prix de l'énergie sur nos coûts de production ou d'exploitation afin de proposer des bases saines de concurrence avec des règles précises.
Cette politique doit permettre de sectoriser les...
read morePublished Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 09:22
by
eromerof
in Save our planet (435 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 to
polluting emissions or working on water and waste management...
Published Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 14:47
by
reimannsdavid
in Save our planet (702 views and 2 comments)
Hey!Published Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 11:42
by
Editor
in Save our planet (1055 views and 2 comments)
When speaking to Ilmar
Reepalu, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, and member of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions, you realize
that mentality is really the key to change when it comes to
combating climate change. Since the mid-nineties Reepalu has been
working to change Malmö from an industrial town to a modern, green
capital of the region. And with great success – Malmö has received
numerous prizes for its green projects, most recently the
prestigious ‘LivCom’ award in London. Published Friday, January 25, 2008 at 09:57
by
Editor
in Save our planet (850 views and 1 comments)
This week Barroso
presented one of his most ambitious proposals to date; a climate and energy package that outlines how Europe
can lead in climate protection. But is it really ambitious enough?
Here are a few of the package’s key ingredients:
Reactions are mixed. Ministers and energy companies are
complaining that they find the targets way too...
Published Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 10:00
by
taipale
in Save our planet (857 views and 5 comments)
Best regards from
Bali. I was there last week to organize and speak in
two side events on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment of
Finland. The topic in both of the events was to highlight the
energy and emission savings potential of buildings and
construction. Big.Published Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 14:35
by
Editor
in Save our planet (1003 views and 1 comments)
Earlier this month more than 150 PES activists gave input to the PES manifesto at a big activist gathering in Brussels. We asked a few of them what they think the priorities should be for the theme Save our planet:
Friedhelm
Krawelitzki, Germany, teacher
“One important thing would be to stop gene technology. In the hands of capitalists gene technology is a dangerous instrument. I am concerned that it will create more poverty and does not contribute to the general development. In Germany there has already been an action against gene technology and I think it should be taken up at the European level as well.”
Aleksander Glogowski, France, communication officer
“In my opinion the PES manifesto should mention research in technologies that can supply energy in a new and more environmentally friendly ways. National governments and the Commission’s research funds should focus a lot more on this type of...
read morePublished Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 11:51
by
Editor
in Save our planet (1077 views and 0 comments)
What will the PES do to encourage a low carbon consumption
style in Europe?
How will Europe’s socialists and social democrats address the
challenge of climate change?
Where does the PES stand on nuclear energy?
These were some of the questions we received when we encouraged
Yourspace users to ask questions to Mona Sahlin, leader of the
Social Democratic Party of Sweden and responsible for the
manifesto theme Save our planet. Check out her answers in the video
below.
read more
Published Friday, October 12, 2007 at 10:55
by
Editor
in Save our planet (847 views and 3 comments)
The EU has
agreed to a very ambitious, binding EU-wide target of 20 percent
of their energy needs from renewable sources, for example wind
and solar power, by 2020. Now Member States are confronted with
the issue of setting national targets to achieve the EU goals.
In December the European Commission will make new proposals for better coordinate the efforts of Member States to introduce renewable energy. Burden sharing seems to be the keyword in current approaches where countries such as Denmark, which already meet a 9 percent figure, will contribute more while others with little potential like the Czech Republic will contribute less. Differing climatic and geographical conditions across the EU mean that some states will have difficulties meeting the targets. The different national situations will be taken into account in future decisions.
The EU is already behind and will probably not meet the 2010 target of 12 percent. Italy has recently stated that it will be unable to produce more than 15 procent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Other countries push for more flexible ways of reaching the targets, including the use of nuclear power.
Being ambitious is often essential for success, but has the EU gone too far this time? It is expensive for industries and national economies to...
read morePublished Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 11:45
by
Editor
in Save our planet (1307 views and 10 comments)
A much
favored cure for global warming might be worse than the disease.
According to a new report the use hydrogen and other biofuels
will make energy prices more changeable, increase food prices and
even result in a higher emission of greenhouse gases.
The Round Table on Sustainable Development of the OECD has recently published a study (PDF) on the consequences of a massive increase of the use of biofuels. It argues that EU governments’ support for biofuels will cause food shortages and lead to the destruction of natural habitats - while making little impact on climate change. The OECD suggests that the EU plans to obtain 10 percent of its transport fuel from plants by 2020 will have little or no effect on climate change.
The OECD expresses doubts that the technical means exist to produce biofuels in ways that enable the world to meet demand for transportation energy in more secure and less harmful ways without compromising the ability to feed a growing population. This runs counter to studies like the one published by the
read morePublished Friday, May 30, 2008 at 15:21
by bernaft in Save our planet ( comments)
Scientific research has become so important in various aspects of our lives: environment, health, technology, social issues but also in the economy, as Europe is becoming a "Knowledge Based Economy". It is thus important that young European citizens chose scientific careers and ensure that all these challenges are dealt with.
The European Commission is promoting scientific research careers through the Marie Curie Actions, which are a kind of Erasmus programme for scientists.
They came up with a new promotional video which is quite amazing!
Enjoy
loading...