A selection of the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector.
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    A young French Management professional I have been delving into sustainability and energy issues since 2004. Here you will find all the projects I am involved in.

    Started in January 2007, my professional blog offers a selection of the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Over 1,450 articles.

    All articles are to be found below.

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    After several missions in Marketing, Communications and Quality management, I am seeking new challenges –preferably- in the cleantech and sustainability areas.

    This way I would be able to combine my international management education, my passion for the Internet, my taste for writing as well as my strong languages skills.

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  • Cleantechies

    A leading knowledge hub and fast-growing career & business network for cleantech professionals.

    Cleantechies provides insight, orientation, and opportunities for the Clean Tech community.

    It has published since June 2009 my articles and opinion pieces on French and European energy policies.

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Renewables are surging much faster than thought

wind and solar powerA close observer of renewable energy markets I am amazed at how fast they are growing around the world. Many countries are banking on them to get out of the current triple crisis.

Even if the efforts being done are lacking the necessary scale, results are very encouraging. Portugal is getting 70 percent of its electricity from hydro and wind, Spain over a half of electricity came from clean sources as well.

In Germany, solar can provide up to 22 GW, or 44 % of the total demand. In Australia, one in eleven houses have solar panels installed. Read more

Dangerous pesticides to be banned in Europe

This made the headlines earlier this month as this is great news for bees and our civilization as Albert Einstein stated that “ If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live. “

The European commission seems to have understood that as it will ban three pesticides -called neonicotinoids or neonics for short – that are particularly harmful to bees and other pollinating agents. The ban will last two years.

This is a historic victory for environmental movements as bees pollinate up to 75 percent of all crops. Let’s hope other countries will follow the European lead.

Carbon dioxide concentration reaches 400 ppm

400 ppm :  time to actGiven how Humankind keeps on spewing dozens of billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, this was expected : carbon dioxide concentration have reached 400 parts per million.

While this may sound mundane to most people, this is a real event, and one that could have dire consequences. Last time CO2 concentration were this high, temperatures were 8°C (or 14°F ) higher.

Additionally, sea level were significantly higher. Both higher temperatures and higher sea levels would be lethal threats to our civilization. Read more

Can France achieve 15 GW of solar PV capacity by 2020 ?

Solar PVTo Cleantechnica : “ A study recently published by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) suggests that France’s Solar PV target for 2020 should be 15 GW instead of its current 5.4 GW. “

” According to ADEME, solar PV has the potential to reach grid parity in France in the coming few years, and therefore is an essential component of sustainable energy policies. “

For solar to reach grid parity in a country relying massively on nuclear power would be a major achievement. For more, please refer to the official ADEME report (in French, pdf format)

Investors : beware of the carbon bubble

Carbon bubble reportFossil fuels are making less and less sense as renewable energies are becoming cheaper and cheaper and as climate change is becoming more and more serious. This is even more the case since we’ll have to leave most of it buried.

The Guardian, the Financial Times and the Economist published compelling articles on a new report that points that this situation could bring another financial crisis as up to six trillions dollars are linked to unburnable carbon.

This strong warning is backed up by banks such as HSBC, Citi, and organisations such as Standard and Poor’s and the International Energy Agency. Read more

How to do your spring cleaning naturally

Spring cleaningA long time ago, when Verda Vivo’s author was still writing her awesome blog, I discovered that you could clean up with natural products. Ever since, I have been using vinegar for some of my cleaning.

So if you are new to natural cleaning products, you can check Verda Vivo’s articles or this new one, from Earth 911. Their slideshow focuses on vinegar, baking soda and lemon, all common and natural ingredients.

Cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly than your average cleaning products and detergents, I am amazed at how much you can do with them. I definitively should use them more.

Bike sharing is booming too

Washington DC BikeshareLast week I was reporting that biking is booming in cities around the world. Grist wrote about how bike sharing is an essential component of this phenomenon as they are more than 500 cities in 49 countries with bike-sharing programs.

Collectively, they represent as many as 500,000 bicycles combined. This just might be the beginning as to a specialist “bike sharing has experienced the fastest growth of any mode of transport in the history of the planet.

If you are interested, please take the time to read Grist’s article as it is simply a must-read. Nonetheless, beware : it’s a long read…

United States on an energy conservation quest

President Obama is willing to save his country a lot of money : $40 billion, or around 30 billion euros, annually. These huge sums of money equal to reducing energy use in commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020.

As Elisa Wood wrote on Cleantechies : ” To achieve the goal, the Obama administration in 2011 initiated the Better Buildings Challenge, a way to encourage investment, share information and create demonstration projects that save energy.”

30 billion euros is a huge sum. I wonder how much these savings could translate to globally. I guess it’s high time to find out and launch a similar program globally to create jobs and save our civilization…

Thirty years and counting

Happy birthday !A quick note to thank my family and all my friends for their kindness, patience and love as they have been my main source of motivation and energy for the past 30 years. Thirty years ? Yes, today is my birthday ! :)

Peugeot to introduce Hybrid Air car

The Peugeot Hybrid AirYour next car could run on air (and gas). The French carmaker Peugeot is working on a vehicle that could run partially on air. Highly efficient, the car will be doing approximately 2.9 liters for 100 kms or 81 MPG.

As the New York Times, the Guardian and Le Figaro [Fr] reported, the Hybrid Air combines a hydraulic drive that recovers energy each time the car brakes or decelerates as well as a conventional thermal engine.

These models would be ideal for urban driving. Due to be sold as early as 2016, it would be cheaper -and more efficient in city driving – than a Toyota Prius. Read more

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About Edouard

A young French Management professional - now for hire - he has been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector.

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Be a gentle friend to trees and they will give you back beauty, cool and fragrant shade, and many birds, singing. My profession is to always find God in nature. — Henry David Thoreau