Author: germanacanzi

I am an independent climate, energy and international development consultant based in London.
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Solar on schools: getting through the first hurdles

At my son’s primary school in North London we have all the basic conditions needed to kick-start a solar photovoltaic panel project. It’s not always easy, but we are getting through the first hurdles and have made progress with fundraising.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, we have a promising combination of enthusiastic parents and staff. When I first raised the prospect of installing solar panels with the Parent School Association (PSA), many were keen to help and get the children involved in educational and fundraising activities on the ‘solar’ theme. We meanwhile heard governors are supportive, too.

Read the rest on the Friends of the Earth website.

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Book Review – The Energy of Nations

It was with a bit of trepidation that I started to read Jeremy Leggett’s most recent book, The Energy of Nations: Risk Blindness and the Road to Renaissance (Routledge, 2013). Last time I read one of Leggett’s books – The Carbon Wars – it had such an impact on me that it contributed heavily to my decision to leave a promising job as a financial journalist to pursue a fascinating but less linear career in climate change policy. Continue reading “Book Review – The Energy of Nations”

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Vote in the EU elections – and ask your friends & family to do the same

Michael Warhurst's avatareuenvironmentblog.eu

Don’t believe what you read in the newspapers or see on TV – the elections for the European Parliament really are important.

They aren’t just an opportunity to vote against the governing parties in your country – or to vote against European Union (EU) policies on austerity – or even against the EU itself.

The European Parliament has real power, as one of the two pillars of decision making on EU laws (the other being elected governments). Yes, the European Commission proposes laws, but it is the parliament and EU governments who decide what happens.

Do EU laws matter? Can the parliament make a difference? Yes in both cases.

  • If you care about climate change (and everyone should), EU laws are vital for ensuring that we invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency. They are also helping make our products more energy efficient, saving money, emissions and generating innovation…

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