_{Source: Estonia’s Electric Mobility Plan (ELMO)}

Last month, Estonia launched a nationwide network of quick-charging stations for electric vehicles powered by 100% renewable energies. Each station is located at most within 60 km of another and there is one in every town with over 5,000 residents. Charging stations are placed in accessible locations such as gas stations, banks, cafes, parking lots and shopping centres, where the average electric vehicle can recharge to 90% of capacity in half an hour. [Read more →]

Matt Mellen, Campaign Director of Trillion Fund, explains how community ownership of renewable energy projects allows people to consolidate their position, get a better deal and build up resilience to future shocks.

© BedZED low carbon community, UK

Contemporary capitalism has resulted in a concentration of wealth and power at the top of multi-national corporations and in the hands of a few ultra-influential individuals. Today, decisions about the fundamentals of how we live, eat and power our homes are often made in boardrooms many miles from where we live – quite possibly in another country.   [Read more →]

Qatar has the highest per capita CO₂ emissions in the world and 7 planets would be needed if everyone lived like an average citizen of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). With these opening remarks we kicked off the side event of the HafenCity University, World Wildlife Fund and World Future Council in at the UNFCCC COP18 in Doha. The ingredients for a fruitful discussion on the future of resilient and regenerative Gulf States were already there.

All the panellists agreed that water will be the main challenge for Gulf States as sea levels rise and the availability of fresh water is likely to decrease in the future. Since most Gulf cities sit on the coastline, a sea level rise of just 1 metre will directly impact 41,500 km² of land and 37 million people, while a sea level rise of 5 metres would impact 113,000 km² in the GCC.  [Read more →]