The growing use of modular and prefabricated units in construction promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment, but commercialising the practice remains a challenge
Community groups trying to improve the green credentials of Edinburgh’s historic buildings, while battling lethargic public authorities and high upfront costs, are hoping small changes can make a big difference
A tumultuous past 12 months has seen energy security placed firmly at the centre of many discussions around the world. Improving security takes many forms from low-carbon generation to greater energy efficiency in a bid to lower demand. These topics feature in FORESIGHT's top articles of 2022
Entering the audio sphere in 2022, FORESIGHT Climate & Energy's podcasts have given our listeners a chance to hear directly from key personalities in the energy sector and discuss how to achieve a decarbonised economy in the most expedient way. Take a listen to our top episodes from 2022
Cutting emissions from road transportation is a major part of the energy transition. Electrification promises to transform the way we move people and things around
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Supporting the focus on innovative urban responses to the challenge of climate and energy change
Sudden spikes in the cost of energy have pushed energy efficiency higher up the public and political agenda. Building renovations can be costly, but there could be ways of making energy efficiency itself more efficient
Cities are increasingly buying electric buses to decarbonise public transport services, a key element in many decarbonisation plans that also reduces air and noise pollution. For an effective transition, municipalities must work with transport firms, bus and charging infrastructure providers and energy suppliers to make sure the switch to a sustainable fleet is achieved without too many bumps in the road
Municipal electricity utilities have a long history in Europe, with more emerging as cities look to lead the energy transition. The model has obvious advantages but has also suffered setbacks in some markets. In an increasingly competitive landscape, using the benefits of private partners may be the way forward
Cities are feeling the heat more than outlying areas. The increased use of vegetation, reflective surfaces, building codes promoting ambitious energy efficiency standards and district cooling are being employed to provide heat relief and facilitate sustainable cooling for urban dwellers
Governments are increasingly legislating for the building of new net-zero housing. But improving the green credentials of the existing housing stock is a much more difficult path to navigate. Now communities are being empowered to clean up their homes through collective action
Thousands of buildings across Europe will need to be renovated on an unprecedented scale if climate and greenhouse gas reduction targets are to be met. Lawmakers’ minds are turning to how best to undertake the Herculean task
Advocates of so-called digital twins—simulated computer modelling of technologies at work—see them as vital tools for managing the complexity of multi-level electricity systems and the digital control of energy-efficient buildings
Cities are key enablers of the energy transition. But each city in every area of the world will have a different set of priorities and ideas of how to achieve net-zero by 2050. FORESIGHT examines a city from each continent—and a research station—to show what this global action looks like from seven different perspectives
Once regarded as a high risk gamble, buying green electricity directly from generators under a mutually agreed power purchase agreement (PPA) has become big business in the commercial and industrial sector. City authorities eager to cut their electricity bills and buy renewable are looking to get into the market. The new demand is set to drive big growth in renewables
Low-emissions zones are a popular feature in many European cities, with more than 260 schemes in operation across the continent. But with questions over their efficacy, authorities are turning to other approaches to curb emissions from city centres and promote the use of transport that uses clean energy
Transport is the only sector in Denmark that has seen emissions increase since 1990. New regulation for public procurement and investment in some larger cities has helped to electrify more buses, but electrification of Denmark’s railway network connecting those urban areas is lagging behind
Oslo, the capital of Norway, has big climate action ambitions. Among initiatives to achieve them it is instigating regulations to cut carbon emissions associated with buildings under construction and during their operational life spans
The Canadian city of Vancouver is leading efforts in North America to slash emissions released in the production of building construction materials, setting itself a 40% by 2030 reduction target
The world’s building stock is forecast to double in size by 2050 to house a global population of 11 billion. If climate neutrality is also to be met by this date, the construction industry will have to significantly slash emissions from the materials it uses
In an interview with FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Frank Jensen, mayor of Copenhagen, explains why mayors and local authorities are uniquely positioned to lead the energy transition and implement measures to proof their cities against extreme weather
A goal to become the first carbon neutral capital city as early as 2025 is at least partly dependent on Denmark’s new national government throwing its weight behind Copenhagen’s aspirations
Even if many cities are finding it a challenge to meet decarbonisation targets, they have made progress over the last decade and are becoming increasingly ambitious
Cooperation and social justice are at the heart of plans by the historic university city of Leuven, Belgium to become carbon neutral, as is the radical idea of giving owners no choice but to energy-renovate their homes
California’s policies on the decarbonisation of buildings can become a model of what works in a thriving economy and what measures should be adopted more broadly in the US and beyond
After achieving its own clean energy transition, the Danish island of Samsø is now advising towns and regions worldwide how to follow in its footsteps, and sees its next role as a test ground for innovative energy solutions
Ensuring land use planning and transport policies are on the same page is vital if Auckland, New Zealand is to reduce emissions and meet its low carbon goals
Despite the massive amount of solar power output in Europe this summer and the technology’s falling prices, building owners are still reluctant to put panels on their roofs. Tübingen, Germany is introducing legislation to force change
Vejle, one of Denmark’s largest towns, has decided to work with, rather than against, the water that surrounds it and the increased threat of flooding from climate change through projects focused on environmental and social goals
District heating, where heat from a central generator is distributed underground to warm a network of homes or businesses, is commonplace in Denmark and other Nordic and Baltic countries, but, until now, it has remained a rarity elsewhere in Europe
Despite an increase in sales in recent years, electric cars remain a novelty in many countries. One street in Norway, however, is miles ahead. Out of the 150 families living on Søndre Vei, a street outside Oslo, nearly 90% of them drive electric cars.
Coastal protection is expensive, but as a warming climate increases the risk of violent storms and floods, those living by the sea have little choice but to pay out. The Netherlands is leading the way with innovative solutions that stop the tide and boost business. Such an approach could also inspire the funding of climate change adaptation measures more generally.
A unique engineering project has raised the bar for efficient energy capture from incineration of garbage and provided a sports facility in an urban location
The value of energy-saving improvements at a shopping mall is sufficient to pay back the loan from the contractor that carried out the work and financed it
Instead of reinventing the wheel, just learn from those who have already done it. Cities are busy doing just that as they look for ways to adapt to climate change and build more liveable urban spaces.
Development of sustainable buildings is moving fast, pushing them to being energy producers rather than energy consumers. One example is UN City in Denmark