@matthannon.bsky.social
Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities Prof of Sustainable Energy Business and Policy at Strathclyde Business School Co-founder and host of Local Zero Podcast Chair and trustee of South Seeds (charity)
Today we have release our latest think piece that reflects on the push back against net-zero and what we may need to do about it:
📖 Stick or twist? Why the UK's net-zero strategy is faltering and may need to change
doi.org/10.17868/str...
1/n
There is no single “correct” path to decarbonise.
There are six trillion.
Our new paper in Science puts 36 climate solutions into one common unit, so you can build your own pathways.
Paper: doi.org/10.1126/scie...
App: climatewedges.com
What would your pathway look like?
Decoupling oil/gas prices from renewable electricity would have a number of potential benefits but in the context of energy crises, I do think consumers would look at their EVs and heat pumps as a safety blanket that offers greater security; isolating them from geopolitical price spikes.
Excellent, detailed and quite long read on oil & gas.
The nightmare Iran energy scenario is becoming reality
economist.com/finance-and-...
Did not have swathes of Norfolk and Suffolk down as a Green stronghold.
As a new oil and gas (O&G) crisis begins, I'm already hearing two old competing arguments about how to tackle the same problem:
- We need to drill more O&G from the North Sea to ⬇️ UK reliance on O&G imports
- We need more renewable power and electrification to ⬇️ UK reliance on O&G imports
🙃🙃🙃
neilmcinroy.substack.com/p/the-long-r...
Unsure what Scotland’s Community Wealth Building Bill means for Scotland?
This from @neilmcinroy.bsky.social is top rate, providing a fantastic overview of what it does and does not, and why it matters.
You could easily imagine Reform using a similar line but blaming immigration and net zero instead of uncut, race to the bottom capitalism and profiteering.
Such a powerful statement in from Spencer (the new MP)
“Instead of working for a nice life, we’re working to line the pockets of billionaires. We’re being bled dry. And I don’t think it’s extreme or radical to think that working hard should get you a nice life”.
That there will cut right through
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Maybe now we can start taking the green & youth vote seriously?
This is so important for how Labour go about recasting their priorities and policies for 2026 and beyond. A strong magnetic pull from the left.
Well done @greenparty.org.uk A landmark victory.
We’re thrilled to share that another #beaver release took place in #GlenAffric National Nature Reserve last week, as a family of four was welcomed to Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin. 🦫
Alan McDonnell, our Head of Nature Restoration, said: “The return of beavers to Glen Affric is a #wildlife success story four centuries in the making – a project with strong local community #volunteer involvement, offering hope...and a better future for biodiversity and people.”
Wonderful scenes. This is such good news.
In Scotland we need our own pension funds to invest in Scotland; in our infrastructure and our local communities | Jim Osborne
That's good pub quiz knowledge that.
The size of trees they fell only really makes sense when you see the size of the rodent!
I saw a couple in France in 2024. I stopped the car, forced the whole family out and we collectively strained our eyes. There, in a small crystal clear pond, were two beavers, much larger than we expected..
Pigs in muck. A perfect fit within their landscape.
We gazed, slack jawed and in awe.
"Broadly, there would seem to be four destabilising issues that are changing the dynamics of avalanches - switching between droughts and heavy precipitation, the precipitation itself, wetter snow and snow which is actually melting."
Frightening.
And whilst the £s keep coming, why change?
"The danger is not collapse tomorrow, but delay today. As long as slopes remain open and bookings stay strong, there is little incentive to invest in alternatives...Winter tourism is still worth over €11 billion a year to the Italian economy alone."
And the more resorts invest, the greater the incentive to keep on investing. The sunk cost fallacy:
"Each new investment further entrenches this trajectory, making it progressively harder to step back and rethink alternatives for the future of these resorts."
And this also hits the pockets of skiers via their lift passes:
"Ski pass prices have increased by around 40% since 2021, further turning skiing into a sport accessible only to those with deep pockets."
"where winter precipitation is becoming less reliable and summers are growing hotter and drier, this growing competition for water adds another layer of pressure, particularly for mountain communities and downstream users."
And it isn't just electricity but water too of course.
"The water footprint is just as significant. Artificial snow production in Italy alone consumes around 100-150 million cubic metres of water each year – roughly equivalent to the annual water use of between 1 million and 1.5 million people."
"Across the Alps, total energy demand for artificial snow is estimated at around 2,100 GWh per winter season...equivalent to the total annual domestic electricity use of Milan"
The wind turbines I saw atop Andermatt this winter now make much more sense!
theconversation.com/will-artific...
When thieves start stealing your waste, you know your circular economy business model is a winner.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has announced today a record £1bn invest in community-owned energy. This is the start of an energy ownership revolution which will see communities and community assets benefit from renewables in their areas.
📺 Watch him explain.
The deadline has been extended to 16th Feb.
Please circulate this opportunity across your networks.
Having just renewed by buildings and contents insurance, and experienced another big hike despite zero claim, this feels very real.
