Diana Urge-Vorsatz

Based on metered data, energy use is ~50% lower than typical buildings, and best performers fall within Paris-compatible operational CO₂ ranges.
Free access (50 days):
authors.elsevier.com/c/1mWaC14YGg...

New paper in Energy Policy:
Long-term evaluation of energy consumption in 100 energy-efficient buildings (Austria).

Energy demand and decarbonization in 2025 and beyond - Nature Reviews Clean Technology Rapid expansion of renewables has thus far mostly covered fast-growing energy demand rather than displacing fossil fuels. New demand drivers such as data centres and cooling could reverse declining de...

Open access for 2 weeks: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

New paper out in Nature Clean Technology: renewables are growing fast, but rising energy demand—especially from data centers & cooling—risks slowing fossil fuel phase-out. AI can help climate solutions, but only with strong demand-side policies. 🌍⚡️

The whole developed world is doing this with many of our innovations, such as now also with #Passivhaus and #zetzeroenergy buildings. But "selber Schuld-kein Mitleid" as the Germans say. Well deserved on both sides - just disappointing to sit on the loser side. Well done, China, though!

The world in brief | The Economist Catch up quickly on the global stories that matter

"China is making more money from exporting green technology than America does from exporting fossil fuels." @economist.com

Sounds like an attractive blueprint for a 21st century #EU economy: green tech and innovation in the driving seat rather than heavy industry

www.economist.com/the-world-in...

And smaller cars. Trends towards larger and karger cars cause more and more traffic causualties

Why ‘green’ finance isn’t always as sustainable as it seems At its most basic level, sciencewashing entails using the vocabulary of science, and borrowing its authority, to claim sustainability outcomes.

"our study warns against different forms of #sciencewashing of #greenFinance (GF)

Evidence suggests a gap btwn the suggested possibilities and the actual outcomes of GF. Many products serve financial markets&wealthiest investors more than nature or communities."

theconversation.com/why-green-fi...

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
www.economist.com/internationa...
"In London cyclists now outnumber cars in the City by two to one and in Paris, they outnumber motorists across the whole city. In Copenhagen bikes account for almost half of commuter journeys to work and school."

Dreamt about engaging with the @IPCC 's Special Report on Climate Change and Cities #SRCities?

The expert review is ongoing, closing on December 12th:

www.ipcc.ch/2025/09/17/p...

It is the thousands of review comments that make the IPCC's reports so widely "owned", thus so impactful!

Sloponomics: who wins and loses in the AI-content flood? Against all odds, the deluge might be good for creators

The planet is heating up from increasing energy use. #datacenters are among the largest power demand growth drivers.

In this crisis, can humanity afford a #slop flood to drive energy related emissions even higher?

"Sloponomics: the AI-content flood"
www.economist.com/business/202...
@theEconomist

Swiss firm that captures carbon from air to cut workforce by more than 10% Downsizing at Climeworks comes amid economic uncertainty and ‘reduced momentum’ for climate tech

"Climatework’s flagship Mammoth #DACCS plant in Iceland, which has a nameplate capacity of 36k t of CO2/yr, captured 750 t in its first 10 months since opening, w net removals after accounting for emissions in the supply chain coming to just 105 tons."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

📣 Last days to apply as a Chapter Scientist to support author teams for IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report.

The deadline for applications is 18 October 2025.

More details: lnkd.in/dGvmmWeC

Capitalism: Can We Fix Its Growth Dependencies?

Join our first Topical Debate of the year on Sept 15. (Room D-002 & Zoom). With Diana Ürge-Vorsatz @dianaurge.bsky.social & Marc Kaufmann kicking things off, we’ll dive into capitalism, growth, and the environment.

🔗 events.ceu.edu/2025-09-15/c...

NEW STUDY: How much CO2 can we safely store in geological formations?

In a new @nature.com study, we cross-check established academic and industry estimates with various risk factors.

We find a prudent geological CO2 storage limit that is about 10x smaller. /1

Worst coral bleaching on record for Western Australian reefs Scientists say the damage was caused by the "longest, largest and most intense" marine heatwave on record.

"Australian researchers found the 2024-25 season was the "most severe coral bleaching on record" for W.Australia's coral reefs across both the northwestern and central reefs.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Europe Sounding The Alarm As Unstoppable Tourism Surge Pushes Beloved Cities To The Edge Of Collapse - Travel And Tour World Europe’s top destinations like Venice, Barcelona, Paris, and Mykonos brace for a record tourism surge, sparking urgent action to protect cities and residents.

We are approaching new (planetary) boundaries in more&more locations: the planet's and civilisation's beauties are overused by the richest. #tourism

We need to reevaluate: there is no way 8 (9?) bln ppl can see all (or even many) key world sights.

www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article...

Paywalled. Any chance of still reading it?

Clean energy is growing fast—but demand is growing faster.
Until we tackle energy demand, we’re not truly transitioning.
Shared this new figure at my keynote in Nara, Japan.
#EnergyTransition #ClimateAction #DemandSide

Droughts keep appearing in the news—but they’re more than a lack of rain.

IPCC AR6 shows rising crop loss, water stress & wildfires, especially in low-income regions.

We must track all types: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological.

#climaterisk #drought

Spoke at @esa.int 's Living Planet Symposium today. 🌍

The @ipcc.bsky.social helps turn petabytes of Earth observation data into actionable knowledge for decision-makers—especially through our co-produced reports like the upcoming Special Report on Cities.

Exactly.... we need to learn more from ancient architecture!

We always celebrate the #ozone layer restoration as the biggest environmental sccess story.

But is it safe?

No - new threats: space junk, space launches.

And this will be not as easy to fix...

"Will the Hole in the Ozone Layer Close?" @bbc #bbcInsideScience
podcastaddict.com/bbc-inside-s...

We think we are inventing the #circularEconomy?

This Japanese wooden temple (no nails!) has been sequstering that carbon in the wood for 1400 years, and is even earthquake-safe.

It does need to be refurbished every 300 years...

Thank you, @hannahdaly.ie , for so perfectly summarising the most important message of my keynote yalk at #IEW25

PFAS exposure before birth could put your teen at risk for high blood pressure, study finds | CNN A teen with high blood pressure is more likely to become an adult with heart disease. Prenatal exposure to PFAS may put kids at greater risk, a new study found.

Prenatal exposure to a class of dangerous, widely used chemicals could be linked to your child having high blood pressure as a teen, according to a new study.

I dont usually go to the movies, but for #WorldOceansDay we went with the whole family to watch #Attenborough's #Oceans.

I wish every school showed this film to all pupils. Just be4 they go to their seaside holidays

And to be aware that the #UNOceansConference in June can still turn evrthg around.

Why Minneapolis is one of the world's happiest places Minneapolis ranked among the world's happiest cities for 2025. Locals say the secret lies in its Nordic roots, creative energy and community spirit that bring all-season joy.

What makes a #city happy?

US's happiest city has 180 parks, 22 lakes, & prides in 2/3rd of its population commuting or running errands by bike.

Things that make low-GHG and climate resilient cities also make them happiest.

#ClimateAction does not need to be sacrifice

www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

📄 @fgilardi.bsky.social created this template for writing abstracts several years ago, and I’ve tried to follow Fabrizio‘s suggestions ever since.

PDF: fabriziogilardi.org/resources/pa...

Tropical forest loss doubled in 2024 as wildfires rocketed A record 67,000 square kilometres of primary rainforest was lost from the tropics in 2024, with global warming and El Niño contributing to a massive jump in fire-driven damage

Tropical forest loss doubled in 2024 as wildfires rocketed

www.newscientist.com/article/2480...