Environment
Combating environmental degradation and preserving forests and oceans are among the prerequisites for achieving climate neutrality, and have become major governance issues.
Related Subjects
Energy, Climate and the Covid-19 Shocks: Double or Quits
The shocks from COVID-19 likely to affect energy and the climate are multiple and unprecedented in scale and scope.
Shocks from collapsing prices due to plummeting and then paralyzed demand combined with overproduction: this is the case for oil, but also to a lesser extent for electricity and gas. Other raw materials are also being affected.
Shocks to investments, because oil as well as electricity companies are experiencing dramatic falls in earnings while waiting for the peak of the pandemic to pass. They are cutting spending and revising or postponing projects. Jobs and smaller company survival are under threat.
South Korea’s Hydrogen Strategy and Industrial Perspectives
South Korea is a hydrogen (H2) frontrunner. The world’s first commercial fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) was launched by the South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai (Tucson i×35) in 2013.
POSCO Energy, South Korea’s largest private energy producer, completed the world’s largest fuel cell manufacturing plant in 2015. When President Moon took office in 2018, the new government identified H2 as a new growth engine, and pledged to turn the country into a H2 economy.
The Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Strategic Pillar for the European Battery Alliance
Although it is still marginal, the market for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing. According to the French Institute of Petroleum and Renewable Energies (IFPEN, Institut Français du Pétrole et des Énergies Renouvelables), EVs accounted for a little more than 2% of the light vehicle market in 2019. This was up by 54% compared to 2018, but EVs still only represent 0.8% of the global car fleet. That said, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates EVs could make up between 15% and 30% of vehicle sales in 2030.
The Geopolitics of the Amazon
An irreplaceable reservoir of biodiversity and freshwater, the Amazon basin has become extremely important in this age of climate disruption.
U.S. foreign policy and the World's new power balance: an interview with Gordon Adams
Gordon Adams, Professor Emeritus of International Relations, School of International Service, American University speaks about U.S. foreign policy and the World's new power balance on the sidelines of Ifri's 18th annual U.S. conference held on December 6, 2019.
The Battle Heats Up: Climate Issues in the 2020 US Presidential Election
Environmental issues have frequently enjoyed bipartisan support in American history: the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1963 under Democratic President Johnson, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970 under Republican President Nixon.
The Development of Hydrocarbons in East Africa: Political and Security Challenges
East Africa has the potential to experience a gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export boom in the coming years due to several projects that have been released.
China’s Ambiguous Positions on Climate and Coal
China’s 2018 energy consumption data capture the ambiguity of Beijing’s attitude toward climate change. Energy demand rose by 3.5% to 3,155 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), with an increase of coal consumption (though its share in the overall energy mix is decreasing) and an expected greenhouse gas (GHG) emission surge of 2.3%, to 9.5 gigatonnes (Gt) for the same year.
(De)globalization of International Plastic Waste Trade: Stakes at Play and Perspectives
The world plastic production has been multiplied by 23 since 1964 to reach 348 million tonnes (mt) in 2017. This production level is expected to double in the next 20 years, largely because of the significant growth in plastic consumption in developing countries. Today, China is the largest producer of plastics (representing nearly 30% of global production) and the European Union (EU) comes second (18.5%) with 64 mt.
Waste Management and Electricity Generation in Africa: Developing Waste-to-Energy to the Benefit of Sustainable Cities?
With the expansion of modern production and consumption patterns to large African cities, population growth and urbanization, production of municipal waste has risen sharply. Unregulated dumps are becoming numerous and have strong negative health effects by polluting the local environment.
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