Next event: Balancing the energy trilemma

EECA Chief Executive Dr Marcos Pelenur will join us on Wednesday 15th October, explaining how energy efficiency and renewables are key to balancing the energy efficiency ‘trilemma’. Dr Pelenur will share his views on this and the current focus and priorities for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

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Video coming soon: A current perspective on local government

Crystal Beavis spoke about her experience as a first-term Councillor for Waikato District Council. Local Government plays a key role in infrastructure, engineering and related matters such as: roads, drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, building consenting, district planning and noise control. Funding pressures have been exacerbated by decreases in funding from central government, unfunded mandates, and legislated water reform.

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January 2025

CONTENTS – Global CO2 emissions in 2024
– Climate crisis effects on Earth’s water cycle – US homeowners in disaster-prone states face soaring insurance costs – Climate change and geopolitics – EU’s electricity mix in 2024 – Toxic PFAS pollution in UK and Europe – Flatulence tax: Denmark agrees deal for livestock emissions levy – Sites without sound: Oslo leads in quiet, low emission electric construction – Report says blue hydrogen gives false hope for green steel – How to make oxygen on the moon – Recommended reading – ESR Prizewinner, Zion Young

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November 2024

CONTENTS – Earth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance, say climate
experts – Five main takeaways from the Global Commission on the Economics of
Water Report, October 2024 – Extracts from IEA World Energy Outlook 2024 Executive Summary – Extracts from Energy Source & Distribution Magazine, Sep/Oct 2024 – Reducing climate emissions from farm livestock – Energy-saving coffee concrete makes major project debut – Deakin launches hydrogen R&D hub in Warrnambool – Amid Australia’s chaotic climate politics, the rooftop solar boom is an unlikely triumph – First Dog on the Moon, 11 October 2024.

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Submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill 2024

The Government introduced its “Fast-Track Approvals Bill” to parliament earlier this year, with
purpose to provide a stream-lined decision-making process for infrastructure and development
projects that are considered to have significant regional or national benefit. We acknowledge that
the current process for obtaining consents is time consuming, and so we support the prospect of a
speedier consent process for urgent, beneficial projects (and especially for projects facilitating transition away from the production of plastics, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants) – but we maintain that this ought to be achieved through completing a robust assessment process at an accelerated pace, and not by abandoning well established and due process. We see that this fast-track Bill fails to deliver to any reasonable requirement and so we do not support but strongly oppose
the Bill.

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