Good reads for the holidays

It is often stressed that developing countries need large financial support in order to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and to reduce climate-change related risks. But will people in rich countries be willing to provide the necessary amounts of money in times when budgets are tight? And are there characteristics that influence public support? (Read more)

Greasing the wheels of change

The IPCC has released the final installment of its three-volume report. The Working Group III component covers the technical, economic, and practical aspects of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The report offers three broad messages, which together paint a discouraging picture of the present, but offer room to hope for the future. (Read on)

Energy

Oil Energy Realities for Western Europe (part 1)

Despite the disturbing import dependence on oil and the unpredicted increase of the oil price during the last 10 years, the future oil supply constraints for the Western European OECD countries are rarely discussed in public. The following two blog posts present the ¡°known¡±, ¡°known unknown¡± and the ¡°unknown unknown¡± boundary conditions for the near future oil consumption in Western Europe. (Read more)

Renewables: To store or not to store?

By most accounts, renewable energy has a storage problem. Intermittent supply (think solar plus nighttime) is often touted as a limiting factor for widespread reliance on renewables. Do we need to invest in energy storage research and development to meet our renewable energy targets? Recent media reports suggest such investments are not necessary. However, ETH research tells a different story. (Read more)

Cities of the future

The Singapore-ETH Centre in its fifth year: taking stock

In September, an exhibition in the ETH Main Building presented the work of the Singapore-based Future Cities Laboratory (FCL), showing projects ranging from technologies for sustainable construction, to improved concepts of urban design. A good time, therefore, to reflect upon the achievements of FCL, and ask whether it has all been worthwhile. (Read more)

In a hot, humid climate, you can hardly live without air conditioning, yet working in a dry, over-chilled room is tiring and uncomfortable. Air conditioning is one of the daily necessities and irritations of life in Singapore. Since cooling systems account for over a third of the electricity consumed in Singapore, using it very inefficiently, there is a clear need to improve them. (Read more)

World food system

Sustainability in the heart of darkness

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is mostly known for its social, economic, and political instability. Does it make sense then for me to focus my research on sustainable agriculture and the role of the Congo River Basin in the global carbon cycle? (Read more)

Milk is expensive. Not so much in terms of the cost at the supermarket, but in terms of the environmental cost. The white stuff is, therefore, hardly green. Synthetic milk could help avoid this downside. The environmental benefits would be substantial indeed ¨C but the social and political consequences could be far-reaching. (Read more)

Natural resources

Reforestation: a chance for farmers

Europe¡¯s forests are recent secondary regrowth from a period when, little more than 100 years ago, they had been all but eradicated from the landscape. Now, we seek to restore forests to recover the many benefits they provide. Can we hope for the same transition in the tropics, where deforestation remains rampant? (Read more)

Current virtual water trade cannot be sustained

Water is a precious resource and scarce in many countries. Countries can compensate for this scarcity by importing products which contain ¡°virtual water¡±, for example, water-intensive goods like food. How will future water scarcity affect global consumption and the international water trade? (Read more)