Wind power is reported to have generated enough energy to supply 1.9 million homes in Scotland or 35.9% (April 2016). This is great news for those in favour of new ecological and sustainable power supplies. Together with solar power, ecologically generated power is really starting to make a dent on overall supplies, contrary to those who have been sceptical in the past. 

This was also one of those are unusually positive weeks in the climate change area and sometimes those ‘good weeks’ are few and far between. However the Paris deal was signed by the key players in New York and climate change moved to centre stage in the Australian federal election also. The historic agreement on climate change marked a major milestone with a record 175 countries signing on to it on the opening day. But world leaders made clear more action is needed, and quickly, to fight the relentless rise in global temperatures.

Follow, discuss and help keep up the momentum on Finance Eco Money See also https://www.finance-eco-money.org/fempower/crowdfunding/item/empowering-and-financing-solar-powered-desalination 

Vampire bats finally may relinquish their fearful reputation.

It has been discovered that their saliva may well be one of the best treatments possible for humans suffering from strokes.

Who on earth would have believed that the animal we feared has turned out to be perhaps one of our most important friends preserving life rather than threatening it. Gorillas are another animal that we were afraid of but which now are seen as gentle giants. Although is revelled by the wonderful David Attenborough! 

Georges Chapouthier is one of my wife’s uncles who is famous for his work on the rights of animals, now recognised in France as feeling beings!!

All media are enthusiastic about the constant increase of car-pooling; in France, it grows by 100% per year, its champion being Blablacar with 2 million passengers per month.

But is car-pooling really good for the planet? Not so sure, in fact.

For sure, 2 million passengers per month represent something considerable, representing more than 2 000 double-size trains.

Studies show that mostly, car-pooling websites attract users who consider that train or plane are too expensive. For sure, for 2 persons or more, fares of train journey cannot compete with sharing cost of riding by car, and if you are alone, only low-fare train tickets can compete with car.

But what about CO2 emission?

The myTripSet too on website SNCFVoyages.com, which compares prices and CO2 emissions, gives some interesting information. Train is widely the least CO2 emitter. E.g. a journey Paris-Nantes in TGV emits only 4 kg of CO2. To be compared to 75 kg of a car * and 90 kg of plane. SNCF estimates that average CO2 emission level of train is 13 g per person and per km.

OK, then car-pooling is not environment friendly if we look at gross figures.

Anther argument, does car-pooling lower the number of cars on roads?

It would be great, but truth leads us to answer no in fact: even if they don't have paying passengers, most drivers would not cancel their journey and, mostly, they would not travel by train either.

On the other side, most passengers do not own a car: if not travelling by car-pooling, most passengers would have cancelled or postponed their journey, instead of travelling by train which they often cannot afford. Then, contrarily to a common idea, long-distance car-pooling websites (like Blablacar) ease and increase the number of travels by car, and they take some customers to train, which is more ecological.

This is also valid for home-to-work daily rides: car-pooling permits to share parking places but its use is an incentive to come to work by car instead of using bus or train. Once again, not very ecological.

As a conclusion, car-pooling is not very environment-friendly. However, the other arguments are still valid, like not travelling alone on a long journey, sharing cost or increasing your security (spontaneous and local car-pooling like www.zenoncar.com permits to find a driver to return home if you are unable to drive your own car, e.g. drunk or injured).

I remember when we were in Oxfordshire back in 1989 there was a programme to reintroduce red kites into England and Scotland. http://www.yorkshireredkites.net/index.php/red-kite-info/history-red-kite-reintroduction-programme

Now there is a lecture here in Luxembourg university to explore the controversy between Red Kites and wind power. http://www.chronicle.lu/categorieslivingthings/item/16893-lecture-to-explore-controversy-between-wind-farms-and-rare-red-kites 

We look forward your thoughts and ideas and to following this on https://finance-eco-money.org/discover/ecology-energy  

Today, it has been announced that a new solar-powered invention by the award-winning British company Desolenator can turn seawater into drinking water. While it is believed that the world is rapidly reaching global water crisis level with nearly one billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, it is hoped that this new equipment could lead the way for technological help.

The machine uses patented technology that can transform salt water and other non drinkable water sources into pure, distilled water fit for human consumption. It is capable of producing 15 liters of water per day, using no power supply other than the sun and with no moving parts or filters and is easy to maintain. After the initial purchase the machine needs no extra input of money or consumables and should be able to provide clean water for a household for a period of up to 20 years.

It is estimated that 97 percent of the world’s water is salt water and if we are able to tap into this valuable and available resource we could alleviate the global water crisis in an unprecedented way. Today 0.7 percent of the world’s water comes from desalination and existing technology is expensive, inefficient and dis-proportionally uses perhaps 0.5% of the world’s global energy supply. It is thought that the new invention is different from existing desalination and home water technologies, harnessing solar power in an elegant way, thereby maximizing the use of solar radiation through a combination of thermal, electrical and heat exchange.

The machine is still under development but there is a fully working prototype available http://desolenator.com/  .Interestingly the company has already started an Indiegogo Crowdfunding finance campaign following its success in an accelerator program and has also won a development grant.

If you like this article and want to help empower start-ups with a good socioeconomic cause try: https://www.finance-eco-money.org/fempower/finetech/item/bitwalking-share-the-belief-and-benefits-of-a-new-equal-global-economy-for-all 

Mid-March 2016, Honda announced they will launch a fuel-cell car (powered by hydrogen) by the end of 2016. Despite the price (over 57 600 EUR TTC in Japan, probably even more expensive in Europe), this car represents a hope for green cars.

At the same time, Tesla announced they will open a new show-room in Luxembourg city for their premium electric cars, around end of second semester 2016. From this date, Tesla cars will be available in Luxembourg, while until now they are distributed by the Belgian importer.

Those two good news bring to us a question: which is the most environment-friendly one? Which one should you choose, assuming that you can afford a Tesla (starting at 69 100 EUR TTC)?

First criterion to look at is autonomy: considering the 550 km of autonomy claimed by Tesla (closer to 500 km in reality), the 750 km of autonomy claimed by Honda seem to be a huge advantage. That could be true if we had already a network for hydrogen distribution, which is not the case or the moment. In fact, in France, only 9 hydrogen stations have been already built, forgetting at least 80% of territory. Do not even think of Luxembourg: you have more chances to find palm trees in Norway than being able to refill you car with hydrogen.

On the contrary, Tesla has built all over Europe a network of "superchargers", which can recharge more than 80% of your car in 20 minutes, and fully charge in 30 minutes. Barely time for a coffee or a lunch. Moreover, the use of these superchargers is totally free, the user even doesn't pay for the power!

Second criterion is the environment. How is produced the hydrogen that will power the Honda fuel-cell car?

Hydrogen can be produced mainly by two processes: electrolysis or from hydrocarbons. Electrolysis uses electricity with an efficiency rate of 7 to 10%, which obviously induces a low power rentability compared to the Tesla, which draws its power directly from electricity with an efficiency rate superior to 90%. The use of green power (wind, hydroelectricity, sun, etc.) allows to reduce the impact on environnment but will not increase the overall efficiency rate. Whichever is theprocess of producing electricity, the most efficient is obviously the best.

The second solution to produce hydrogen is from hydrocarbons, which gets a double drawback: not only its efficiency (80%) is still lower than Tesla, but also the pollution (refusal) generated by this form of production. On top of that, using fossil energy is not sustainable on a long-term basis.

As a conclusion, for the moment the electric car wins the fight. At least until hydrogen improves its distribution and the efficiency of its production.

Nevertheless, actually driving green is quite a luxury: 57 600 EUR for Honda + hydrogen loads, 69 100 EUR for Tesla (but free power from superchargers), keep these cars reserved for wealthy people. A first step on the way.

On Thursday 10 March 2016 Citim (Centre for Information on the Third world,55 avenue de la Liberté, L-1931 Luxembourg) launched "Need for Seed" a project to Examine Food Sovereignty, Food Security and cultivated biodiversity.

The event facilitated a free, public, exchange of information on world-wide seed issues, primarily concerning the dangers of genetically modified food and was introduced by Jean Feyder, Ancien Ambassador for Luxembourg at WTO (World Trade Organisation), Geneva and member of the ASTM Board of Directors and author of "La Faim Tue" (Hunger Kills). ASTM stands for Action Solidaire Tiers Monde (Third World Action Solidarity).

Frank Adams, founding member of the Luxembourg SEED network and an expert on cultivated biodiversity & food quality showed slides and lead a group discussion, with several other practisioners from the cultivated biodiversity space, in Luxembourg: Steve Schwartz of Kraizschouschteschgaart and Klouschtergaart, Georges Moes of Natur & ëmwelt, as well as Estrella Catarata, director of the Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes (PNFSP). Madam Catarata is one of ASTM's partners from the Philippines and she informed the group of the current situation regarding small Filipino farmers and their efforts to save seed sovereignty in their country.

The group emphasised the importance of simple and traditional seeds as the basis for the constant struggle on food sovereignty from the north to the south of our planet. Today the standardisation of seeds especially from genetically modified plants endangers our heritage and the precious biodiversity of our food and livelihood.

With the "Need for Seed" project, CITIM, in collaboration with three local players, Network SEED Luxembourg, the private initiative Kraizschouschteschgaart, and Natur & ëmwelt, want to encourage and help us to bring the greatest possible biodiversity to our own gardens and also to help consumers and growers alike to reclaim their self-sufficiency in food production.

MFTSE Affairs S.A., aims to support this new venture and share opinions on FEM.lu

Housing that is not only high quality but also affordable can be hard to come by these days, so where do eco houses fit in when it comes to both developed and developing markets? 

A great conference was held just before the summer on Microfinance and Climate change. Bridging academic research with, in the field, practice. It was particularly good to have an insight of how to help the poorest of the poor gain access to affordable finance i.e. finance that does not cost them any more than they spend already on life changing products that are replaced. www.ada-microfinance.org & www.friendship-bd.org/

We basically want to build an interactive web-site for the exchange of financial and ecological ideas and knowledge amongst the general public and different financial players in a totally transparent and non biased way. Our ultimate aim is to help society realise that finance and ecology are essential elements to business for good, reaching the poorest of the poor and eliminating extreme poverty.

The Inaccessible Pinacle on the Isle of Skye. Abseiling off the summit having climbed the other side, October 2014. Probably one of the hardest Munro's (all mountains over 3,000 ft in Scotland). Nothing compared to the challenges before the finance industry, helping to change the approach to poverty and the environment. 

Climate Change: The Week That Was for 27 August 2015

Can you find positive ways to help, no matter how small?

This was the basic declaration of Lydia Bourguignon at the conference at Lycée de l'Athénée, salle Folmer, Luxembourg ville, yesterday 24 September 2015.

Bill Gates was in Paris with many of the world leaders for the big announcement on energy and climate change. He found it deeply moving to be there just two weeks after the horrific attacks that took place on Friday 13 November 2015 but he was inspired by the way the French people persevered and continued with the summit despite the difficult circumstances.