sustainability

I have updated the map Market share of newly registered electric & hybrid cars. You can see how the market share dramatically increased in many countries from 2021 to 2025.

I have updated the map of Renewable energy as percentage of primary energy supply. You can now see the evolution from 2018 to 2024.

Type Ashton is one of my favorite YouTube channels. The videos are very high quality, worthy of a BBC documentary. I've already shared a few of them before but this one is probably one of the most important so far. Over 40% of the food in the US and Canada is thrown away, against only about 7%...

I promise you that I am not trying to bash the United States. But when you see data like this it's hard not to be indignant towards the world's first economy. The U.S. recycle a smaller share of their plastics than practically any other region on Earth. It lags even behind Sub-Saharan Africa...

Having lived in Japan, one thing that Japanese people never tire of telling foreigners is that Japan has hardly any natural resources of its own. Often that point is made to aggrandise Japan's achievements in becoming one of the richest countries in the world (at least until the 1990s) despite...

I don't like to use the term 'game changer' anymore as it's been overused and abused over the last 15 years, but in this case I could make an exception. Imagine a world where all EV cars are self recharging and no outside electricity source is needed. That may soon become a reality. Of course...

The future of energy may not be in renewables like solar, wind and hydro, but in nuclear energy, and more specifically the long-awaited nuclear fusion (as opposed to the nuclear fission powering all existing nuclear plants). Fusion power plants offer numerous benefits that make them a promising...

Concrete, and more specifically reinforced concrete, has allowed humans to build huge structures, like bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers, which have revolutionised the urban landscape since the mid-20th century. But concrete has been overused. Cities have been defaced by ugly concrete buildings...

About 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the methane emitted from cattle flatulence. Additionally, large swathes of the Amazon rainforest are being destroyed (usually burned) to expand cattle ranching. Tropical deforestation itself is responsible for 10% of global warming, and...

The popularity of meat substitutes has been soaring in the last few years. Meat alternatives are hailed as healthier and more eco-conscious choices. These include vegan burgers (patties), vegan sausages, vegan bacon, vegan chicken, which typically use proteins from soybeans or peas. Other...

The Belgian comapny Vanden Borre, one of the largest retailer household appliances and electronics in the country, has just released a sustainability barometer for household appliances. This barometer is based on two indices: reliability (calculated from the number of devices under warranty that...

This ranking is from the article Integrated European Majors Lead on Preparedness for a Low-Carbon World Among 39 Global O&G Companies. The BI carbon score is based on the reduction in operational emissions intensity and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The BNEF business model score is...

The companies ranked here include food and drink manufacturers, international supermarket chains (also selling their own food products) as well as restaurant and café chains. Most of these companies have a global presence, or are at least operating in Europe and North America (for some...

Cleaning products, detergents, liquid soaps, shampoos, sunscreens and cosmetics can all potentially contain chemicals harmful to health or for the environment (especially to aquatic life, where these products usually end up). But their ecological impact can be even greater at the source, in the...

Following the ranking for the most eco-friendly fashion brands and electronics companies, I am now tackling the automobile industry. Car manufacturing has a considerable environmental impact, especially on deforestation and resource depletion. Discover which car makers are doing the most effort...

On 15th July the French Parliament voted to make ecocide (mass damage and destruction of ecosystems) a crime, with 99.3% approval. President Macron calls for ecocide to be made a crime in international law. Six days later, the Belgian Green parties, who are the second largest political group...

You may have noticed that Eupedia now has an Ecology section. I have written five articles in the last few days. I'll let you read them. Your feedback is welcome. :smile:

Eco-friendly & ethical shopping: What brands of clothing & shoes to buy and to avoid? We have all heard of climate change, plastic pollution, toxic wastes, the loss of biodiversity caused by deforestation carried our for the sake of intensive agriculture, or the horrible working conditions in...

I am reading Matt Ridley's excellent book The Rational Optimist, in which he denounces (pp. 149-156) the irrational fears toward GM crops held by a lot of people (especially in Europe) and by organisations such as Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. Organic food causes more problems that it...