John Hobby, IF Researcher, looks at why GDP is an imperfect measure of human wellbeing and how changing how we think about growth could help us improve global living standards while reducing environmental degradation. Green Growth has become the established theoretical and policy response to tackling climate change and ecological breakdown, with talk of a… Read more »
Category: Energy
COP26: my generation is growing up experiencing climate crisis and inaction
As part of the Intergenerational Foundation’s COP26 blog series, John Paul Jose, a young environmental activist based in India, sets out the potential costs of the climate crisis and calls on polluters and world leaders to step up and show leadership to secure a healthy and sustainable Earth, fit for future generations. Fear for the… Read more »
Introducing our COP26 blog series: demanding change to protect the planet
COP26, the United Nations (UN) Climate Talks have begun. Liz Emerson, IF Co-founder, introduces the Intergenerational Foundation’s blog series surrounding the event and questions whether COP26 can deliver real progress on protecting younger and future generations from the worst effects of man-made climate change. What is COP26? COP26 is an annual UN climate change conference… Read more »
No news is bad news: the government’s lack of ambition and missed opportunities on Net Zero
The UK Government has announced their plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach a target of net zero. The most notable initiatives include investments in electrical cars and sustainable aviation, as well as expansion of nuclear programmes. IF Student Intern, Hanna Burt, analyses the plan from an intergenerational fairness perspective. Too little, too late… Read more »
The climate crisis requires solidarity between generations
Throughout the pandemic crisis, younger generations have taken a large hit to their quality of life in order to protect older generations who are most at risk of dying from COVID–19. IF senior researcher, Melissa Bui, explains how older generations can repay young people for their demonstration of intergenerational solidarity by taking essential and urgent… Read more »
What should a post-COVID-19 recovery should look like for young people in Germany?
In this contribution to IF’s worldwide blog week, Jörg Tremmel, Co-founder of Germany’s Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations, looks at a post-corona-Germany in three decisive policy fields: public health, public debt and the climate crisis. Public health SARS-CoV-2 has changed fundamentally the level of acceptance for rigid public health measures in Germany (as… Read more »
The government is failing younger generations on air pollution
Recent statistics have revealed that a quarter of schools in the UK are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. IF senior researcher Melissa Bui explains how the rise in calls for the lowering of legal limits on air pollution are yet to lead to concrete government action.
How is the climate crisis being tackled in UK courts?
The success of the landmark climate lawsuit against fossil fuel company Shell serves as a reminder that companies and governments can be held accountable for their failure to protect the environment. IF senior researcher Melissa Bui outlines a number of ongoing climate lawsuits that are bringing forward similar legal challenges upon the government and key… Read more »
Earth Day 2021: Time to restore our earth
April 22 is Earth Day and the theme for this year’s event is “Restore Our Earth”. IF senior researcher, Melissa Bui, discusses the need for long-termism in policy-making in order to be able to shift our approach towards restorative strategies rather than mitigation or adaptation.
How promising is Drax’s proposal to build negative emission technology?
Operating what was once labelled as one of the most polluting power stations in the UK, Drax Group has recently announced a proposal to introduce a technology capable of removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The technology in question, referred to as Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, has been the… Read more »