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Okay, let’s say you are not impressed with these guys’ opinion. Think about the following in response to a question “why should industry care?”

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the greenest of them all? Well, if you're in the retail sector the obvious answer to that is Wal-Mart. There was much skepticism initially of Wal-Mart's attempts to go green. Many believed its quest to reduce energy consumption, embrace rooftop solar systems and clean up its transport fleet was yet another attempt at feel-good marketing -- a bid to win over consumers who believed Wal-Mart was an evil retail monster aimed at taking over every small town in America. At the recent Cleantech Forum in Toronto, Rand Waddoups, senior director of corporate strategy and sustainability at Wal-Mart, admitted that the retailer's green strategy was initially adopted from a defensive posture. "We started by saying 'this could be a real problem for us, we need to understand how big of a problem this could be.' Over time, we realized this wasn't a problem, it was a real opportunity for us."

The European Union's (EU) energy objectives, legislation and programmes are determinant for the current strategy for the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) and energy efficiency (EE) in Spain, which is becoming a key element for its international competitiveness.Firstly, this article explores the evolution of the EU's energy strategy, focusing on the adopted legislations and programmes to promote RES and EE. It concludes with an analysis of the impact of those measures in Spain.

growth in worldwide energy demand can be cut in half or more over the next 15 years without reducing the benefits end users enjoy. The key is a concerted global effort to boost energy productivity.

The European Commission (EC) has outlined a host of proposals to update its energy strategy, boosting energy efficiency and security in the region, while reducing emissions.The new measures are needed to reduce Europe’s reliance on energy imports, which currently make up over half of the region’s usage, help address rising prices and ensure that the region meets its 20-20-20 targets, said Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) presents its latest industry research reports, Utility Solar Business Models: Emerging Utility Strategies & Innovation. As solar electricity moves into boardrooms and executive meetings across the United States, leading utilities begin to make concrete decisions for major solar deployment. This report provides a compendium of emerging utility innovations that will provide valuable information both across utility departments and into upper management. A copy of the full report can be downloaded from the SEPA website at www.solarelectricpower.org.

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a comprehensive energy plan for the region, including a 35% improvement in energy efficiency.A large majority of MEPs voted to endorse the EU’s Second Strategic Energy Review, which was proposed by the EC in November last year.The proposals form the basis of Europe’s ’20-20-20’ policy which aims to cut CO2 and energy use by 20% by 2020, and increase renewables by 20%.

On Friday 22nd February, I attended the above conference in Aberdeen. With presentations from the EU Commission, The European Parliament, Scottish politicians and leading academics, this was a high profile event. There follows an account of the key issues raised by the various speakers together with my own observations and opinions on these matters.

The simultaneous onset of climate change and the peaking of global oil supply represent unprecedented challenges for human civilisation. Global oil peak has the potential to shake if not destroy the foundations of global industrial economy and culture. Climate change has the potential to rearrange the biosphere more radically than the last ice age. Each limits the effective options for responses to the other. The strategies for mitigating the adverse effects and/or adapting to the consequences of Climate Change have mostly been considered and discussed in isolation from those relevant to Peak Oil. While awareness of Peak Oil, or at least energy crisis, is increasing, understanding of how these two problems might interact to generate quite different futures, is still at an early state.

Discredited strategy Increasing allegations of corruption and profiteering are raising serious questions about the UN-run carbon trading mechanism aimed at cutting pollution and rewarding clean technologies, writes Patrick McCully, executive director of US thinktank International Rivers