35,000 Protestors in Berlin Call for Agricultural Revolution

Organizers said 35,000 people marched through the streets of the German capital on Saturday to say they're "fed up" with industrial agriculture and call for a transformation to a system that instead supports the welfare of the environment, animals and rural farmers.

Demonstrators participate in a protest march over
agricultural policy on Jan. 19 in Berlin, Germany. 

Many held placards reading "Eating is political" at the action in Berlin, which coincided with the so-called "Green Week" agricultural fair.

The protest also featured a procession of 170 farmers driving tractors to the rally at the Brandenburg Gate.

Read the story from EcoWatch by Andrea Germanos - “35,000 Protestors in Berlin Call for Agricultural Revolution.”

Warning we must step up fight against climate change... meet Kirsten Dunlop, head of Climate-KIC

Tackling 'vested interests' and undertaking a complete societal transformation is needed to combat the ravages of climate change and put the world on track for a low-carbon future.

The head of Climate-KIC, Kirsten Dunlop.

The head of Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community), Kirsten Dunlop, says the scale of the challenge requires a global effort never seen before in human history, which will require deep transformation, regulation and convincing capital markets to invest in new technologies.

"In terms of self-transformation, we've rarely done that as a species and we've never had to do it at a planetary level. To get on track, we're going to have to do the really difficult stuff which is going to run foul of every vested interest we have out there," she says.

Climate-KIC is the EU's largest public-private partnership, tasked with addressing climate change through innovation by achieving deep decarbonisation across cities, while tackling land use, agriculture and industrial manufacturing, and securing finance.

Read Paul Mella’s story from the Independent - “Warning we must step up fight against climate change... meet Kirsten Dunlop, head of Climate-KIC.”

The Future of Energy Transformation

This week, many conversations at CERAWeek in Houston— one of the world’s leading energy events— revolved around the massive transformation that is reshaping the global energy landscape. Topics ranged from energy and climate policy to innovation and investment in an energy market that is going through unprecedented change. The growing role of renewables and the impact of distributed energy technologies were two frequently discussed examples. 

At GE, we believe that the energy transformation is playing out as an evolution: from a centralized, one-directional grid, into a decentralized, decarbonized, digitized network that’s smarter and more productive.  

This evolution brings together seemingly competitive energy offerings—solar, coal, wind and gas—that combine traditional and emerging energy to deliver more efficient and effective results.

Read the story from LinkedIn by GE Chairman and CEO, John Flannery - “The Future of Energy Transformation.”

The endangered elephant in the energy room

We are in the middle of a cappuccino-led transformation.

Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel.

The ABC's War on Waste program has recently drawn Australians' attention to the fact that disposable coffee cups are not recyclable. And that one billion of the things go to landfill and litter each year.

So, appropriately horrified, environmentally-conscious coffee drinkers are doing something about it.

I've noticed a change in the lineup at the coffee stall near my office in recent weeks. The people who bring their own brightly coloured, plastic cups are starting to outnumber those who stump for the evil, non-recyclable paper kind. Earlier this month, KeepCup - a company that sells reusable coffee cups – was reporting a 400 per cent increase in online sales.

Read Judith Ireland’s comment in today’s Melbourne Age - “The endangered elephant in the energy room.”