And then, COP24 was over

From December 3rd to December 14th, the Conference Of the Parties (COP) 24 was held in Katowice, Poland. What to do with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on the impacts of a 1.5°C rise? The report, requested during COP21, was not welcomed as four countries – the USA, Russia, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – refused to do so, stating there were scientific gaps within the report. Even thou countries are invited to use it, the report was not officially welcomed during COP24 which raises many questions as of the engagement of the world’s countries. 

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An inspiring initiative in Avià, Catalunya

Avià is a small municipality in Catalunya, part of the Bergueda county and about 1h30 drive north of Barcelona. With its 2 257 inhabitants, Avià is a rural community that committed to the energy transition for two main reasons. One is that climate change is an urgent threat and that we must ALL act NOW if we want our children to live on a liveable planet. Two is that the energy transition is a real opportunity for local development. Indeed, Avià has been giving subsidies to its inhabitants thanks to the energy savings made on public buildings and lighting. These savings represent 50 000€ every year, a significant amount that is re-injected in the local economy. Economy also comes from the installation of solar panels on public buildings, now facilitated by the change of regulation concerning self-consumption in Spain. With this economy, the local government of Avià give 2,000€ subsidies to private individuals and industries willing to self-produce their electricity using solar panels.

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