Wolfgang Blau
@wblau.bsky.social
15K followers 2K following 700 posts
Corporate climate strategies, climate communications. Co-Founder Oxford Climate Journalism Network / Global Managing Partner Sustainable Business Practice, Brunswick Group / Advisor UNFCCC / Prior: Global COO Condé Nast / Guardian
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
horadam.bsky.social
It’s a good thing Texas installed so much reliable solar, wind, and battery capacity to shoulder the load in the event the state’s unreliable coal generation suffered a catastrophic failure.

Because apparently it did.

🔌💡

ieefa.org/resources/ne...
Newest big U.S. coal-plant offline until 2027
The newest major coal-fired power plant in the U.S. is expected to be offline until March 2027 after a major failure in April.
ieefa.org
wblau.bsky.social
The experience that prepared me well - psychologically - for working on climate issues, the energy transition, and the dialogue with hard and soft climate denial and delay-ism are my decades in digital journalism and newsroom transformation.
So, so many similar patterns in how incumbents think.
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
jmingle.bsky.social
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright: "Adding more wind and solar to the grid have one guaranteed effect: They make electricity more expensive."

US Energy Information Administration: "Nope that's wrong"

EIA data show that states with more renewables have lower electricity prices.
wblau.bsky.social
‘US energy isolationism’ was a new term for me today.
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
ketanjoshi.co
A complete flip of the usual pattern we see in these updates - China's and India's emissions fell, and EU and US emissions increased.....

ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

@ember-energy.org
Global CO2 emissions plateau
Global CO2 emissions from the power sector fell marginally by 12 MtCO2 (-0.2%) to 6,963 MtCO2 in the first half of 2025. The decline was possible because solar and wind power exceeded demand growth and led to a slight fall in fossil fuel use. Without solar and wind growth, emissions would have risen by an estimated 236 MtCO2 (+3.9%) globally, which is equivalent to almost all emissions (251 MtCO2) from Africa in H1-2025.

At the country level, there was significant variation. Among the four economies that account for the majority of global emissions (64%), emissions fell in China (-46 MtCO2, -1.7%) and India (-24 MtCO2, -3.6%), as clean electricity outpaced growth in demand in those countries.

In contrast, emissions rose in the EU (+13 MtCO2, +4.8%), where strong growth in solar was outweighed by shortfalls in wind, hydro and bioenergy, leading to higher gas and coal generation. Emissions also rose in the US (+33 MtCO2, +4.3%), as clean electricity growth was smaller than demand growth, leading to an increase in coal generation, which was exacerbated by gas-to-coal switching.
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
jamescollis.bsky.social
EU countries prove more renewables make electricity cheaper.
markgongloff.bsky.social
"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average"

Imagine having cheaper power

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Spain’s Renewable-Energy Boom Loosens Gas’s Grip on Power Prices
Soaring renewables output in Spain is weakening gas’s grip on electricity prices, setting the country apart from much of Europe where fossil fuels still dictate the cost of power.
www.bloomberg.com
wblau.bsky.social
So rare to read this crucial sentence about supposedly ‘sustainable’ aviation fuel, SAF: “SAF emits the same amount of CO₂ as kerosene at the point of combustion”
Very good piece by the @financialtimes.com:

on.ft.com/4mVLRBo How politicians and passengers gave up on greener air travel
How politicians and passengers gave up on greener air travel
A renewed push for economic growth has added to technological challenges and problems with carbon offset schemes
on.ft.com
wblau.bsky.social
AI companies have accounted for 80 per cent of the gains in US stocks so far in 2025.

on.ft.com/4pTQ3US “America is now one big bet on AI”
wblau.bsky.social
@bsky.app please act, and look at this account‘s other posts:
wblau.bsky.social
…and then, for a decade or two, they started enjoying unseasonably warm Octobers, with gardens still flowering, and some fruits having second growing seasons. The warmth was almost too pleasant for anyone to realise the magnitude of the danger it represented.
wblau.bsky.social
Increasingly clear: Europe must help Ukraine win the war (also) so that Europe can continue and expand its investments in climate action.
If Ukraine loses, other Russian attacks will follow and divert even more of Europe’s attention, money and resources from climate action. We must help Ukraine.
wblau.bsky.social
Spot the North-American anomaly: only region where social media use is still growing.
Great work by the FT’s @jburnmurdoch.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a072... “Have we passed peak social media?”
wblau.bsky.social
But if you have one EV battery catch fire, it seemingly justifies questioning the entire energy transition.
nytimes.com
A fireball lit up the sky across the Los Angeles area on Thursday night after an explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, alarming nearby residents who said it felt like an earthquake. The cause of the explosion was not clear. No injuries were reported. nyti.ms/42pPCaW
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
drsimevans.carbonbrief.org
A question for Times columnist Sebastian Payne:

What is this cheaper source of "energy" that you speak of?

The world's energy experts would like to know…
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
adambienkov.bsky.social
In other news, Kemi Badenoch's party has taken at least £7 million in donations from funders and directors of climate change denial lobby groups bylinetimes.com/2025/03/18/k...
Reposted by Wolfgang Blau
alexsteffen.bsky.social
The new pope is not backing down on climate.

"God will ask us if we've cultivated and cared for the world that he created for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we've taken care of our brothers and sisters — what will be our answer, my dear friends?"

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Pope Leo hits out at critics of global warming
In his first major statement on climate change, the pontiff criticises those who minimise climate change.
www.bbc.com