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Australia can become a renewable energy exporting superpower, but timidity won't get us there. Scott Hamilton, Strategic Advisory Panel Member, Australian-German Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Changlong Wang, Researcher, The Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Falko Ueckerdt, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Roger Dargaville, Senior lecturer, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Residents say such storms now occur on a weekly basis, as topsoil from drought-ravaged farms is blown through the town

Follow latest updates on Victoria, NSW and South Australia bushfires

As Victoria issued a code red bushfire alert and Melbourne sweltered through a record-equalling November temperature, the residents of Mildura walked out of their homes at midday on Thursday to see a dust storm rolling in.

On a day of catastrophic fire danger and 40C heat, high winds swept the dry topsoil into the air and across the state. In Mildura, in far north-western Victoria, dramatic footage and pictures showed the sky turn an angry red.

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Leaked document says fishing surge in international waters poses long-term risks

Iceland has been accused of threatening the long-term sustainability of vital mackerel stocks after unilaterally increasing its catches in the international waters of the north-east Atlantic.

In a damning leaked document agreed at a meeting in London in October, the EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands lambasted Reykjavik’s decision to significantly raise its quota without consultation. Russia and Greenland were also criticised.

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COGATI is an extraordinarily complex beast, but its effect would be real and immediate – it would significantly reduce investment in large-scale renewables.

The post COGATI: A tax on renewables paid to fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia’s first national, not for profit legal watchdog for the environment launches today with a mandate to ensure environmental laws are observed and properly enforced.

The post Australia’s first national environmental law watchdog puts polluters on notice appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy ministers head to Perth for the first COAG energy council meeting in almost a year, with frustrations amongst State and Territory ministers high.

The post Smoke and mirrors: Taylor meets states as global expert laments Australia “tragedy” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Industrial cooling systems that utilise solar energy, thermal storage, smart technology and non-toxic refrigerants will be trialled at three major commercial sites.

The post Trials to test solar and storage technologies for industrial cooling systems appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Star of the South names Danish wind power exectuive Casper Frost Thorhauge to head up the 2000MW wind farm proposed for waters off the south coast of Gippsland.

The post Australia’s first offshore wind project heads to “next phase” with new CEO appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Bushfires have hit areas near Adelaide and created a smoky haze blanketing the city.

New Zealand on Thursday began consulting on modelling the electricity allocation factor (EAF) for its emissions trading scheme, a process that could lead to industrial emitters receiving fewer free NZUs from 2021.

An unlikely alliance of the federal minister and his Victoria counter-part pushes for Australia's reliability standard to be tightened further. It makes no sense.

The post This is no time for energy ministers to panic over reliability standards appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Mike Cannon-Brookes says huge solar and storage project will test the limits of engineering, but serve as a "lighthouse" project to the world.

The post Cannon-Brookes says $20bn solar project will be “lighthouse” to world appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Bill Gates and co-investors hail new solar technology that can revolutionise - and displace fossil fuels - in production of cement and steel.

The post Bill Gates’ secret energy company unveils solar breakthrough for industrial heat appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Department of the Environment and Energy is seeking your views on the draft Guide to nationally protected species significantly impacted by paddock tree removal. Consultation closes 14 February 2020

The Department of the Environment and Energy is seeking your views on the draft Guide to nationally protected species significantly impacted by paddock tree removal. Consultation closes 14 February 2020

An assessment shows rapid loss of trees, shrubs and herbs in countries such as Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Usage of the term increased 100-fold in the space of 12 months, dictionary says

Oxford Dictionaries has declared “climate emergency” the word of the year for 2019, following a hundred-fold increase in usage that it says demonstrated a “greater immediacy” in the way we talk about the climate.

Defined as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it”, Oxford said the words soared from “relative obscurity” to “one of the most prominent – and prominently debated – terms of 2019.”

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Three men die in little over a month in Romania, home to Europe's biggest brown bear population.

Tenia Lestari leads a network of volunteer divers who clear rubbish from the coral reefs and recycle what they find.