Feed aggregator

A summary of legislative and regulatory action on carbon pricing, clean fuel standards, and clean energy at the US subnational and federal level this week, including developments in New York and California.

China’s CO2 emissions grew 1% year-on-year in Q2, a sharp downturn from the explosive 15% YoY growth in Q1, according to analysis released Friday, but question marks linger for the sectors destined to be brought into the national emissions trading scheme.

EUAs clawed back most of their losses on Friday after an early sell-off, amid a general weakness in energy markets.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has revoked five Queensland-based carbon offset projects operated by one of the biggest contractors with the government’s Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

The striking thing is not the bad news, which is not really news for those who have followed the science closely. It’s the report’s insights on possibilities for cautious optimism

The first response many of us have to a cancer diagnosis is terror, horror and the conviction that we’re doomed. For those who haven’t been paying serious ongoing attention to climate chaos, reminders that we are facing catastrophe can bring the same kind of response. But if you’ve been through cancer or been close to people who have, you know that the usual next phase is figuring out what the treatment options are and, in most cases, going all out for them. The good news is going to be that you got approved for a promising new treatment, are responding well, you are in remission, feel healthier, have a good prognosis. That there are things worth doing that make a difference.

Climate change is a nightmare, and this summer’s floods, fires and extreme heat, from China to Siberia to British Columbia, are reminders that the problem is rapidly growing worse. Yet the striking thing about the IPCC report released earlier this month is not the bad news, which is not really news at all for those who have followed the science closely. It’s the clarity about possibilities, which I found hopeful.

Continue reading...

Experts say chancellor refusing to commit spending needed to shift economy to low-carbon footing

The Treasury is blocking green policies essential to put the UK on track to net zero emissions, imperilling the UK’s own targets and the success of vital UN climate talks, experts have told the Guardian.

A string of policies, from home insulation to new infrastructure spending, have been scrapped, watered down or delayed. Rows about short term costs have dominated over longer term warnings that putting off green spending now will lead to much higher costs in future.

Continue reading...

Hundreds of spills off Gulf of Paria having ‘dire’ impact on local fishing in one of the most biodiverse areas of Trinidad and Tobago

Hands masked in thick black oil, the fisher drips toxic globules back into the sea as he pleads with the camera, urging viewers to “share this video”.

In the footage, filmed onboard a small boat, Gary Aboud documents an oil spill this week in the Gulf of Paria, off the Caribbean coast of Trinidad. It is just the latest of many spills that threaten to wreak havoc on the area’s vulnerable marine life and fishing industry.

Continue reading...

Chinese Carbon Emissions Allowances (CEAs) inched up this week, but trading volume fell to near zero as the vast majority of market participants still have no access to their accounts.

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including rescued storks, wandering elephants and a whiting inside a jellyfish

Continue reading...

More leadership changes at Australia's clean energy companies, with new CEO appointed for both New Energy Solar and Windlab.

The post New CEOs appointed at New Energy Solar and Windlab appeared first on RenewEconomy.

IPCC report falls on deaf ears in Canberra, as AGL scrambles to adapt. We talk to IPCC contributor Martina Linnenluecke.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Will IPCC overcome Morrison’s prosperity doctrine? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Traditional owners and farmers are fighting for their land while their own government bankrolls the companies mining it

For many of us, the mention of “the Kimberley” or “the outback” conjures up images of iconic, ancient Australian landscapes. Red soil, endless plains, rugged ranges and spectacular gorges. It is also home to the world’s oldest living cultures. An ancient landscape inhabited for over 50,000 years, maybe closer to 100,000. That long living in a landscape, having a relationship with a place, is almost impossible to comprehend for an immigrant like myself. It’s no surprise that First Nations people are leading the battle to protect their land; to protect this incredible continent of beauty and wonder we are lucky enough to call home.

New gas projects threaten vast tracts of country and communities across Australia – from Western Australia’s stunning Kimberley to the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo and New South Wales’s Pilliga forest. A recent analysis revealed a single fracking company cleared so much native vegetation for geological seismic testing in the Kimberley that, if it was assembled in a straight line, it would be a road that stretched from Perth to London. Last week, traditional owners from the heart of the Northern Territory were in tears during a Senate inquiry into the Morrison government’s use of taxpayer funds to prop up the economically questionable forays of the fracking industry into the Beetaloo.

Continue reading...

New investment in large scale wind and solar projects has come to a virtual halt in Australia, thanks to the ESB and unhelpful interventions from the federal government.

The post Wind and solar projects take “material hit” from ESB and Morrison appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Nigel Morris has an extended test drive with Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle.

The post Video: Living with a Livewire in lockdown appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Greece, Turkey and Italy have borne the brunt of wildfires, while parts of Spain and France are on alert for very high temperatures

Hundreds of fires are burning across the Mediterranean, displacing thousands and causing irreparable damage as human-made climate change causes record-breaking summer heatwaves.

With very high temperatures expected in parts of Spain and France on Friday and Saturday, the crisis threatens to spread with weeks of scorching summer weather still to come across the region.

Continue reading...

Total annualised wind and solar output has reached a new benchmark of 50TWh on Australia's main grid, and pushed prices down again.

The post Wind and solar push annualised output to 50TWh, fan lower prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Bill Gates-backed liquid metal battery company secures another $200 million and some big new backers to advance production plans.

The post Bill Gates-backed liquid metal battery company secures $A200 million appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Distribution networks finally given responsibility for supporting household solar exports, but they shouldn’t be charging for them.

The post Solar export tax: An unhelpful “solution” to a problem that’s already been solved appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Snowy Hydro will impose a massive additional cost on NSW customers, but solar panels on household roofs, which bring prices down for all of us, are the focus of massive reform.

The post Solar tax counts cost of panels, but who will pay for Snowy 2.0? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

RES is proposing a massive wind, solar and big battery energy hub on farming land in western Victoria, once the local grid is upgraded.

The post Huge wind, solar and battery storage hub unveiled for western Victoria appeared first on RenewEconomy.