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Study says funding to cope with climate breakdown needed five years earlier than expected

Poor countries need $1tn a year in climate finance by 2030, five years earlier than rich countries are likely to agree to at UN climate talks, a new study has found.

Waiting until 2035 to receive the funding, which is to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with extreme weather, would place damaging burdens on vulnerable countries, warned the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, a group of leading economists.

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Analysis by Climate Action Tracker puts median temperature rise by 2100 at 2.7C if current policies continue

World leaders have promised to try to stop the planet heating by more than 1.5C (2.7F). But current policies put the temperature rise on track for 2.7C, a report has found.

The expected level of global heating by the end of the century has not changed since 2021, with “minimal progress” made this year, according to the Climate Action Tracker project. The consortium’s estimate has not shifted since the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow three years ago.

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The climate crisis created the setting for Trump’s economy-first win and it’s the global south that will suffer most

Donald Trump’s election is a triumph for the politics of the doomsday bunker, which is bad news for the world’s environment.

This is the idea that in an age of climate disruption, nature extinction and ever wider social inequality, the best chance of survival for those who can afford it is to construct a personal shelter, where they can keep the desperate masses at bay. It is survival of the richest.

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One of Australia's dirtiest thermal coal mines, recently approved for a major expansion, is now seeking permission to build solar and battery storage to help power its operations.

The post Whitehaven seeks to power one of Australia’s dirtiest coal mines with solar and battery storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Zinc and polyurethane product could stop dangerous blockages in concrete wastewater pipes – but is a few years off commercial use

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Australian engineers have invented an anti-fatberg coating for sewer pipes that could prevent the congealed masses from blocking the wastewater system and leading to overflows and flooding.

Fatbergs – solidified masses of fat, oil and grease that accumulate in sewer pipes, collecting wet wipes and other material – are a major concern for wastewater authorities globally, responsible for 40% of blockages in Australia, and a likely source for the mysterious balls that recently washed up on Sydney beaches.

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Transgrid’s massive HumeLink transmission line has been cleared for development by the NSW government, leaving just federal approval in the way of it going ahead.

The post NSW signs off on contested HumeLink transmission link, with “strict conditions” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The scale of project proposals - particularly in battery storage - is dwarfing those already on the grid. But is there enough room in the allocated renewable zones?

The post The mega battery projects jockeying for position in renewable zones that might be too small appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A US appellate court on Wednesday heard arguments in an appeal of a district court’s ruling against a power producer’s challenge to Washington’s no-cost permit allocation provisions under the cap-and-trade scheme.

Your electric water heater uses a lot of electricity overnight. Shifting it to soak up solar could be a win-win. Baran Yildiz, Senior lecturer in Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney Hossein Saberi, Research Associate in Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Big batteries win important concession against a Coalition era "landmine" that could have made the grid less secure, rather than more reliable.

The post Big batteries win reprieve on reliability measure and Coalition “landmine” that would make grid less secure appeared first on RenewEconomy.

One of the world’s biggest makers of electric buses has plans for Australia. We talk to Kent Chang of Yutong. Plus: The shift to V2G and Tesla’s sales slump.

The post The Driven Podcast: Are Australian buses ready to go electric? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California regulator ARB’s latest issuance of compliance-eligible offsets was the smallest since the end of June with slim pickings of this distribution having direct environmental benefits (DEBs) to the state, agency data released Wednesday showed.

A Brazilian state government has entered into an agreement with an environmental management firm to commercialise Jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) carbon credits while boosting sustainable investments and supporting local communities within the Amazon region.

Oil and gas company progress on emissions has stalled for the second year in a row, while corporate strategies for meeting emissions targets are of “questionable credibility”, a report published Thursday has found.

A UK-headquartered biodiversity conservation organisation has urged countries not to back crediting mechanisms as a means to tackle the plastic crisis, labelling them as a "false solution" that is highly exposed to greenwashing.

Washington's Department of Ecology (ECY) will prepare a number of recommendations for future cap-and-trade allowance distribution to 2050 for its emissions-intensive and trade-exposed (EITE) industries without WCI linkage considerations, staff told an advisory group on Wednesday.

One expert says climate targets can seem abstract but matter because they serve as an ‘investment signal’ to cashed up investors

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The UK’s announcement of an 81% emissions cut below 1990 levels by 2035 shows the Australian government should set an ambitious climate target that will quickly drive investment and create clean industries, experts say.

The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, was praised by campaigners and experts after confirming the pledge at the Cop29 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan, though they said it would need to be backed by clear plans. The UK is one of the first larger countries to announce a 2035 target before a UN deadline next February.

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Brazil's Senate voted Wednesday to approve landmark national ETS legislation, overcoming nearly a full year of negotiations to pass a cap-and-trade scheme set to be the largest in Latin America.

The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) this week rejected an effort from youth activists to reopen a lawsuit against the federal government for its alleged failure to address climate change.

Decentralised energy means small is cheaper, more efficient, more reliable and far more resilient. But incumbent utilities don’t want to change their ways, and regulators appear unwilling to change the rules.

The post Cheaper, more reliable, more efficient: It’s time to consider a bottom-up clean energy transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.