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Calgary-based power generator TransAlta saw its GHG emissions fall 20% last year partially due to lower thermal coal output and gas conversions that will result in lower compliance obligations under Alberta’s market-based large emitter programme, according to year-end earnings published Wednesday.

A new report shows European wind power weathered COVID19 but faces a range of new threats including a permitting restrictions.

The post European wind power weathers Covid19, but faces headwinds appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The global pandemic caused an unprecedented drop in global emissions. But this is likely to rebound as economies start to recover. Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Corinne Le Quéré, Royal Society Research Professor, University of East Anglia Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Matthew William Jones, Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia Pierre Friedlingstein, Chair, Mathematical Modelling of Climate, University of Exeter Robbie Andrew, Senior Researcher, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Rob Jackson, Professor, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, Stanford University Steve Davis, Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A Virginia utility commission should not approve a Dominion subsidiary’s rate request to cover RGGI compliance costs under the power sector carbon market, or at least should eliminate the generator’s ability to recover carrying costs, according to pre-hearing testimony released Tuesday evening.

Virginia’s inclusion and new post-2020 changes to the power sector RGGI carbon market could significantly alter the outcome of Wednesday's quarterly auction, with some traders anticipating a clear at or slightly above the secondary market levels.

A former stock exchange boss has been tasked with positioning London as the global hub for carbon offset trade, the UK’s finance minister said Wednesday in a mixed budget for climate action that included maintaining its top-up power sector carbon price for another year.

Green measures such as a change to the Bank of England's remit do not go far enough, critics say.

Equivalent falls in emissions over a decade required to keep to safe limits of global heating, experts say

Carbon dioxide emissions must fall by the equivalent of a global lockdown roughly every two years for the next decade for the world to keep within safe limits of global heating, research has shown.

Lockdowns around the world led to an unprecedented fall in emissions of about 7% in 2020, or about 2.6bn tonnes of CO2, but reductions of between 1bn and 2bn tonnes are needed every year of the next decade to have a good chance of holding temperature rises to within 1.5C or 2C of pre-industrial levels, as required by the Paris agreement.

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EUAs slipped back towards €37 on Wednesday amid weaker energy prices, giving back the previous session's gains that had renewed bulls' hopes that prices might re-test their record, while data showed investor interest continues to hit record levels.

The voluntary carbon market can build a common understanding for a new financing claim beyond offsetting that represents the same commitment of taking responsibility for unabated emissions by mitigating carbon beyond boundaries, writes Sarah Leugers of Gold Standard.

A Nottinghamshire power station is put forward as a possible site for a prototype reactor.

China’s biggest pilot emissions trading scheme will keep offset limits for compliance purposes well below 0.5% of emissions for 2020, and also get the compliance cycle back on track after COVID-driven interruptions sparked major delays for all of the nation’s pilot markets last year.

The energy industry is like a smoker who goes from one pack a day to two – but claims they’re quitting because they switched to filtered cigarettes

The United Nations campaign Race to Zero recently published a paper identifying 20 pathways to reach net zero carbon emissions. In December, the British Oil & Gas Authority published a requirement that oil and gas development be “consistent with net zero” (despite approval of new offshore permits). BP, Shell and other multinational companies have all now published their “net zero” pathways.

Related: The climate crisis can't be solved by carbon accounting tricks | Simon Lewis

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(Free read) - Carbon Pulse has significantly strengthened its unrivalled voluntary markets coverage by hiring one of the longest serving environmental journalists on the beat and a world renowned expert in the role of forestry and other land uses in combatting climate change.

Disaster looms if big finance is allowed to game the carbon offsetting markets to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions

An astonishing global shift is under way: 127 countries have now stated that by mid-century their overall emissions of carbon dioxide will be zero. That includes the EU, US, and UK by 2050 – and China by 2060. Companies are enthusiastically signing up to similar “net zero” goals. Finally the international community seems to have accepted the scientific fact that we need to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere to stabilise our climate. Dare we hope that the climate crisis can be brought under control?

Perhaps, but big problems remain. Long-term commitments have not resulted in sufficient near-term actions. The world is on track for emissions to be just 0.5% below 2010 levels by 2030, compared with the 45% needed on the road to net zero by 2050. The pivotal Glasgow Cop26 climate talks in November will need to tackle this. But a more insidious problem is emerging. Net zero increasingly involves highly questionable carbon accounting. As a result, the new politics swirling around net zero targets is rapidly becoming a confusing and dangerous mix of pragmatism, self-delusion and weapons-grade greenwash.

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Power Ledger’s blockchain-enabled technology used in first live solar energy trading project in Delhi, India.

The post Power Ledger technology deployed in first live solar energy trading in Delhi appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Swedish-Chinese carmaker Volvo joins growing number of carmakers to embrace all-electric transition, announcing that it will sell only fully-electric cars by 2030.

The post “No future” for ICE: Volvo will sell only pure electric cars by 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia's rooftop solar market snaps back into gear after a well-earned slow-down in January, putting installs on track for another record-breaking year.

The post Rooftop solar installs head for 3.5GW in 2021 after record start to year appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Drivers of decline likely to be habitat loss, intensive farming, climate change and light pollution

Moths in Britain have declined in abundance by a third over the past 50 years, according to a study.

The declines of 39% in the abundance (relative representation in an ecosystem) of larger moth species over southern Britain and a 22% fall across northern Britain add to the picture of calamitous declines in flying insects in the industrialised world.

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Big batteries, and grid-connected battery energy storage in general, are in prime position to cash in on renewable energy transition, a major new report has found.

The post Batteries poised to reap rewards of renewable energy transition, says report appeared first on RenewEconomy.