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European carbon prices continued to move in their recent narrow range as trading in the June options contracts entered its final hours on Wednesday morning, with the sideways price action shrugging off a third consecutive increase in investment funds' net short positions, while UKAs rose to their highest level in eight months as speculation over the next government's ETS strategy continued to mount.

Two French companies say they have successfully completed the pouring of the world’s first wind turbine foundation made from decarbonised concrete.

The post World’s first wind turbine foundation poured from decarbonised concrete appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fortescue invests in Spanish company that is working on wind energy innovations including a "self-erecting" turbine tower.

The post Fortescue invests more in “self-erecting” wind tower innovator appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government on Wednesday published a Sustainable Finance Roadmap that lays out the next steps of its reforms on climate reporting and a green finance taxonomy.

Industry promotion of recycling through instruments like plastic credits distracts from the urgent need to reduce overall production, with less than 10% of plastic recycled globally, according to a sustainable finance think-tank.

A carbon removals registry has teamed up with over 10 platforms to expand the reach of its credits in a bid to drive sales to new buyers, it announced Wednesday.

Japanese carbon project developer has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a second provincial government in Vietnam to reduce methane emissions resulting from rice cultivation in the Southeast Asian nation. 

Sacre bleu!

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Speaking in Sydney on the Coalition's proposal to build seven nuclear power plants, opposition leader Peter Dutton says 'the first two' would be complete 'between 2035 and 2037, depending on which technology you use', with the rest to be completed 'into the 2040s' and 'ahead of 2050'. Dutton says this is 'achievable' and a 'sensible rollout'

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• Peter Dutton names seven potential nuclear power station sites but avoids questions on cost

• If regional communities don’t want a windfarm, why would they accept a nuclear power station?

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Amid all the insults about the stupidity of the Coalition's nuclear plan, Chris Bowen probably best summed it up: "It’s a joke, but a serious joke because it threatens the renewable transition."

The post Dutton’s big nuclear plan: “A serious joke” that is mad, bad and dangerous appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Nuclear costs for large or small reactors would need to be reduced by two thirds for nuclear power to compete with firmed renewables. There is no reasonable expectation that this could or would ever occur.

The post Dutton races to the polls with coal-to-nuclear fantasy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In announcing the Coalition's proposal to build seven nuclear power plants, opposition leader Peter Dutton says the government's energy policy is 'not fit for purpose'. Dutton says the Coalition wants to make use of existing assets and that coal-fired power station sites can be used to distribute energy generated from the latest-generation nuclear reactors

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• Peter Dutton names seven potential nuclear power station sites but avoids questions on cost

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Andrew Forrest-owned wind farm has gained approval from the federal environment minister, in a decision that has sparked debate over the impact of wind turbines on biodiversity.

The post Andrew Forrest wind farm gets federal green tick as debate rages over biodiversity threat appeared first on RenewEconomy.

If the first episode of Australia’s climate wars was a tragedy, the second is an expensive and dangerous farce, writes Malcolm Turnbull

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Back in the early years of the climate wars, the opponents of renewables would argue that coal-fired generation was cheaper and, in any event, global warming was a hoax. Those of us who took global warming seriously would argue that the additional cost of renewable energy was worth paying to save the planet.

Fast forward to today and we know that the cheapest form of new generation is wind and, above all, solar PV. The energy sector knows that and has zero interest in building new coal-fired power stations. And Australian families know that too, which is why we have the highest rate of rooftop solar PV in the world.

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It beggars belief that opposition leader Peter Dutton proposes nationalising a nuclear public debt bomb and detonating it at the heart of energy policy in this country. 

The post Nuclear plan is fiscal irresponsibility on an epic scale and rank political opportunism appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The gas power station is supposed to run partially on green hydrogen – if any becomes available to buy.

The post Tallawarra B gas generator finally ready for the grid, just in time for cold snap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Issuing licences in the North Sea without accounting for environmental impact was unlawful, Oceana UK says

A marine conservation group has initiated legal action against the UK government, claiming the Conservatives’ decision to issue North Sea oil and gas licences without taking into account their impact on the environment was unlawful.

Oceana UK, part of an international conservation organisation, said that in issuing 82 licences, Claire Coutinho, the secretary of state for energy security, and the North Sea Transition Authority, ignored advice from independent government experts about the potential effects on marine protected areas (MPAs).

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The Coalition’s nuclear policy announcement leaves many burning questions. Exactly what kind of reactors will be built? Who will build them? And how much they will cost? John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Temperatures are rising much faster than anticipated. We must respond with the following rapid solutions

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The reality of climate change is well accepted. The newest problem is that it is unfolding faster than anticipated.

The Coalition’s push towards nuclear power may have long-term merit, but it does not address the urgency of the situation in which we now find ourselves.

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The government of a Chinese province has launched a carbon crediting programme for forestry-related projects, urging local emitters to use it to meet their voluntary emissions targets and as part of the province’s contributions towards realising the country’s overall climate ambitions.