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Equipment being trialled in Scotland extracts warmth from nearby water sources to provide homes with heating

Scientists in Edinburgh have developed a home heating system that draws its energy from the world’s most abundant resource: water.

The equipment can use sea water, rivers, ponds and even mine water to heat radiators and water for baths and showers, using the same technology as in air source heat pumps.

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Fossil fuel firms are biggest beneficiaries of investor-state dispute settlement courts which have awarded $114bn of public money

More than $100bn of public money has been awarded to private investors in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet.

The controversial arbitration system which allows corporations to sue governments for compensation over decisions they argue affect their profits is largely carried out behind closed doors, with some judgments kept secret. But, according to a global ISDS tracker which launches today, $114bn has so far been paid out of the public purse to investors – about as much as rich nations provided in climate aid in 2022.

A $15bn compensation suit by TC Energy against the US government for cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried 830,000 barrels of highly polluting tar sands oil to the US coast every day. The permit was withdrawn by Joe Biden on his first day in office after a long campaign by Indigenous Americans, farmers and climate activists. The pipeline had been championed by ex-president Donald Trump and became a touchstone culture war issue.

Ruby River Capital’s claim for “no less than $20bn” after the Quebec government cancelled a natural gas liquefaction plant on the St Lawrence River. An environmental impact assessment had found that the plant would increase greenhouse gas emissions, hurt Indigenous Canadian communities and destroy biodiversity. RRC’s claim was the largest ever under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).

The most lucrative ISDS claim currently being heard is Zeph Investment’s $200bn case against Australia over a huge planned mine in Western Australia which, Zeph Investment claims, the Australian government had “effectively destroyed”, in breach of the Asean free trade agreement.

Avima Iron Ore is seeking $27bn from the Republic of the Congo, after it revoked iron ore mining licenses for three Australian-owned firms, handing them instead to a small Chinese investment group. The sum is almost twice as much as the country’s GDP last year.

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National Australia Bank (NAB) will provide A$80 billion ($53 bln) in climate-related finance by 2030 and has set interim decarbonisation targets for certain lending sectors. according to its climate disclosures report published Thursday.

Unique wind, solar and battery project in north Queensland finally overcomes connection challenges to reach full capacity five years after it was built.

The post “Unimaginable challenges:” World-first integrated wind, solar and battery hybrid finally at full capacity appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) launched an operation Wednesday that aims to dismantle an unidentified criminal group suspected of selling around R$180 million ($34 mln) in carbon credits from illegally authorised lands, according to a government press release.

Report finds 28GW of new rooftop solar capacity could be installed on commercial and industrial roof spaces across Australia, offering significant power reductions to businesses and huge potential benefits to the grid.

The post Commercial and industrial rooftop solar could fill Eraring gap, and turn buildings into batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The US government has launched a nationwide roadmap for improving marine ecosystems data that suggests industry actors put a price on ocean biodiversity, spurred in-part by emerging nature markets.

Governor Wes Moore (D) signed an executive order Tuesday to advance Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, requiring state agencies to submit a Climate Implementation Plan by Nov. 1 and created a Subcabinet on Climate.

Public hearing sessions concerning a proposed pipeline that would store CO2 from Midwest biorefineries in North Dakota concluded Tuesday without allaying landowners’ worries regarding safety and easement agreements.

Experts debated at two panels Tuesday on whether increasing fiscal and climate pressures would be enough to facilitate a future bipartisan agreement in the US on some form of national carbon price.

The Alberta Technology Innovation and Emission Reduction (TIER) programme recorded the highest transaction activity in May as the 2023 compliance deadline approaches, while assessed spot prices declined, according to a report published Monday.

Environmentalists have long been sceptical of carbon capture and storage, which began in the oil and gas industry. But there’s nothing else like it for storing emissions from industry. Tianyi Ma, Distinguished Professor in Chemistry and Renewable Energy, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The major benefit of agrivoltaics is that solar panels shelter crops and animals from the heat, while providing more warmth at night. Soils also retain more moisture and some crops grow better. Alan Brent, Professor and Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Catherine Iorns, Professor of Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Despite its rich endowment of iron ore resources, Australia must act early and decisively to secure its place in the global race towards green iron and low-carbon steel.

The post Australia must decarbonise to stay relevant in the global steel supply chain: BNEF appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Buyers from new sectors are preparing to ramp up investment in novel carbon removals that would alter the current profile of corporates purchasing engineered-based units, long dominated by large technology firms, despite credit costs still well into the hundreds of dollars per tonne.

Argentinian oil and gas (O&G) producers are open to greening their operations but seek marginal, not transformational change, according to industry representatives and a public official speaking at the Argentina Carbon Forum in Buenos Aires.

The Climate Action Reserve (CAR) standard’s pending protocol to tackle emissions from Argentina’s vast beef herds and other livestock cannot be implemented in a scientifically robust way under local conditions, an applied scientist at a national research institute told Carbon Pulse on Tuesday at the Argentina Carbon Forum in Buenos Aires.

The secretary general of the UN said fossil fuel companies should be banned from advertising in every country, akin to the restrictions on big tobacco. António Guterres delivered fresh scientific warnings of global heating in a major speech in New York. He called on news and tech media to stop enabling 'planetary destruction' by taking fossil fuel firms' advertising money, while warning that the world faces 'climate crunch time' in its faltering attempts to stem the crisis

• ‘Godfathers of climate chaos’: UN chief urges global fossil-fuel advertising ban

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A developer of clean cooking appliances and carbon offset projects has received authorisation to begin carbon projects in Malawi, it announced on Wednesday.

Offtake agreements could play a critical role in bridging the financing gap in the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) market, provided that they include detailed information on pricing as well as safeguards for buyers and investors, according to a new report.