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Corporate Australia's green energy plans are likely to sweep Australia's most coal dependent state into a future it could barely imagine.

The post Australia’s most coal dependent state may be about to make big green leap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian and international researchers have demonstrated a way to produce renewable hydrogen without the need to consume precious drinking water.

The post Researchers pluck green hydrogen from the air, without any need for liquid water appeared first on RenewEconomy.

NSW is to become first state to regulate CO2 as a pollutant, potentially establishing the framework for government-backed national climate actions.

The post NSW to be first state to regulate CO2 as pollutant under sweeping new proposals appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Developing countries want industrialised countries to pay reparations for loss and damage caused by climate change. Even with disasters ramping up, wealthy nations are resisting. Melanie Pill, Research fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

A new term – renewable gas – has emerged. But to claim the industry is ‘well on the way to decarbonising’ is questionable

Australia’s gas industry and the owners of all the pipes and infrastructure are on a public relations splurge to convince customers to stick with it in the face of the grand decarbonisation challenge.

A new term – renewable gas – has emerged, with the industry talking the talk about replacing its fossil fuel gas with alternatives such as hydrogen and gas generated from waste.

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This ocean warming controls the rate of climate change, and the effects such as sea level rise are irreversible on human timescales

Over the last 50 years, the oceans have been working in overdrive to slow global warming, absorbing about 40% of our carbon dioxide emissions, and more than 90% of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere.

But as our research published today in Nature Communications has found, some oceans work harder than others.

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The centre-right EPP political group wants to auction €20 billion worth of MSR-held carbon allowances within a single year - rather than the four-year stretch proposed by the European Commission under its RePowerEU initiative, according to legislative amendments submitted this week that could increase bearish pressures on the market.

Super major oil companies spend huge amounts of time and money talking up their green credentials, while their investments and lobbying activities tell a different story.

The post Greenwash: Big oil talks a big game but does little to shift away from fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exposure to diverse microbes boosts our immunity, while spending time in nature restores wellbeing. And COVID reminds us of the risks of new viruses when we intrude on and degrade natural habitats. Jake M Robinson, Ecologist and Researcher, Flinders University Christopher Daniels, Professor of Biology, University of South Australia Martin Breed, Senior Lecturer in Biology, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Chris Skidmore urges new PM to ignore ‘tiny vocal minority in Westminster’ arguing against climate target

Top green Conservative Chris Skidmore is to embark on a net zero tour to show that “normal people are getting on with” decarbonisation, and urge the new prime minister to ignore the “Westminster bubble” that is pouring scorn on the climate target.

Skidmore, a former energy minister, will on Thursday visit green schemes across north-west England, including a home insulation demonstration in Salford and a peat restoration project in Oldham.

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The World Bank Group blew past its previous annual climate-financing record for developing countries' climate mitigation strategies in FY 2022, jumping 19% higher than last year's record-setting delivery.

The EU generated a record 12% of its electricity from solar between May and August, helping to avoid an estimated €29 billion in fossil gas imports, according to an environmental think-tank.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's (R) administration filed a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) on Wednesday, initiating the first step in the standard regulatory process to repeal the trading rule and Virginia’s participation in RGGI, according to the state registrar’s office.

Environmental groups and business organisations filed an intervention Wednesday to defend the market-based Climate Protection Program (CPP) in Oregon against a lawsuit seeking to roll back regulations.

It needs a roadmap to net zero, to secure the Climate Change Authority, and measures for a proper national conversation

Labor’s climate change bill is poised to pass the Senate after the government agreed to amendments proposed by independent senator David Pocock to improve accountability and transparency.

The bill would set a national emissions target for 2030 and define a process to ratchet it up over time, as well as enshrining the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The independent Climate Change Authority will recommend future targets. These are sound and useful elements and will serve Australia’s climate policymaking well.

Yet three important elements are not in the bill: a long-term roadmap to net zero, securing the future of the Climate Change Authority, and measures for a proper national conversation on our journey to net zero emissions. And the 43% emissions reduction target should be considered only a starting point.

What will the shift to net zero emissions mean for our economy?

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Heat pumps use a fraction of the energy of traditional electric or gas heaters, which means they slash both energy costs and emissions. Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When it comes to emissions reduction, Australia needs a proper national conversation and a long-term plan. The climate change bill about to pass parliament doesn’t provide this. Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Head of Energy, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Environmentalists assess cabinet appointments and say it is ‘a mixed bag’ and there is no clear direction

The spotlight on energy should be the UK’s opportunity to finally adopt a green agenda that sets a clear path to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But Truss’s own pronouncements – more oil drilling, more gas fracking – and many of her cabinet appointments suggest action on net zero could be undermined rather than boosted by her government. As the makeup of her government comes into focus, will it head in the direction environmentalists say the UK urgently needs to travel?

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A US-based carbon credit platform launched an updated version of its screening process for listing forestry projects on Wednesday, using ‘dynamic’ satellite data to audit CO2 savings in a bid to overcome criticism of over-crediting based on its previous use of  ‘static’ historical data.