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President Joe Biden’s (D) administration has a “clean state” on developing a regulation to reduce power sector emissions, EPA administrator nominee Michael Regan said Wednesday, as he committed to let states implement more ambitious vehicle GHG standards than the federal government and bring greater transparency to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) if confirmed as head of the agency. 

An UK appeals court has upheld convictions against seven men charged with committing fraud via various carbon markets, rejecting challenges over the prosecution's use of an expert witness who was later discredited.

New transmission links considered essential to renewables transition in doubt after AEMC says six dollar a year impact too much to allow for change in rules.

The post Transmission projects in doubt after AEMC rejects financing rule change appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Republican Senators took aim at a suite of climate-related executive orders signed by President Joe Biden (D) during a committee hearing on Wednesday, saying the policies would provide little environmental benefit and negatively impact the economy.

A net-zero goal will provide clarity, ambition and focus. But Morrison must back the rhetoric with investment and policy commensurate with the task. Anna Malos, Australia - Country Lead, ClimateWorks Australia Anna Skarbek, CEO at ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

France is not doing enough to tackle climate change, a Paris court ruled on Wednesday, becoming the third EU nation to be held legally responsible for its climate inaction.

The German government has ‘named and shamed’ another group of companies for failing to comply with the EU ETS, including a pair of Egyptian airlines.

Danish utility Orsted reported an uptick in its coal power use over 2020 as its grid-balancing services were called upon more due to a pandemic-induced shift in power demand, the company said on Wednesday.

State found guilty of ‘non-respect of its engagements’ aimed at fighting global warming

A Paris court has convicted the French state of failing to address the climate crisis and not keeping its promises to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

In what has been hailed as a historic ruling, the court found the state guilty of “non-respect of its engagements” aimed at combating global warming.

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Vicious circle of cheap but damaging food is biggest destroyer of nature, says UN-backed report

The global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to a report.

Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, the report by the Chatham House thinktank said. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, it said.

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EU carbon prices prices jumped over 7% to a new all-time high on Wednesday as traders scrambled to secure allowances, which led to a record auction clearance.

Battery storage and other technologies are likely to take on all the system services once delivered by fossil fuel generators. Stephen Sproul from Hitachi ABB explains how.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Can batteries rule the grid? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Nearly 80% of all new coal-fired capacity commissioned in 2020 was in China, propping up the nation’s fossil fuel industry despite the promise to become carbon neutral in four decades, according to a report released Wednesday.

Antarctic bergs travelling north spark changes in ocean circulations and affect composition of our atmosphere

How does an ice age start? We know that changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun alter the amount of solar energy reaching our planet, but it has long been a mystery as to how this triggers such a dramatic change in the climate. A study shows that Antarctic icebergs may be responsible for tipping the balance.

Aidan Starr, from Cardiff University, and his team analysed sediments recovered by the International Ocean Discovery Program from the ocean floor south of South Africa. Within those sediments were tiny fragments of rock dropped by melting Antarctic icebergs. By studying the chemistry of the tiny deep-sea fossils found throughout the sediment core, the scientists were able to show that when climate conditions enabled icebergs to travel this far north they made the North Atlantic fresher and the Southern Ocean saltier.

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There are serious delays in tackling “critical” issues like air quality and wildlife loss, MPs say.

Australian invented hydrogen-to-heat catalyst gets a boost, with its inventors signing major MoU with Philippine government to deliver decarbonisation plan.

The post Australian invented ‘catalyst’ may be key to creating a global hydrogen economy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Dasgupta Review up-ends economic assumptions about biodiversity loss, which is increasingly becoming a mainstream financial concern.

The post Gross domestic product is destroying nature, says landmark UK government report appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In trial dubbed "project symphony", Western Australia commits $35 million to its first major virtual power plant.

The post Western Australia to splash $35m on virtual power plant pilot appeared first on RenewEconomy.

It could cost a fraction of projected $200 million to transition federal government fleet, electric vehicle and energy consultancy firm Evenergi says.

The post Electrifying federal government fleet could be done at fraction of new cost estimates appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A bird problem-solving experiment has revealed how traffic noise impairs the animals' abilities.