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Japan has issued the first instalment of its climate transition bond worth 1.6 trillion yen ($11 billion) to fund its emission reduction targets, UK-based non-profit and certifier Climate Bond Initiative confirmed Thursday.

French oil major TotalEnergies ramped up investment in carbon credits in 2023, it said in annual results this week, spending nearly $50 million on units across the year, while also posting a 300% year-on-year increase in purchases in the final quarter.

Japan’s government, related agencies, oil and gas companies, and industrial emitters see great hope in the saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs across Southeast Asia as a permanent storage solution for a portion of their carbon emissions, the only problem is the region’s lack of regulations to support this, a webinar heard Thursday.

A backlash against plans to reform agriculture is predicted by union leaders.

Warming of the land surface increased from 1.48C after another year of data was added, annual climate statement reveals

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Australia’s climate has officially warmed by 1.5C since 1910, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-term record of temperatures.

The figure is revealed in the bureau’s annual climate statement that found 2023 was Australia’s joint-eighth warmest year on record, with the national temperature 0.98C above the average between 1961 and 1990.

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The Australian Securities Exchange has released updated draft details on the three environmental futures products it plans to launch in July this year.

A multi-party committee in the Australian Senate has recommended the government reject a bill by the Greens party that would introduce a so-called climate trigger into the country’s environmental laws, whereby new projects would be assessed based on their climate impacts.

First turbine erected at what will be the biggest wind project in Australia.

The post Australia’s biggest wind project installs first turbine appeared first on RenewEconomy.

What is the story we should be telling to explain Australia's shift to 82% renewables by 2030, and who is telling it – is it understood by those outside the energy industry bubble?

The post Where’s our slogan? How the energy transition could benefit from an educational campaign appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AGL says large-scale battery storage is rapidly becoming a core part of its business, and will be a key building block for future profitability, with agility and flexibility the order of the day.

The post Batteries “core” to business and profitability, says AGL, as flexibility and firming pay off appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia lags the US and Canada when it comes to involving Indigenous people in projects on their land. With the growth of renewable energy we have an opportunity to make a fresh start. Adam Fish, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Media, UNSW Sydney Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The last 12 months were the hottest on record, temporarily sending the world past a deeply symbolic mark.

Experts say the endangered insect numbers fell by 59% this year, blaming pesticide use and climate change for the reduction

The number of endangered monarch butterflies at their wintering areas in Mexico has dropped by 59% this year to the second lowest level since record keeping began, experts said, blaming pesticide use and climate change.

The annual butterfly count doesn’t calculate the individual number of butterflies, but rather the number of hectares they cover when they clump together on tree branches in the mountain pine and fir forests west of Mexico City. Monarchs from east of the Rocky Mountains in the US and Canada overwinter there.

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AGL Energy posts 359% jump in half-year profit, year-on-year, driven by fewer plant outages and more stable market conditions.

The post AGL back in the black as it slouches towards green appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An Australian carbon market industry body has urged the government speed up its work programme on reforming the market to unlock new methodologies and domestic credit supply, or run the risk of emitters being forced to rely on international credits to meet compliance obligations.  

A joint development agreement announced Wednesday between a US petrochemical producer and a diversified Japanese conglomerate is expected to reduce nearly 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually from a biofuel refinery combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The Northwest Territories (NWT), which maintains its own carbon pricing legislation in place of the federal government’s, approved the carbon tax exemption on home heating fuel, alongside a reduction in its quarterly territorial rebate on Wednesday.

Despite their current downtrend, investing in EU carbon allowances will likely be one of the “great opportunities” of 2024, analysts predict.

Shipowners have targeted liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the fuel to meet the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) 2030 climate targets, while methanol, seen as a distant second-place option, has been largely promoted by just one major company, finds a report.

Despite record growth in US clean energy sources last year, an environmental think-tank has warned the sector faces challenges, including supply chain issues and the need for accelerated renewable power installations to meet the country’s climate targets.