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Graham Stuart says if reforms to energy charter treaty not passed by November, UK would consider exit

The UK could pull out of the international energy charter treaty if attempts to reform it fail, the energy minister, Graham Stuart, has said.

The energy charter treaty (ECT) is a system of secret courts that enables companies to sue governments over policies that would cut their future profits. Companies have sued over phasing out coal-fired power stations, ending offshore oil drilling and banning fracking, with some receiving large taxpayer-funded payouts.

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Native hydrogen has become the latest buzzword in the great global hydrogen chase, potentially offering a far cheaper option than ‘green’ hydrogen while offering the same decarbonisation benefits, and does not require carbon sequestration or offsetting like the blue version does.

Carbon prices were little changed as the new month began, trading in their narrowest range in two months as the market started to absorb the impact of higher auction supply, while energy markets were also little-changed amid healthy gas supplies, even as the prospect of strike action at Australian LNG plants grew.

China's national carbon markets saw a surge in trading volume over the past week despite a decrease in spot prices, with analysts expecting the recently announced rules on allowance vintage to have a limited impact on near-term sentiment.

Australia’s farmland holds great potential for generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), but scaling up the market will require technologies capable of doing complex soil carbon measurement and auditing software to track the increase in soil carbon stock, in addition to willingness from farmers to change their management practices.

Experts warn that global heating is exacerbating inherent dangers of high altitude mountaineering

Avalanches in the Himalayas are causing an increasing number of deaths and threatening the safety of climbers, research suggests.

While high-altitude mountaineering comes with an inherent avalanche risk, global heating is exacerbating the danger during the climbing season in the Himalayan mountain range, experts warn.

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One of the largest seafood companies in New Zealand is investing in a forest-based carbon offset programme supported by Maori land owners, as part of its sustainability goals.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including hungry puffins, arctic rabbits and curious bears

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NSW, Queensland and Tasmania experienced hottest winters with spring likely to deliver hotter than average temperatures too

Australia’s winter of 2023 was the warmest since official records began in 1910, with average daily temperatures 1.53C above the long-term average.

According to data from the Bureau of Meteorology released on Friday, the 2023 winter beat the previous record of 1.46C above the average set in 1996. Every winter since 2012 has been warmer than the 30-year average calculated from 1961 to 1990.

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Australia's main grid reached a new 12-month rolling renewables record of 37.5 per cent on Thursday, the last day of winter.

The post On the last day of winter, Australia reaches record 37.5 pct renewables share for the year appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia needs policy and market clarity if it is to reach its ambitious but attainable renewable energy targets.

The post Are we trying to go forward, or not? Australia’s renewable transition needs clear direction appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The head of Snowy Hydro has apologised for large cost blowouts, while energy minister Chris Bowen says it would be a waste to cancel the project after so much has been spent.

The post Snowy Hydro boss apologises for cost blowouts, Bowen says it won’t be cancelled appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Snowy Hydro "reset" comes with no details or analysis. The Australian public, as the ultimate shareholders, must be provided with a comprehensive report, not just a two page media release.

The post Snowy 2 Much: How can a 2.2GW water battery be worth more than $12 billion? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Mt Piper is destined to be the last coal plant in the NSW grid, but is likely to cease operation well before that - leaving the biggest state coal-free in 10 years time.

The post Last coal generator in Australia’s biggest grid will be managed out earlier than you think appeared first on RenewEconomy.

EnergyAustralia boss Mark Collette on how he will make sure the company’s last coal generator will not get in the way of the renewable transition, and why he went electric.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Out with coal, in with EVs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Tall. Straight. Abundant flowers. And a stunning trunk. What’s not to like about the spotted gum? Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There has been a lot of commentary about how to measure the cost of renewables – but much of it misses the point

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If you’ve been reading or watching any rightwing media of late, you will have heard some extraordinary claims being made about the cost of renewable energy and the transition away from fossil fuels.

The opposition’s energy spokesperson, Ted O’Brien, suggested the Labor government could be “wilfully lying” about the “true cost” of the energy transition, while others have questioned the evidence that solar and wind are the cheapest forms of power.

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Amid all the song and dance over the market operator’s 10-year reliability outlook, and the revelations of the stunning incompetence of the federal government owned Snowy Hydro, it’s not surprising that the march of rooftop solar barely got a mention. On Wednesday, the Australian Energy Market Operator revealed two fascinating graphs that underline not just […]

The post Rooftop solar takes even bigger bites out of diminishing coal pie: But can it be controlled? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Numerous approaches from international carbon markets exist for tackling leakage and competitiveness concerns from energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries (EITEs) subject to New York state’s forthcoming programme, a webinar heard Thursday.