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Particle pollution in China’s capital has fallen by 60% in 10 years, but it remains six times higher than WHO guidelines

Photographs of smog enveloping Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium became one of the defining images of the first decade of this century. China’s annual air pollution deaths reached 2.6 million people a year in 2005. At the time, Beijing was crowned smog capital of the world and concerns for the health of athletes overshadowed preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games.

But rapid improvements followed, with clean-up technologies fitted to coal-burning power stations and industrial plants, followed by their conversion to fossil gas. New vehicles were fitted with tighter emissions controls and fuels were improved.

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Drax received £22bn in subsidies despite being UK’s largest emitter in 2023, though company rejects ‘flawed’ research

The Drax power station was responsible for four times more carbon emissions than the UK’s last remaining coal-fired plant last year, despite taking more than £0.5bn in clean-energy subsidies in 2023, according to a report.

The North Yorkshire power plant, which burns wood pellets imported from North America to generate electricity, was revealed as Britain’s single largest carbon emitter in 2023 by a report from the climate thinktank Ember.

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CS Energy's 100MW/200MWh Chinchilla Battery has commenced commercial operations at its site next to the largest remaining coal plant in Australia.

The post “Power on:” Queensland flicks the switch on its first publicly owned big battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

State government works with coal fired power station owner on opportunities for workers to transition to offshore wind sector.

The post Victorian government outlines coal to offshore wind pathways for Gippsland appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A California senate bill on CO2 removal (CDR) regulations has yet to resolve key considerations as it weaves through the legislative process, while little progress on the implementation of carbon, capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) legislation stalls it further.

Big batteries step in as coal unit trips in Texas at peak time in midst of heatwave. "Always on" baseload needs back-up just as much as renewables.

The post Batteries step in as coal plant trips amid heatwave and near record demand in Texas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Two Canadian companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Thursday to test and validate an autonomous tree planting technology for the generation of voluntary carbon offsets.

A Toronto-headquartered carbon project financier announced Thursday that it has received $11.2 million from the sale of carbon credits from its Vietnamese household device and Rwandan cookstove projects.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday it is allocating $44.5 million in funding towards nine university- and industry-led projects to advance knowledge of the potential of geologic basins to permanently store CO2 emissions.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices reversed course from year-to-date lows this week, but remained below Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) figures amid the ongoing WCI market bearishness due to programme reform implementation delay.

It feels harmless to share a photo of a rare species. But social media can drive great damage to nature, from poaching to baiting to trampling. Robert Davis, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Edith Cowan University Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University Claire Greenwell, Adjunct Associate in Ornithology and Marine Ecology, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Albanese government needs to wise up that energy network monopolies are about to make their task of re-election much harder. 

The post Energy network monopolies are a cost of living nightmare for Bowen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Drax - the UK’s largest generator of power from biomass - is by far the country’s largest source of carbon emissions, despite receiving more than half a billion pounds in green subsidies, according to a new report published on Friday.

Experts say it could be more than 100 years before Germany finds a final repository for its highly radioactive waste from nuclear power, and then builds it and transports it to the site.

The post Germany may take another 50 years to find final repository for waste from shuttered nuclear power appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Battery storage developer Akaysha Energy says it has begun construction of its newest battery project, the $200 million Brendale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Queensland. A “sod-turning” ceremony was held at the site next to the South Pine substation in the northern suburbs of Brisbane this week for the 205MW / 410MWh project, which […]

The post Akaysha breaks ground on new Queensland battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In the book Living Hot, Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld argue humanity should stop trying so hard to reduce emissions, and adapt instead. But we must do both. Blanche Verlie, Horizon Research Fellow and Lecturer, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Another report found pesticide levels posing ‘significant risks’ in 20% of tested fruits and vegetables

A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.

The paper, published on Wednesday in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, comes amid ongoing debate over the extent of pesticide contamination of food, and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues.

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Climate scientists say that the world is continuing to warm, despite brief respite in record breaking temperatures

Earth’s string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Niño climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced on Wednesday.

But July 2024’s average heat just missed surpassing last year’s July, and scientists said the end of the record-breaking streak changes nothing about the threat posed by the climate crisis.

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The new government has made a fast start in mobilising Britain’s most obvious natural asset, but big challenges remain

In its pomp during the 1970s, Ardersier port near Inverness was a behemoth of Scottish industry. During the North Sea oil and gas boom, thousands worked on one of the largest rig construction sites in the world. Disused since 2001, the port is making a triumphant comeback, to be reconfigured as a giant hub for the turbines that will harness wind power off the Scottish coast. If Sir Keir Starmer’s government is to achieve its goal of fully decarbonising electricity by 2030, this huge investment project in the Highlands will need to be matched by similar ambition elsewhere.

Wind energy is fundamental to meeting Britain’s net zero commitments, generating growth and reducing energy costs. But under Rishi Sunak, the sector suffered a lost year in 2023, when the government failed to award a single offshore wind contract. In July, the Climate Change Committee estimated that by 2030, the number of annual offshore and onshore wind installations needed to at least triple and double, respectively.

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Argentina’s carbon markets are growing rapidly and poised to shift away from reliance on waste management and renewables projects to embrace a broader array of credits, a jurisdictional REDD (J-REDD) developer told Carbon Pulse.