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CEFC Clean Energy Innovation Fund makes $4m equity investment into patented Australian carbon fibre portable container technology that can cut transport emissions, costs.

The post CEFC targets transport emissions with investment in Australian freight technology appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Labor's policies have to get a lot more ambitious if they want to see real reductions in emissions. Mark Diesendorf, Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Environmentalists hail decision – but it offers company a clear path to approval

The controversial Carmichael coalmine has been delayed indefinitely by the Queensland government, which has ruled that Adani’s proposals to protect the endangered black-throated finch do not meet the miner’s approval conditions.

The decision, made by the state environment department and not by the political arm of government, forces Adani to complete significant additional work before it can begin construction of the mine.

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How kites and drones could generate electricity to supplement conventional wind turbines.

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

The UK is furthering plans to develop its own post-Brexit ETS, publishing a consultation paper late Thursday that sought views on a proposed design that closely aligns with the EU scheme apart from an auction reserve price and looser measures for airlines.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices continued their months-long bull run this week as they eclipsed the $18 mark on the benchmark contract, while RGGI allowances (RGAs) remained stagnant amid limited secondary market activity.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) on Thursday refused to veto Republican-inserted language in the state’s 2019 budget that would prevent the state from joining the RGGI carbon market next year and the future Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) programme, but directed staff to explore ways to implement the state’s power sector ETS independently.

The Humane Society are calling for mandatory sentencing and for jurisdictions like the Northern Territory to set-up dedicated environmental courts to deal with the problem.

The Climate Strike movement shows us loud and clear that youth not only care about climate change, but that it needs to be brought to the table to cement their vote. Hannah Feldman, PhD Researcher in Science Communication, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Environmental groups oppose loosening Obama-era regulations as Trump pushes to expand offshore drilling

The Trump administration on Thursday moved to ease safety regulations adopted after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, the worst offshore oil disaster in US history that killed nearly a dozen people and caused massive pollution.

David Bernhardt, the interior secretary, said in a statement the administration was acting to eliminate “unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety and environmental protection offshore”.

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EUAs continued the week’s downward path on Thursday, breaking several technical support levels as traders saw little reason for buyers to emerge after the annual compliance deadline and amid bearish signals from the energy complex.

Just over 220 installations and airlines operating have failed to meet their obligations under the EU ETS in 2018, according to data published by the European Commission on Thursday, showing that the non-compliance rate has dropped under 2%.

Two offset project developers from the US and Canada have started a new joint venture to develop and sell voluntary credits from grasslands conservation, with the possibility of exploring other project types and entering compliance carbon markets.

The LIGO-VIRGO instruments tasked with detecting gravitational waves triggered five times in April.

A row over how much it would cost to increase Australia’s emissions ambition and the impact of using international offsets dominates the country's newspaper headlines ahead of the May 18 election, as the nation’s decade-old climate wars show no sign of receding.

The move has been likened to putting the country on a "war footing", with climate and the environment at the very centre of all government policy, rather than being on the fringe of political decisions. Chris Turney, Professor of Earth Science and Climate Change, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Climate Strike movement shows us loud and clear that youth not only care about climate change, but that it needs to be brought to the table to cement their vote. Hannah Feldman, PhD Researcher in Science Communication, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Emission of greenhouse gases has fallen, but environmental issues are still ‘an emergency’

Should the UK declare a “climate emergency” that would inform public policy and the national budget? The question was been debated in parliament on Wednesday, with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn declaring the government should “embrace hope” through stronger actions on greenhouse gas emissions, and the environment secretary, Michael Gove, calling the problem of climate change “an emergency”.

Outside parliament, the activist group Extinction Rebellion has brought London motor traffic to a standstill on several occasions, and the youth activist Greta Thunberg has held meetings with leading politicians, including Gove and Corbyn but excluding the prime minister.

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Gulf nation economies are built around energy exports. Climate change means they will have to look beyond fossil fuels in order to keep their economies afloat.

The post Why the new “solar superpowers” are likely to be the Gulf petro-states appeared first on RenewEconomy.