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The European Parliament approved new measures to boost the energy performance of buildings across the EU on Tuesday, in an attempt to decarbonise the sector before it enters the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).

An industry partnership that develops guidelines for financial institutions to disclose their  Scope 3 value chain emissions is fast gaining momentum for both voluntary and mandatory reporting, with parts incorporated into EU regulations even as the bloc postpones issuing its own sector-specific guidelines.

Biodiversity-specific funds passed $1.5 billion by the end of 2023, with eight vehicle launches throughout the period despite relative underperformance across the board.

Companies in the European Union will have to submit carbon offsetting claims for prior verification and approval by third-party certifiers before putting them in front of consumers or face hefty fines, according to draft EU rules voted on Tuesday.

Clean Energy Australia 2024 report paints a picture of a “very positive” year for renewables, including record-breaking figures for investment in utility scale storage.

The post Big batteries, small solar the heroes of 2023, as investment in big wind and solar sags appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Clean Energy Council report details ‘particularly poor’ investment in large-scale plants but says roof-top solar and batteries are ‘storming ahead’

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Investments in renewable energy plants showed an “alarming” slowdown in 2023, with financial approvals for new solar farms shrinking more than a third while no new windfarms won backing, the Clean Energy Council said in its annual report.

The yearly results come as separate data revealed fossil fuel power stations expanded generation in the first two months of 2024 as heatwaves in the east of Australia sent demand soaring.

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Members of the European Parliament voted on Tuesday not to reject a European Commission list of energy infrastructure projects eligible for funding and streamlined permitting processes, which includes two natural gas pipelines.

A multinational cement maker is working with partners to develop ways to store its CO2 in offshore reservoirs in Europe, while supporting the development of carbon mineralisation technologies from which it could generate carbon credits.

Swedish police have forcibly removed Greta Thunberg and other climate activists after they blocked the entrance to the Swedish parliament for a second day. Two officers lifted Thunberg and dragged her away before putting her down on the ground about 20 metres away from the door she had been obstructing. Thunberg and dozens of other environmental campaigners started blocking the main entrances to Sweden’s parliament on Monday in a sit-down protest against the effects of the climate crisis and what they said was political inaction

• Swedish police forcibly remove Greta Thunberg from parliament entrance

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A British financial services group has teamed up with the government-launched Projects for Nature, planning to fund projects on nature recovery and becoming the first founding business partner of the initiative, the company announced Tuesday.

Colombian reforms of offset use against its carbon tax have weakened demand for voluntary credits in the country, and a strong rise in issuances from domestic standards has done little to counterbalance dwindling supply figures as participants' focus shifts to the international market.

The approval of oil and gas projects in the North Sea’s five-biggest producing countries — Norway, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany — could lead to billions of tonnes in new carbon emissions, according to NGO analysis published on Tuesday.

EU carbon allowance prices were modestly weaker on Tuesday, clawing back early losses when the daily auction cleared at a premium to the spot, before giving up most of the rally just before midday, while energy markets fell for a fifth day due to a persistently bearish fundamental outlook.

Ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels on ships navigating the Red Sea have forced many Europe-bound vessels to divert their routes, which could as much as triple their emissions liabilities under the EU ETS, according to an ESG data provider.

Turkiye overtook Poland to become the second largest coal-fired power generator in Europe last year, due to its increasing reliance on fossil fuel imports and wavering wind capacity installation, according to an environmental think tank.

Intent to sue federal regulators charges they have failed to address dangerous levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ known to be in sludge

New legal action could put an end to the practice of spreading toxic sewage sludge on US cropland as a cheap alternative to fertilizer, and force America to rethink how it disposes of its industrial and human waste.

A notice of intent to sue federal regulators charges they have failed to address dangerous levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” known to be in virtually all sludge.

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The UN’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) has pledged to invest $100 million for climate action in Somalia over the next year, it announced Tuesday.

Lead researcher says use of machine learning meant over 10,000 cells could be produced and tested in a day

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Flexible, thin solar cells that are lightweight and portable may be a step closer to reality after Australian researchers claimed a new record for the amount of sunlight they can capture and turn into energy.

While traditional solar panels are rigid and heavy, the lightweight solar cells are made by printing ink on to thin plastic films.

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UK, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark have failed to align oil and gas policies with Paris pledges, say campaigners

None of the big oil and gas producers surrounding the North Sea plan to stop drilling soon enough to meet the 1.5C (2.7F) global heating target, a report has found.

The five countries – the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark – have failed to align their oil and gas policies with their climate promises under the Paris agreement, according to the campaign group Oil Change International.

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Re-establishing trust between developed and developing nations is essential if our goals are to be achieved

• Mukhtar Babayev is Azerbaijan’s minister for ecology and natural resources and the president-designate of Cop29
• Newly elected leaders to be held to same climate obligations, says Cop29 chief

Last year was a double first: in 2o23, both electric vehicle usage and worldwide electricity generation from coal reached new heights. Increased electricity demand and energy-disrupting conflicts in Europe and the Middle East played their part. But it is a stark reminder that meeting 1.5C obligations requires clean energy consumption and production to shift together, and that we must find mechanisms to guard against further interruption of both by future geopolitical events.

This can start at Cop29 in Azerbaijan. We must break for good the stop-start of Cop agreements so there is follow-through from one to the next. This began last month with the launch of the Cop Presidencies Troika, ensuring Azerbaijan will be the bridge in decision-making and implementation from the leadership of the 28th summit in UAE through to the 30th in Brazil next year. This rolling mechanism will ensure the summits themselves transition away from staging grand announcements to a platform for continuity through monitoring and implementation.

Mukhtar Babayev is Azerbaijan’s minister for ecology and natural resources and the president-designate of Cop29

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