Feed aggregator

The European Union generated 71% of its electricity from clean sources in 2024, far outpacing the global average and marking a critical turning point in the bloc’s energy transition, according to new data.

As many as 80% of European landowners would consider planting trees to earn carbon income, but the costs involved and lack of knowledge are holding them back, according to a nature-based removals developer.

Over 40% of the electricity supplied across the world last year came from renewable or clean sources, the first time that threshold has been breached, with solar hitting a six-year high in terms of new installations, a think tank said Tuesday.

A massive, major new global energy dataset shows continued progress for wind and solar, and headwinds for nuclear and gas.

The post Global report shows up Coalition gas and nuclear folly, underlines why Labor should do better appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The inclusion of optional targets and exclusion of Scope 3 emissions in the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) draft update to its Corporate Net-Zero Standard could hinder investment in CO2 removals (CDR), according to a report published Monday.

The US EPA announced Monday that it has issued permits for three carbon injection wells related to a Texas project that is slated to become one of the largest direct air capture (DAC) facilities in the world.

Louisiana legislators this month filed bills to increase geological CO2 sequestration regulations in the state, including one to ban such activities until mid-2026 to assess risks and another to introduce an injection tax for the process.

The man chosen to replace a Liberal candidate dumped over extreme comments is an ardent Trump supporter and one of key figures behind a pro-gas industry campaign.

The post “All aboard the Trump train!” Coalition swaps out extreme right candidate for pro-gas MAGA man appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Following a rapid rise in household solar panel installations, Germany’s total number of PV arrays has passed the five million “milestone,” according to industry association BSW-Solar. The lobby group said that number was now registered with the country’s grid agency BNetzA. Solar systems already cover almost 15 percent of Germany’s electricity demand, BSW-Solar said. More than one million new solar systems with […]

The post Germany adds another one million PV arrays to take solar total to 104 gigawatts appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new shoreline restoration project in Texas plans to generate blue carbon credits to recover the construction costs of developing the project.

Maryland lawmakers passed a bill to delay the implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation until a needs assessment and deployment plan is published.

Countries around the world are edging closer to consensus on a credit trading system for global shipping emissions, with the idea of levy on all greenhouse gas emissions from the sector still on the table at the start of UN talks in London this week.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) on Monday unveiled a new set of expert panel members for the 2025–28 term.

A Sao Paulo-based carbon removal (CDR) project developer has received R$100 million ($16.9 mln) in backing from two Brazilian banks, becoming the first company to fund a reforestation project via a national climate fund, media reported Monday.

Singapore has signed an implementation agreement with Chile under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement to collaborate on carbon credits, its Ministry of Trade and Industry announced Monday.

The EU's 27 nations will prepare countermeasures targeting steel and aluminium imports to be implemented from Apr. 15, without waiting indefinitely for trade negotiations with the US indefinitely, ministers said on Monday. 

Hopes for a rebound in the voluntary carbon market remain on ice as participants cited rising concern on demand over the impact of geopolitical context and notably the actions of US President Donald Trump.

Zoos Victoria wildlife detection dogs uncovered the ‘bloody gorgeous’ reptiles in return for treats and cuddles

• Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here

Wildlife detection dogs successfully sniffed out 13 critically endangered earless dragons in previously unknown burrows in Melbourne’s west, after a training program launched by Zoos Victoria in 2023.

The Victorian grassland earless dragon – Australia’s most imperilled reptile – had not been seen for 50 years and was thought extinct before its remarkable rediscovery on privately owned grassland in 2023.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

Continue reading...

Nature will reclaim its place as a terrifying quasi-divine force that cannot be mastered. I find this strangely comforting

• Explore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this election
• Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email

At times my work takes me to the big city and the tall buildings where people with power make decisions that affect the rest of us. While I am there, crossing busy roads, wearing tidy clothes and carrying out my duty, I think of faraway places where life is getting on without me.

Logrunners are turning leaf litter on the rainforest floor, albatross are cruising the wind beyond sight of the coast. Why does thinking about these creatures, who have no idea that I exist, bring me such comfort?

Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an email

Continue reading...

The government’s promise to slash the cost of household batteries should be welcomed – it could drive a change that benefits everyone who uses the power grid

• Want to get this in your inbox when it publishes? Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter here

It’s taken years to get here, but Labor’s election pledge to make household batteries cheaper is a significant step forward that should cut climate pollution and limit power price rises. While it has been criticised by some as a subsidy for the wealthy, it could drive a change that benefits everyone who uses the power grid, and not just those who can afford to put an energy storage unit in their garage.

Labor’s promise is that from July it will cut the cost of a typical household battery by about $4,000, or 30%. The discount will be delivered through a long-running small-scale renewable energy scheme that has helped make rooftop solar panels and hot water systems affordable for more people.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

Adam Morton is Guardian Australia’s climate and environment editor

Continue reading...