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Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed Project One cracking plant is ‘hugely destructive’, says Client Earth

The creation of the biggest petrochemical plant in Europe in 30 years faces a new legal challenge by a group of NGOs arguing that the true impact of the development on people, nature and the climate has not been considered.

Client Earth lodged papers on Wednesday evening in court which aim to halt the building of Project One, a vast cracking plant to produce the chemicals to make plastic, which is being built in Antwerp by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company Ineos.

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With current data on global biodiversity either lacking or flawed, a global satellite scheme aims to fill the gaps to target protection of our seas, soils and wildlife

For the handful of people who get the chance to observe Earth from space, the impact is often profound. Called the “overview effect”, astronauts report being deeply moved by the experience, as the planet’s fragility and beauty became clear. Others, such as the actor William Shatner, said they were overcome with grief.

Now, scientists are proposing the creation of a new system that they hope will use the view from space to transform our understanding of Earth’s changing ecology and its complex systems.

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A group of Japanese energy giants have finalised an agreement with their nation’s international development agency to work on what they call the ‘Master Plan for Energy Transition Management Project’ in Indonesia.

Dr Gabrielle Kuiper argues distributed energy resources must not come second in policy, planning and regulation to transmission and large-scale generation.

The post SwitchedOn Podcast: Rooftop solar, batteries, EVs and heat pumps could save Australians $19 billion in energy costs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Here we go again – the latest salvo from the climate luddites of National Party designed to disrupt and delay Australia's accelerating clean energy revolution.

The post Here we go again: Coalition adds rooftop solar to its “disrupt and delay” handbook appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new solar tracking solution aims to cater to Australia's unique geographical and climate conditions, to cut development costs and boost generation.

The post New solar tracker tech promises to “drastically reduce” costly development hurdles appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rio Tinto says despite contracts for the biggest wind and solar farms in Australia, the future of the biggest manufacturing assets in the country remain in the hands of government.

The post Can Australia’s biggest manufacturing assets be saved by biggest wind and solar farms? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

GE global wind boss Steve Swift on landmark supply deal with Andrew Forrest. Plus: Rio Tinto plans Australia’s biggest wind farm to power smelters. And Littleproud’s Barnaby moment.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: The boom in wind energy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government’s proposed nature law reforms still include loopholes that would allow mass deforestation and must be closed, a coalition of environmental groups warned Thursday.

"If we're going to use them, we should make them." Queensland Labor unveils five-year, $571 million Battery Industry Strategy.

The post Queensland unveils $571m plan to make Sunshine state the “battery capital” of Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The best strategy to protecting Earth’s coral reefs is to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. But in the meantime, we must urgently make corals more resilient. Kate Marie Quigley, DECRA Research Fellow (James Cook University), Principal Research Scientist (Minderoo Foundation), James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists deduce how whales sing under the sea, and why they can be drowned out by noisy ships.

Scientists deduce how whales sing under the sea, and why they can be drowned out by noisy ships.

Scientists want to use the robot plane to reach inaccessible areas to understand climate change.

With Eraring set to close, the NSW Government has an "obvious" solution to deliver lower cost electricity and higher reliability.

The post “Obvious solution:” NSW urged to unlock demand side potential ahead of Eraring closure appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A Democratic delegate in Maryland's lower house introduced legislation earlier this month that would establish a cap-and-invest programme in the RGGI-participating state.

A Senate bill that looks to tighten regulations on the issuance and sale of carbon offsets, which was vetoed last year, has resurfaced in the California legislature.

The UK is quitting the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), following a growing number of EU countries that have left the agreement after years of protracted negotiations failed to reform it to support the transition to net zero emissions, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announced Thursday.

Carbon intensity of the country’s economy remains high, despite rapid improvements in clean energy output

China is off track on all of its core 2025 climate targets, despite the fact that clean energy is now the biggest driver of the country’s economic growth, analysis has found.

After years of extraordinarily rapid growth, China is now grappling with a slowdown that is causing ripples internally and internationally. The government has supercharged the growth of the renewable energy industry but it has imultaneously poured stimulus funds into construction and manufacturing, and continues to approve coal power.

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China needs to cut emissions by at least 4% to meet its carbon intensity targets, given an increase in last year's CO2 output due to continued demand for coal-fired power, a report has found.