Feed aggregator

New Zealand government modelling expects the country to overshoot its emissions budget to meet its Paris Agreement target, but not by as much as previously predicted.

Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien says report examines costs through an investment lens rather than a consumer lens, but Chris Bowen says nuclear crusade not viable

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails,free app or daily news podcast

The shadow energy minister and long-time nuclear advocate Ted O’Brien has accused Labor of weaponising a CSIRO report which found renewables to be the cheapest form of energy.

The Australian Energy Market Operator/CSIRO report found renewables was the cheapest form of power. This prompted the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, to say the opposition’s crusade for a nuclear option was not viable.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Blue Marine Foundation is challenging government for ignoring scientific advice on limits and giving a green light to overfishing

The UK government’s decision to set catch limits for fish populations above those recommended by scientific advice is to be challenged in the courts by marine conservationists who accuse ministers of breaking their own post-Brexit rules.

The legal challenge, expected to start in January, will argue that the government is “illegally squandering” a public asset and going against laws aimed at improving sustainable fishing.

Continue reading...

The North Queensland floods remind us of the need to build community resilience to disasters – during the event, in the immediate aftermath and beyond. Rebecca McNaught, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Amanda Howard, Associate Professor, University of Sydney Jean S. Renouf, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Southern Cross University Jo Longman, Senior Research Fellow, The University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Carbon project developer Wildlife Alliance has published an open letter vehemently rejecting human rights abuse allegations at its Southern Cardamom REDD+ project (SCRP) in Cambodia, while attacking Verra over its lengthy investigation process that it says has undermined the project. 

With a record hot summer expected, will rooftop solar cover our need to be cool? Wasim Saman, Emeritus Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Australian government has put the call out for experts to join a panel that will ensure its Nature Repair Market (NRM) is informed by scientific rigour and First Nations perspectives, it announced Wednesday.

Penny Sharpe has given herself new powers to force the Eraring coal plant to stay open. Will she use it? AEMO's latest energy security report says there might be a gap, but maybe not.

The post Mind the gap: Will Penny Sharpe use her new powers to force Eraring to stay open? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

South Australian component of Australia largest electricity transmission project is complete, delivering 206km of new poles and wires "on time and on budget."

The post “Transformational:” SA section of Australia’s biggest renewable superhighway is complete appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) published two key documents Wednesday as part of the development of the state's upcoming cap-and-invest programme, dubbed NYCI, which the agencies say will help inform stakeholders to provide feedback for the development of full draft regulations.

As conservative media and politicians pit farmers against renewables, we talk to a sheep grazier who is building Tasmania's first large-scale solar project.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: Can panels, farmers and sheep get along? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia’s federal government has shortlisted six projects to submit full applications for it’s A$2 billion ($1.35 bln) Hydrogen Headstart Program, as the price for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) has crept up in recent days.

All 54 drownings on the Australian coast last summer occurred in locations not patrolled by professional lifeguards or volunteer surf lifesavers. That is a stark statistic. Rob Brander, Professor, UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

US-based Powin obtains its first GPS connection agreement for a battery project in Australia - no mean feat for suppliers not used to the strict local requirements.

The post New player in battery storage market cuts its teeth with first Australian connection deal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Canada’s C$15 billion ($11.2 bln) public investment vehicle will purchase up to one million tonnes of carbon credits per annum over 15 years at fixed prices, coupled with a $200 million investment into an Alberta-based carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) tech firm, the pair announced Wednesday.

Benchmark prices based on avoided deforestation credits tumbled to fresh multi-year lows on Wednesday, continuing a lengthy decline as the voluntary carbon market awaits a shake-up from the ICVCM's integrity labels.

Grassfires are normal in central and northern Australia. But fast-growing invasive grasses are supercharging grassfires – and this summer looks like it will be big. Andrew Edwards, Research Fellow Bushfires, Charles Darwin University Christine Schlesinger, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Charles Darwin University Ellen Ryan-Colton, PhD candidate, Charles Darwin University Greg Barber, PhD student, Charles Darwin University Peter Jacklyn, NAFI Service Manager and Knowledge and Adoption Coordinator, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The smokescreen generated by recent carbon-offset setbacks should not blind us to the simple truth that we must protect our intact forests and bring back those we have lost

Some have recently questioned whether forests really are the climate solution they have long been held to be. This is because some emit great quantities of carbon, while the markets set up to finance them have stumbled. But there is no pathway to a livable climate without saving our intact forests, regrowing some, and finding a more straightforward way to pay for them than carbon offset projects.

A 2021 study led by Brazilian scientists established that the Amazon was emitting more carbon dioxide than it was absorbing. The great carbon sink had seemingly become a smokestack. The paper mirrored a 2019 analysis of Canadian forests, which showed they had been net emitters since 2001.

Continue reading...

In the wake of the breakdown in talks on key Article 6 texts at this month's COP28 UN climate conference, some negotiators and observers have been quick to assign blame and many now struggle to see consensus forming ahead of next year's summit, as bridges are seen to have been burned almost beyond repair between certain parties.