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Exclusive: Groups say chancellor needs to kickstart renewed drive to help cut bills and reduce emissions

A coalition of charities and campaigners have demanded the chancellor funnel more funds into making Britain’s leaky housing stock energy efficient at next week’s budget to help cut bills and protect the environment.

In a letter to Jeremy Hunt, more than 20 organisations asked the government to set aside at least £6bn a year over the next decade to support an acceleration in insulating home and installations of heat pumps.

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Feedback on the Australian government’s nature repair market draft legislation has highlighted the proposal’s current lack of detail, calling for greater clarity on key areas, while some are concerned about the potential for perverse outcomes, particularly in jurisdictions where conservation laws are lacking.

Macquarie Island isn’t just a windswept rock halfway to Antarctica. It’s a globally unique home to dozens of bird and marine mammal species, hence the government’s plans to give it greater protection. Ian Cresswell, Adjunct professor, UNSW Sydney Andrew John Constable, Leader, Southern Ocean Ecosystem Research, University of Tasmania Keith Reid, Honorary Research Associate Nic Bax, Director, NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ross Garnaut-led retailer announces plans to develop a big battery, after buying up a partly developed project near Gawler in South Australia.

The post Zen Energy unveils big battery plans, with a first project ready to go on its home turf appeared first on RenewEconomy.

China storage company becomes world's first to get certification of international safety standards of its sodium ion battery.

The post Sodium-ion battery gets world-first certification, in new boost for cheaper storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Banks love talking up their green credentials, so why has this bank refused a mortgage to new home owners whose land will host a wind farm?

The post Bank refuses mortgage for tree changers because of wind farm caveat appeared first on RenewEconomy.

It could be part of the solution to the impasse over the safeguard mechanism. Even if it isn’t, the logic for it should be irresistible

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New Orleans was still awash in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the then prime minister, John Howard, was in climate doubt and delay mode when Anthony Albanese got to his feet in the Australian parliament to argue for a better way ahead.

Then a mid-ranking opposition frontbencher, the future PM gave a nod to the carnage in Louisiana before running through the “profound risks’’ that Australia would face if greenhouse gas emissions kept rising – a now-familiar list including worsening heatwaves, less rain in the south, more rain in the north, more severe bushfires, cyclones, storms and ocean surges.

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Greens secure deal to block coal and gas projects from Labor's $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, but safeguard negotiations remain stalled.

The post Greens deal blocks coal and gas from reconstruction fund, but stalemate sticks on Safeguard appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new way of sucking carbon from the air is up to three times more effective than current technology.

Queensland advances plan to turn coal and gas generation facility into a green energy hub with battery storage, solar, and green hydrogen.

The post Queensland to convert coal and gas hub with giant battery, solar and hydrogen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

The Rimba Collective is on course to deliver $1 billion for private sector-enabled forest protection and restoration to more than 500,000 hectares in Southeast Asia and is launching an incubation vehicle to kickstart projects to go beyond that, a conference heard this week.

Australia needs to clean up its key manufacturing industries, including steel, aluminium and ammonia production – or be left behind in a net zero world.

The post Australia can be world leader in green metals – or be left behind appeared first on RenewEconomy.

What will Australian coal miners do with their bulging cash balances? Those considering opening up new capacity would do well to rethink their strategy.

The post Coal miners made a motza from the war in Ukraine. But what will they do next? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Construction begins on Australia’s first commercial-scale vanadium flow battery electrolyte manufacturing facility.

The post Australia’s first vanadium flow battery plant begins construction in Townsville appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California reduced the number of offsets minted over the past two weeks by over 60% compared to its prior issuance, with the share of credits with direct environmental benefits to the state (DEBs) also trending lower, data from regulator ARB published Wednesday showed.

California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) prices ticked up this week despite utility Pacific Gas & Electric holding a massive auction, while a dairy digester in the state applied to generate credits under the transportation sector programme instead of the compliance offset market.

A new offset platform for Mexican nature-based projects is set to commence pre-selling credits from a blue carbon project, before greatly expanding its portfolio over the coming year.

Carbon capture, storage, and utilisation (CCUS) projects have taken the lion's share of grants awarded by the EUs flagship decarbonisation fund so far, raising concerns as to whether one technology should be receiving such a high share of carbon revenue funding ahead of other clean energy initiatives.

Over 30 years ago, the world banned CFC chemicals to save the ozone layer. But now, climate-fuelled bushfire smoke is putting it at renewed risk Ian Rae, Honorary Professorial Fellow, School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.