Despite the benefits of going renewable, it may be harder to get there than we thought.
Indigo Skies Photography/Flickr
Phasing out fossils fuels would go a long way to stopping dangerous climate change – but it might be harder than we thought.
Labor has promised 50% of electricity will come from renewable sources by 2050, but has left the detail for after the election.
Wind turbine image from www.shutterstock.com
Labor’s detailed climate policy is ambitious, but it remains to be seen if it will capture the voters.
A Bill Shorten led Labor government would introduce a two-phase emissions trading scheme.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP
A Labor government would bring in its emissions trading scheme in two stages, together with a separate scheme for the electricity sector.
Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull must put some substance behind their climate rhetoric.
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
It was all a bit much for me to see Environment Minister Greg Hunt wallowing in the signing of the Paris Agreement on emissions reduction in New York this week. His commitment to its ratification by year…
The earth is a finite place.
Earth image from www.shutterstock.com
The global economy is already unsustainable – let alone if it gets bigger.
We know London’s air is polluted – partly thanks to EU monitoring.
Philip Toscano/PA
There’s a near-consensus among relevant experts in academia, NGOs and parliament.
An LNG tanker leaves Gladstone, Queensland. Gas development is one of the drivers behind Australia’s increasing emissions and electricity demand.
AAP/Dan Peled
Over the past year Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity rose 2.7%.
Malcolm Turnbull’s speech to the Paris climate summit lacked real focus, but he still has time to grab the issue with both hands before the election.
EPA/Christophe Petit Tesson
Australia has been mired in climate confusion for years - as reflected by its underwhelming performance at last year’s Paris climate summit. Here’s how to get things back on an even keel.
Electricity emissions have risen by 5.5% in the past two years due to increasing demand and the scrapping of Labor’s carbon price.
David Crosling/AAP
Modelling done for the Climate Institute indicates that without big policy changes Australia’s path to zero emissions from the electricity sector by 2050 would mean huge disruption after 2030.
Investment in renewables has slowed to trickle.
Chris Murray/Flickr
Renewable energy has had a rough time in Australia. Good climate policy could fix that.
How long do we wait for evidence of harm before accepting something is safe?
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
A moratorium on wind turbines until we know they’re safe sounds like a good idea, but it’s likely that those calling for a ban will never be satisfied with the evidence.
Large-scale solar projects have been highlighted for investment in the new fund.
Solar image from www.shutterstock.com
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a new “Clean Energy Innovation Fund”. But will it generate much-needed investment in the sector?
South Africa has made promises to decarbonise but is hugely reliable on coal - so this is difficult.
Shutterstock
The process of decarbonisation is a complex one for South Africa, as most its power supply comes from coal.
Renewables could be a better answer to India’s power problems.
DIVatUSAID/Flickr
A new analysis suggests that, all things considered, renewables are actually better than coal at lifting India’s energy-poor out of poverty.
The U.S. oil industry is in the doldrums, but there’s not much the next (or current) president can do about it.
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The next president will have little power to slow the growth of renewable energy, sliding oil prices or coal’s decline.
The Ivanpah Concentrating Solar Electric Generating System, built on public land in California’s Mojave Desert.
ATOMIC Hot Links/Flickr
The U.S. energy system is gradually transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. Will the next president speed up America’s shift to renewable energy or step on the brakes?
Tidal Lagoon, Swansea Bay, as envisaged by LDA Design.
http://www.lda-design.co.uk
Celebrate the shift to renewable energy with bold designs that add to the landscape.
Drax, the UK’s largest power station, burns coal and wood.
Jonathan Kershaw
It’s not the ideal renewable energy but biomass is a better bet than coal.
Fly away on my Zephyr.
Airbus
Internet connections could one day come from solar-powered planes that fly for months or even longer at a time.
Before jumping into the home battery market, make sure you do your research.
Patrick Fallon/Reuters
The ‘early adopters’ of home battery storage will pay significantly more than those who come later, but it won’t be long until prices drop enough for many more to get on board.