Environmental and health groups have called for the creation of a non-political federal agency with the power to rule on pollution levels - much like the Reserve Bank does for interest rates.
Smart phones are rarely recycled and that’s just one reason tech devices are increasing our carbon footprints. Here Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, is seen in 2016 talking about new iPhones.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
New research shows the impact of technology, especially smartphones, on carbon emissions. Encouraging consumers to get new phones every couple of years leads to extraordinary and unnecessary waste.
Canada has committed to cutting GHG emissions 30 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels. Can Canada’s oil capital lead the charge? New research shows it’s within reach with bold actions on several fronts.
Fracking wellpad in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, within state forest lands (2012).
SkyTruth Galleries/Flickr
Shale gas exploitation in the US has helped cut is greenhouse gas emissions by 11%. A study explores what would happen if this were expanded globally, and the findings challenge conventional wisdom.
The Emissions Reduction Fund is not capturing enough emissions from the most polluting industries.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Australia’s flagship climate policy, has spent more than $2 billion on emissions reductions, yet big businesses could wipe all this out. Time to resurrect the idea of a simple carbon tax.
Retrofitting older homes to ‘green’ the nation’s housing stock involves much more than installing rooftop solar panels.
Tracey Nearmy/AAP
While new buildings may be the glamorous eco-home pinups, retrofitting existing homes is the main game when it comes to creating energy-efficient, comfortable housing stock for all Australians.
Shale gas drilling site, in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
Nicholas A. Tonelli
Natural gas is widely viewed as a clean fuel, but methane, its main component, is a powerful greenhouse gas. Two experts propose a plan for detecting and cutting methane leaks across North America.
The Olympic Games are an ideal venue to showcase new ideas to world. In a world where reducing carbon emissions is a priority, could the Olympics be doing more?
US President Donald Trump delivers his first State of the Union address.
Reuters/Win McNamee
Africa’s immediate challenge is to develop closer partnerships with those opposing US President Donald Trump.
At COP23, members of the America’s Pledge network, which brings together those involved in the fight against climate change in the United States.
Patrik Stollarz/AFP
With the US announcement that it would withdrawl from the Paris Accord, several American states are mobilizing to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Cows produce a lot of methane. But there’s not much evidence a tax on beef would be effective in fighting greenhouse gas emissions.
(Shutterstock)
A tax on beef isn’t likely to achieve the intended outcome of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, it could create a spate of unintended consequences.
Canada needs to introduce policies that will decrease greenhouse gas emissions while its population grows.
(Shutterstock)
Canada’s growing population and online shopping habits make meeting our emissions targets a challenge. With some targeted intervention, we can transform our economy, and society, for the better.
The new climate policy review proposes loosening the rules on Australia’s biggest-emitting companies, such as power generators.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
The federal government’s keenly awaited review of Australia’s climate policies continues a longstanding bipartisan traditional of weak policy development in this area.
Incentives are one way to get more people to buy electric cars.
(Pixabay)
Despite the hype around electric vehicles, sales in most nations, including Canada, remain stagnant. Policy support in California and Norway have helped boost sales.
A the COP23 summit, Novembre 8, 2017.
Patrik Stollarz/AFP
Climate governance is based on the key concept of control. But this idea is illusory and we must be able to overcome to cope with future disturbances.
A polar bear walks over sea ice floating in the Victoria Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in July 2017. Research suggests that divesting in fossil fuels could help nations meet their climate change goals.
(AP Photo/David Goldman, file)
Fossil fuel divestment apparently works. Research suggests announcements of divestments have a significant impact on the fossil fuel industry’s share prices.
Cities like Melbourne are a store for such huge amounts of resources that they could be used as urban mines.
Donaldytong (own work)/Wikimedia
With an ever-increasing cost to extract dwindling raw materials, it’s time to look at cities as urban mines. We’re developing the tools to do that.
The Barossa Valley in 1987 – the year that Australians (winemakers included) received their first formal warning of climate change.
Phillip Capper/Wikimedia Commons
Three decades since the GREENHOUSE 87 conference, credited as kickstarting public awareness of climate change in Australia, how far have we come, and how far do we have left to go in appreciating the risks?
Children march at the welcoming ceremony of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.
(UNclimatechange/flickr)
As delegates meet in Bonn for the latest rounds of climate talks, civil society, NGOs, cities, regional governments and businesses, are stepping up to work together toward climate goals.