The United Nations is promoting a website to measure, reduce and offset your personal carbon emissions. But will this fix climate change?
To limit global warming to 2C we can’t emit more than another trillion tonnes of greenhouse gases. Burning fossil fuels is a major source.
Coal power image from www.shutterstock.com
Two politicians known to oppose action on climate change – Canada’s Stephen Harper and Australia’s Tony Abbott – have been displaced. What does this say about climate as a voter issue?
A better society is one way to motivate people to take action on climate change,.
Earth image from www.shutterstock.com
If we can convince people that climate change is real and important, then surely they will act: this intuitive idea underlies many efforts to communicate climate change to the public. But it may not be the best way.
China knows the smart money is on renewables, and not just because of climate change.
Reuters/Carlos Barria
China is pouring money into clean energy - not just to tackle climate change but because these are economically fruitful industries. And as China develops them, the technologies will get cheaper for everyone.
Change is coming for Australia’s energy sector. Time for our leaders to embrace it.
Scott Davies/Flickr
To make a meaningful difference to climate change, businesses will have to break out of a cycle of exploiting the earth’s resources in ever-more creative ways.
Bernie Fraser, Greg Hunt and Clive Palmer announce the Climate Change Authority’s emissions trading review last year, after Palmer prevented the authority being abolished.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The Climate Change Authority, rocked by this week’s resignation of its chairman Bernie Fraser but saved last year by the Senate, will continue reviewing climate policy - even if its advice is ignored.
Businesses that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases will have their emissions capped.
Greenstone Girl/Flickr
Australia’s new cap on emissions includes aspects of a “baseline and credit” emissions trading scheme. That’s cheaper for businesses, but means more regulation.
Falling renewable costs could make action on climate change cheaper.
Simon Yeo/Flickr
Australia’s failure to lead on climate action marks a stark shift in political priorities in the past decade. The government is all about immediate economic returns whatever the long-term costs.
Geoengineering the climate may be more palatable if it supports natural processes.
Tree planting image from www.shutterstock.com
No matter how much we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will not be enough to keep global warming below 2C. Does this mean we should give up? Not at all.
Obama talks the talk on renewables, but his plan will help fossil fuels.
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said his government’s 2030 climate target will be good for the environment and jobs – and good for protecting the nation’s coal industry.
Access to the grid has crowded out solar in some places in India.
DFID - UK Department for International Development/Flickr
Given existing technologies, expanding access to electricity almost always increases CO2 emissions. There are real trade-offs between addressing poverty and climate change.
Al Gore brought his climate message back to Australia on Monday.
EPA/STR
The reality of climate policy is it’s often provincial governments or city councils who are the most ambitious, especially where national governments leave a policy void.