Sven Teske, University of Technology Sydney e Sarah Niklas, University of Technology Sydney
Keeping global warming under 1.5°C is still achievable with rapid deployment of renewables. A new report found solar and wind can supply the world’s energy demand more than 50 times over.
Shipping is responsible for a large portion of global emissions.
William William/Unsplash
Rather than considering the job done, Tasmania should seize opportunities including renewable energy, net-zero industrial exports and forest preservation.
Ocean waves are a massive source of energy, but it’s challenging to design power generators for the harsh environment. Allowing marine organisms to grow on engineered structures could help.
Mike Joy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
There is no doubt we need to stop emitting fossil carbon. But if we fixate on replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and don’t also reduce consumption and energy waste, we risk failure.
Some Australian states have committed to 100% renewable energy targets, or even 200% renewable energy targets. But this doesn’t mean their electricity is, or will be, emissions free.
None of Australia’s highest-emitting energy firms are fully or even closely aligned with global climate goals. Just one goes even partway, and five appeared to be taking no action at all.
A Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California.
AP Photo/Paul Sakuma
The opportunity won’t last forever. Countries that move first will gain an advantage in new industries, technologies and export markets. Those that wait may never catch up.
New research found lots of incentives to chuck out working solar panels and replace them with new ones. This may be creating huge amounts of unnecessary waste.
The seismic changes to energy supply and demand during the pandemic could be just the beginning.
Wind turbines require frequent maintenance - a job that can pose dangers for human operators and produces a significant carbon footprint.
Peter Dargatz/Pixabay
Natural gas may still be cheaper than electricity in some cases, but the price of gas is likely to rise if New Zealand follows the Climate Change Commission’s advice to shift to electrification.
Today the ocean is home to valuable biodiversity, but it is threatened by pollution and human activities.
Chun Yu Chen/Flickr
The ocean moderates climate change by absorbing CO₂ emissions, hosts valuable biodiversity and provides food to millions, but all of these services are threatened by pollution and human activities.
Building a U.S. offshore wind industry will require more than just fast-tracking permits.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The Biden administration has a goal of getting from today’s 42 megawatts of offshore wind power to nearly 30,000 by the end of the decade, but there are still obstacles ahead.
The new commitments of state governments go some way to filling the void left by the lack of a national climate policy. The states should, and can, coordinate their efforts. Here’s how.
The California Aqueduct, which carries water more than 400 miles south from the Sierra Nevada, splits as it enters Southern California at the border of Kern and Los Angeles counties.
California DWR
Roger Bales, University of California, Merced e Brandi McKuin, University of California, Santa Cruz
Installing solar panels over California’s 4,000 miles of canals could generate less expensive, renewable energy, save water, fight climate change – and offer a solution for the thirsty American West.