The UK government has made much of claims that its climate policies have been successful in reducing carbon emissions. This claim is based on the data used to create the national inventories required under…
Global carbon emissions, by country - climate legislation helps.
Distantbody
Sam Fankhauser, London School of Economics and Political Science
Approved with overwhelming support from all political parties, the Climate Change Act came into force in 2008 and was hailed as a ground-breaking piece of legislation that would guide Britain’s transition…
Nations under the spell of cheap and plentiful fossil fuels are carbon cursed.
Chris Radburn/PA
Regardless of economic strength or level of development, countries with substantial fossil fuel resources are almost certain to be heavy carbon polluters – a phenomenon dubbed the “carbon curse”. A study…
The Energy Technologies Institute recently reported that without carbon capture and storage (CCS), the cost of reaching the UK’s climate change targets will double from around £30 billion per year in 2050…
Even for a relatively seasoned observer of the antics of government, the recent performance over fracking, crowned by the prime minister’s comments about fracking his backyard, has been a wonder to behold…
The acidity of Antarctic seawater has risen dramatically, new research shows. The study, published in The Journal of Marine…
Steam and other emissions rise from a Sydney factory. The new report identified potential for nearly three times more emissions reduction activity than is currently being observed.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
There has been no growth in greenhouse gas emissions in Australia over the last decade, despite economic growth of 31% over the same period, a new report has found. The findings show that conversion to…
All heat and light: we need action on climate not rhetoric and finger-pointing.
Owen Humphreys/PA
China has become a popular target of environmental ire, drawing criticism for its soaring carbon emissions and perceived intransigence during climate negotiations. Nonetheless, an easy target isn’t always…
Australia’s carbon pricing mechanism has been vilified by the Federal Opposition and certain members of the business community, but it is a key part of Australia’s response to climate change. So one year…
Fertiliser: essential for feeding the country, but you can have too much of a good thing.
ILO in Asia and the Pacific
A joint project between scientists in the UK and China has shown how improved methods of manufacturing nitrogen fertiliser and better use of it by farmers could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by hundreds…
Civilians rescue an injured worker after the eight-storey Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 24.
AAP
The recent decision by two Australian retailers to sign an accord protecting suppliers in Bangladesh has highlighted discrepancies in company disclosure of sustainability issues and the need for clearer…
The IEA thinks we can get a lot more mitigation mileage out of energy efficient vehicles.
Shell Eco-marathon
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest report repeats the message we’ve heard from many sources - we’re heading for a temperature rise of much more than 2°C. But given its international reach and…
There is a commonly held belief among both scientists and the general public that there is a delay between the CO2 emissions we put into the atmosphere, and the resulting climate change. As a consequence…
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station: carbon markets are supposed to be effective, not just hot air.
PA/David Davies
Cameron Hepburn, London School of Economics and Political Science
Just as scientists almost universally agree greenhouse gases contribute to the planet’s changing climate, economists almost universally agree the problem is made worse because polluters don’t pay for the…
Not just a nice idea: zero emissions housing is affordable and possible, once some policy changes are made.
Jeff Egnaczyk
If Australia is to reduce its emissions enough to limit the impacts of climate change, all sectors are going to have to pull their weight. It’s a big job: scientists tell us we need reduce emissions by…