The Australian Labor government’s expanded Capacity Investment Scheme gives us a better chance of hitting high renewable energy targets. It’s not without risk but well worth the rewards.
Workers hats on fence outside Victoria’s closed Hazelwood power station, March 2017.
Mal Fairclough/AAP
The good news is the world’s coal use has peaked – and will soon rapidly decline. Australia is leading the way, and the rest of the world must soon follow.
Paying coal-fired power stations to stay open means consumers will be picking up the cost when they ultimately fail.
A farmer works with his tractor in front of the Kusile Power Station located in eMalahleni. In Gauteng province residents can sometimes smell the pollution coming from this direction.
Wikus de Wet/AFP via Getty Images
Grattan Institute analysis shows it’s possible to achieve a vastly lower-emissions electricity system in less than two decades – if governments can muster the courage.
Stabilising Earth’s climate depends on a lot more than deals struck at conferences like Glasgow. But those agreements set a frame for real-world decisions.
If South Africa wants to improve air quality and meet climate change goals, it needs to move away from coal.
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To improve air quality, a combination of efforts is needed including reducing Eskom’s emissions, investing in cleaner sources of energy, and reducing emissions.
Major coal generators say the proposal will help shore up energy supplies. But opponents say it will pay coal plants for simply existing and delay the clean energy transition.
New research found power stations in the Latrobe Valley emit around 10 times more mercury than power stations in the Hunter Valley. The stark difference has a lot to do with regulations.
Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Discipline of Politics & International Relations, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University