International: Australia
Australia may be heading for emissions trading between big polluters
19 Aug 2022
Could Australia soon have a form of emissions trading? Yes, if Labor's much-anticipated paper on fixing Australia's mediocre emissions-reduction framework, released yesterday, is any guide.
“More emissions than coal:” Pressure mounts on Australia to rule out forest biomass
18 Aug 2022
Pressure is mounting on the Australian government to rule out the use of native forest biomass for renewable energy generation – particularly as a replacement for coal in ageing coal generators – with one green group arguing that it “fails even the most basic common sense test.”
US investment giant BlackRock in $1 billion big battery play in Australia
17 Aug 2022
US investment giant BlackRock is planning to invest at least $1 billion in big battery projects in Australia after agreeing to buy out Melbourne-based Akaysha Energy and its portfolio of at least nine projects in the country’s main grid.
Carbon market could offset Australia’s huge fire recovery bill
16 Aug 2022
\Australian scientists have put a dollar figure on the cost of recovery and restoration of native flora and fauna after the 2019-2020 summer bushfires.
Australia calls for US-China to keep climate talks ‘ring-fenced’ from Taiwan tensions
15 Aug 2022
Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has called for China and the United States to resume climate talks despite rising tensions between the countries over the status of Taiwan.
Bushmaster goes electric: Australia unveils silent, electrified personnel vehicle
12 Aug 2022
The Australian defence force is going green – and we’re not talking about a new shade of camouflage paint. We’re talking about the electrification of its famous Bushmaster protected military vehicle.
Warning that labour shortages could harm Australia’s green energy transition
12 Aug 2022
Australia’s Clean Energy Council has warned that the country runs the risk of throttling the success of its clean energy transition unless the current and growing labour shortages and skills gaps across the clean energy industry are filled.
Gravity storage start-up says it has “multi gigawatt hour” plans for Australian zinc refiner
11 Aug 2022
Gravity storage start-up Energy Vault says it has begun site planning for what it now describes as a “multi-gigawatt hour” project for long and short term storage to support the green energy plans for Australian zinc refiner Sun Metals.
Experts say the net zero concept is often used to delay taking action against emissions
11 Aug 2022
As large parts of Europe and North America swelter and then ignite, a future of endless climate destruction seems inevitable.
Green hydrogen has a leakage problem that may cancel out some of its climate gains
9 Aug 2022
Hydrogen has emerged as the great white (or green) hope of the clean energy transition due to its potential use in decarbonising hard-to-abate industries like shipping, steel production, and even transport.
Good news on climate change? Australia's Great Barrier Reef has healthiest coral in 36 years
8 Aug 2022
Australian Institute of Marine Science says results in north and central regions are a sign the reef could still recover, but loss elsewhere highlights risks
New 2030 climate target has Australian scientists excited
27 Jul 2022
Australia’s Chief Scientist has challenged the science and business community to figure out how to reach Australia’s new climate target.
Australia’s three richest men are spending their billions on green energy transition
26 Jul 2022
The surprise bid for renewables and storage developer Genex Power announced on Monday morning by billionaire Scott Farquhar and his wife Kim Jackson tells two interesting stories about Australia’s green energy transition.
Australia leads world in green hydrogen hype and hope, but not in actual projects
22 Jul 2022
Australia, you will read almost anywhere, aims to be a global renewable energy superpower, even a renewable hydrogen superpower – in much the same way it does in fossil fuels, where it is one of the world’s three biggest exporters.
Octopus launches $10 billion renewables platform, buys Australia’s biggest solar farm
21 Jul 2022
Octopus Investment Australia has officially launched its new $10 billion renewables “platform”, that will seek to finance big solar, wind and battery storage projects and has already bought the biggest operating solar farm in Australia.
Australia's environment in 'shocking' decline, report finds
21 Jul 2022
Australia's environment is in a shocking state and faces further decline from amplifying threats, according to an anticipated report.
How Canberra avoided the global energy crisis
20 Jul 2022
The “Canberra bubble” is something of a derisive term in Australia, referring to the niche interests of politicians, lobbyists and media insiders in the country’s capital — the equivalent of being entrenched “inside the Beltway” of Washington D.C.
Chevron to lay out millions for more credits to cover another Gorgon carbon capture shortfall
18 Jul 2022
Chevron faces a renewed multimillion-dollar buy-up of carbon credits to cover another shortfall by the world’s biggest carbon capture and storage scheme at the Gorgon LNG project off northern WA.
Integrated wind and solar still cheapest, and green hydrogen costs falling fast: CSIRO
12 Jul 2022
Australia’s main scientific body and the country’s energy market operator have again underlined the fact that “integrated” wind and solar – including the cost of storage and transmission – is still by far the cheapest source of new electricity generation in Australia.
Industry calls on Aussie government to support household batteries
6 Jul 2022
Another emerging player in Australia’s energy market has called on energy regulators to ditch plans for a capacity mechanism, arguing that installing more energy storage capacity would be a better way to solve the current crisis facing electricity markets.
Review of Australia’s carbon credit units announced
5 Jul 2022
The Australian government has announced the appointment of an independent panel (Panel) to review the integrity of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
Sydney is flooded, again, as climate crisis becomes new normal for Australia's most populous state
5 Jul 2022
On a fine day, locals arrive on boats that motor up the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales to dine on the back deck of the Paradise Café.
Australia prioritizes reducing emissions and cheaper EVs
4 Jul 2022
Australia’s new government is putting climate change at the top of its legislative agenda when Parliament sits next month for the first time since the May 21 election, with bills to enshrine a cut in greenhouse gas emissions and make electric cars cheaper
Rooftop solar and household batteries to take centre stage in Australia's rapid energy transition
1 Jul 2022
The solar and storage resources of Australian households and businesses will have the capacity to meet nearly one-fifth of national electricity market demand by 2050, and rooftop solar alone could provide twice as much generation as coal in a decade.
Australia reconsiders methane emissions cut pledge
30 Jun 2022
The Labor-led Australian federal government, which was elected last month, said it was looking at joining the global methane pledge that seeks a collective 30% cut in methane emissions by 2030 relative to 2020 levels. The previous conservative coalition government rejected the pledge when it was unveiled last year.
Sun Cable clears new hurdle for world’s biggest solar and battery project
27 Jun 2022
Sun Cable’s Australia-Asia PowerLink, the massive solar and battery project backed by Australia’s two richest men, Andrew Forrest and Mike Cannon-Brookes, has cleared another important hurdle with a ringing endorsement of its economic merits from Infrastructure Australia
Methane-spewing coal mines are climate test for Australia's new leader: report
21 Jun 2022
Australia's coal mines cause more planetary warming in a typical year than emissions from all of the country's cars.
Heavy industries in Australia’s regions could cut emissions by 80% and create a jobs bonanza: report
20 Jun 2022
The regional powerhouses of Australia’s industrial economy could slash their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% and become centres for multibillion-dollar investments in renewable energy, according to a report backed by some of the country’s biggest companies.
Albanese locks in Australia’s higher 2030 emissions reduction target
17 Jun 2022
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has formally committed Australia to a stronger 2030 emissions reduction target, to cut emissions by 43 per cent by the end of the decade.
BP takes major position in one of world’s biggest green hydrogen hubs in Pilbara
16 Jun 2022
Oil giant BP has taken a 40.5% stake in the $30 billion Australian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara, one of the biggest renewable and green hydrogen projects in the world.
Tasmania's native forest logging sector the state's highest carbon emitting industry: report
15 Jun 2022
Based in Tasmania's Derwent Valley, Fiona Weaver's adventure tourism business trades on the reputation of Tasmania's pristine wilderness.
Gas industry regulator sued by Tiwi Islands traditional owners over Barossa gas project approvals
9 Jun 2022
First Nations traditional owners have launched a Federal Court challenge to Santos’ plans to drill for gas off the coast of the Northern Territory, arguing approvals granted to the Barossa project are invalid because the oil and gas giant never consulted with the group.
Using Indigenous knowledge and Western science to address climate change impacts
9 Jun 2022
Traditional Owners in Australia are the creators of millennia worth of traditional ecological knowledge—an understanding of how to live amid changing environmental conditions. Seasonal calendars are one of the forms of this knowledge best known by non-Indigenous Australians. But as the climate changes, these calendars are being disrupted.
Researchers push for carbon credit payments for Australian farmers who fence their dams
8 Jun 2022
Scientists are lobbying for farmers to be financially rewarded in the form of carbon credits for cleaning up their dams.
$1m community battery unveiled in Melbourne in move towards more renewable energy
7 Jun 2022
A battery the size of four fridges installed in Melbourne's inner north is expected to provide solar power to about 200 homes in a push to get more renewable energy into the network.
“Golden age of renewables” hailed at official launch of Australia’s biggest wind project
3 Jun 2022
Spanish energy giant Acciona Energía has hailed a “golden age of renewables” at the official launch event for the start of construction at Australia’s biggest wind farm to date – the 1.026GW MacIntyre project in Queensland.
Anthony Albanese to create climate super-department in bureaucratic shake-up
2 Jun 2022
Anthony Albanese will create a new mega-department of climate change, energy, environment and water to drive the new Labor government’s policy agenda.
Watchdogs tackle the murky world of greenwash
31 May 2022
From dubious claims about bamboo-based products to climate funds that are not quite what they seem, regulators have been increasing their scrutiny of corporate claims to be green.
Climate change was the defining issue of Australian election. So what will more ambitious action look like?
27 May 2022
Despite Labor and the Coalition being conspicuously quiet about climate change during the campaign, it was in many ways the defining issue of this historic change of government.
“Under-prepared on all fronts:” Australian renewables exposed to supply and cost crunch
25 May 2022
Despite a federal election result that promises a new era of political support for the Australian renewable energy industry, a major report warns of a tough road ahead for a market still feeling the effects of supply-chain “long Covid.”
Fossil fuel industry loses its grip over Australia’s climate and energy policies
24 May 2022
Australia has a new Labor government and a significant climate-focused cross bench, and it might just mark the beginning of the end of an almost decade-long grip the fossil fuel industry has held over national climate change and energy policy.
Australian climate election leaves Liberal Party demolished in the capital cities
23 May 2022
Australians have voted overwhelmingly for stronger action on climate change, with stunning results across the country for both teal independents and the Greens delivering a harsh rebuke to the Morrison government’s years of foot-dragging on emissions reduction.
Trees are dying much faster in northern Australia
20 May 2022
The rate of trees dying in the old-growth tropical forests of northern Australia each year has doubled since the 1980s, and researchers say climate change is probably to blame.
German giant targets Australian green hydrogen market with new base in Perth
18 May 2022
A German green hydrogen technology company behind 10GW of electrolyser capacity installed globally is setting up shop in Perth, to catch the wave of Australia’s emerging renewable hydrogen industry.
Australian carbon market splits as buyers pay more for “high integrity” units
17 May 2022
Australia’s carbon offset market is showing signs of splitting in two, analysts say, as buyers show they are willing to pay a premium for “higher integrity” offsets.
Australian election 2022: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change
17 May 2022
As Australians head to the polls on 21 May, voters face a decision that could have significant consequences for the nation’s efforts to cut emissions and transition its energy system.
Scientists rate Aussie political parties' climate policies
11 May 2022
You'd think the government and opposition would be keen to focus on the number-one issue for voters this election campaign. Yet if 2019 was the climate change election, 2022 is shaping up to be the don't-talk-about-climate-change election.
Winner of Australian election must fix carbon market: report
5 May 2022
The next federal government has been urged to review the carbon market as experts question the integrity of credits used by companies to balance their books on emissions.
One in 25 Australian homes could become uninsurable
4 May 2022
About one in 25 Australian homes are at high risk of becoming effectively uninsurable by 2030, according to a new Climate Council report based on analysis by a climate risk assessment group.
Tasmania goes net carbon negative by reducing logging
4 May 2022
Tasmania has become one of the first jurisdictions in the world to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and increase removals to become net carbon negative, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and Griffith University.
Inside the campaign to discredit a key climate science report
Fri 12 Jun 2026
An emerging field of research that can measure how much climate change has worsened individual disasters is under attack by friends of the fossil fuel industry.
China's green-energy drive will shift up a gear
Thu 11 Jun 2026
A pessimistic interpretation is that the greenification of the world's second-largest economy will always be stop-start. Yet that's wrong. China has both the means and the motive to drastically speed up its decarbonisation drive.
EU agrees stronger price controls for new carbon market
Fri 12 Jun 2026
The European Union agreed stronger measures to control prices in its new carbon market early on Thursday, responding to governments' concerns that the emissions-cutting initiative could increase fuel bills.
Millions of UK homes at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Millions of homes are at risk from climate-related subsidence, according to an analysis by the British Geological Survey.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. ‘This is an emergency’
Tue 9 Jun 2026
More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollution crisis that has seen Thai rivers polluted with heavy metals.
The Pacific made history in the courts – now we must do it in the negotiations
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Legal clarity alone will not lead to reduced emissions, more finance or stronger national climate plans – political will is key to meeting states’ obligations.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
Aid cuts and climate change drive deadly malaria surge in Zimbabwe
29 May 2026
A surge in malaria cases in Zimbabwe is exposing fragile health systems and growing treatment shortages in rural areas.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Bonn Bulletin: Tackling climate crisis is “hardest” challenge ever, Stiell says
Tue 9 Jun 2026
The June Climate Meetings open with a reminder to delegates of the tough but ever-clearer imperative of shifting away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
