WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
31 Jan 2014
No room for the timid: setting Australia’s 2035 emissions target is a daring tightrope act
Tue 26 Aug 2025
Any week now, Australia will set its 2035 emissions target. It must signal the nation’s strong ambition on climate action, to drive policy and investment. And it must avoid being seen as either unrealistic or too costly.
Emerging economies turn to Asian reactors for new wave of nuclear power
Tue 26 Aug 2025
China, Korea and Russia move ahead of the West in the race to sell reactors overseas, as developing states back nuclear energy in a “new era of growth".
What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT or Gemini?
Tue 26 Aug 2025
A new study from Google suggests its Gemini LLM uses around 0.24 Wh per text query. That's the same energy as using a microwave for one second.
Ocean-based carbon storage ramps up, bringing investment and concern
Tue 26 Aug 2025
Capturing carbon to ship or funnel it offshore for storage in depleted marine oil and gas wells is gaining momentum as a proposed climate solution, even as it faces criticism.
California is backsliding on climate progress. It’s (mostly) Gavin Newsom’s fault
Tue 26 Aug 2025
The California Supreme Court just gave state officials a golden opportunity to revitalize the rooftop solar industry, helping millions of homes and businesses lower their electric bills and fight the climate crisis.
Australian academics concerned about local research amid US funding cuts
Tue 26 Aug 2025
Scientists in regional Australia warn that major policy and funding changes in the United States will have a significant impact on critical research locally.
How methane-zapping technology could finally solve the cow burp problem
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Ambient Carbon is doing the methane equivalent of point source carbon capture in dairy barns.
EU wildfires hit new record as flames scorch area larger than Cyprus
Mon 25 Aug 2025
The area burned this year has exceeded the 1 million hectare mark for the first time since records started in 2006.
A coal-fired plant in Michigan was to close. But Trump forced it to keep running at $1m a day
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Donald Trump has made several unusual moves to elongate the era of coal, such as giving the industry exemptions from pollution rules. But the gambit to keep one Michigan coal-fired power station running has been extraordinary – by forcing it to remain open even against the wishes of its operator.
Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Beijing's mountainous northern Huairou district and neighbouring Miyun district received a year's worth of rain in a single week, triggering flash floods that devastated entire villages and killed 44 people in the deadliest flood since 2012.
