Maurice Newman, chairman of the Prime Minister’s business advisory council, has written that climate change is a United Nations power grab.
AAP/Julian Smith
As the Abbott government prepares Australia’s post-2020 emissions targets for this year’s Paris conference, the chairman of the Prime Minister’s business advisory council has make an extraordinary intervention in the climate debate.
Investment in technologies beyond the existing wind and solar could stagnate in the face of the government’s reduced Renewable Energy Target.
Rolandg/Wikimedia Commons
After months of deadlock, a deal has finally been reached to reduce the Renewable Energy Target, ending the uncertainty for industry but also risking an already sparse pipeline of future projects.
Bjorn Lomborg seems to irritate the hell out of many environmentalists.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
James Whitmore, The Conversation and Michael Hopkin, The Conversation
The federal government’s keenly awaited Energy White Paper is firmly focused on cutting prices and red tape, and boosting industry competitiveness - and less so on climate change and renewable energy.
Australia likely has several decades of coal left in it yet.
eyeweed/flickr
Gary Ellem, University of Newcastle; Damien Giurco, University of Technology Sydney; James Ward, University of South Australia, and Steve Mohr, University of Technology Sydney
Australia likely has decades of fossil fuels left to extract, export and burn. That could prove to be a problem if the world comes to an agreement on climate change. Here’s four ways to help the economy, and the climate.
You didn’t need a onesie to get hot under the collar about sharks in 2014.
AAP Image/Theron Kirkman
Want a single word to sum up environmental affairs in 2014? Let’s go with “heated”. The year began with the realisation that 2013 was Australia’s hottest ever (and yes, it’s because of us), and ended with…
The Climate Change Authority has recommended giving Australia more time to hit its renewable energy target.
AAP Image/Angela Harper
The Climate Change Authority has recommended that the government move back the deadline for the large-scale Renewable Energy Target by three years, from 2020 to 2023, rather than risk jeopardising investment…
Environment minister Greg Hunt has said uncertainty about the RET is hitting investment in the renewables industry.
AAP/Paul Miller
The government has again appealed to Labor to immediately recommence negotiations over the renewable energy target (RET). Environment Minister Greg Hunt has written to opposition climate spokesman Mark…
If Australia’s to have nuclear power, there’ll have to be policies to support it.
flokru/Flickr
No sooner had foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop announced that Australia should take a fresh look at nuclear power than Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded that nuclear power would only be supported…
The renewable energy sector is looking a little gloomy thanks to record low investment. Is RET uncertainty to blame?
Stephan Mosel
You may have seen recent reports that Australia’s renewable energy sector is suffering. According to a Bloomberg analysis, investment in the sector in the year to September 2014 was down 70% on investment…
Protesters say the government’s planned cuts to the Renewable Energy Target will endanger Australian jobs in the sector.
AAP Image/NewZulu/Josephine Lim
Labor has walked away from negotiations with the government over changes to the Renewable Energy Target, saying the proposed cuts of almost 40% are too deep. Industry minister Ian Macfarlane says he is…
China’s embrace of technologies like solar roofs has seen it become the world’s biggest renewable energy investor.
Climate Council
Climate change, now belatedly added to the agenda for this month’s G20 meeting in Brisbane, is a perennial topic whenever leaders gather for international summits. That’s understandable, given that countries…
Falling demand and prices are leaving no incentive to invest in Australia’s electricity sector.
Indigo Skies Photography /Flickr
There’s been much talk about how uncertainty over the future of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) is affecting the renewable energy industry. Investment in renewable energy is at its lowest level since…
Should you be paying for big energy users?
Bill image from www.shutterstock.com
The federal government has now achieved passage of its Direct Action plan through the Senate. Some wheeling and dealing with the cross-benches was required of course – but while the government may oppose…
Ambassador for the Environment Peter Woolcott, as president of the final UN conference on the Arms Trade Treaty.
Twitter
Australia has a new ambassador to lead its negotiations for the December 2015 United Nations climate change conference in Paris, which is tasked with hammering out an international agreement for post-2020…
Up in the air: the federal government is still trying to get bipartisan support for its plan to scale back renewable energy investment.
AAP
The federal government’s plan to reduce Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) could jeopardise billions of dollars in investment while giving a boost to the fossil fuel sector, experts have predicted…
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane offered Labor a compromise deal on the Renewable Energy Target.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The opposition has rejected the government’s opening negotiating position for changing the renewable energy target – but said it wants to keep talking. The government proposed the target be changed to…
There are numerous methods for maintaining electricity supply when renewables are in the grid.
Johan Douma/Flickr
The recent review of the Australian Renewable Energy Target has once again raised the issue of the “unreliability” of some renewable power sources such as wind and solar power. Their variability, which…
Australia does have the capacity to produce more electricity than it needs - but that’s not a reason to scale back the Renewable Energy Target.
Indigo Skies Photography/Flickr
We have 9,000 megawatts (nine big power stations equivalent) of excess capacity in electricity generation … We have more than 15% overcapacity in generation in Australia - Industry minister Ian Macfarlane…
Renewable energy is an excellent way to hedge against the impacts of climate policies.
Indigo Skies Photography/Flickr
The Australian government has just received a vitally important report to guide their decisions on the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET). But it’s not the RET review report of the Coalition-appointed…