Energy
Costa Rica sacks climate advisor for criticising China oil loan
Government asked Monica Araya to leave climate change team after publicly criticising a $1bn deal with China to finance a new oil refinery, a move Araya says could lead to oil exploration in Costa Rica
Masdar opens 6MW wind farm in Seychelles
Abu Dhabi renewable pioneers launch latest overseas clean energy investment, saving Seychelles 1.6 million litres of fuel per year
UN: developing nations leading renewables investment
UNEP report reveals overall funding for wind and solar dropped in 2012, but growth still evident in emerging markets
Analysis: is cleaner coal a climate change fix?
Scratch the surface of the World Coal Association’s answer to climate change, more coal, and it is clearly deeply flawed
IEA: World heading for 3.6°C of warming
New report recommends four energy policies that could keep world within the 2°C limit recommended by scientists
Canada tar sands threatening biodiversity of Arctic circle wilderness
Mackenzie River Basin at great risk from climate change and a catastrophic oil spill according to a panel of nine Canadian, American and British scientists
Korolec: Poland needs time to ditch coal addiction
Country’s Environment Minister says it is on the path to low carbon energy but this cannot happen overnight
UN goals could tackle clean energy, fossil fuel subsidies
Early draft of post 2015 development goals includes renewable energy and efficiency targets despite objections from Saudi Arabia
Comment: Solar PV trade wars threaten entire industry
Sector on brink of competing with fossil fuels but China-EU could derail years of progress, writes Joe Curtin
Governments face uphill struggle to hit UN energy goals – report
Assessment of the sustainable energy challenge suggests rate of electrification for the poorest must double
The Keystone XL debate in 10 letters to John Kerry
A small sample of the one million comments received by the State Department sketches out the core arguments on both sides
New US energy secretary defends clean tech investments
Car manufacturer Tesla repays its Department of Energy loan nine years early as Ernst Moniz says only 2% of its $34bn portfolio has resulted in losses
Five reasons why an oil-free future is possible
The IEA reports that non-OECD countries overtook their OECD counter parts for the first time, but what alternative do they have?
Arctic Council decision leaves region open for oil and gas drilling
Pledge from Arctic states to “take action” to address the causes of climate change has been dismissed as meaningless by observers
Online game launched to map world’s fossil fuel power plants
Arizona University project aims to crowd-source locations of 30,000 fossil fuel power plants and measure their greenhouse emissions
Brazilian rainforest tribes harness power of wind
Indigenous group in far north of Brazil invest in renewable ‘off grid’ electricity solutions in bid to stave off dam developments
Canada wears climate pariah label “with honour”
Despite more pleas this week for Canada to reconsider its position on climate change, the Government’s commitment to its tar sands oil resources is likely to win
Denmark to fund Pacific Island clean energy research
Danish Government commits US$2 million to clean energy projects in the Pacific as part of wider low carbon initiative
IRENA: carbon markets cannot support renewables alone
International Renewable Energy Agency says there’s no need to rely on carbon trading with countries using other incentives enjoying success
Why biofuels are not a sensible solution to climate change
Anders Dahlbeck from ActionAid argues biofuels are threatening world climate and hunger goals and should be carefully regulated