Energy

The IEA is embracing 1.5C ambition, leaving no excuse for new fossil fuel investment

In a fundamental shift in mainstream thinking, the world’s most influential energy body has for the first time put a net zero scenario at the heart of its forecasting

UK’s 2035 zero-carbon electricity goal is a diplomatic trendsetter, analysts say

The ruling Conservative party confirmed the government plans to end generating electricity with unabated gas, putting pressure on other major economies to follow

India’s vulnerability to coal shocks exposed amid surging energy demand and prices

The country’s looming energy crisis raises serious questions over India’s coal expansion plan as private investors move away from the sector, analysts say

UK seeks alliance to end public finance for coal, oil and gas projects overseas

The Cop26 hosts are trying to build a coalition of countries to align public finance with a 1.5C global warming limit, the toughest goal of the Paris Agreement

With Ted Cruz blocking US ambassadors, climate diplomacy suffers

Joe Biden has been unable to appoint ambassadors to capitals including Beijing and Delhi due to the Texas senator’s anti-Nord Stream 2 crusade

China’s power crunch could fuel anti-climate backlash, analysts warn

Many media reports have linked the power cuts to environmental policies aimed at curbing energy intensity, when high coal prices are the real culprit

European gas shortages prompt calls to accelerate clean energy transition

Analysts say renewables, insulation and electrification of heating and cooking are the answer to soaring gas prices across Europe

World leaders at UN urged to end public finance to fossil fuels

As world leaders meet to talk energy in New York, 200 green groups are urging them to embrace renewables and stop financing fossil fuels

President Xi declares end to Chinese support for new coal power abroad

Climate campaigners are celebrating as an end to Chinese public backing leaves few sources of finance for new coal plants around the world

Leftwing victory in Norway election puts oil exit at the heart of coalition talks

A leftist party calling for a ban on new oil licences could be the kingmaker in negotiations to form a government, calling into question the industry’s future

Energy

Renewable Energy

Governments are overlooking a key piece in the climate puzzle: community energy

Failure to engage people in local energy projects risks slowing down the transition to a low-carbon future at a time when leaders need to speed it up

IEA: End fossil fuel expansion now for net zero energy emissions by 2050

The International Energy Agency has mapped a path to net zero emissions for the first time – and it involves ending investment in new coal, oil and gas production today

South Africa sets out to tighten 2030 emissions target

South Africa’s economy is shifting from heavy industry to service sectors, allowing for deeper carbon cuts, but coal lingers in the energy mix

China makes no shift away from coal in five-year plan as it ‘crawls’ to carbon neutrality

Beijing set out incremental increases in climate targets to 2025, allowing for continued expansion of “clean” coal, to the disappointment of climate watchers

Fragile countries call for investment in rooftop solar to expand energy access

War-torn states struggle to attract funding for small-scale renewable projects, which leaders say are cheaper, cleaner and less vulnerable to conflict than fossil fuels

It’s time to end subsidies for burning wood from forests

Trees are worth much more to humanity alive than dead, say 500 scientists in an open letter to leaders in the EU, US and East Asia

Why Grenada had to nationalise its electricity for $60m to pursue renewables

A one-sided privatisation deal and flawed World Bank advice landed Grenada with a hefty legal bill to reform its electricity sector and cut reliance on polluting diesel

South Korea 2050 net zero pledge spurs renewables investment

As the world’s fourth-largest importer of coal, South Korea needs to rapidly change its energy mix to achieve net zero emissions by 2050

Renewable energy

Fossil Fuels

What is Cop26 and why does it matter? Your guide to the Glasgow climate summit

Following a two-year gap, countries are due to meet in the UK for UN climate talks in November. Here’s what is at stake

As the Taliban seizes control of Afghanistan, coal is a key source of revenue

Mining was a major source of finance for the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan and has strategic importance as the militants seek to govern

Joe Biden can seal a breakthrough deal to end global public finance for fossil fuels

The US has the opportunity to make fossil-free public finance a new international norm ahead of Cop26 – but that requires ending its support for gas

Chinese coal power investment slows, with 24 projects approved this year

Chinese provincial governments approved construction of 5.2GW of coal power capacity in the first half of 2021, analysis by Greenpeace has found

UK oil construction postponed after kayakers’ Stop Cambo protest

Campaigners scored a minor victory in efforts to block consent for Cambo oil field in the North Atlantic, which they argue is incompatible with climate leadership

US guidance to development banks puts gas infrastructure finance in question

Gas-fired power projects in Thailand and South Africa could be affected by a shift in US development finance policy to back clean energy over fossil fuels

Nigeria to end gas flaring by 2030, under national climate plan

The government is promising to crack down on wasteful emissions from oil and gas production, a major climate and health issue in Nigeria

Brazil plans to prop up coal sector, defying calls for a global phase out

The government has published a plan for the ‘sustainable’ use of coal that would allow the fossil fuel to be burnt until 2050

Fossil Fuels

Nuclear energy

Pakistan signals coal power exit, in potential model for China’s belt and road

Imran Khan announced his government would not approve any more coal power plants and pivot to renewables, contrary to the grid operator’s forecast of a coal boom

UN development chief calls for green shift away from ‘irrational’ oil dependence

Governments, at a fork in the road because of the Covid-19 pandemic, should ‘insert the DNA’ of a low-carbon future into stimulus packages, says Achim Steiner

Japan’s woeful climate plan amounts to science denial

Japan reiterates past pledges for 2030 rather than mapping out a radical overhaul needed by the world’s fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter

Campaigners urge African Union to stop fossil fuel proliferation on continent

In a communique, African civil society called on leaders meeting in Ethiopia to ‘rapidly initiate a transition to clean and safe renewable sources of energy’ for all

In depth: The EU’s plan to become the first climate-neutral continent

CHN’s media partner EURACTIV takes a look at the ‘king of policies’ that will define Europe’s future, just as the EU finally looks ready to adopt it

As rich countries slow walk green finance, Putin offers Africa an alternative

Two summits in one week presented a choice for African leaders: stalled promises of climate finance in Paris or business deals in Sochi

Hungary wants end to coal power by 2030

‘Sky-rocketing’ EU carbon prices could mean Hungary is the first country in eastern Europe to set an exit date for the most polluting fossil fuel

Brexit: Avoiding the nuclear fallout

UK government report card on replacing the EU’s atomic energy community shows progress, but no deal on March 29 still threatens power and medical supply

Nuclear Energy

Efficiency

Tar sands companies aim for 'net zero' by 2050 - with no plan to extract less oil