Energy

Saudi energy minister touts pink hydrogen made by “emancipated young ladies”

Saudi Arabia wants to become a leading exporter of hydrogen from both clean and dirty sources as part of an economic diversification plan

Judge rejects campaigners’ bid to curb UK oil production

The high court ruling dismissed as “nonsensical” the argument that oil companies are “paid to pollute” under the UK tax regime

Why Shell is becoming a softer target for climate campaigners

The oil major has pulled out of a British project and paused South African exploration, as its climate targets require production to fall

Researchers are excited by ‘tantalising’ prospect of open IEA energy data

The International Energy Agency is proposing to lift the paywall on its extensive energy database, in a potential boon for climate research

‘Extraordinary progress’ – Beijing meets air pollution goals after coal crackdown

Social media protests and US direct diplomacy pushed authorities in China’s capital to clean up heavy industry and home heating

2021 in coal: China’s dirty recovery mars international finance crackdown

Global coal power generation reached an all time high in 2021, just as countries reached an elusive consensus to phase down the fossil fuel

Solar power has changed Syrian refugees’ lives in Jordan – and they want more

Za’atari is the biggest solar-powered refugee camp in the world, lighting the way for others

UK floats ‘climate compatibility’ test for new oil and gas drilling

The UK government says new oil and gas licensing can fit with its climate commitments. Campaigners, citing the International Energy Agency, disagree

EU climate package risks locking in gas use, campaigners warn

Under a proposed reform of the EU gas market, the industry gets to propose new gas and hydrogen infrastructure projects across the bloc

As EU seeks to rival China’s infrastructure offer, Africans are sceptical

Brussels is promising green infrastructure investment for African countries, but Beijing has a better reputation on the continent

Energy

Renewable Energy

A rush to mine the deep ocean has environmentalists worried

Tiny Nauru is behind a push to fast-track talks on mining rules for the deep seabed, which could see fragile habitats opened to exploitation as early as 2023

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

Renewable energy

Fossil Fuels

Campaigners seek to curb UK oil production through the high court

The UK’s oil and gas regulator does not take tax breaks or foreign ownership into account when deciding whether a license is in the national interest

‘Huge blow’ – cuts to gas finance sparks West African backlash

Nigerian and Senegalese leaders have criticised western countries for pledging to stop funding gas projects internationally, calling for exceptions to be made

India ‘cannot escape’ coal phasedown, top coal ministry official says

An estimated 13-20 million workers in India depend on coal assets for their livelihoods, raising the need for a transition plan and financial support

Oil and gas avoided censure in Glasgow for the 26th time. Let’s not make it 27

Investor and state-owned oil companies in the G20 find common cause in watering down climate ambition; we need to confront their influence

China-US announce deal at Cop26 to accelerate climate action this decade

In a surprise joint statement, the world’s two top emitters agreed to work together in a range of areas to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement “within reach”

South Africa $8.5bn finance package offers a model for ending reliance on coal

The package was hailed as “groundbreaking” for being country-led and addressing a need to reskill and support coal miners

Over 100 countries join methane pledge but China, India, Australia and Russia stay out

The US and EU got more than a hundred countries on board with a commitment to cut methane emissions 30% by 2030, putting oil and gas sector leakage in the spotlight

Dispute over coal exit set to dominate G20 leaders’ summit

The Italian presidency is seeking to secure an agreement to phase out coal power but there is resistance from members including China, India and Australia

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