Australia
‘Unparalleled in the world’: Australian grid operator maps path to 100% renewables
From 2025, the entire country is expected to run on 100% clean electricity for hours then days at a time, raising new engineering challenges
South Australia set to become first big grid to run on 100% renewables
South Australia’s gigawatt-scale electricity network is within touching distance of phasing out fossil fuel backup
Australia passes climate law targeting 43% emissions cuts by 2030
Green senators backed the legislation but their amendments to cut emissions faster and ban new coal and gas developments were defeated
Billionnaire activist forces Australia’s biggest polluter into climate-friendly U-turn
AGL had planned to split in two and keep burning coal for another two decades or more, before Mike Cannon-Brookes led a shareholder revolt
Australia excels at exporting the climate problem. Now it can finally export solutions
Voters chose climate action in Saturday’s election, giving Australia a chance to get out of the “naughty corner” and restore its international reputation
What’s at stake for the climate in Australia’s election?
A Labor government would bid to host Cop29, strengthen emission-cutting targets and climate-proof Pacific aid, but not curb fossil fuel exports
How a tech billionaire is forcing Australia’s coal die-hards to face the future
Mike Cannon-Brookes’ market raid on AGL, Australia’s biggest polluter, is putting its slow coal exit plan under scrutiny
Australian carbon traders defend troubled offset market against whistleblower claims
Policy upheaval and stark criticism of the quality of carbon offsets from a former official have thrown Australia’s ability to deliver on carbon targets into doubt
Australian government welcomes high fossil fuel prices, ships coal to Ukraine
Scott Morrison’s administration is celebrating rising coal exports and pledging to send a shipment of coal to Ukraine
Scientists warn seawalls can make rising waters worse in the long run
Green buffers like mangroves are generally better for protecting coastal communities than concrete defences, although they are not always an option
Australia to expand gas industry under Morrison infrastructure plan
Scott Morrison is doubling down on fossil fuel production with new gas basins and pipelines in a plan slammed by climate campaigners
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
Australia is relying on offsets and future technology to meet 2050 net zero target
Scott Morrison has made a net zero pledge but with little detail on how to get there and no commitment to stronger emissions cuts this decade
Asian net zero wave leaves Australia’s Scott Morrison isolated
While China, Japan and South Korea set net zero emissions targets and polls show strong support for Australia to follow, Morrison is standing by the coal industry
Australia green-lights controversial project in ‘gas-fired recovery’
Campaigners say the Narrabri gas project will destroy local biodiversity and water supplies as well as increase greenhouse gas emissions.
China host of major nature talks fails to step up at UN biodiversity summit
Campaigners had hoped President Xi would surprise the world again this week with tough measures to reverse biodiversity loss. They were left disappointed
Australia’s carbon accounting plan for Paris goals criticised as ‘legally baseless’
Legal experts wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning the use of old carbon credits to meet the country’s 2030 goals would set a ‘dangerous precedent’
Australia’s climate change polarisation hampers long-term bushfire fixes
‘We need to re-invent and re-think the management of our landscape,’ say bushfire experts, warning adapting to climate change will require bipartisan political support
One of the world’s biggest emitters is trying to fly under the radar at Cop25
Australia is the third biggest fossil fuel exporter, has high emissions and plans to use a loophole to meet its pledges. Don’t let them stay in the background
Australia seeks to water down climate declaration at Pacific summit
An annotated draft Pacific Islands Forum statement shows the Morrison administration trying to quash references to 1.5C, carbon neutrality and coal development