Australia

Turnbull convinces party to unite on energy policy

Thursday - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has secured party-room backing to impose new reliability and emissions reduction guarantees on energy retailers and large energy users from 2020.

Qantas eyes transpacific biofuel flights by 2020

Wednesday - Qantas has announced that its Los Angeles to Melbourne flights will be powered by biofuel from 2020.

Chevron dumps plan to drill in Australian Bight

Tuesday - Chevron has become the second big oil company to abandon plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight, almost exactly a year after BP ditched its more advanced plans for the untapped basin.

Abbott reckons climate change is 'probably doing good'

11 Oct 17 - Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott has suggested climate change is “probably doing good” in a speech in London in which he likened policies to combat it to “primitive people once killing goats to appease the volcano gods”.

Cities must face the reality of living with 50deg heat

9 Oct 17 - The predictions of extreme heat in Australian cities is worrying, but not particularly surprising given the fact that the country is setting hot weather records at 12 times the pace of cold ones. But it does call for an urgent response.

Brisbane aims to be centre for aviation biofuel

6 Oct 17 - Brisbane is set to become a hub for sustainable aviation fuel under an agreement between Virgin Australia and United States-based biofuel producer Gevo.

Sweltering September sets Australian records

6 Oct 17 - Australian temperature records tumbled again in September, with the country experiencing the hottest day since records began, and New South Wales breaking that record twice within a few days.

Australian cities head for 50deg summer days

5 Oct 17 - Even if the Paris Agreement to limit the global temperature rise to below 2deg is met, summer heatwaves in major Australian cities are likely to reach highs of 50deg by 2040.

David Suzuki: Australia's marine threat is sickening

28 Sep 17 - Growing global momentum to protect the world’s oceans from overfishing could be undermined by Australia, warns renowned conservationist David Suzuki and nearly 1500 other scientists.

Australia failing to meet Paris targets, report says

26 Sep 17 - With the Coalition still hamstrung by internal divide over a clean energy target, a new report shows Australia is in danger of not meeting its Paris agreement commitments unless it acts soon.

We need coal power, Joyce tells Australians

15 Sep 17 - Australia's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, says any new investment mechanism for the energy sector, be it a clean energy target or an alternative, will need to keep coal-fired power stations...

Coal plant closes but emissions still on the rise

14 Sep 17 - Australia’s overall greenhouse gas emissions last financial year were the highest since 2011, despite the closure of the Hazelwood coal-fired power plant.

South Australia commits $150m to new-energy fund

13 Sep 17 - The government of South Australia has just announced it will invest $A150 million in renewable energy projects as part of its Renewable Technology Fund.

Australian business gets the tech message

6 Sep 17 - Australian businesses are now starting to grasp the fact they need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, says a company that had to take its carbon dioxide-capture technology to Europe because there was...

Australia’s record winter linked to climate change

5 Sep 17 - Australia’s winter had the highest average daytime temperatures on record. It was also the driest in 15 years.

Abbott to be keynote speaker at climate sceptics' meeting

4 Sep 17 - Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott next month will give the annual lecture to a London-based climate sceptic group.

More states powering ahead on climate targets

1 Sep 17 - Australian states and territories are powering ahead, developing policies that will meet the federal government’s internationally agreed greenhouse gas emission targets, with South Australia, the ACT...

Renewable energy boom could turn to bust

31 Aug 17 - Australia produced enough renewable energy to power 70 per cent of households last financial year, but advocates warn the booming industry will flounder unless the Turnbull government commits to a...

Australian firm converts carbon emissions into 'green' concrete

28 Aug 17 - An Australian pilot project capturing carbon emissions and storing them in building materials aims to have a full-scale production plant by 2020.