When asked how Australia’s new approach to climate policy might affect the ongoing talks, a Commission spokesperson told EURACTIV that “it would be difficult to imagine concluding a broad trade agreement without an ambitious chapter on trade and sustainable development”.
The inconvenient truths about South Australia’s renewable success | Renew Economy
"But here’s the thing: South Australia’s renewable share has likely proved the opposite to what’s being claimed. Since the events of the summer of 2016/17, there have been no major outages. In fact, it’s quite possibly been the most reliable grid in the country."
California's response to record wildfires: shift to 100% clean energy | The Guardian
Water flows into Sydney catchment at 'shocking' record lows | The Guardian
Renewables haven’t screwed up the grid. Regulators and lawyers have | Renew Economy
“Is this intermittent?” Summers asks. “No. They (wind and solar) are doing the job of baseload while the actual baseload band (the synchronous generation) is misbehaving.” Summers noted that the legal framework had made this type of behaviour acceptable.
APA approved for up to 240 MW in Australia | PV Magazine
The group can now proceed with the development of the Beelbee project, which will be built roughly 40 km west of Dalby, Queensland, according to the Western Downs Regional Council. The local government body has now approved nine solar projects for development in the Western Downs, a region near the city of Brisbane. In August, it gave Singapore-based Equis Energy the green light to build a massive 1 GW solar plant near the town of Wandoan.
UK Ministers launch group to help boost green business investment | The Guardian
A new group led by investors and leading figures from the City of London has been brought together by the government to draw up measures to encourage “green finance” in the UK.
The Green Finance Taskforce will have six months to come up with proposals on how to increase investment in the low-carbon economy and will work with banks and other financial institutions. Chaired by Sir Roger Gifford, former lord mayor of London, the taskforce will look at measures to make the UK’s planned investments in infrastructure, for instance on energy and transport, more environmentally sustainable.
Hot and Dry: Australia's Weird Winter | The Climate Council
Climate Change made Australia’s warmest winter on record an astounding 60 times more likely, according to this latest report by the Climate Council.
The “Hot & Dry: Australia’s Weird Winter,” report shows the nation experienced its warmest winter on record (for average maximum temperatures), while more than 260 heat and low rainfall recordswere also broken throughout the season.
Climate Councillor and ecologist, Professor Lesley Hughes said Australia’s hottest winter in history was related to worsening climate change. “Without any meaningful action to tackle climate change, we will continue to see many more hot winters, just like this, as global temperatures rise,” she said. “We must take meaningful action to strongly reduce Australia’s emissions from fossil fuels."
The Real Unknown of Climate Change: Our Behavior | New York Times
Temperature anomalies last 100 years | Antti Lipponen, FMI Beta
How has temperature changed in each country over the last century? This data visualisation shows temperature anomaly – the departure from the long-term average – by country from 1900-2016. Visualisation by Antti Lipponen (@anttilip) of the Finnish Meteorological Institute based on GISTEMP data (CC BY 2.0).
Why UBS Is Bringing Its Climate-Proofing Strategy to Proxy Voting | Bloomberg
Carmakers face electric reality as combustion engine outlook dims | Reuters
European car bosses gathering for the Frankfurt auto show are beginning to address the realities of mass vehicle electrification, and its consequences for jobs and profit, their minds focused by government pledges to outlaw the combustion engine.
As the latest such announcement by China added momentum to a push for zero-emissions motoring, Daimler, Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and PSA Group made disclosures about their electric programs that could give policymakers some pause. More
What Lies Beneath | Breakthrough
Human-induced climate change is an existential risk to human civilisation, yet much climate research understates climate risks and provides conservative projections. Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that are crucial to climate policymaking and informing public narrative are characterised by scientific reticence, paying limited attention to lower-probability, high-risk events that are becoming increasingly likely.
This latest Breakthrough report argues for an urgent risk reframing of climate research and the IPCC reports. Download the report here.
Climate Council: without action, rising seas will cost us billions | The Conversation
Rising sea levels pose huge financial, economic and humanitarian risks, as shown by the Climate Council’s latest report, Counting the Costs: Climate Change and Coastal Flooding. If the world ignores the problem, by mid-century rising seas could cost the world more than a trillion dollars a year as floods and storm surges hit.
South Australia's blackout explained (and no, renewables aren't to blame) | The Guardian
Current emissions could already warm world to dangerous levels: study | The Conversation
SEC’s Exxon Probe: the ‘Tipping Point’ for Oil & Gas Climate Change Accounting? | Environmental Leader
ExxonMobil’s climate change accounting is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission — and this could have major implications for the oil and gas industry, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The SEC probe is focusing on how Exxon calculates its business risk from climate change, including the figures it uses to project future costs of complying with emissions regulations.