A summary of today’s top climate and clean energy stories.
Email the team on [email protected] or get in touch via Twitter.
(Pic: El C)
Australia: Australia may face more intense and frequent bouts of extreme weather in the future as global warming “energises” the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, the dominant climate system over the Pacific, according to an Australian-led team of researchers. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Australia: One third of articles in Australia’s major newspapers rejected or cast doubt on the overwhelming findings of climate science, with climate sceptic Andrew Bolt monopolising coverage of the topic in several high-circulation News Corporation titles, according to a new analysis. (Guardian)
Peru: The area affected by illegal gold mining in Peru’s south-eastern Amazon region increased by 400% from 1999 to 2012, according to researchers using state-of-the-art mapping technology. (Guardian)
China: US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said in Beijing on Wednesday that the United States and China can collaborate on renewable technology for green growth and that water-based technology can be a new focus area for partnership. (People Daily)
US: Former US vice-president Al Gore has today backed a report highlighting the risks to investors of owning carbon-intensive assets. Gore, who served under Bill Clinton, has stressed the need for investors to consider the carbon risks inherent in their investment portfolios, suggesting that investors “divest from carbon-intensive fossil fuel assets”. (Financial Times)
China: The first phase of a coal gasification project in north China is complete and will start to supply gas to Beijing at the end of this year. The first phase is ready for production after successful tests, said Li Zhichun, director of the recycling industrial park in Hexigten Qi, Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where the project is located. (Xinhua)
EU: EU car emissions fell 2.6% percent in 2012 from 2011, official figures showed on Wednesday, adding to a fierce Brussels debate on how quickly automakers can improve vehicle fuel efficiency. (Reuters)