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– Updated from 0830-1700 BST (GMT+1)
Wednesday 24 October
Last updated: 1700
EU: A green revolution to make the EU energy almost totally carbon-free by 2050 would generate €3 trillion in fuel savings, according to a report commissioned by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council. The report lays out steps towards almost carbon-free energy including curbing energy demand through greater efficiency, increasing investment in wind and solar power and phasing out subsidies for carbon-intensive energy. (Reuters)
China: The country’s latest five-year plan for the energy sector lays out plans to approve a small number of nuclear reactors before 2015 to be built in coastal regions only. China said it would also promote prices reforms for electricity, coal, oil and natural gas and boost its hydro, solar and wind power generation in an effort to cut emissions. (Reuters)
UK: Negotiations over the content of the Energy Bill could result in a cap being placed on new onshore wind farms developments, according to rumours.
A column in the Times has revealed that one possible compromise between the Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey and Chancellor George Osborne could see a limit on the expansion of onshore wind farms in return for a wider commitment on funding for low carbon energy projects. (BusinessGreen)
Australia – UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has said Australia is a leader in climate action. Speaking at Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney she said: “Australia is not alone in acting on climate change… in fact Australia is a major player and an emerging leader.”
She also challenged the country to sign up to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. (theWest.com)
US: President Obama has hit out against criticisms that he has been silent on climate change during this year’s election.
“While Mitt Romney questioned the science behind climate change and mocked it in his convention speech, President Obama will continue to make the case for cleaner American sources of energy that will create jobs and fight climate change,” said Adam Fetcher, a spokesman for the campaign. (the Hill)
Australia: Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet has said that the country’s policies to mitigate climate change and promote clean energy could drive investment of Australian $100 billion over the next four years. He also said the country intended to link with emissions trading schemes in New Zealand and across the Asia-Pacific region. (Bloomberg)
EU: The bioenergy contributing towards the EU’s renewable energy target for 2020 could be increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the short term, according to an unreleased report. The study found that bioenergy had been wrongly counted as reducing emissions. (Euractiv)
Niger: A $110 million project aimed at countering the impact of the rapid expansion of deserts and increasingly unpredictable rains in Niger has been announced. The plan aims to integrate climate change risk and adaptation into the country’s national planning policies. (Reuters)
Australia: Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) members have been creating a twitter storm today aimed at convincing the government to sign up to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Let’s be leaders of #climate action, not followers of climate silence @juliagillard #Kyoto2
— Claire (@clairefelm) October 24, 2012
If everyone lived like the average Australia, it would take 3.76 planets to support the world population. Decrease this & sign #kyoto2
— WWF_Australia (@WWF_Australia) October 24, 2012
Dear PM @juliagillard – #climate change is a global challenge that needs a global fix. Please sign #Kyoto2change.org/en-AU/petition…#kyoto2
— Sarah Dale Houlihan (@NrthNatrlHealth) October 24, 2012
EU: A series of reforms are being considered to correct the over-supply of carbon allowances in the EU’s emissions trading scheme. In a leaked report several options are laid out including reducing the continent’s over-arching emissions reduction target for 2020 from 20-30% or cancelling out additional allowances during the next phase of the scheme.
Both proposals are likely to struggle to secure support from all member states. (BusinessGreen)
Worldwide: Researchers believe that solar geoengineering could be done safely by targeting specific regions. A new study has found that fixing the Arctic Sea ice loss for example could require less shading from the sun than other regions. The researchers say the method could be varied with different amounts of sunlight deflected by region and season. (The Register)