Energy
For Myanmar, temptation of cheap coal ‘hard to ignore’
NEWS: Big expansion of coal power on track as Aung San Suu Kyi forms first civilian-led government in over 50 years
Indian minister mocks the West’s Africa energy initiatives
NEWS: Piyush Goyal says citizens in poorer countries deserve more than just a light bulb, urging richer countries to deliver power for TVs and fans
Saudi Arabia: By 2035 we won’t depend on oil
NEWS: Investments, not crude, will bankroll government in twenty years, says deputy crown prince as he plots sale of state oil company Aramco
Will doubling India’s coal tax boost the clean energy sector?
COMMENT: The Modi government needs to explain where funds from the coal cess will go for it to have a transformative impact on clean energy
New fossil fuel plants post-2017 risk 2C warming limit
NEWS: To have a 50% chance of avoiding dangerous temperatures new fossil fuel investments needs to be put on hold from next year
Top US attorneys step up probe into oil major ‘fraud’
NEWS: State attorneys say they will target fossil fuel companies for financial statements and disclosures which may have misled investors and the public
India ramps up fossil fuel spend amid welfare cuts
NEWS: Delhi considers axing food subsidies for the poor, but continues to pay almost US$200 billion in subsidies for coal, oil and gas
China’s CO2 emissions might not be falling – study
NEWS: It’s too soon to celebrate a tipping point for the world’s biggest emitter, according to analysis from CICERO
UN: China, India driving new clean energy investments
NEWS: Further policy interventions required, say authors of UN report, if world is to move away from oil, gas, coal and embrace low emission future
Exxon Mobil must give shareholders climate vote, regulator rules
NEWS: US oil major, alleged to have lied about the risks of global warming, has been ordered to consider shareholder resolution at next AGM
Lost in Lusatia: Lignite goes from asset to liability
LONG READ: Brown coal is Germany’s guilty energy secret, a drain on its climate ambitions. Mining communities see the writing on the wall
Loaded coal barge sinks in Sundarbans mangroves
NEWS: Fourth wreck in two years raises fresh concerns about environmental impact of proposed Rampal coal plant in Bangladesh
Fears of an Asian coal surge are overblown – study
NEWS: Dirty power plants planned in China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia are unlikely to all be built, says think tank ECIU
Why Germany’s clean energy shift is vexing its neighbours
NEWS: Transition towards a grid based on fickle renewables is messing with Poland’s electricity markets
Philippines touts gas, renewables as answer to energy demand
NEWS: Energy department says it is looking for alternatives to coal, but activists fear government will push ahead with fossil intensive investments
West Balkans coal pollution bill running into billions
NEWS: Heavy pollution from coal-fired power stations results in Serbia losing a third of its national wealth annually because of premature deaths caused by poor air quality
World’s top private coal company faces bankruptcy
NEWS: Staunch opponent of climate laws and science misses interest payment as global coal price slump continues
Climate hopes raised as global energy emissions stall for second year
NEWS: Early figures show emissions from energy sector stayed flat in 2015 on renewables surge, says influential forecaster
To Mars on a sunbeam: NASA bets on solar space travel
NEWS: US agency funds competition to design better solar cells seen as critical to exploration of deeper space
EU heavy industry pockets €24bn in ‘pollution windfall’ – report
NEWS; That’s ten times what Brussels green innovation fund pays out, says NGO in call for reform of EU emissions trading scheme