Renewables
South Africa sets out to tighten 2030 emissions target
South Africa’s economy is shifting from heavy industry to service sectors, allowing for deeper carbon cuts, but coal lingers in the energy mix
China makes no shift away from coal in five-year plan as it ‘crawls’ to carbon neutrality
Beijing set out incremental increases in climate targets to 2025, allowing for continued expansion of “clean” coal, to the disappointment of climate watchers
Fragile countries call for investment in rooftop solar to expand energy access
War-torn states struggle to attract funding for small-scale renewable projects, which leaders say are cheaper, cleaner and less vulnerable to conflict than fossil fuels
It’s time to end subsidies for burning wood from forests
Trees are worth much more to humanity alive than dead, say 500 scientists in an open letter to leaders in the EU, US and East Asia
Why Grenada had to nationalise its electricity for $60m to pursue renewables
A one-sided privatisation deal and flawed World Bank advice landed Grenada with a hefty legal bill to reform its electricity sector and cut reliance on polluting diesel
South Korea 2050 net zero pledge spurs renewables investment
As the world’s fourth-largest importer of coal, South Korea needs to rapidly change its energy mix to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
Green growth champion: Focus on jobs helps poorer nations raise climate ambition
The Global Green Growth Institute is working with governments including Colombia, Peru and Indonesia on “green new deal” plans
Pakistan signals coal power exit, in potential model for China’s belt and road
Imran Khan announced his government would not approve any more coal power plants and pivot to renewables, contrary to the grid operator’s forecast of a coal boom
Philippines declares moratorium on new coal power plants
The move could scrap 8GW of planned coal projects which haven’t been fully approved, sending a strong signal to investors in the region coal is out of favour
Mayan communities are suing the Mexican government over a million solar panel megaproject
Indigenous communities say they did not give consent for a Total-backed solar megaproject on their land
Poland’s largest utility announces pivot from coal to renewables
PGE has announced a strategy to go 100% renewable by 2050, but it depends on passing responsibility for coal mines to another Polish state-owned entity
France seeks German collaboration on hydrogen in EU green recovery
The EU’s biggest economies are investing billions of euros in building clean hydrogen fuel capacity to decarbonise heavy industry and transport
Countries promise green recovery at Japanese virtual summit, keep quiet on fossil bailouts
Ministers from China, EU and other major economies outlined plans to build back better after the coronavirus pandemic at a meeting convened by Japan
Guterres tells India coal business ‘going up in smoke’ as investors back clean tech
UN chief urges Narendra Modi not to expand India’s coal sector, warning of harmful consequences for human health, the environment and the economy
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Green shift urged to revive Brazil’s economy and shield Amazon forests
President Bolsonaro could rebuild the economy faster after Covid-19 by making low-carbon growth a pillar of recovery, international study says
Wind, solar generate 10% of world electricity, doubling share since 2015
Coal falls to 33% of electricity generation in the first half of 2020, hit by declines in US and EU as Covid-19 cuts world power demand
India’s solar boom is threatened by anti-China trade tariffs
The Indian government is doubling down on import taxes for solar modules from China, but domestic manufacturing is not ready to fill the gap
For all its green talk, the IEA still gives comfort to oil and gas producers
Under Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency leads talk of a green recovery, yet dodges hard questions about phasing out dirty energy
Renewables overtake fossil fuels in EU electricity generation
Wind and solar produced a record fifth of the European Union’s electricity during the first half of the year – a trend accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic