The Coalition’s pledge to build seven nuclear reactors poses serious questions about whether this nation can meet its international climate obligations.
Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
30 of the 50 economists surveyed want a carbon price of the kind introduced by Julia Gillard in 2012 and abolished by Tony Abbott in 2014. Several say there’s little “time left to act seriously”.
The environmental footprint of the fashion industry is rising rapidly. Drastic changes are needed to make the sector more sustainable and equitable.
According to recent estimates, only 500 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide can be emitted from 2020 onwards if we are to stay below the 1.5 C threshold. Global emissions have already hit 80 billion tonnes since then.
(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
H. Damon Matthews, Concordia University and Glen Peters, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo
The clock tracks global emissions and temperature data, and uses the most recent five-year emissions trend to estimate how much time is left until global warming reaches the 1.5 C threshold.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is poised to announce Australia will adopt a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But it’s too little, too late.
Our new study reveals how tight the world’s remaining carbon budget is.
July 2021 was Earth’s hottest month on record and was marked by disasters, including extreme storms, floods and wildfires.
Thomas Lohnes via Getty Images
What might sound like small changes – temperatures another tenth of a degree warmer, sea level a few centimeters higher – have big consequences for the world around us.
Consider Ireland. Like New Zealand, it has high agricultural emissions and a poor climate track record so far, but it has adopted much stronger targets to cut emissions by 51% between 2018 and 2030.
Alistair Woodward, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Kirsty Wild, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Rhys Jones, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Electric cars are being touted as the best way to reduce emissions from transport. But a climate policy that relies on individuals paying for new technology runs the risk of aggravating inequities.
James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The Climate Change Commission releases New Zealand’s first comprehensive plan to cut emissions, calling on the government to “pick up the pace”.
Global fossil fuel emissions dropped by about seven per cent in 2020 compared with 2019. But a rebound is likely to occur when lockdowns ease up unless COVID-19 recovery packages focus on ‘green recovery.’
(AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Several countries have made pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by mid-century. But new research finds the remaining carbon budget will be depleted before we get there.
The Paris Agreement on climate change, signed on Dec. 12, 2015, by almost 200 states, was hailed as the turning point to keep global warming in check. Progress, however, has been insufficient.
(UNclimate change/flickr)
The Paris Agreement set countries on a path to limit global warming. Five years on, some progress has been made, but not enough. Decarbonizing the economy will take leadership and imagination.