Miner Glencore to give $2bn to shareholders despite profit slump FTSE 100 company reports 6% fall in annual profits weeks after collapse of $260bn merger with Rio Tinto The Guardian - UK · Feb 18
The Air Here Can Kill, Welcome to the World’s Most Polluted Place What Does “Most Polluted” Even Mean? It’s not like one place wins a forever trophy for being the worst, air quality rankings aren’t set in stone. Reports from groups like IQ Air track PM2.5 levels (fine particulate matter) over months or a year, comparing how often cities exceed safe limits… Times Life · Feb 16
Cold and expensive v hot, cheap and eco-friendly: the contrasting histories of home heating in the UK and Sweden The new year in Sweden began with some record-breaking cold temperatures. Temperatures in the village of Kvikkjokk in the northern Swedish part of Lapland dropped to -43.6°C, the lowest recorded since records began in 1887. The Conversation · Feb 16
South Africa is moving away from coal – how mines and power stations could be used for green energy and farming Globally, nearly 7,000 coal mines, more than 2,400 coal-fired power plants and hundreds of coal rail networks, trucks and port terminals all make up the world’s coal industry. When coal is phased out and green energy phased in, these coal assets can either be abandoned or turned into something that… The Conversation · Feb 16
What the Albanese government did on the environment amid the Liberals’ turmoil: threatened species, a new coal project and carbon leakage Labor chose a day when attention was focused on the opposition to slip out a handful of announcements The Guardian - AU · Feb 16
Coal industry body denies election 'astroturfing' claim Coal Australia says it has nothing to hide following revelations it provided funding for a group that ran attack ads against Greens, Labor and teal candidates. AAP · Feb 16
Qld coalmine expansion approved by Albanese government will clear habitat and fuel climate crisis, scientists say Conservationists estimate coal exported from expanded mine to release CO2 equivalent of about half Australia’s annual carbon footprint The Guardian - AU · Feb 13
Trump’s whole hand caked in makeup as he covers bruises before meeting with coal miners White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt chalked up the president’s bruised hands to his ‘hard work’ and numerous hand shakes The Independent UK · Feb 12
China's emissions are flatlining — and may be falling — in critical turning point for biggest emitter, report says The carbon emissions of the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter have plateaued for nearly two years. LiveScience · Feb 12
Trump named ‘undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal’ by industry group Award was presented as president directed Pentagon to buy billions of dollars’ worth of energy from coal plants The Guardian - US · Feb 12
The Trump administration is repealing a landmark climate change finding—but experts say the impact will be limited The EPA rescission sets a dangerous environmental precedent, critics say. But legal challenges and prevailing trends mean the industry won’t “crank the CO₂ all the way up.” Fortune · Feb 12
Climate leaders condemn Trump EPA’s biggest rollback yet: ‘This is corruption’ Leaders promise to fight back with court challenges as Trump rescinds finding foundational to US climate rules The Guardian - US · Feb 12
Trump orders Pentagon to buy electricity from coal plants "We're going to be buying a lot of coal through the military now," Trump said. Axios · Feb 12
Labor will never have a better time to revisit carbon pricing – but does it have the stomach to make polluters pay? The government has not made enough of a dent in emissions, but global trends and a shambolic opposition offer a rare opportunity to act The Guardian - AU · Feb 12
The Independent UK · Feb 12 Trump receives shiny trophy as he’s named ‘Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal’ by mining executives at White House “Clean Beautiful coal. We love Clean Beautiful coal, don't we?” the president said, kicking off the event at the White House Wednesday
The Independent UK · Feb 12 China’s emissions have stopped rising for two years. Is this the start of a decline? Whether the current plateau becomes a sustained decline will depend largely on decisions in the next five-year plan, due in March
The Guardian - UK · Feb 11 ‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions? Emissions have plunged 75% since communist times in the birthplace of big oil – but for some the transition has been brutal
The Independent UK · Feb 10 US's largest public utility says it now doesn't want to close two coal-fired plants The nation’s largest public utility says it now would prefer to keep operating two coal-fired power plants it had planned to shutter
The Guardian - US · Feb 10 More pollution and higher energy costs: critics condemn Trump’s anti-environment agenda US courts, scholars and Democrats are pushing back against the president’s aggressive drive to boost fossil fuels
The Conversation · Feb 10 ‘Which Side Are You On?’: American protest songs have emboldened social movements for generations, from coal country to Minneapolis The presence of Department of Homeland Security agents in Minnesota compelled many people there to use songs as a means of protest. Those songs were from secular as well as religious traditions.
The Independent UK · Feb 7 At least 27 killed in blast at illegal ‘rat hole’ coal mine in India Several trapped after blast rips through coal mine in Meghalaya
The Independent UK · Feb 6 Energy chief Wright says orders empowering coal plants helped keep lights on during winter storm The Trump administration says its emergency orders keeping coal-fired plants running helped prevent blackouts during the recent cold snap
The Conversation · Feb 5 If Australia and Indonesia agreed to end new thermal coal mines, it could drive the green transition. In the 1960s, major oil-producing nations formed a cartel to drive up the price of oil. It worked. For decades, nations in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have agreed to manage supply and raise prices.
The Independent UK · Feb 5 Cubans rendered powerless as outages persist and tensions with US escalate Residents of a small coastal Cuban town face severe hardships despite living near energy sources
The Guardian - UK · Feb 5 Green energy sector drove more than 90% of China’s investment growth last year, analysis finds Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and accounts for more than third of China’s economic growth