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By: Rachel Kamis In his State of the Union address, Biden said "Let's face reality. The climate crisis doesn't care if you're in a red or blue state. It's an existential threat. We have anContinue reading

Emissions taxes are likely the least bad way to reduce emissions. Exceptions are possible, but clean energy subsidies deserve careful scrutiny, even if political constraints make emissions taxes impossible. Sometimes doing nothing is better than the feasible alternatives.

Eight years ago in 2015, I published "Britain and the World in 2050," setting out my predictions for the world ahead of us. It was widely covered in the media, with journalists going to town on the recreated woolly mammoths and dinosaurs, not revived from mosquitos preserved in amber, but by back breeding and genetic manipulation of flightless birds.Some also picked up and covered my remarkable prediction that the cost of energy would have dropped dramatically by 2050. I wrote:"Energy costs will by 2050 be a fraction of their present-day costs. For most consumer uses, energy will be effectively free."The cost of energy has witnessed several spikes since then, and is now more expensive than it was. Partly this is down to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with some contribution made by a go-green agenda that shuns the cheaper sources in favour of more expensive ones. Nonetheless, I remain convinced that my prediction will come about. The fossil fuel we'll still be using will be gas, but nuclear will take a larger share, particularly with the new small reactors coming on line. Solar will be making a major contribution, as ways are found to increase the efficiency of photo-voltaic cells by combining ultra-thin surfaces on the silicon.There are several new technologies that could be game changers. There are vast reserves of natural hydrogen beneath the Earth's surface, more than previously supposed, and more accessible. The US Geological Survey concluded in April that there is probably enough accessible hydrogen in the earth's subsurface to meet total global demand for "hundreds of years". Currently, the effort to extract it commercially resembles the early days of fracking, with 'wildcatters' setting the pace. It portends cheap and clean generation of electricity, bypassing fossil fuels and emitting no greenhouse gases.Another possible technology involves the use of thin layers of materials flecked with nanoholes. The pores are essentially small enough (100nm) that the molecule's electrical charge can pass through them and be harvested to generate electricity. Water molecules pass through, generating a charge imbalance that produces harvestable electricity plucked not from thin air, but from naturally moist air.The device is called an Air-gen and can operate at all times despite the weather conditions because moisture is always in the air. When scaled up, it offers low-cost, clean electricity.A newer technology from scientists at the University of Rochester uses semiconductor nanocrystals for light absorbers and catalysts and bacteria to donate electrons to the system. The system is submerged in water and driven by light. Bacteria interact with nanoparticle catalysts to make hydrogen gas more cheaply than can be achieved by electrolysis. It is not that any of these might necessarily be the magic bullet that gives us cheap, clean energy. It is that some of them, in combination with yet more ingenious ways still to be developed, will give us the energy we need at a price we will be prepared to pay. And that price will be very low. We won't use less energy; we'll just produce it more cleverly.

"Both Australia and Japan have signed onto new COP28 pledges to transition away from fossil fuels. The accelerating shift to clean energy will reshape the Australia-Japan relationship."

The new monument will prevent uranium mining indefinitely.

Recent climate negotiations have been heated, to say the least. Beyond the usual recriminations over financing, the choice of Sultan Al Jaber—chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company—as the president of the upcoming United ...

The combination of key mineral endowments in African countries and U.S. objectives to reorient clean energy supply chains away from competitors like China can serve as the foundation for a new economic and strategic relationship.

Fossil fuel production is in an inevitable decline and states that can embrace lucrative new opportunities in the clean energy economy with thrive. The Albanese government has sought to move in this direction, and hosting the UN climate talks in 2026 would be a first big step.

As the energy transition gathers momentum across the globe, sources of electricity are decarbonising, fossil fuels are slowly being superseded by renewable supplies, and more policies are being introduced to increase energy diversification and efficiency. ...

Many people associate technologies like solar and wind power with efforts to tackle climate change. But for the world's most vulnerable populations, they are much more than a clean-energy solution. By creating jobs, improving health ...

In May, the United States and Australia signed a climate, critical minerals and clean energy transformation compact that establishes a framework for collaboration on climate issues, clean-energy technology and critical-mineral supply chains. It mainly discusses ...

The energy industry needs to transition to a low-carbon paradigm to stay consistent with net-zero targets. However, a high degree of carbon lock-in persists and developments such as hydraulic fracturing raise questions on whether the innovation system is moving decisively enough. Sugandha Srivastav assesses how feasible the pivot from dirty to clean innovation is and uses … Continued

To scale up, the EU needs clear pathways for clean-energy supply chains in mining and manufacturing.

There is still much that can be done to boost trade between Australia and Indonesia, while also fighting climate change. Clean energy exchange would be a good place to start.