Climate Change Series

Climate Change Series

One day we won't need a Renewable Energy Target, because we'll have good climate policy

Apr 14, 2016 00:55 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Australias Renewable Energy Target (RET) has had a rough time in recent years. After a 2014 government review recommended it be abolished, both major parties eventually agreed to downsize the RET in 2015. But even with...

Climate Change Series

Nine ways steel could build a greener economy

Apr 12, 2016 13:12 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Steel might be the largest industrial carbon dioxide emitter, but Britains troubled industry could be a big part of a cleaner, greener future. By using steel to build new infrastructure for renewable energy, the UK...

Future of Coal Series

China Crisis Series

Oil in Global Economy Series

Climate Change Series

Has China's coal use peaked? Here's how to read the tea leaves

Apr 12, 2016 12:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

As the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, how much coal China is burning is of global interest. In March, the countrys National Bureau of Statistics said the tonnage of coal has fallen for the second year...

Climate Change Series

19th century weather data is helping climate scientists predict the future

Apr 12, 2016 08:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The 19th-century English historian Lord Acton famously advised people to live in both the future and the past, and said those who do not live in the past cannot live in the future. It may seem a stretch to apply this...

Climate Change Series

Burning fossil fuels is responsible for most sea-level rise since 1970

Apr 12, 2016 06:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Nature

Global average sea level has risen by about 17 cm between 1900 and 2005. This is a much faster rate than in the previous 3,000 years. The sea level changes for several reasons, including rising temperatures as fossil...

Climate Change Series

Here's a way to make carbon markets work better

Apr 08, 2016 16:26 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Carbon markets could play a crucial role in delivering promises made at the Paris climate conference. The idea behind carbon markets is simple. A government issues a limited number of permits, which companies can then...

Climate Change Series

We keep flushing valuable thermal energy down the drain

Apr 08, 2016 09:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Every time you flush your toilet or drain the bath, youre losing something surprisingly valuable: heat. It takes a lot of energy to warm up the water in the first place, and vast amounts of this energy simply disappear...