VEN Blog

Going nuclear will cost ‘real dollars for farmers, real dollars for country towns and real blue-collar jobs’, Clean Energy Council says Adam Morton Climate and environment editor Thu 10 Apr 2025 The Guardian A Coalition proposal to limit the rollout of renewable energy could stop at least $58bn of private investment in new developments and […]

by Christina (Tina) Swanson, Ph.D. MARCH 26, 2025 Project Drawdown  A recent conversation with a friend got me thinking another way about the “who” and the “how” of climate action. My friend is deeply concerned about climate change and has already taken actions to reduce her own emissions, including installing rooftop solar panels and switching […]

By Adam Holmes abc news  Stanley farmer Robert Smith looks over the land that was previously proposed for a wind farm, but which he campaigned to defeat. (ABC News: Mackenzie Heard) In short: Australia’s current target is for 82 per cent of electricity to be generated by renewables by 2030, but, on current trends, it’s […]

As it happened – how the vote went at the International Maritime Organisation. Image from @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social On April 11, 2025, the world achieved something rare: a legally binding global climate agreement. The United States didn’t vote—they walked out, warning others to follow or face consequences. But 63 nations stayed. And they passed the deal. That’s […]

Zero-interest loan scheme for efficient appliances that could “permanently” cut the power bills of hundreds of thousands of households Exclusive by political reporter Jake Evans in abc news Allegra Spender says the Coalition must provide more detail on its gas reservation plan, which will influence her thinking in a hung parliament scenario. (ABC News: Matt […]

Sophie Vorrath & Rachel Williamson in Renew Economy Apr 2, 2025 ELECTRIFICATION, FEATURED, POLICY & PLANNING Key Takeaways Victoria’s Labor government announced plans to ban gas network connections in new homes as part of its Gas Substitution Roadmap policy. The federal Senate inquiry into residential electrification found that households could save money by switching from […]

Action urgently needed to save the conditions under which markets – and civilisation itself – can operate, says senior Allianz figure Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor the Giardian Thu 3 Apr 2025  The climate crisis is on track to destroy capitalism, a top insurer has warned, with the vast cost of extreme weather impacts leaving the financial […]

Image source: Deloitte Data centers’ thirst for energy looms as the next big climate provocation By Mark Harris in Anthropocene When the laptop company Compaq popularized the term “cloud computing” in the 1990s, it did the tech industry a cumulonimbus-sized favor. Clouds are nebulous and ethereal, mere wisps in an infinite sky. Data centers are […]

Wesley Morgan March 31, 2025 in The Conversation Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would withdraw Australia’s bid to co-host next year’s global climate summit if the Coalition wins the federal election. Australia has lobbied hard for the right to host the talks, known as COP31, in […]

New experiments suggest that the ocean could hold the key to slowing down climate change. Marine carbon dioxide removal has been tested in waters from North America to New Zealand, but as Veronica Lenard reports, the full potential of the technology is not yet clear. SBS podcast Listen to Australian and world news and follow […]

Geoff Eldridge in Renew Economy Mar 27, 2025 Australia’s energy system is often framed through generation mix, investment levels, or large-scale reform. But a quieter change is unfolding — not through policy, but household behaviour. With rising adoption of rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, households are gradually altering their relationship with the grid. This […]

Familiarise yourself with the state of play ahead of the election with the Guardian data-driven electorate guide See all Guardian Australian election 2025 coverage Andy Ball, Josh Nicholas and Nick Evershed Fri 28 Mar 2025 Electorates to watch Bennelong Labor narrowly won Bennelong in 2022, but boundary changes have made it notionally a Liberal marginal. One […]

by Ruthie Burrows, Ph.D.  MARCH 21, 2025 in Project Drawdown Climate change is affecting communities around the world, threatening human health and well-being. However, neither the impacts of climate change nor its causes are equally distributed across populations. High-income countries bear the primary responsibility for climate change. In 2023, China, the United States, India, and […]

From the Guardian newsletter by Patrick Barkham I can’t help but resort to competition cliches with our invertebrate of the year shortlist. Every one of these animals is a winner. So far, we’ve revealed two creatures that may cause some to recoil. The tongue-biting louse (Cymothoa exigua) finds a fish, burrows through the gills, devours […]

Graph: Burke, M., Hsiang, S. & Miguel, E. Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production. Nature 527, 235–239 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature15725 Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds Third of global GDP could be lost this century if climate crisis runs unchecked, says report Fiona Harvey Environment editor Guardian Wed 26 Mar 2025  […]

IMage: Integrated fractionation and upgrading of WAS with simultaneous green hydrogen generation. Credit: Nature Water (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s44221-024-00329-z Scientists have developed a solar-powered method to convert solid waste into valuable green hydrogen and animal feed. By Anthropocene Team March 20, 2025 With a new solar-powered method that converts sewage sludge into green hydrogen fuel and […]

Image: https://egin.org.uk/what-is-community-climate-action/ from Community Council for Australia 13 March 2025 Over the last week most us will have checked in with friends and family in South East Queensland and Northern NSW. With four million battening down, schools closed, evacuation centres open and the ADF on standby, most Australians knew someone in the uncertain path of […]

Image: Cheng et al. (2024) Mechanically strong yet metabolizable multivalently form a cross-linked network structure by desalting upon phase separation. Science. doi: 10.1126/science.ado1782 Riken press  Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a durable plastic that won’t contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans. The new […]

By business reporter Gareth Hutchens in ABC news Topic:Economic Trends and Indicators Thursday 13 March Over the past 20 years, Australia’s population has grown by 35 per cent. The OECD average is 13 per cent. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi) In summary:  Researchers say the geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically in the last three years. They […]

Graph: https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/housing/ Peter Mares If we’re serious about tackling the housing crisis and boosting productivity in the home building industry, we need to rethink our planning rules Thu 13 Mar 2025 in The Guardian Walking past a building site in Sydney recently, I was struck by the pitch for the new homes under construction. “Outrageously […]