Coal consumption in China is likely to dwindle rapidly, writes Alex Kirby, leaving its own mining sector and foreign coal exporters in serious trouble. Australia and Indonesia are at greatest risk as China may soon stop importing any coal at all.
… China's coal burn 'down 40% by 2020' Alex Kirby | 6th June 2014 News China Indonesia Australia Coal Energy Fossil Fuels Trade borneo-coal-mine-cut.jpg Coal consumption in China is …
The secretary general of the OECD group of the world's 34 richest nations has issued a dramatic plea to its members to act now to end 'unabated coal' burning, writes Alex Kirby, and invest in renewables around the world to prevent climate disaster.
… OECD chief: World must ditch coal, go renewable Alex Kirby | 5th July 2015 … Change Emissions Energy UK Fossil Fuels Coal Renewables angel-gurria-cut.jpg The … to its members to act now to end 'unabated coal' burning, writes Alex Kirby, and invest …
A new report warns that coal, oil and gas assets will be stranded if the world is to limit temperature rise to 2C. Losses are projected to reach $2.2 trillion over the next decade, with coal taking the biggest hit, while oil demand peaks in 2020. Yet fossil energy companies are ignoring the very innovations that will put them out of business.
… danger-zone-cut.png A new report warns that coal, oil and gas assets will be stranded if … $2.2 trillion over the next decade, with coal taking the biggest hit, while oil demand … CTI report says there will be no need for new coal mines, oil demand will peak around 2020, …
For the world to meet its climate goals, a third of the world's oil, half its gas and 80% of its coal must stay underground, writes Alex Kirby. And it's not us saying it - but scientists writing in the journal Nature.
… | 8th January 2015 News Fossil Fuels Oil Gas Coal Climate Change Finance … the world's oil, half its gas and 80% of its coal must stay underground, writes Alex Kirby. … scientists. It shows that almost all the huge coal reserves in China, Russia and the US …
Despite promises to phase out subsidies to the coal, oil and gas industries, a new report G20 governments are still providing them with massive financial help, writes Alex Kirby. The UK alone is spending over £1.2 billion per year to support fossil fuel exploration and production at home and abroad.
… promises to phase out subsidies to the coal, oil and gas industries, a new report G20 … billion ($1.9bn) annually to support oil, coal and gas. The Overseas Development … propping up the development of oil, gas and coal reserves that cannot be exploited if the …
Scientists work out how to stop global warming at 1.5°C by the end of the century: junk fossil fuel plants.
… car and buy electric. Shut down the coal-burning power generator and get … a marine fuel that isn’t derived from oil or coal. Lifecycle There is a catch. Those 195 … “All fossil fuel infrastructure, such as coal power plants, carries a climate change …
A climate negotiators gather in Paris for COP21, the WMO say that a combination of human and natural causes will make 2015 temperatures the hottest ever - half way to the 2C 'safety threshold'. But despite the ever falling price of solar and wind, many newly industrialising countries are insisting on coal-fired development.
… industrialising countries are insisting on coal-fired development. The World … that are committing to new large scale coal power generation are Turkey , the … gases , which plans to open one large new coal mine a month until 2020, and expects to …
A new energy market analysis shows the average cost of electricity from renewables is already lower than from fossil fuels, writes Alex Kirby. And as renewables eat deeper into the 'market share' of coal and gas power plants, so the entire economics of fossil fuel power generation will unravel.
… eat deeper into the 'market share' of coal and gas power plants, so the entire … load factors and lifetimes for new coal and gas plants is a recipe for stranded … the power-generation costs of four new-build coal, gas, wind and solar plants. The LCOE is …
Levels of CO2 are at their the highest in 800,000 years, writes Tim Radford, but news of a probable decline in emissions this year is providing welcome cheer at the COP21 climate summit: thanks to renewables, economic growth and falling emissions can go hand in hand.
… Emissions Renewables COP21 Economics china-coal-cut.jpg Levels of CO2 are at their the … the world's biggest emitter, has burned less coal, and whether the reduction is sustained … continues to depend on the nation's use of coal. But more than half of all its new energy …
The world economy and energy use both grew in 2014 - but carbon emissions did not, writes Alex Kirby. The reason? The worldwide surge in renewables, especially in China, has reduced demand for coal in power generation.
… especially in China, has reduced demand for coal in power generation. A significant … is now greater than that produced by all coal-burning plants in the US. Coal supplied about 38% of US electricity in …
The world's smart money is piling into renewable energy, solar power in particular, write Tim Radford & Oliver Tickell, as renewables pull away from fossil fuels in terms of both investment and new generation capacity added each year.
… capacity for renewable power each year than coal, natural gas, and oil combined, according … of magnitude larger than the buildout of coal and gas." The price of wind and solar … as much carbon to the atmosphere as 34 coal-burning power stations in one year - or …
Ecotricity boss Dale Vince has accused the government of rigging the electricity market, writes Alex Kirby, by showering fossil fuels and nuclear power with huge subsidies, while taxing renewables and insisting they must 'stand on their own two feet'.
… - more than either nuclear power (21.5%) or coal (20.5%). The accuser is Dale Vince, who … the first time, outperformed the nuclear and coal industries. And it did so with a fraction …
The latest IPCC report urges a dash for gas to allow us to reduce the burning of coal, including shale gas from fracking. But as Alex Kirby reports, their calculations appear to be based on an arithmetical flaw.
… for gas to allow us to reduce the burning of coal, including shale gas from fracking. But … can be cut in the medium term by replacing coal with less-polluting gas, though the gas …
For the second year running CO2 emissions flatlined even as the global economy was growing at around 3%, writes Alex Kirby. But sharply rising temperatures show the need for further massive renewable energy deployment to actually bring emissions down.
… fell by 2% because of a large switch from coal to natural gas for generating … In China, emissions declined by 1.5% as coal use dropped for the second year in a row. … to decarbonise electricity generation, forced coal use down. In 2015, it generated less than …
A 145,000 sq km area of peatland swamp forest has been discovered in the Congo Basin, writes Tim Radford, and it holds a record 30 Gt of carbon, equivalent to 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. Now the race is on to protect it from damaging development that would emit that carbon over coming decades.
… scale of this carbon sink is unprecedented. Coal in formation The carbon sink in the … combustion of fossil fuels - because oil and coal and natural gas were also once living …
The first ever global life-cycle assessment of clean energy sources shows that a renewable system could supply the world's entire electricity needs by mid-century, writes Tim Radford.
… power, wind power, hydropower and gas and coal generators that used carbon capture and …
The fracking boom has caused massive vegetation loss over North America's rangelands, writes Tim Radford, as 3 million hectares have been occupied by oil and gas infrastructure and 34 billion cubic metres of water have been pumped from semi-arid ecosystems.
… the ground, and most of the latter - such as coal, oil and peat- was once stuff that grew …
Scientists warn that burning up the planet's remaining fossil fuel would cause all Antarctic ice to melt and lead to 58m of sea level rise over 10,000 years, writes Tim Radford. But devastating impacts would strike much sooner, with oceans rising by 3m a century for the next millennium.
… sheet. Our study demonstrates that burning coal, oil and gas also risks loss of the much …
UK solar entrepreneur tells world leaders at Davos: fracking for shale oil and gas cannot help to avert a global energy crisis - and a global oil crisis could strike in 2015. Alex Kirby reports.
… to channel funds withdrawn from oil, gas, and coal into clean energy instead - though he …
In a familiar ritual, the COP20 climate talks have been extended for an extra day as delegates struggle to reach some kind of agreement. The good news is that worthwhile emissions reductions may be achieved - but poor countries are asking: where's the money?
… China - which recently announced a cap on coal consumption from 2020 - and the US and EU …
New analysis of the vast body of research shows 97% of climate scientists agree that human activities are fuelling climate change, writes Tim Radford. But thanks to aggressive attempts to convince us otherwise, only 12% of people in the US are aware of this high level of agreement.
… be economic geologists, with expertise in coal or oil deposits. But the outcome, after …