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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects