Libkovice could have been a very pleasant place to live. Lying along a stream on the foothills of the majestic ore mountains that separate Czech Bohemia from German Saxony, the village used to be home to several hundreds of people. It had its own bakery, a typical countryside inn, and reportedly quite a strong communal spirit. Regrettably, Libkovice is no more. It has … [Read more...]
Fight against controversial Queensland coal project intensifies
Since it was first mooted in 2010, the Adani Carmichael Coal and Rail project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin has proven controversial. It has faced a series of legal challenges by environment groups and Traditional Owners every step of the way, as well as campaigns by activists calling on financial institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry. The starting date has … [Read more...]
Time to pull the rug out from under coal plants
With Trump at the wheel, climate change is spinning out of control - but now we can create his worst nightmare by canceling coal's insurance contracts! Trump loves the coal power plants that threaten life on earth, but coal can’t survive without insurance. Big providers are starting to dump coal thanks to public pressure - and we can make sure a HUGE company, Munich RE, is … [Read more...]
Extreme weather is here: too late for business as usual
The future we don't want is already happening with more intense droughts, floods, heat waves, blackouts, food shortages and sea levels gradually rising. It may sound like a post-apocalyptic movie, but delegates to the Adaptation Futures 2018 conference in Cape Town heard that these climate change effects were already happening around the world, and warned that, if we as a … [Read more...]
The future of coal in SA’s power generation mix
From the earliest days of the Brakpan and Vereeniging power stations, and through the years of growth and expansion of electricity supply to the current fleet of Eskom power stations, coal has formed the mainstay of primary energy for electricity generation, accounting for some 85% of electricity used in South Africa today. The techno-economic paradigm of coal-fired power … [Read more...]
New coal power will cost SA billions
A study by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Energy Research Centre (ERC) has revealed that newly built coal power plants will add billions to South Africa’s power bill over the course of their lifetime, and force cheaper and cleaner renewable-energy alternatives out of the system for years to come. The report, An assessment of new coal plants in South Africa’s electricity … [Read more...]
South Africa ahead of renewable energy curve
Despite the South African renewables market being in its infancy in comparison to well-established markets, South Africa is ahead of the curve. This, K2 Management South Africa country director Hebren James explains, is owing to power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the country being underwritten by the National Treasury, which ensures backing in the event that payment delays … [Read more...]
South Africa to release new-look renewables bid window in November
Energy Minister Jeff Radebe announced on Friday that South Africa would launch a fifth Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) bid window in November with the aim of procuring a further 1 800 MW of renewable energy from independent power producers (IPPs). Addressing energy stakeholders in Johannesburg on Friday Radebe said the auction … [Read more...]
New renewable energy round may rake in R50bn in investment
The renewable energy industry on Friday got a shot in the arm when Energy Minister Jeff Radebe announced a new bid round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement programme. A few months ago, the future of the programme looked uncertain amid Eskom’s concerns about the cost of renewable energy and current electricity overcapacity. Eskom is the designated … [Read more...]
Costa Rica to ban fossil fuels and become world’s first decarbonised society
Costa Rica’s new president has announced a plan to ban fossil fuels and become the first fully decarbonised country in the world. Carlos Alvarado, a 38-year-old former journalist, made the announcement to a crowd of thousands during his inauguration on Wednesday. "Decarbonisation is the great task of our generation and Costa Rica must be one of the first countries in the … [Read more...]
Solar is starting to replace the largest coal plant in the US West
In the desert near Arizona’s border with Utah on the Navajo Nation, a massive solar array built in 2017 now provides power for around 18,000 Navajo homes. Nearby, construction will begin later this year on a second solar plant. And on another corner of Navajo land, the largest coal plant west of the Mississippi River is preparing to close 25 years ahead of schedule, despite … [Read more...]
Exploring alternative materials to reduce plastic pollution
In an effort to equip the world with the tools and knowledge to reduce plastic litter from ending up in our ocean, rivers, and lakes, UN Environment today published a report assessing the potential of replacing conventional plastics with alternative materials in certain applications. The ocean has increasingly become a repository for discarded plastics and microplastics, … [Read more...]
Chevron attacked for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest
A prominent Canadian Indigenous leader and lawyer, Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, has issued a blistering critique of Chevron in a United Nations speech for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest and engaging in “countless violations” of Indigenous peoples’ rights related to the dumping of billions of gallons of oil waste in Ecuador. The speech by Chief … [Read more...]
