Dear Mr Adani 'invest in solar not coal'

Read this letter to "Mr Adani" - 

We are leaders from many faith traditions and communities across Australia. We are writing to you to ask you to abandon your proposed mine and instead use the same money to invest in solar energy in North Queensland.

Energy debate heats up in a tale of two priorities

Brown coal will get a $100 million lifeline as the federal and state governments invest in an ambitious project to convert one of Australia's most polluting energy sources into hydrogen.

AGL's Loy Yang A power plant: new uses being sought for its brown coal mine.

But on the same day, Victoria will also unveil the results of its first big renewable energy auction.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will join several ministers in the Latrobe Valley to unveil the formal launch of a $496 million, four-year pilot project to convert brown coal into hydrogen for export to Japan and elsewhere, companies and officials said.

The federal and Victorian governments have both pledged $50 million each to the project, with the rest of its funding coming from a Japanese consortium comprising the Japanese Government, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, J-Power, Iwatani Corporation and Marubeni, while AGL is providing coal from its Loy Yang brown coal mine.

Read the story by Cole Latimer and Peter Hannam from The Age - “Energy debate heats up in a tale of two priorities.”

(The idea of using Victoria’s coal to create hydrogen is reliant upon carbon capture and storage (CCS), an idea that has seen only limited use, is really only in the experimental stage, and has not really been scaled up to an industrial level, something which would be essential if the Victorian hydrogen project was to be viable - Robert McLean)

EU bank provides €25 million investment in African off-grid solar

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has this week announced its plans to invest in innovative solar systems to provide power to rural communities on the African continent.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is investing
 in innovative off-grid solar systems.

The €25m of financing into the San Francisco-based company d.light design will enable the development of solar kits, consisting of panels, lamps and low-energy equipment, such as radios or TVs.

The bank is hoping the investment can lead to the installation of 10 million such kits within sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years. The initial focus for the programme will be on Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

Read the ClimateAction story - “EU bank provides €25 million investment in African off-grid solar.”

Adidas has sold one million shoes made from recycled ocean plastic

It was a casual remark during a television interview with US broadcaster CNBC.

Adidas is now making shoes from recycled ocean plastic.

Adidas’ Chief Executive, Kasper Rorsted, was discussing where the global sportswear company decides to invest its money when he mentioned that “we last year sold one million shoes made out of ocean plastic”.

The astonishing figure was achieved through its partnership with Parley, a US organisation which works to protect ocean wildlife and stop plastic waste.

Read the ClimateAction story - “Adidas has sold one million shoes made from recycled ocean plastic.”

Jaguar gears for electric sports car with big spend on city chargers

Jaguar plans to invest millions of dollars in electric vehicle charging stations ahead of the launch of its electric vehicle range in Australia.

Jaguar's first electric vehicle, the I-PACE will hit Australian shores later this year.

The vehicle manufacturer is planning to launch its fully electric sports car, the I-Pace, and two hybrid land rovers in September and October, and will invest between $3 million and $4 million building electric vehicle charging stations for the new vehicles ahead of their release.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner said it would begin building the infrastructure to support the electric vehicles in the coming weeks.

“This is a real first for us,” Mr Wiesner told Fairfax Media.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in The Age - “Jaguar gears for electric sports car with big spend on city chargers.”

To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables — Fast, UN Says

Countries will have to phase out coal and invest in renewable energy even faster than previously expected to keep global warming below perilous levels and fend off the most dangerous impacts of climate change, according to a United Nations report released just before the next round of international climate talks.

The world can meet more ambitious emissions targets with a major scaling
back of coal and ramping up of renewable energy, a new UNEP report says. 

The United Nations Environment Program on Tuesday released its annual report on the "emissions gap"—the distance between countries' pledged commitments for meeting the targets of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the pathways that scientists estimate could actually achieve those targets.

The report, prepared by dozens of scientists and incorporating the latest scientific findings, includes new information to help negotiators zero in on more ambitious commitments that might achieve the Paris Agreement's most stringent target: keeping the rise in temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the start of the industrial era.

Read Georgina Gustin’s story on Inside Climate News - “To Close Climate Goals Gap: Drop Coal, Ramp Up Renewables — Fast, UN Says.”