clean technology
To be globally competitive, the local car industry needs to adopt a new standard of low-emitting, fuel-efficient vehicles. But if the government comes to its aid, this move risks being deferred, compromised or both.
Cleantech Group has released its latest list of the 100 most promising and innovative cleantech companies likely to make the biggest impact in the next five to 10 years – and two Australian firms make the grade.
The billionaire venture capitalist's firm has announced a new $1.05bn fund, most of which will be used to back clean emerging technologies. So why the confidence? And what will get funding?
The transition to a low-carbon economy is both an opportunity and a potential threat. But with regulatory certainty increasing, Australian businesses need to get creative and get some runs on the board.
While Asian countries are dominating growth in clean energy investment and manufacturing, the developed world is getting some benefit from these booming production lines.
Instead of talking about emissions reduction, Australia could be building the megawatts equivalent of one Snowy Mountain Scheme a year from now to 2050.
Some experts say the world's carbon problem is easily solvable using current industrial-scale clean technologies. The hard part is overcoming the fear mentality that is dominating Western politics.
Australia's large coal endowments are putting us ahead on carbon emissions and dangerously behind in the global transition to renewable, low-carbon power. We need to start climbing the electricity ladder.
Renewed calls for an independent carbon bank suggest it could borrow against future carbon price revenue and thus avoid a deadlock between compensation and spending on innovation.
Big polluters calling for exorbitant levels of carbon price compensation should be careful what they wish for. The result could be more costly to Australian business than the scheme itself.
While his calls for cleantech funding are welcome, Bjørn Lomborg's lampooning of efforts to curb carbon emissions dangerously trivialises the urgency of our collective need to act.
As China intensifies its green transition under its ambitious new five-year plan, Europe – with increasing fragmentation between its growth, energy and climate agendas – risks losing its competitive edge.
While the carbon tax debate rages, a key element is largely being overlooked – how to develop and commercialise the clean technologies required to transition to a low-carbon economy.
While governments prevaricate, three world-class companies are demonstrating that excellent growth and superior shareholder returns can be gained from the nascent low-carbon economy.
As trade tensions escalate between America and China, reckless policies on clean technology are stoking the flames – at everyone’s expense.
Private investment in clean energy projects nearly tripled in 2010, but a closer look at where the money was spent reveals huge flaws in Australia's approach to the crucial low-carbon economy.
A group of 258 of the world's leading investors, including 33 from the Australia-based IGCC, have implored governments to provide them with the mechanisms to invest in low-carbon technology.
Despite significant private sector spending on clean energy RD&D, innovation won't accelerate at anything like the pace it needs to unless federal governments come to the party.
Climate economist Nicholas Stern outlines the investment needed to limit, prevent and adapt to climate change as the costs begin to go far beyond GDP.