The Victorian government is setting an emissions reduction target for 2035 and is seeking public input as part of the process. The 2035 target is part of the state’s longer-term path towards net zero, as defined in Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017. The target for 2020 was to cut emissions by 15–20 per cent below […]
Tag: Paris Agreement
Now or never for emissions reduction, says IPCC
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that immediate and deep emissions reductions are required across all sectors to limit global warming to the levels set out in the Paris Agreement. The report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change, provides an updated global snapshot of actions and pledges to […]
ASHRAE makes presence felt at COP26
US HVAC&R engineering body ASHRAE was represented at the COP26 conference recently held in in Glasgow, Scotland, formally participating as a non-governmental organisation (NGO). It was also an official COP observer. Along with more than 60 influential firms and organisations operating within the built environment, ASHRAE was one of the signatories of the 1.5°C COP26 […]
Strategies to stop our cities overheating
Launched at COP26, Beating the Heat is a handbook that provides strategies for sustainable cooling of cities. Created by the Cool Coalition, UNEP, RMI, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), Mission Innovation and Clean Cooling Collaborative, it offers planners an encyclopedia of proven options to help cool cities. In recent weeks, much […]
Countries must go hard and early to avoid 2.7°C rise
The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) latest Emissions Program Gap Report has found that countries’ climate promises for 2030 fall far short of Paris Achievement goals, leaving the world on track for a global temperature rise of at least 2.7°C this century. The report, now in its 12th year, finds that countries will need to go […]
China and US commit to Kigali Amendment
China and the US have affirmed their joint commitment to phasing down HFCs in line with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The announcement came after two days of talks between US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua. Chinese president Xi Jinping had earlier […]
Buildings at heart of EU’s ambitious emissions target
In her State of the Union address last week, President of the European Commission Ursual von der Leyen set an ambitious new emissions reduction target of 55 per cent of current emissions by 2030. “Our impact assessment clearly shows that meeting this target would put the EU firmly on track for climate neutrality by 2050 […]
HVAC&R is the key to averting climate crisis
A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has flagged the huge potential of the HVAC&R sector to reduce global emissions. The Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report notes that over the next four decades, international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 460 […]
Buildings to the rescue for ERF
The federal government is searching for ways to give the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) a much-needed boost, and appears to see energy efficiency and the built environment as two areas with great potential. The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) – recently expanded and rebranded as the Climate Solutions Fund – is the centrepiece of the government’s […]
World leaders commit to stopping climate change
Government and private sector leaders have announced significant and concrete new steps to combat the climate crisis at the Climate Action Summit. The event brought together countries, governments, businesses and civil society to address climate change issues. Some of the commitments included: A number of countries agreeing to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero […]