One of Australia’s biggest super funds has warned electricity producers AGL and Origin and gas companies Santos and Woodside that it could dump their stocks unless the companies take serious steps to align their business plans with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celcius.

Veteran economist Ross Garnaut says Australia is better placed than any other country to prosper from the global energy transition and used his keynote address at the jobs and skills summit to call for investment in renewables. 

New national emissions data for the March quarter reveals climate pollution rose by 1.5 per cent, yet again largely driven by transport, showing the need for a revved up commitment to fuel efficiency standards.

Australia’s Energy Market Operator has warned that NSW, SA and Victoria could struggle to keep the lights on unless there is a massive investment in power generation, storage and transmission over the next decade.

One hundred scientists and academics have penned an open letter, calling on the federal government to consider the emissions from new coal and gas projects in the assessment process.

Tropical regions including northern Australia could experience dangerously high heat levels most days by 2100, while southern parts of the country may face deadly heatwaves annually by then, according to researchers from Harvard and the University of Washington.

The Albanese government is opening up nearly 47,000 sq km of Australian waters to oil and gas exploration through new petroleum exploration permits, including vast tracts stretching from the Ashmore and Cartier Islands in the Indian Ocean to Victoria’s Gippsland basin.

South32 has called it quits on a controversial plan to extend its NSW coal mine, which could have caused irreversible damage to the Sydney and Illawarra drinking water catchments.

Tanya Plibersek has approved a controversial fertiliser plant near ancient rock art on Western Australia’s Burrup peninsula.

The Australian government will begin consulting industry and broader stakeholders, including environmental organisations on how to strengthen the centrepiece of its emission reduction plan.