Articles by Tristan Edis

If Nick Xenophon holds the balance of power in the Senate after the election, climate change policy will get very interesting. Here’s one possible scenario — which sees an ETS return, but in a different form.

A change to the way Australia’s emissions are accounted for could make it a lot easier for us to meet our 2020 emissions reduction target. It may prove to be a big gift to the Coalition.

Claims Australia’s carbon price is in terrible trouble due to the price plunge in Europe’s carbon scheme need to be seen for what they are. Australia’s polluters have a sweet deal from our carbon price, and they know it.

Anthea Harris has arguably been more involved in pricing carbon pollution than anyone else in Australia. How does the Climate Change Authority chief and veteran carbon adviser get things done in this fraught, controversial field? A background in consulting helped.

Michael Fraser has a dual personality: he heads up a company with a massive carbon footprint that is also heavily involved in renewable energy. So why is he walking both sides of the line — and how did this quiet company man rise to the top? Climate Spectator and Crikey investigate.

Two German politicians are keen to rein in feed-in tariff support for renewable energy in Germany. But that doesn’t mean the European powerhouse is done with clean energy altogether.

There’s no hiding from coal’s long-term decline in Europe and the United States, irrespective of cherry-picked data floating around cyberspace about a coal revival. Don’t believe what you read.

Tony Abbott’s latest Coalition policy statement remains short on climate policy detail. More worrying is his selection of a noted anti-wind farm advocate and climate change sceptic as lead business adviser.

Should the renewable energy target be reduced? Origin Energy is calling it for it to be a “real” 20% share of the market, but just how does one classify “real”?

The World Bank has produced an alarming report that puts in context the risks of inaction on emissions reduction and climate change. It doesn’t make for pleasant reading.

The present path is that China and India will be gobbling up all the growth in coal, and nearly all the growth in oil. Will we fight to combat climate change or make stacks of cash selling coal to Asia?

Thanks to a boom in oil and gas from shale by around 2020, the United States is projected to become the largest global oil producer. That’s concerning for the environment.

After winning four more years, Barack Obama again represents hope for a global carbon pricing scheme. Just don’t count on it until the economy is much healthier.

With all the talk about power bills there is unique opportunity for reform. But if governments overreact it could make things worse

Global warming may not have caused the Frankenstorm but it is loading the dice so the devastating flooding just witnessed becomes a lot more likely in future.

The government’s sweetener offsets to ease the pain the renewable energy target for energy-intensive industries may actually overshoot the predicted rise in electricity costs.

The environmental future isn’t a major debate topic during US presidential elections. But perhaps it should be.

The dominant incumbent power generators (with the exception of AGL) are all gunning for the Renewable Energy Target to be slashed.

Slashing the RET could actually increase overall costs to consumers. And it appears TRUenergy — which is now pushing for RET dilution — agreed just a few months ago.

Contracts for closure dealt with a (empty) threat by coal generators that the lights would go out. Now questions need to be asked whether Labor’s policy is empty.