In his Dec. 13 Outlook essay, “Five myths: The Paris climate agreement,” Paul Bledsoe claimed it is a myth that “existing technology can meet the Paris goals.” In fact, energy efficiency — reducing energy use in buildings, industry, transportation and electricity production — is not only cost-effective now but also absolutely doable with technologies we have today.

WASHINGTON — America’s greenhouse gas emissions from energy and industry plummeted more than 10 percent in 2020, reaching their lowest levels in at least three decades as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on the nation’s economy, according to an estimate published Tuesday by the Rhodium Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life on a massive scale, disrupting economies, communities and families. The distribution of the vaccine to every remote village, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has been recognized as a key issue of equity that would prevent 61 percent of subsequent deaths, compared to 33 percent of deaths avoided if the vaccine is distributed to high-income countries first.

Africa is increasingly becoming the new global hub for energy solutions, as it is an untapped market for renewable energy resources. The shift to sustainable clean energy solutions presents an enormous investment opportunity for domestic as well as international investors. Renewable energy also provides an opportunity for the African continent to address climate change and attain the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals on affordable and clean energy.

Since the adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, global momentum to tackle the climate crisis has been building. Progress has been made on almost every front, from bold corporate emissions-reduction targets and investors shifting away from coal to a surge of support for net-zero targets and a rising movement of youth activists from Uganda to India, culminating in Greta Thunberg being recognised as Time Magazine’s 2019 “Person of the Year.”

TOKYO -- The Japanese government will set up a fund worth 250 billion yen ($2.4 billion) to support Japanese companies' "smart-city" projects in Southeast Asia, in competition with Chinese, South Korean and other foreign rivals, and to help further decarbonization measures.

SINGAPORE: A trial which will see Singapore import electricity from Peninsular Malaysia will be a "useful first step" in preparation for further moves to connect to the regional power grid, said experts. Announced in late October, the trial will see Singapore import 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Malaysia for two years. This will make up about 1.5 per cent of Singapore’s peak electricity demand.

Researchers led by Oxford University have developed a strategy for creating jet fuel out of natural greenhouse gas, joining a growing list of firms and aviation organizations aiming to tackle mounting climate change concerns. Last week, the research team in Britain published a study on a novel scientific process that would transform carbon dioxide in the air into an alternative jet fuel that could power existing aircraft.

Despite the pandemic and an economic recession, businesses and governments continued to pursue their decarbonization plans in 2020, according to Deloitte. Even without a direct incentive for green infrastructure development in the economic stimulus measures passed in response to COVID-19, clean energy demand in the US proved resilient, as renewables and storage recorded declining costs and rising capacity and usage factors.

Jason Czapla is walking across a former lake bed in the middle of southern California. The ground simmers at our feet as little mud volcanoes disgorge piles of hot, sulfurous muck. The Salton Sea glitters in the distance, beckoning as the morning temperature approaches 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Organic energy makes power from light at any angle, in any way. It's totally flexible because it's just printed ink. Conceptually, it's a whole new thought process on how we make power," said Paul Frischer, President of GO-OPV, an organic energy company.

Exxonmobil, once the world’s most valuable publicly traded oil company, is not easily swayed. As green investors urged it to develop cleaner energy, it planned instead to pump 25% more oil and gas by 2025. As rivals wrote down billions of dollars in assets, it said its own reserves were unaffected. But in the maelstrom of 2020 even mighty Exxon had to budge.