Swiss voters backed the government's plan to provide billions of dollars in subsidies for renewable energy, ban new nuclear plants and help bail out struggling utilities in a binding referendum on Sunday.
Provisional final figures showed support at 58.2 percent under the Swiss system of direct democracy, which gives voters final say on major policy issues.
The Ontario government will spend more than $7-billion over four years on a sweeping climate change plan that will affect every aspect of life – from what people drive to how they heat their homes and workplaces – in a bid to slash the province’s carbon footprint.
Newborn babies in the Mukarovsky maternity home near Kiev in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. ‘With [renewables] one does not have to worry about the specters of Chernobyl and Fukushima.’ Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex es
James Hansen, Kerry Emanuel, Ken Caldeira and Tom Wigley
Thursday 3 December 2015 - All four of us have dedicated our scientific careers to understand the processes and impacts of climate change, variously studying ocean systems, tropical cyclones, ice sheets and ecosystems as well as impacts on human societies. We have used both climate models and geological records of past climates to better understand lessons from warmer periods in the Earth’s history and investigate future scenarios.
Don't nuke the climate! James Hansen's nuclear fantasies exposed
20th November 2015 - NASA scientist James Hansen is heading to COP21 in Paris to berate climate campaigners for failing to support 'safe and environmentally-friendly nuclear power', writes Jim Green. But they would gladly support nuclear power if only it really was safe and environment friendly. In fact, it's a very dangerous and hugely expensive distraction from the real climate solutions.
12th April 2016 - The nuclear industry is forever reinventing itself with one brilliant 'new' idea after another, Amory Lovins wrote in this classic 2009 essay. But whether it's touting the wonders of future SMRs, IFRs or LFTRs, the reality never changes: the reactors they are building right now are over time, over budget and beset by serious, entirely unforeseen technical problems.
18 March 2016 - The main claim used to justify nuclear is that it’s the only low carbon power source that can supply ‘reliable, base load electricity. But not only can renewables supply baseload power, they can do something far more valuable: supply power flexibly according to demand. That makes nuclear power really redundant.
Don't believe the spurious claims of nuclear shills constantly doing down renewables, writes Mark Diesendorf. Clean, safe renewable energy technologies have the potential to supply 100% of the world's electricity needs - but the first hurdle is to refute the deliberately misleading myths designed to promote the politically powerful but ultimately doomed nuclear industry.
Ontario has chosen the companies that will build the next round of renewable energy projects in the province, in a competitive-bidding process that will see wind and solar power generated at much lower prices than in the past.
Eleven companies will be offered 16 contracts to build five new wind projects, seven solar projects and four hydroelectric projects, for a total of 455 megawatts of new power capacity, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) said Thursday.
