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With the major steelmaker’s AGM on Tuesday 22 November, Tim Buckley examines why BlueScope is planning to sink $1bn into outdated blast furnace tech at Port Kembla that would entrench huge carbon emissions at the heart of Australian steelmaking for decades to come, just as BlueScope US makes strides in decarbonisation. Read more

In this second in CEF’s series of climate finance analyses of Australia’s big banks, CEF’s Nishtha Aggarwal scrutinises NAB’s efforts against four criteria key to assessing decarbonisation progress: its climate financing pledge, customer engagement, emissions intensity by sector, and its energy loan book. The news is mixed, with some progress, coupled with a need for a dramatic increase in ambition, as the analysis shows. Read more

In paper #7 of CEF’s series on value adding critical minerals, Tim Buckley and Matt Pollard look at Australian companies expanding their operations beyond Australia’s borders with key international projects. Read more

With COP27 underway, the idea of developed countries supporting developing countries with more than just talk has already backslid from “compensation” to the more nebulous political speak of “cooperation and facilitation”. However, trends in the electricity sector in China and India are showing significant promise, and speak more meaningfully than watered-down global promises. Read more

Financial governance and risk expert Praveen Gupta looks at global moves to decarbonise finance, as the RBI consults on climate change with more than $84bn of debt at India’s leading financial institutions at risk from extreme weather events. (A version was first published in Illuminem.) Read more

We launch a new series analysing the big 5 banks’ climate finance and decarbonisation progress, plus, the latest in our series on critical minerals value-adding opportunities in Australia, and calls for a windfall tax on war profiteering fossil fuel multinationals grow. Read more

Tim Buckley comments on the implications of the landmark news today that the federal environment minister will reassess 18 coal and gas projects on the basis of climate impacts – a first. Read more

In this first in CEF’s series of climate finance analyses of Australia’s Big 5 banks – ANZ, CBA, Westpac, NAB and Macquarie Bank – energy finance analyst Nishtha Aggarwal takes a deep dive into ANZ’s efforts against four criteria that are key to assessing progress on decarbonisation in line with science-based targets: ANZ’s climate financing pledge, customer engagement, emissions intensity by sector, and its energy loan book. Read more

In #6 in CEF’s series on critical minerals, Matt Pollard and Tim Buckley review key Australian public financial capital initiatives and their role in accelerating Australia’s critical mineral supply chain value-adding projects, with a focus on key examples. Read more

The IEA released its flagship annual World Energy Outlook this afternoon AEDT against the backdrop of intersecting energy and climate crises. The WEO provides critical analysis and insights on trends in energy demand and supply. Here are CEF’s key takeouts. Read more

The budget is pragmatic and aligned with the government’s positive energy transition commitments. However, the absence of any meaningful fossil fuel tax reform is a major omission. Read more

As Tim Buckley and Matt Pollard discuss below in paper #5 in CEF’s series on critical minerals, Australia’s allies have demonstrated the growing use of federal support in accelerating private capital inflows to scale and diversify their supply chains around critical minerals, as Australia steps up to the opportunity via its new National Critical Minerals Strategy. Read more