Analysis: A reporter hears echoes of the past in Japan’s net zero strategy

In the 1990s, Bill Spindle covered Japan's economic collapse. Returning again this year to report on Japan's energy transition, he picked up on some familiar narratives. Reporter's Notebook

Bill Spindle 3 min read

Japan leads charge toward creating Asian carbon-storage trade

Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are all planning to decarbonize in part by using carbon capture technology, but none has enough capacity at home to store as much CO2 as they plan to capture. Data Dives

Bill Spindle 2 min read

More companies moving to adopt decarbonization targets

More companies are adopting targets for reduced carbon emissions, but increasingly without detailed plans to achieve them. Data Dives

Bill Spindle 2 min read

Get caught up fast: Comparing Harris and Trump on energy and climate

As Americans head to the polls, they face a clear choice between two contrasting visions for climate and clean energy policies. Explainers

Tory Lysik & Amena H. Saiyid 3 min read

Why cleantech is booming in GOP-led states

Whether it’s storing carbon dioxide, making wind turbines, installing solar panels or producing electric vehicles, Republican-leaning states are outpacing their Democratic counterparts in drawing coveted investment dollars. Explainers

Amena H. Saiyid 4 min read

Progress under a microscope at New York Climate Week

Cipher’s team was on the ground in the Big Apple. In all the chaos and busyness, here’s what stood out to our reporters. Latest News

Cipher Staff 6 min read

Industrial emissions poised to become largest U.S. carbon source 

The industrial sector is slated to become the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States over the next decade, according to new data from the Rhodium Group shared exclusively with Cipher.  Data Dives

Amena H. Saiyid 2 min read

Singapore seeks leading role in clean energy

Southeast Asia doesn't have a regional capital to act as organizer and promoter of its clean energy efforts. Singapore is trying to step into that role. Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

EU set to trail in cleantech investments, risking energy goals

The United States' investments are expected to equal and then surpass the EU’s clean energy spending after 2030. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

The carbon credit industry attempts a comeback

Over the last two years, the industry has faced a barrage of critical news stories, academic studies and lawsuits. But in recent weeks, carbon credits have received some big boosts. Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

How one oil producer is pursuing “net-zero” oil

On its face, the phrase “net zero oil” may sound like an oxymoron. But Texas oil major Occidental Petroleum already has a buyer lined up to purchase such a product. Latest News

Cat Clifford 5 min read

How biology can help clean up mining, emissions and more

The solutions to many urgent environmental concerns like global CO2 emissions, water contamination and mining waste already exist in nature. The answer lies at the microscopic level, using biological processes that have been around for millions of years. Voices

Nicole Richards 3 min read

In concrete, carbon removal offers value beyond CO2 disposal

Injecting captured carbon dioxide into concrete could turn our built environment into a global carbon sink. Voices

Robert Niven 3 min read

US investment in carbon removal needs to increase exponentially, finds report

To reach net zero by midcentury, the United States will need to be able to remove a gigaton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year by 2050, according to Rhodium Group. Data Dives

Cat Clifford 2 min read

Climate, AI and energy security drive CERAWeek confab

One of the world’s largest energy conferences, CERAWeek, is underway this week in Texas. It's the first major gathering of the energy industry since COP28. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 3 min read

Biofuels offer low-hanging fruit in nascent carbon capture industry

Ethanol’s characteristics — smaller plants and denser streams of CO2 emissions — make carbon capture easier and cheaper compared with other industries. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 4 min read

High costs deter investors from industrial sector technologies

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the global industrial sector is an uphill battle because investors are reluctant to pour money into costly, emerging technologies like clean hydrogen, according to Bloomberg NEF’s latest findings. Data Dives

Amena H. Saiyid 2 min read

In U.S., clean hydrogen draws more dollars than managing carbon

Clean hydrogen production is attracting more investment than any other emerging technology, Cipher's new Cleantech Tracker shows. Data Dives

Amena H. Saiyid < 1

Carbon markets seek a reboot in the face of existential challenges

Carbon offsets are at a crossroads after years of complaints about greenwashing and accusations of ineffectiveness in fighting climate change. Explainers

Bill Spindle 5 min read

Carbon capture needs to ramp up significantly by 2030

Efforts to capture carbon dioxide emissions need to accelerate rapidly in the next seven years to get on track to help the world achieve net zero by mid-century, according to a new report. Data Dives

Jillian Mock 2 min read

The words that shape our energy future

Should fossil fuels be phased downed or phased out? Or should the emissions of fossil fuels be dealt with and phased out? This may sound like semantic games, but the nuances are important. Explainers

Anca Gurzu 4 min read

Exclusive: United inks largest deal for clean jet fuel with novel method

Houston-based startup Cemvita has inked a deal with United Airlines to supply 50,000 gallons a year of clean jet fuel made by microbes using recycled CO2. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 2 min read

Carbon recyclers say climate law could hurt business

Companies re-utilizing CO2 in the production of everyday products did not receive the same tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act as those involved in storing CO2, prompting questions of parity. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 4 min read

The many ways of removing carbon from the air

Governments and companies are increasingly betting on a mix of technologies to remove huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air as the effects of climate change become more and more pronounced. Explainers

Anca Gurzu 4 min read

Why we need to remove carbon from the air

To avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change—and achieve a net-zero world—we need to not only reduce our emissions, but also remove residual carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. Explainers

Anca Gurzu 3 min read

U.S. carbon storage projects pile up at EPA

As Washington wages parallel battles on permitting and new environmental regulations, one conundrum crisscrosses both: A pileup of permit applications to store carbon dioxide underground. Latest News

Amena H. Saiyid 5 min read

Why we’re in a business we wish didn’t need to exist

It’s odd to work every day developing an industry we wish didn’t have to exist. But that’s exactly what we’re doing. Each morning, we wake up and consider the different ways to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Voices

Grant Faber, Na'im Merchant, & Noah McQueen 3 min read

Storage quest arises amid hydrogen rush

Two underground caverns nearly twice the height of the Eiffel Tower are poised to store enough hydrogen to provide seasonal backup for variable renewable electricity. Explainers

Amena H. Saiyid 4 min read

Europe wants to capture business by storing carbon under the sea

Nestled between seven countries and connected to the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea has long been crucial to European development with diverse fishing grounds, key shipping routes and generous oil and gas reserves. Latest News

Anca Gurzu 5 min read

Low-carbon power and electric vehicle investments drive path to net zero

The world needs to nearly triple investments in low-carbon electricity and carbon capture technologies in the power sector for a chance to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report by BloombergNEF. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Net zero future needs more, better, faster

If the world is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, leading regions and sectors must get there much faster—and go even further. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

More investment and lower costs: Three charts on the Inflation Reduction Act

Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

Electricity-powered hydrogen to dominate by 2050: report

Hydrogen produced from electricity will be the dominant form of production by mid-century, according to a forecast released this week by Oslo-based consulting group DNV. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Leading carbon removal firm avoids oil company partnerships

The world’s leading company capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is opting not to partner with oil and gas companies, in contrast with its top competitors. Harder Line

Amy Harder 4 min read

Australia, U.K. and U.S. lead in low-carbon hydrogen projects

Global investments in low-carbon hydrogen supply are ramping up, with the bulk of new projects focusing on renewable hydrogen production. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Despite growth, big leaps needed for direct air capture tech

Technology that’s able to capture carbon dioxide directly from the sky is advancing rapidly, but it needs to grow much more to fill its role in combating climate change, a new International Energy Agency report finds. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu 2 min read

Carbon removal technology key to net zero, world’s scientists agree

The latest report from United Nations climate scientists does the arithmetic of a net-zero world. The IPCC concludes—more categorically than ever—that we’ve already overshot key greenhouse gas emissions thresholds. Voices

Julio Friedmann 3 min read

Five ways to make net zero happen

Governments increasingly understand the urgency of climate change. Ahead of and during COP26, the 2021 Glasgow climate summit, many have committed to zero carbon emissions by mid-century. Voices

Sam Frankhauser 2 min read

Visualizing the deployment gap in cars, carbon and more

The climate provisions of the Build Back Better bill would give a boost of anywhere between 39% and 75% in key clean energy technologies, according to data by Rhodium Group. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

To tackle climate change, carbon storage should be all the rage

Most of the carbon dioxide emissions that could be technically captured by 2030 will likely be stored, according to McKinsey & Company. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

Carbon is the trash of our climate change era

We pay to get our garbage hauled away every week. Yet we’ve been letting carbon waste pile up in our skies since we first started putting it there more than 250 years ago. Explainers

Amy Harder 3 min read

U.S. federal funding for carbon removal tech skyrockets

The big increase in funding beginning this year reflects the infrastructure law’s appropriations for carbon removal technologies. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

Carbon recycling pioneer LanzaTech eyes going public

LanzaTech is not a household name, but the company’s technology is helping clean up household items. Q&A

Amy Harder 3 min read

A rapidly growing electricity system

The amount of electricity capacity we need in a world reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is anywhere between four and nearly eight times more than what we have today, according to BloombergNEF. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1

As Congress writes big climate laws, contentious tech stirs debate

As the world digs into the technologies that could help society tackle climate change, controversy is inevitably emerging in key areas. Harder Line

Amy Harder 3 min read