Financial firms speed the closure of coal-fired plants; a first-of-its-kind building code for California; green steel out the door, and more.

Financial firms including British insurer Prudential, lenders Citi and HSBC and BlackRock Real Assets are devising plans to speed the closure of Asia’s coal-fired power plants in order to lower the biggest source of carbon emissions. Reuters

The country’s biggest electricity user is aiming to switch to a predominantly renewable power supply in 2029 in a groundbreaking move that would dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of one of NSW’s largest carbon emitters. Angela MacDonald-Smith for the Australian Financial Review.

A first-of-its-kind building code will create strong incentives for homebuilders to use all-electric heating and appliances in California. Jeff St John for Canary Media.

Swedish company ships first ‘green steel’ batch, made without using coal. The Guardian.

Farmers are taking climate action into their own hands. Mike Foley for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Modelling by climate scientists found that the 1987 Montreal protocol curbing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) gave humans a fighting chance of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsuis. The atmosphere has already warmed 1.1-1.2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, meaning the earth could have been facing 3.5 degrees if CFCs were still in use. The Guardian. 

Steelmaker Bluescope to pursue net zero emissions by 2050. Nick McLaren for ABC. 
Petaluma in Sonoma county is the first city in the US to ban future gas station construction or any new pumps on existing sites. Dominic Rushe for The Guardian.