Record electric vehicle sales in Australia, study shows renewables could save trillions and China has largest fall in emissions in a decade. All that and more in this month’s good news in climate solutions.

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Climate legislation passes in Australia

The Australian Government’s Climate Change Bills have passed parliament, putting into law an emissions reduction target of 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen labelled it a ‘good day for the parliament and Australia,’ writes ABC political reporter Nicole Hegarty.

Record month for EV sales in Australia

Electric vehicles represented 4.4 per cent of the total new vehicles sold in August, the highest market share for pure battery electric vehicles ever recorded in a single month in Australia, writes the Australian Financial Review’s Simon Evans.

Switching planet to renewables will save trillions of dollars, study shows

A new study from Oxford University shows switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world as much as $US 12 trillion by 2050, writes BBC environment reporter Jonah Fisher.

Record fall in China’s carbon emissions, analysis shows

China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by a record eight per cent in the second quarter of 2022, a 230 metric tonne reduction that is the largest in at least a decade, writes Carbon Brief’s Lauri Myllyvirta.

Patagonia founder gives away company to fight climate change

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, who turned his passion for rock climbing into one of the world’s most successful sportswear brands, is giving the entire company to a uniquely structured trust and non-profit, designed to pump all of the company’s profits into saving the planet, writes The Guardian’s Erin McCormick.