Around The Web
EU Midday Market Brief
Reddit investors use GameStop proceeds to help protect gorillas
WallStreetBets members spend gains on donations for endangered animals also including elephants and turtles
Gorillas, elephants, pangolins and sea turtles have been handed a lifeline by amateur investors who played the stock market at its own game.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent helping endangered animals by users of a Reddit trading tips community, giving conservation organisations across the world a much-needed financial boost during a difficult year.
Continue reading...China’s Industrial Bank signs first voluntary carbon forestry offset forward deal
UK slashes grants for electric car buyers while extending petrol vehicle support
Car industry dismayed as green car subsidy cap also lowered with immediate effect
The UK government has cut grants for electric car buyers, to the horror of the automotive industry as it tries to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels.
The maximum grant for electric cars has been reduced to £2,500 with immediate effect on Thursday, from £3,000. The government has also lowered the price cap for cars eligible for the subsidy from £50,000 to £35,000.
Continue reading...“Tax on clean air:” Victoria wants EV road tax in place by July
Victoria to introduce EV road tax legislation on Wednesday, but the bill is likely to face opposition in the upper house.
The post “Tax on clean air:” Victoria wants EV road tax in place by July appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Plummeting sperm counts, shrinking penises: toxic chemicals threaten humanity | Erin Brockovich
The chemicals to blame for our reproductive crisis are found everywhere and in everything
The end of humankind? It may be coming sooner than we think, thanks to hormone-disrupting chemicals that are decimating fertility at an alarming rate around the globe. A new book called Countdown, by Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, finds that sperm counts have dropped almost 60% since 1973. Following the trajectory we are on, Swan’s research suggests sperm counts could reach zero by 2045. Zero. Let that sink in. That would mean no babies. No reproduction. No more humans. Forgive me for asking: why isn’t the UN calling an emergency meeting on this right now?
Related: US urged to cut 50% of emissions by 2030 to spur other countries to action
Continue reading...Grant of $3.3m for Shine Energy approved despite not being entirely appropriate, auditor general finds
Report reveals feasibility study of Collinsvale coal-fired power plant did not meet two of the eligibility requirements
Advice underpinning the decision to spend $4m on a feasibility study into a coal-fired power station at Collinsville in north Queensland was only “partially appropriate”, the auditor general has said.
On Thursday the Australian National Audit Office released its report into the controversial decision to assist Shine Energy with an ad-hoc grant it was invited to apply for after its selection was publicly announced.
Continue reading...Western Australia sets new record for wind and solar share, and minimum demand
Western Australia sets a new record for wind and solar share in its stand-alone grid, while the growth in rooftop solar pushes grid demand to a record low the following day.
The post Western Australia sets new record for wind and solar share, and minimum demand appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Oil firms knew decades ago fossil fuels posed grave health risks, files reveal
Exclusive: documents seen by Guardian show companies fought clean-air rules despite being aware of harm caused by air pollution
The oil industry knew at least 50 years ago that air pollution from burning fossil fuels posed serious risks to human health, only to spend decades aggressively lobbying against clean air regulations, a trove of internal documents seen by the Guardian reveal.
The documents, which include internal memos and reports, show the industry was long aware that it created large amounts of air pollution, that pollutants could lodge deep in the lungs and be “real villains in health effects”, and even that its own workers may be experiencing birth defects among their children.
Continue reading...Bladeless, wobbling wind turbines to begin tests in Europe
A Spanish company is testing the viability of small-scale oscillating wind columns to act as distributed energy generators alongside rooftop solar.
The post Bladeless, wobbling wind turbines to begin tests in Europe appeared first on RenewEconomy.
BlossomWatch returns to celebrate 'blissful' colours of UK spring
National Trust aims to build on success of last year’s campaign and help lift lockdown gloom
The valley garden of Glendurgan on the banks of the Helford River in Cornwall is already bright with spring blossom – vivid pinks, deep purples, the purest of whites. “It’s an extraordinary sight after the tough winter we’ve had,” said the head gardener, John Lanyon. “It feels inspiring, blissful.”
The blossom comes early in this sheltered spot in the far south-west of England, and over the coming days, weeks and months the spectacular colours will steadily spread east and north.
Continue reading...Will a British bioelectric hybrid plane really take off?
Boris Johnson set the goal, but the developers of the Beha had to get private investment for their unique craft
In the shadows of the old Spitfires and Hurricanes that helped win the Battle of Britain, Faradair, a UK startup operating from the historic Duxford airfield, is hoping to help Britain fight the new war against climate change by developing a revolutionary 18-seat bioelectric hybrid plane which will eventually, hopes its designer, be carbon neutral.
The plane, currently in development, will use electric motors to power take-off and landing, the part of any flight with the highest noise and carbon emissions. Once cruising, at a speed of about 230mph, the plane will switch to its turbogenerator, powered by biofuel, which will also recharge the motors with assistance from solar panels, ready for the aircraft’s descent.
Continue reading...Feeding cows seaweed could cut their methane emissions by 82%, scientists say
Researchers found cows belched out 82% less methane after putting small amount of seaweed in their feed for five months
Feeding seaweed to cows is a viable long-term method to reduce the emission of planet-heating gases from their burps and flatulence, scientists have found.
Researchers who put a small amount of seaweed into the feed of cattle over the course of five months found that the new diet caused the bovines to belch out 82% less methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
Continue reading...Why petrol and diesel cars may soon be too costly to buy and maintain
Leading analyst says the price of electric vehicles will fall to around $5,000 or below, in the not too distant future, making petrol and diesel cars too costly to buy and maintain.
The post Why petrol and diesel cars may soon be too costly to buy and maintain appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Stats of Convenience: Morrison selling his climate spin to rest of the world
Morrison deploys his usual spin on Australia's climate efforts in call with US special envoy John Kerry, but will the world fall for it?
The post Stats of Convenience: Morrison selling his climate spin to rest of the world appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Road to big wind and solar paved with ingenious soil nano-technology
A wind farm being built in the Philippines is crediting an innovative soil nano-technology for allowing it to complete the project safely and well under budget.
The post Road to big wind and solar paved with ingenious soil nano-technology appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Renewables will deliver all but “last mile” reductions needed for net zero target
International Renewable Energy Agency urges global ramp-up of wind and solar, because it will deliver 90% of all emissions reduction needed for 1.5°C climate goal.
The post Renewables will deliver all but “last mile” reductions needed for net zero target appeared first on RenewEconomy.
South Australia’s biggest gas unit trips, Snowy sends prices to market cap
Trip of South Australia's biggest gas unit in middle of night sends prices to $15,000 market cap, because that's what it took to get a Snowy diesel generator fired up.
The post South Australia’s biggest gas unit trips, Snowy sends prices to market cap appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Doubling of wind power generation blowing gas out of the mix in Victoria
A doubling of wind energy capacity on the Victorian grid since 2017 has created a unique generation profile that has been particularly tough on gas.
The post Doubling of wind power generation blowing gas out of the mix in Victoria appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Faulty wiring at gas plant caused “unacceptable” NT blackout, investigation finds
Faulty wiring and human error blamed for accidental cut to gas supplies at Darwin's largest gas generator that sent almost 50,000 into blackout.
The post Faulty wiring at gas plant caused “unacceptable” NT blackout, investigation finds appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Pages
