Around The Web

NSW and Queensland coal industry uses as much water as all Sydney households, report finds

The Guardian - Mon, 2020-05-04 03:30

Coal mining and coal-fired power use about 383bn litres a year, roughly equivalent to needs of 5.2 million people

The coal industry in New South Wales and Queensland is using as much water as all of Sydney’s households, according to new research.

A new report by University of Adelaide water resources academic Ian Overton, commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, used public data to examine the impact of coal mining and coal-fired power on water resources.

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CEFC to kick-start Australia’s hydrogen industry with new $300m investment fund

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2020-05-04 00:01

Car with hydrogen logo on filler cap h2 combustion engine for emission free ecofriendly transport - optimisedThe CEFC will run a new $300m investment fund to support Australia's emerging renewable hydrogen sector.

The post CEFC to kick-start Australia’s hydrogen industry with new $300m investment fund appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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The coronavirus has exposed the imbalances in modern Britain

The Guardian - Sun, 2020-05-03 20:09

What’s needed after Covid-19 is a bigger, smarter state, with more devolved decisions, a greener economy and a stronger safety net

The words are straining to come out. Boris Johnson hero worships Winston Churchill so it is obvious how the prime minister will pitch this week’s announcement of the plan to get Britain out of lockdown.

In late 1942, victory in the North African desert had suggested that the tide of the war might have turned but Churchill was cautious. “Now this is not the end”, he said in a speech at London’s mansion house. “It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

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'We are very afraid': stranded cruise ship's crew in limbo amid pandemic

The Guardian - Sun, 2020-05-03 18:30

Tensions aboard the Greg Mortimer have reached breaking point over allegations ship’s operators and captain pressured doctor to downplay outbreak

After an ill-fated Antarctic expedition in which 60% of passengers and crew contracted coronavirus and spent a month stranded off the coast of South America, the successful repatriation of 132 tourists from a Australian cruise ship seemed like a rare happy ending.

But what should have been a peaceful epilogue in which the crew of the Greg Mortimer sailed safely home has become a gruesome sequel of sickness and panic – with the added possibility of a legal battle in Miami courts.

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Britain has faced its toughest test for decades, but we will build a better tomorrow'

The Guardian - Sun, 2020-05-03 16:38

Vital lessons about our mutual dependence will help us emerge stronger from the pandemic

If ever a crisis proved that our fates are bound together, it has been the last six weeks. The state has asked many businesses to stand idle to save lives, firms have turned to the state as their guarantor of survival and workers have risked their lives for us all. When we have faced our toughest test for decades as a nation, it has been essential to pull together.

Yet we are only at the beginning of the need to recognise the mutual dependence between public and private sectors and our collective solidarity.

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Coronavirus lockdown: Can nature help improve our mood?

BBC - Sun, 2020-05-03 10:12
How the outside world can be good for body and mind - with expert tips on making the most of it.
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'Murder hornets' in Washington state threaten bees and whip up media swarm

The Guardian - Sun, 2020-05-03 06:02

Asian giant hornet, which became more active in the state in April, is the world’s largest and can kill humans with multiple stings

Researchers and citizens in Washington state are on a careful hunt for invasive “murder hornets”, after the insect made its first appearance in the US.

The Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest hornet and can kill humans with multiple stings. But it is most dangerous for the European honeybee, which is defenseless in the face of the hornet’s spiky mandibles, long stinger and potent venom.

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Birdsong has risen like a tide of hope from our silenced cities. Is it here to stay?

The Guardian - Sat, 2020-05-02 20:00

Lockdown has allowed us a glimpse of how different our cities could be in a carbon-neutral world

“When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.”

Never can John Wyndham’s opening lines from The Day of the Triffids have been quite so apt. My friends in London tell me that the heart of the city, like other great conurbations all around the world, is eerily quiet. It is almost as if a neutron bomb has struck, removing in an instant all signs of human life, while leaving buildings, roads and other man-made artefacts perfectly intact.

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Coronavirus: US authorises use of anti-viral drug Remdesivir

BBC - Sat, 2020-05-02 17:54
The Food and Drug Administration authorises emergency use of the experimental anti-viral drug.
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CP Daily: Friday May 1, 2020

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2020-05-02 11:03
A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.
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Forests 'can take cover to resist alien invaders'

BBC - Sat, 2020-05-02 09:42
Native woodlands can resist the spread of invasive species if they block light reaching the ground.
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South Australia winemaker completes shift to 100% renewables with solar car park

RenewEconomy - Sat, 2020-05-02 09:35

3MW solar system completed at Pernod Ricard Barossa Valley wineries rounds off the French company’s journey to 100% renewables for its Australian operations.

The post South Australia winemaker completes shift to 100% renewables with solar car park appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Coronavirus lockdown reduces UK ground motions

BBC - Sat, 2020-05-02 09:34
Science instruments sense a big dip in seismic noise as the population stays at home.
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Compliance entities’ California carbon positions edge down as speculators maintain holdings

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2020-05-02 06:33
Compliance entities continued to trim their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) position on the secondary market, while speculators total holdings remained roughly unchanged week-on-week, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data released Friday.
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Eligible EU countries cleared to hand out final batch of free Phase 3 EUAs to utilities

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2020-05-02 05:25
A handful of eligible EU member states have been cleared to hand out their final batches of free carbon allowances to utilities for the current phase of the ETS, leaving as many as 40 million units to be sold or banked into the next period.
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New York’s draft RGGI regulation would trigger penalty on biomass plant

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2020-05-02 04:24
A New York-based RGGI facility must surrender allowances for failing to comply with historical obligations if the state adopts its proposed post-2020 ETS regulation, a state official confirmed on Friday. 
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Coronavirus: Animals in zoos 'lonely' without visitors

BBC - Sat, 2020-05-02 03:41
Birds, elephants and primates are among those missing guests, zoos around the world say.
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US consumers empty shelves amid concerns over Covid-19 meat shortages

The Guardian - Sat, 2020-05-02 02:45

Agriculture department reported beef production down nearly 25% compared to last year, and pork production down 15%

US meat production has continued to decline as the coronavirus crisis forces the shutdown of more processing facilities, sparking fears of shortages at grocery stores nationwide.

The US Department of Agriculture’s weekly report found that from 27 April, beef production was down nearly 25% compared to the same time last year. Pork production was down 15%.

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California LCFS posts 160k credit surplus in Q4 2019

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2020-05-02 01:26
California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit generation bucked three straight quarters of deficits over the final three months of 2019, with stronger electric vehicle and renewable diesel figures helping to boost the surplus bank over 8 million tonnes to finish the year, according to data posted Thursday.
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Covid-19 outbreaks at Irish meat plants raise fears over worker safety

The Guardian - Sat, 2020-05-02 01:24

Third of workers at factory in Tipperary test positive, while McDonald’s supplier forced to temporarily halt production

An outbreak of Covid-19 among workers in a meat factory in Tipperary has raised fears that the virus is spreading through abattoirs and meat-processing plants in Ireland.

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on agriculture, Brian Stanley, told the Irish parliament last night that 120 workers at the Rosderra Meats plant in Roscrea had tested positive for the virus. He also said that of 350 workers at the plant, up to 140 were off sick last week. Rosderra is the largest pork-processing company in Ireland.

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