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UK government advisors say post-pandemic recovery funds should go to firms reducing carbon emissions.

The North Magnetic Pole has been racing across the top of the world, from Canada towards Siberia.

Deakin-led research team says it has found the ingredients to create safer, more efficient, higher energy density batteries for use in households and industries.

The post Victoria research breakthrough promises safer, “better” batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Pending technology maturity, cost-effectiveness and potential impact, we could already have the silver bullets we need.

The post Do we really need 100 new technologies to drive emissions reductions? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Food choices make a difference to the climate impact of our diet. Every step towards eating a more plant-based diet results in lower emissions, better population health and reduced healthcare costs. Alexandra Macmillan, Associate Professor Environment and Health, University of Otago Jono Drew, Medical Student, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The findings point to how Australia's most important river system might be altered by future sea level rise. Hannah Power, Senior Lecturer in Coastal Science, University of Newcastle Anna Helfensdorfer, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney Tom Hubble, Associate professor, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Emissions reductions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic increase the need for California to implement an annual surplus metric for its WCI-linked carbon market, with a rule-based mechanism the best solution to adjust future allowance supply, an ETS watchdog official told Carbon Pulse.

Massachusetts power generators remained significantly below their annual Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) CO2 limits amid the coronavirus pandemic, with two plants having barely operated during the first quarter, data shows.

EUAs slumped back to €19 on Tuesday, with early gains given up when a very weak auction helped knock carbon prices below technical support.

French energy major Total set new 2050 voluntary goals to reach net zero emissions from its global operations, as well as from its products sold to European customers, the company announced on Tuesday.

Brazil, France and Germany say UN can’t hear complaint against five countries of flouting child rights to clean air

Greta Thunberg and a group of other children have pushed forward their legal complaint at the UN against countries they accuse of endangering children’s wellbeing through the climate crisis, despite attempts to have it thrown out.

The 16 children, including the Swedish environmental activist, lodged a legal case with the UN committee on the rights of the child against Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey last September.

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As logging of fire-affected areas is set to resume, Australian scientists say a clearer conversation is needed about fire risk

A group of senior Australian scientists have warned in an international journal that logging native forests makes fire more severe and is likely to have exacerbated the country’s catastrophic summer bushfires.

In a comment piece published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the scientists call for a clearer discussion about how land management and forestry practices contribute to fire risk.

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As many as one in five restaurants in the fast-food chain have had to stop serving beef-based items amid pandemic

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As many as one in five restaurants in the giant Wendy’s fast-food chain across the US has had to stop serving hamburgers or other beef-based menu items, in the latest sign of an escalating threat of a national meat shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Wendy’s customers in various US locations have reported being unable to purchase burgers at restaurants belonging to one of the world’s largest hamburger chains. The fast-food company has confirmed it is experiencing problems with beef suppliers and that “some of our menu items may be temporarily limited at some restaurants in this current environment”.

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Death toll of crew stranded by coronavirus continues to rise as industry blames ‘impractical’ safety requirements for blocking disembarkation

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Some cruise companies have refused to agree to rules that would allow tens of thousands of stranded crew back to land, citing concerns about cost and potential legal consequences, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The largest trade association for the cruise industry has called the CDC’s requirements for disembarkation “impractical”.

The standoff comes amid a deteriorating situation on many ships around the world and a rising death toll of crew members.

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The pandemic reminds me of a different invisible enemy. Once again, coordinated action is the only effective response

Deja vu. In recent days I’ve had that sense more than once. Every time I come home, remove my mask and wash my hands, I start thinking whether it is safe to keep on wearing the clothes that I had on outside. What if they are contaminated by the virus? Well, I can change clothes, but what if the particles have already jumped somewhere else, and are now in my home? Some would call it paranoia. I call it deja vu. I recognise those thoughts and remember the feelings.

That is because I first experienced them more than 30 years ago, in May 1986, on a trip to Kyiv, then the capital of Soviet Ukraine. It was a few weeks after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, and I was in the city – about 100km from the disaster area – on a business trip. We already knew that there was radiation in the air. Water trucks were spraying the streets, foreign students were leaving the city, and overseas broadcasters like the BBC were telling us to stay inside. But our own government was sending confusing and distressing messages: there is absolutely no danger, but make sure you keep children inside, and pregnant women too. Oh, and close your windows when you are at home.

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The US State Department’s chief climate negotiator has exited President Donald Trump’s administration for a role in the sustainability consulting arm of a multinational utility, Carbon Pulse has learned.

Powerlink gets ARENA funding to look at system strength issues and smarter solutions that may include battery storage, and a more centralised approach.

The post ARENA funds study into smarter solution for system strength issues plaguing solar, wind projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Areas such as India, Australia and Africa are predicted to be among the worst affected.

Swedish engineering and industrial design company Modvion erectS Sweden’s first wooden wind tower, billed as being “as strong as steel”.

The post Modvion erects first wooden wind power tower in Sweden appeared first on RenewEconomy.