Around The Web

The patient was completely blind before the treatment - now he can see and count objects on a table.

Shell and Edify in landmark deal to build a 100MW big battery in Riverina as part of new electricity supply agreement with NSW government.

The post Shell and Edify in landmark big battery storage deal in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has minted more than 1.1 million new carbon credits in its latest issuance round that included awarding nearly 500,000 to one energy company, while a much-awaited new draft version of an updated soil carbon method has been released for comments.

Trials are underway with dogs trained to sniff out the coronavirus. If the trails are successful, dogs could aid efforts to prevent super-spreading in busy areas.

This moment calls for humility – we cannot innovate ourselves out of this mess

We are living through what scientists call the Anthropocene, a new geological age during which humans have become the dominant force shaping the natural environment. Many scientists date this new period to the post-second world war economic boom, the “great acceleration”. This rapid increase in our control over the Earth has brought us to the precipice of catastrophic climate change, triggered a mass extinction, disrupted our planet’s nitrogen cycles and acidified its oceans, among other things.

Our society has come to believe that technology is the solution. Electricity from renewable sources, energy-efficient buildings, electric vehicles and hydrogen fuels are among the many innovations that we hope will play a decisive role in reducing emissions. Most of the mainstream climate-change models now assume some degree of “negative emissions” in the future, relying on large-scale carbon capture technology, despite the fact that it is far from ready to be implemented. And if all else fails, the story goes, we can geoengineer the Earth.

Continue reading...

The Carbon Programs Manager is responsible for managing project teams, budgets, contracts and schedules to meet CO2 Australia’s contractual obligations.

Complex slated for South Side’s Jackson Park prompts fears that low-income Black residents will be displaced

Construction of the Obama Presidential Center is expected to begin this fall in Chicago after years of debate over whether the complex will benefit low-income residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

It will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago – one of the most historically significant parks in the city, and originally designed for the 27 million visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair. The roughly $500m Obama Presidential Center (OPC) will feature a museum, playground, public library, and an open plaza.

Continue reading...

New technology could soon make electric cars much more affordable, which ‘may sway consumers’, the country’s automotive retailers say

Australia’s automotive industry is at a “revolutionary turning point” amid the transition to zero-emission vehicles, a report has found.

The shift towards electric cars will also bring structural change and pose significant challenges to the sector, the Motor Trades Association of Australia says.

Continue reading...

The Low Carbon Trader will trade carbon emission credits & associated environmental products within the Low Carbon Trading (LCT) Team and will be integral to the success of bp’s low carbon energy transition.

Ofgem to build infrastructure for 3,550 new ultra-rapid charging points on motorways and in towns

Britain’s energy regulator is investing £300m to help triple the number of ultra-rapid charging points for electric vehicles across the country, as part of efforts to accelerate the UK’s shift to clean energy.

Ofgem will use the cash to build new infrastructure supporting 3,550 new ultra-rapid charging points – 1,800 at motorway service stations and 1,750 in towns and cities.

Continue reading...

Endeavour Energy gets smart about better managing record numbers of residential rooftop solar systems, with not a solar export charge in sight.

The post NSW smart meter program to soak up solar with “everyday batteries” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy retailer asks ACCC to investigate sustained price spikes in NSW as analysts question why some gas generators remained idle as prices soared.

The post Energy retailer asks ACCC to probe possible “market gaming” in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian Greens propose laws to make fossil fuel companies legally liable for climate change, labelling contradictory Morrison government budget "crazy".

The post “It is crazy:” Greens push new climate laws after Coalition’s fossil fuel subsidy spree appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A major £30m project will test trees, peat, rock chips, and charcoal as ways of removing climate-heating emissions

Climate-heating carbon dioxide will be sucked from the air using trees, peat, rock chips, and charcoal in major new trials across the UK.

Scientists said the past failure to rapidly cut emissions means some CO2 will need to be removed from the atmosphere to reach net zero by 2050 and halt the climate crisis. The £30m government-funded project will test ways to do this effectively and affordably on over 100 hectares (247 acres) of land, making it one of the biggest trials in the world.

Continue reading...

Call for environment bill returning to parliament to be strengthened to tackle global plastic waste crisis

Campaigners are urging the UK government to ban the export of plastic waste to all countries, invest in a domestic recycling industry, and set a binding target for plastic reduction.

Activists are pushing for the environment bill – which is returning to parliament on Wednesday – to be strengthened to tackle more effectively the global plastic waste crisis.

Continue reading...

Guardian analysis shows intensification in farming across the EU with a rise in livestock numbers while millions of farms disappear

The EU is to introduce sweeping reforms of farming subsidies this week to try to halt the decline of small farms and protect them from the intensification of agriculture fostered by decades of previous policies.

Janusz Wojciechowski, the EU agriculture commissioner, said: “My intention is that this process of disappearing small farms should be stopped. The European food sector in the past was based on small farms, and it should be in the future as well.”

Continue reading...

New research shows Australia is lagging behind international peers in emissions reductions, despite what the Morrison government may claim.

The post Australia’s emissions have risen since 2005, apart from land use accounting tricks appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Following two recent price hikes, Tesla has cut the Australian retail price of a Powerwall 2 home battery system.

The post Tesla cuts price of Powerwall home battery in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

China is looking to bring two more sectors into its national emissions trading scheme from next year, according to the chairman of the carbon exchange in Shanghai.

Taxpayer funded Kurri Kurri gas plant will help give Snowy Hydro dominance of the NSW, Victoria and South Australia markets. But will it protect from battery storage?

The post “It’s a disgrace”: Snowy Hydro to use government subsidy for market dominance appeared first on RenewEconomy.