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Joe Biden’s win gives the globe a better chance of averting climate catastrophe, but major obstacles remain

Environmentalists have been heartened by Joe Biden’s victory as, if the US rejoins the Paris agreement as expected, it will give the world a much better chance of averting climate catastrophe. However, there are still hurdles to overcome to rein in emissions and keep warming to within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

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Joe Biden has vowed to return US to Paris agreement and result brightens prospects for Cop26

Preparations for the next vital UN summit on the climate – one of the last chances to set the world on track to meet the Paris agreement – have been given a boost by the election of Joe Biden as president.

The election caps a remarkable few weeks on international climate action, which have seen China, the EU, Japan and others commit to long-term targets on greenhouse gas emissions to fulfil the Paris climate agreement.

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Experts accuse government of using EVs as ‘a scapegoat for falling fuel excise taxes’

South Australia’s controversial new electric vehicle charge has been labelled “a big tax on not polluting” by policy analysts and the EV industry.

It comes as MG launches the lowest price electric vehicle on the market in Australia yet – a $40,000 SUV crossover – that is about $10,000 cheaper than its nearest rival, the Nissan Leaf.

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Retail giant Woolworths Group joins RE100 initiative with pledge to power all of its operations with 100 per cent renewable electricity within just five years.

The post Woolworths pledges to source 100 per cent renewables by 2025 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian researchers unveil a new artificial intelligence platform that fast-tracks the development of cheaper and more efficient solar cells.

The post Australian researchers build new AI that could solve challenge of cheaper solar power appeared first on RenewEconomy.

ASX-listed Altech Chemicals to collaborate with Spanish company on silicon-based battery materials hailed by Tesla as the next big thing in Li-ion technology.

The post Tesla tip spurs Perth company’s lithium-ion battery ambitions appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Prominent Labor party figures say Joel Fitzgibbon's exit from shadow cabinet is an opportunity for Labor to demonstrate its true climate policy credentials.

The post With Fitzgibbon gone, Labor has a chance to be a climate leader appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Green groups welcome the UK's plan to outlaw the import of food and other goods from protected areas.

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

Former heads of the CEFC and ARENA issue joint call for Morrison government to abandon "flawed" plans to open up the CEFC to fossil fuel investments.

The post Former ARENA, CEFC heads call on Coalition to abandon “flawed” green bank changes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Why the "Cluster 5" coronavirus mutation in fur farms has led to a nationwide cull and a political outcry.

Washington state scientists found inside the basketball-sized nest about 500 live specimens in various stages of development

When scientists in Washington state destroyed the first nest of so-called murder hornets found in the US, they discovered about 500 live specimens in various stages of development, officials said Tuesday.

Among them were nearly 200 queens that had the potential to start their own nests, said Sven-Erik Spichiger, an entomologist leading the fight to kill the hornets.

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Historical museum specimens have helped to solve a long standing scientific monkey puzzle.

Norway's EV revolution is massive, but what more needs to be done to cut transport emissions?

The post Norway’s EV revolution shows us the urgency of government action on transport appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A trio of California-based dairy digesters are seeking biogas-to-electricity pathways under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), continuing the year-long trend of projects shifting over from the California Carbon Offset (CCO) market.

Alberta carbon offset values surged by 20% in recent days after the provincial government confirmed that the excess emissions charge under its Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) programme will rise by C$10 next year, matching the increase in Ottawa’s CO2 pricing mandate.

In the UK, we face a long, cold winter without these travellers and I cannot wait for their return

During the summer, as swallows hawk for insects high over our Somerset home, they are a daily embodiment of hope and joy. When they disappear, for the colder, darker half of the year, they leave a corresponding gap in our hearts.

We often say that swallows fly south for the winter. Yet, although they do travel 6,000 miles to South Africa, it is only our winter they miss – when they arrive, they enjoy a second spring and summer.

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If Biden can wrest free of the Obama-era gas curse, it's going to be a massive and unprecedented win for climate. Then we can really begin the celebrations.

The post Biden’s key climate threat is America’s gas-fired curse appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Utility Dominion Energy plans to build a RGGI allowance bank and cover roughly a fourth of its annual obligations via quarterly cap-and-trade auctions, with the Virginia-based company aiming to recouping these costs on electricity bills, according to newly published documents.

At least 40 parrots returned to a remote breeding site in Tasmania so far this year following intense efforts to boost numbers

Scientists are cautiously celebrating the best year in a decade for what may be the world’s most critically endangered parrot after at least 40 birds returned to a breeding site in remote Tasmania.

Orange-bellied parrot numbers have fallen so sharply in recent years that scientists consider it at risk of extinction within five years. Just 23 birds arrived at the species’ breeding site at Melaleuca, deep in the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area, last spring.

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