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Growing interest from large corporations and an increase in voluntary emissions targets are making sure Australia’s carbon offset market is seeing rapid growth despite the federal government’s reluctance to impose climate obligations on big emitters, a conference heard Thursday.

Maps will feature peaks and glaciers named after British individuals who've advanced polar science.

Guardian Australia revealed Josh Frydenberg raised changing the boundaries of significant wetlands after being lobbied by a Liberal donor

Labor says revelations that the former environment minister Josh Frydenberg proposed amending the boundaries to an area of internationally significant wetlands after he was lobbied by a developer and major party donor demonstrate why Australia needs an independent environmental regulator.

Federal Labor’s environment spokeswoman, Terri Butler, compared the now-treasurer’s past proposal in relation to Toondah Harbour to the Jam Land case, in which Frydenberg’s office sought advice about changing protections to grasslands at the centre of an investigation into illegal clearing on a property part-owned by the energy minister, Angus Taylor, and his relatives.

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Huge drop in number of visits during Covid crisis raises concerns polluters are breaking laws with impunity

The Environment Agency has dramatically reduced the frequency that it attends water pollution incidents amid the Covid-19 pandemic, raising concerns that the crisis is allowing companies to break environmental regulations with impunity.

Between the start of April and the end of August this year the Environment Agency attended just 292 water pollution incidents, down from 1,726 during the same period in 2019, according to data obtained by the Guardian using freedom of information legislation.

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Only 1% of the 3,000 supposedly protected areas in the Mediterranean ban fishing

Europe’s marine protected areas (MPAs), set up to prevent biodiversity loss at sea, are failing to protect the oceans according to an excoriating report from auditors.

Examining actions to protect marine life over the past decade, the European court of auditors raised a “red flag” warning the EU had failed to halt marine biodiversity loss in Europe’s waters and restore fishing to sustainable levels.

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Environment secretary hails ‘Brexit success’ for animal welfare, but poultry to be excluded and Northern Ireland exempted

Plans to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening are to be unveiled by the UK’s environment secretary, George Eustice, on Thursday.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the plans were part of a renewed push to strengthen Britain’s position as a world leader on animal welfare.

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A major new report presents the latest data on the health impacts in a warming world. It found there were 296,000 heat-related deaths in people over 65 years in 2018. Celia McMichael, Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Melbourne Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, UCL Shouro Dasgupta, Lecturer in Environmental Economics, Università Ca'Foscari Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, Senior Researcher, Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), United Nations University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Strict standards for inverters that control rooftop solar systems, battery storage devices and electric vehicle charging are on their way.

The post Tough new inverter standards on the way for rooftop solar, batteries and EVs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Telstra's Ben Burge says corporates must take direct responsibility for customer emissions, alludes to Telstra's plans for a carbon-neutral electricity retailer.

The post Telstra hints at energy retail move, says carbon cuts a matter for companies, not customers appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Liberal NSW government will begin transitioning the entire state bus fleet to zero emissions transport within the decade, starting with 120 electric buses in 2021.

The post NSW to roll out 120 electric buses in 2021 ahead of full transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

When the McCormicks came home on Wednesday, the Christmas tree in their Adelaide house had acquired a new ornament

The McCormicks went for a silver, pink and blue theme on their Christmas tree. The old plastic leaves were worn but looked beautiful with baubles on each branch and twinkling lights.

But this year the family tree included one very unexpected ornament: a wild – and somewhat confused – juvenile koala.

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AEMC launches review of smart meter rules, after its last reforms failed to stimulate the market.

The post AEMC to review smart meter rules as uptake lags behind expectations appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Keyboardist Edwin Congreave says musicians should stop global tours to slow climate change.

Gransolar wins EPC contract for 200MW solar project in Queensland, its fifth large scale solar contract in Australia.

The post Spain’s Gransolar wins contract to build 200MW solar farm in Queensland appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists are urging people and firms to change the way they use technology to reduce emissions.

Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change calls for green recovery from pandemic

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The devastation caused by Covid-19 presents an opportunity for countries to rebuild their economies in a way that is environmentally responsible, researchers say.

“The only way you can meet the Paris agreement is by taking advantage of this moment … by combining the recovery from Covid-19 with the response to climate change,” said Dr Nick Watts, the chief sustainability officer for the NHS.

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While Australia's federal government continues to claim a net-zero emissions target would kill the economy, a major new EU report has found the opposite to be true.

The post Europe can reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at “net-zero cost,” report finds appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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The Australian government's upcoming EV transport strategy will probably be more of the same: vague tech investments instead of real, consumer-focused change

The post Angus Taylor’s EV and transport plan will present false narrative on “choice” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Corporate and government demand for wind and solar contracts hit record levels in 2020 in Australia.

The post Corporate demand for wind and solar hits record level of $2.4bn in 2020 appeared first on RenewEconomy.