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Public accounts committee says ignorance, incompetence and weak oversight to blame

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has a perpetual lack of knowledge about the state and location of waste on the 17 sites it is responsible for making safe, a powerful committee of MPs has found.

This results from decades of poor record keeping and weak government oversight, the MPs said. Combined with a “sorry saga” of incompetence and failure, this has left taxpayers footing the bill for “astronomical sums”, they said.

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Industry promotes materialism and lifts sales of climate-harming products, study says

Advertising needs to be controlled and changed to reduce its impact on the climate, according to a report released as consumers prepare to spend billions on Black Friday.

The report by the New Weather Institute thinktank and the charity We are Possible examines how advertising indirectly contributes to climate change and the ecological emergency.

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Archaeologists believe the bones are as old as 5,000 years and remarkably well preserved.

Tasmania declares it now produces enough renewable electricity to meet 100 per cent of its needs, with wind turbines at Granville Harbour coming online.

The post Tasmania declares itself 100 per cent powered by renewable electricity appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The appointment of Anna Collyer as chair of the AEMC has been broadly welcomed, with the energy law expert to embrace a rapidly changing energy market.

The post New AEMC chair – a head of innovation – to embrace rapid market transformation appeared first on RenewEconomy.

GE signs an agreement with One Stop Warehouse, one of the biggest players in the Australian photovoltaic market. Customers will soon be able to purchase GE solar inverters from One Stop Warehouse.

The post GE Solar Inverter and One Stop Warehouse announce a strategic partnership that will bring high value to the Australian solar PV market appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We talk to UQ’s EV specialist Jake Whitehead about the impact of the proposed electric vehicle road tax, and look at the contest of ideas between NSW and Canberra, and more big battery and green hydrogen announcements.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: EV taxes, big batteries and green hydrogen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Global Power Generation names Danish wind giant as turbine supplier, installer and OEM for two major wind power projects it is developing in Victoria.

The post Vestas lands turbine contracts for two major new wind projects in Victoria appeared first on RenewEconomy.

University of Queensland research into effect of taxing electric vehicles finds without introducing buying incentives will slash sales by 25% and increase emissions by 40%.

The post EV tax will smash electric vehicle sales and lift emissions, UQ study finds appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Three UNSW researchers elected as Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, including Renate Egan for her pioneering work

The post UNSW researchers honoured for work in renewables, water management, chemical engineering appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Vestas Ventures to fund early-stage start-ups in energy storage, grid flexibility, green transport and industry, and advanced materials. 

The post Wind giant Vestas throws weight behind cleantech start-ups appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Recent surveys of the lower Darling/Baaka River have revealed the good news we’ve been waiting for – Murray cod are breeding.

Canavan and Joyce lead the Nationals two day "caravan for coal" in the Hunter Valley, calling for new coal generators and saying bad things about wind and solar.

The post Canavan leads “caravan” for coal, urging Nationals to bury future in fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Energy Security Board's post-2025 NEM redesign could laydown the path to an effective decarbonisation of Australia's main electricity grid.

The post Market reforms will pave the way to a flexible, decarbonised, decentralised grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

CEFC strikes $125m deal with TransGrid to deliver new network infrastructure, helping to fund Snowy 2.0's connection to the main grid.

The post CEFC chips in to help fund transmission links for Snowy 2.0 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

The success of sustainable development taking root in the voluntary carbon market has presented both tremendous opportunity and an important risk: SDG washing, writes Owen Hewlett of Gold Standard.

Stanford researchers develop ultrafast perovskite manufacturing process which is cheaper and four times faster than traditional manufacturing.

The post Stanford scientists invent ultrafast perovskite solar module manufacturing process appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Even within a species, animals will suffer climate change differently. For sharks, it pays to live in warmer waters. Culum Brown, Professor, Macquarie University Connor Gervais, Connor Gervais Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Report suggests tree growth will not store nearly as much carbon as scientists hoped

Global heating appears to be making trees drop their leaves earlier, according to new research, confounding the idea that warmer temperatures delay the onset of autumn.

The finding is important because trees draw huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and therefore play a key role in managing the climate.

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