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Cumbrian councillors are reviewing their support for a controversial coal mine near Whitehaven.

The UK government has increased the reserve price in its upcoming carbon allowance auctions by almost 50% and has updated the rules governing the market's cost containment mechanism, it announced late Thursday.

They are thought to be formed by cars driving though puddles and spraying trees in icy conditions.

A mission to study a moon that could be home to extra-terrestrial life has been given a launch date.

The satellite images reveal miles of unregistered gold mining in Peru's Amazon rainforest, Nasa says.

Productivity Commission says Australian governments have allocated funding to several projects failing cost-benefit analyses

The Productivity Commission has slammed decisions by the federal and state governments to fund major dam projects without business cases, saying that several fail cost-benefit analyses and amount to subsidies for the private sector.

In a new draft report on national water policy, the commission has singled out Rookwood weir on the Fitzroy river in Queensland and the Dungowan dam on the Peel near Tamworth to demonstrate its concerns about the way decisions are made about infrastructure.

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Legislation needed to clear the next stage of the controversial project has passed through Parliament.

EU carbon prices climbed above €40 for the first time ever early on Thursday amid bullish technical signals and growth in investor interest.

Gail Mabo and Joanne Margaret Keune accuse the foundation of repudiating a contract to manage a traditional owners forum

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is being sued by the daughter of Indigenous land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo after it allegedly cancelled a contract for a $1m traditional owners forum.

In documents filed in the Townsville district court, the foundation is accused of repudiating a contract with Gail Mabo and Joanne Margaret Keune in September, two months after they allegedly reached a deal that would have seen the pair paid $1m over two years to plan and run the three-day forum.

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Document given to Senate crossbenchers outlines plan to transfer environmental decision-making powers to states and territories

The Morrison government is preparing to reject a recommendation it introduce strong national environmental standards to improve protection of Australian wildlife, opting to instead mimic the failing existing laws.

A document, seen by Guardian Australia, sets out the proposed standards the government will introduce to underpin its plan to transfer environmental decision-making powers to state and territory governments.

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New Zealand on Thursday released for public consultation draft legislation that will put in place a confidential reserve price on NZU auctions meant to stop government sales of carbon allowances from clearing too far below secondary market prices.

UK programme will offer 118 young people from ethnic minority backgrounds environment roles

A group of leading environmental organisations are taking part in an employment initiative to make the green movement more diverse.

Friends of the Earth, Client Earth, the RSPB and others will take part in a programme that aims to open up the environmental sector to young people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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Under 3,000 pairs survive, which each require 7 ha to prosper, with ex-industrial sites ideal for breeding

The willow tit, one of Britain’s smallest and most endangered birds, requires a surprisingly large area of wild land to thrive, according to research.

Less than 3,000 pairs of the bird survive, mainly on brownfield sites in former coal mining areas, making it the fastest declining resident species, with numbers plummeting by 94% since 1970.

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UPC and AC land debt finance for first 400MW of their massive solar and battery project in NSW, part of plans to replace capacity of Liddell coal generator.

The post UPC/AC land debt finance for 400MW solar project and big battery in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Cross-party committee says deprived groups contribute least but suffer most from dirty air

The government must set tough new air pollution targets to reduce the stark health inequalities suffered by disadvantaged communities, a cross-party committee of MPs has said.

Dirty air causes up to 64,000 early deaths a year in the UK, according to their report, and disproportionately harms those living in deprived areas and those from minority ethnic communities. The fact that these groups contribute the least to air pollution “increases the moral case for action”, said the MPs.

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Australia's Electrical Trades Union slams "brutal" text message sacking of 230 workers on a Queensland solar farm as laying bare the ugly side of the national solar industry.

The post Union labels solar a “cowboy industry” after Queensland project lay-offs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A major new report from the Productivity Commission calls for an overhaul of Australia’s 17-year-old policy on water. Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Amazon to buy half the output of the 759MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm to help power the company’s operations across Europe.

The post Amazon invests in 759MW offshore wind farm to power European operations appeared first on RenewEconomy.

With periods of negative electricity demand expected as early as next year, AEMO seeks urgent rule changes to prevent settlement systems falling over.

The post AEMO prepares for negative NEM demand with request for new rules appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Redflow secures deal to install at least 56 zinc-bromine flow batteries at remote Optus mobile base stations as part of a government-backed bushfire resilience initiative.

The post Redflow lands deal to supply 50-plus zinc-bromine batteries to Optus appeared first on RenewEconomy.