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The camera detector for the Vera Rubin Observatory takes its first test images in the laboratory.

RGGI traders anticipate allowance prices in the Northeast US ETS will stagnate or sink on the secondary market after emitters ramped up purchases during the Q3 auction, following permit values hitting four-year highs this summer.

Home secretary tells Police Superintendents’ Association that she will not allow XR to create ‘anarchy’

The home secretary, Priti Patel, has claimed Extinction Rebellion are “so-called eco-crusaders turned criminals” who threaten key planks of national life.

The government’s rhetorical venom against XR was triggered by the blockading of newspaper print works which disrupted the distribution of some newspapers and led to scores of arrests last weekend.

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The European Parliament’s industry committee (ITRE) on Tuesday narrowly backed the raising of the bloc’s 2030 emissions goal to 55%, though opposing MEPs contested the outcome, which could give an early indication of the level of climate ambition sought by the wider assembly.

Rise in carbon capture as global warming speeds growth of forests would be negated by earlier deaths, say scientists

Live fast, die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees, according to new research. Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan, which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis.

Trees grow faster in warmer conditions, and this should act as a natural brake on global heating, as they take up and store more carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. But the new study casts doubt on this beneficial cycle, finding that the faster trees grow, the sooner they die – and therefore stop storing carbon.

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Poland’s climate ministry on Tuesday unveiled an updated 2040 energy strategy, planning an accelerated shift away from coal power but without giving a phaseout date.

Covid-19 gave us a glimpse of a less work-driven society, but it will take determination to avoid a return to the old normal

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Coronavirus has been devastating for those who fell sick or lost loved ones. The restrictions imposed on everyday life to check its spread have been particularly difficult for people living in cramped accommodation, those juggling childcare and work, and those who have lost their jobs. But despite these huge losses, the pandemic has allowed us to glimpse what a different economy and pace of life might look like – one that is slower, more sustainable and less fixated on growth and consumption. A YouGov poll at the end of June found 31% of people now want to see “big” changes in the economy, three quarters want the choice to work more at home, and only 6% favour a return to a pre-Covid economy.

At the height of the coronavirus crisis in June, some 7.5 million people were temporarily unemployed – the largest quarterly decrease (18.4%) in total weekly hours since records began in 1971. Through the furlough scheme, the state made the unprecedented decision to pay the wages to those out of work. Those who were lucky worked from home and took mortgage holidays. Of course, this didn’t apply equally: many frontline workers had no other option but to go into their workplaces and put their lives at risk.

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The German government considers creating an offshore launchpad for satellites.

The bloc's environment agency says pollution contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

The record-breaking Nile level could inundate precious relics as the country is hit by heavy rains.

With huge numbers of infections in slaughterhouses, workers and environmentalists must join forces for change

To anyone who has breathed country air thick with aerosolised manure or learned how the global expansion of pasture for feed crops drives deforestation, it might seem obvious that capitalism is unable to sustainably manage animal life. Yet the meat industry struggles to handle human life too.

Workers in factories strain to make thousands of cuts of meat every shift, leading frequently to repetitive motion injuries. Processing lines move so quickly that some workers must wear nappies because there are too few toilet breaks. There is not enough time to cover a cough – a potentially deadly indignity during a pandemic. Even before the outbreak, the meat industry pushed limits of animal and human biology.

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Compassionate conservationists believe no animal should be killed in the name of conservation. This idea is a death knell for Australia's native species. Kaya Klop-Toker, Conservation Biology Researcher, University of Newcastle Alex Callen, Post-doctoral researcher, University of Newcastle Andrea Griffin, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, University of Newcastle Matt Hayward, Associate professor, University of Newcastle Robert Scanlon, PhD Candidate in Restoration Ecology, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Pine martens prefer feasting on grey squirrels, which is helping to save reds, say conservationists.

Xodus Group will carry out phase one work for the $300 million Arrowsmith Hydrogen Project.

The post Massive Aussie green hydrogen project moves step closer appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The best performing solar farm in Australia in August belongs to the owner of the country's most controversial coal project.

The post Graph of the Day: Australia’s best performing solar farms in August appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wildlife group puts up wooden shapes to remind drivers to slow down as hedgehog declared vulnerable to extinction

“Ghost hedgehogs” are starting to appear on roadsides in Dorset to highlight the plight of hedgehogs killed by fast-moving vehicles.

The hedgehogs, made of white-painted wood, are being put up by the Dorset Mammal Group after one small village, Pimperne, reported more than 20 squashed hedgehogs on its roads in just one year.

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Plans to build an 80MW solar and battery farm in south-eastern NSW have gained modest ground after land was secured for the proposed state significant project.

The post Tetris Energy secures land for proposed solar and battery project in Yass appeared first on RenewEconomy.

ASX-listed New Energy Solar launches review of its solar energy portfolio, which may include a sale of its two Australian solar farms.

The post New Energy Solar may offer Australia solar farms for sale in strategic review appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Department officials concede that some of the assumptions underpinning the Morrison government's technology roadmap are departmental guesswork.

The post Federal government admits energy roadmap based on guesswork and thought bubbles appeared first on RenewEconomy.

University of Newcastle team combines solar PV and water harvested from air to produce low-cost green hydrogen, and gears up to test the fuel on Sydney roads.

The post Green hydrogen breakthrough uses energy from the sun, water from the air appeared first on RenewEconomy.