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Methane is a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than CO2 and addressing it is critical to slowing global heating

The Trump administration is revoking rules that require oil and gas drillers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than carbon dioxide.

Methane has a much more potent short-term warming effect than CO2 and addressing it is critical to slowing global heating as the world is already on track to become more than 3C hotter than before industrialization.

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Germany-based utility RWE saw its ETS-covered thermal output drop by almost a third in H1, it said in quarterly financial results on Thursday, matching an EU-wide trend of big-emitting generators bearing the brunt of the coronavirus-linked demand drop.

University of South Australia study finds that when it comes to solar self-consumption, optimal panel placement is rarely towards the equator.

The post North-facing rooftop solar panels rarely best for consumers – or for the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Vistra Corp looks to expand battery system in California to a world-leading 1,500MW with four hours of energy storage.

The post Big batteries are getting huge: California plan for 1500MW/6000MWh battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Shanghai municipal government will auction 2 million allowances for its emissions trading scheme before the end of the month, allowing speculators to participate for the first time after dismal sales to compliance entities in previous years.

New Zealand ETS participants used the NZ$25 fixed price option to meet around 21% of their total compliance obligations for 2019, EPA data showed Thursday, down from 51% the previous year, indicating a drop in surplus allowances carried into the next year.

Queensland MP writes report urging Coalition to increase efforts to reduce emissions, especially in Covid-19 recovery response

The Morrison government’s Great Barrier Reef envoy, Warren Entsch, has urged fellow Liberal MPs to do more on climate change policy, including pushing for greater global action, after the world heritage site suffered a third mass bleaching event in five years.

In a report to the environment minister, Sussan Ley, Entsch said climate change was having a growing impact on the reef and was unequivocally its greatest long-term threat. He said he feared that programs to address greenhouse gas emissions might be dropped as the government rationalised spending in response to the Covid recession, and called for it to take another path.

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Satellite images of the MV Wakashio shipwreck off the south-east coast of Mauritius reveal the damage as the Japanese bulk carrier leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil. The ship, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a coral reef on 25 July and began leaking oil last week, raising fears of a major ecological crisis

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Pair fledge first chick in Dundreggan for 40 years in eyrie built by conservationist

A nest of arm-sized sticks built on a precipitous crag by an octogenarian conservationist dangling from a rope has enticed a pair of golden eagles back to the Highlands of Scotland.

The eyrie handmade by Roy Dennis, a renowned conservationist who has masterminded the revival of endangered species across Britain, helped the eagles successfully fledge the first chick on Trees for Life’s Dundreggan estate in 40 years.

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Fishing time in first half of 2020 almost double that in whole of last year, Greenpeace says

Supertrawlers vastly stepped up their fishing in the UK’s protected waters during the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, while most of the UK’s smaller vessels were confined to port.

The amount of time supertrawlers spent fishing in marine protected areas in the first half of this year was nearly double that spent in the waters in the whole of last year, according to a Greenpeace investigation. There were 23 supertrawlers catching fish in UK protected areas in the period, none of them UK-owned.

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Over 10,000 blazes seen so far in August, with response of President Bolsonaro condemned as ineffective

The Amazon has seen the worst start to the fire season in a decade, with 10,136 fires spotted in the first 10 days of August, a 17% rise on last year.

Analysis of Brazilian government figures by Greenpeace showed fires increasing by 81% in federal reserves compared with the same period last year. Coming a year after soaring Amazon fires caused an international crisis, the new figures raised fears this year’s fire season could be even worse than last year’s.

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Vestas reports net loss of €85 million for first six months of 2020 as it negotiates the ups and downs of the Covid crisis and economic downturn.

The post Wind giant Vestas reports $A139 million loss in “challenging environment” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Painstaking conservation effort to accommodate insect’s complex lifecycle pays off

The biggest reintroduction to date of the large blue has led to the rare butterfly flying on a Cotswold hillside where it has not been seen for 150 years.

About 750 butterflies emerged on to Rodborough Common in Gloucestershire this summer after 1,100 larvae were released last autumn following five years of innovative grassland management to create optimum habitat.

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Centrists draw up report aimed at bringing the UK in line with official climate advice

A group of moderate Conservative MPs has joined green groups in calling for the government’s ban on new fossil fuel vehicles to be brought forward by five years to 2030 as part of a plan to ignite a green economic recovery.

The recently reformed caucus of centrist Conservatives has called on ministers to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive green policy report aimed at bringing the UK in line with the official advice of the government’s climate tsars.

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The changing shape of energy prices in NSW is presenting more opportunities for hybrid wind and solar projects, with or without storage.

The post Graph of the Day: How wind and solar has changed shape of NSW energy prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AGL writes down value of wind and solar investment, joining a list of local and international investors hit by falling prices and grid congestion issues.

The post AGL joins growing list of investors hit by write-downs on wind and solar assets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy Security Board releases consultation paper on renewable energy zone designs, to drive coordination between developers and network planners.

The post ESB suggests staged rollout of renewable energy zones as it seeks input on rules appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Investors led by global venture capital firm Artesian tip $1m into NSW start-up, Sicona, and its battery density-boosting technology developed at University of Wollongong.

The post Sydney battery materials start-up raises $1m towards possible “EV game-changer” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Despite this year's coronavirus lockdowns, more CO2 has accumulated in the atmosphere than during the same period in 2017 or 2018. Zoe Loh, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Helen Cleugh, Senior research scientist, CSIRO Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Paul Krummel, Research Group Leader, CSIRO Ray Langenfelds, Scientist at CSIRO Atmospheric Research, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian solar innovator 5B is enjoying an incredible year - more local deployments, signing for the world’s biggest solar farm, and attracting interest from US energy giant. Co-founder Chris McGrath explains why.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: 5B’s solar revolution takes global scale appeared first on RenewEconomy.