Around The Web

As farms struggle under Covid-19, NFU says furloughed workers keen to join paid ‘land army’

The leader of the UK’s biggest farming organisation says she is optimistic that British workers will come forward to rescue the harvest and keep the nation fed, instead of having to rely on flying in overseas workers.

“A lot of signs are optimistic and we have really positive news,” said Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union. “We are hearing people are very keen [to work on farms]. There does seem to be a real swell of support from people to do this.”

Continue reading...

Pennsylvania agencies are maintaining their timeline to finish a draft RGGI-aligned cap-and-trade regulation despite a statewide 'shelter-in-place' order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, as green groups outlined numerous ways for the Keystone State to strengthen its existing proposal.

European carbon prices climbed back above €21 on Thursday, surging nearly 10% on what was seen as speculative buying and short-covering as French utility EDF announced a large cut to its nuclear generation output this year.

• New Orleans, Honolulu and Miami expected to be vulnerable
• Research: advancing tides will ‘radically redefine the coastline’

Flooding events that now occur in America once in a lifetime could become a daily occurrence along the vast majority of the US coastline if sea level rise is not curbed, according to a new study that warns the advancing tides will “radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century”.

The research finds major cities such as Honolulu, New Orleans and Miami will become increasingly vulnerable to elevated high tides and stronger storms fueled by the global heating caused by human activity. Beach and cliff erosion will exacerbate this situation.

Continue reading...

The European Commission is likely to release a feasibility study on increasing the EU 2030 emission reduction target by September as planned, even as officials consider delaying other climate initiatives as the bloc grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

No strangers to isolation, the trio left for the space station months before Covid-19 emerged.

Our global, profit-driven, meat-centered food system is making us sick. We need a radical rethink

It was bats. Or pangolins. To hear common narratives about the origins of Covid-19, there is a simple causal relationship between China’s consumption of wild animals and the coronavirus ravaging the globe.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top epidemiologist, told Fox: “It boggles my mind how when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface, that we don’t just shut it down.” His opinion echoes a growing chorus across the political spectrum that singles out China’s so-called “wet markets” as the culprit for the pandemic. The Republican senator Lindsey Graham has called the Chinese exotic animal trade “disgusting” and conservationist Jane Goodall has called for “a global ban”.

Continue reading...

The Western Australia EPA on Thursday released guidelines allowing it to require major new projects to document how they intend to contribute to the state’s 2050 net zero emissions target, including plans to acquire carbon credits.

Europe's newest space telescope starts its study and characterisation of distant planets.

Australian households invested in almost two-and-a-half “Big Batteries” worth of home energy storage in 2019, installing 22,661 systems over the course of the year with a total capacity of 233MWh, and taking further control over their energy supply.

The post Australians installed 22,661 home battery systems in 2019 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Public sector pledge said to target removal of 9m kg of meat a year from UK meals

Public sector caterers serving billions of meals a year in schools, universities, hospitals and care homes have pledged to cut the amount of meat they serve by 20%.

The caterers’ meals are eaten by a quarter of the UK population and the groups said their action was aimed at reducing environmental impact and improving the healthiness of meals. Industry experts called the move unprecedented.

Continue reading...

SA Water to build a solar farm on a former oil refinery site to help power the Adelaide desalination plant.

The post SA Water to build solar farm on former oil refinery site appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new report on New Zealand's lakes and rivers confirms that many freshwater ecosystems are in decline and warns that climate change will exacerbate existing threats. Troy Baisden, Professor and Chair in Lake and Freshwater Sciences, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Half of real carbon footprint comes from ‘invisible’ cost of goods made overseas – study

The UK’s efforts to cut greenhouse gases are being undermined by a failure to put in place climate policies that cover imported goods, research has found.

The government is committed to cutting the UK’s carbon output to net zero by 2050, and emissions have been falling for the past three decades. But that does not take into account the “invisible” side of Britain’s carbon footprint, which comes from international travel and the carbon produced overseas to make goods that are used here.

Continue reading...

New experimental findings could help us solve one of the biggest mysteries about the Universe.

Climate Change Authority launches a fresh review of the Morrison Government's Emissions Reduction Fund, following flatlining project participation.

The post Climate Change Authority launches review into stalled Emissions Reduction Fund appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian “solar hydro” technology hopeful announces raft of strategic partnerships as it works towards huge 100MW/1,000MWh solar plus storage project.

The post RayGen edges closer to “solar hydro” success with new strategic partnerships appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Audi is readying for the arrival of the e-tron electric SUV in the third quarter of 2020, installing DC electric vehicle fast chargers at one Sydney dealership.

The post Audi readies for third quarter arrival of all-electric e-tron in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

COVID-19 gives us clear evidence that market fundamentalism is a failed economic strategy, and it needs to change to deal with climate and other environmental challenges.

The post Covid-19 and the death of market fundamentalism appeared first on RenewEconomy.

JA Solar becomes the first firm in the world to mass-produce high-efficiency Mono PERC MBB cells and modules using Ga-doped wafers.

The post JA Solar offers customers Mono PERC MBB Cells adopting Ga-doped Silicon Wafers appeared first on RenewEconomy.