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Adani Renewables’ ongoing bid for regulatory approval for its long-delayed 140MW Whyalla solar farm is back in the hands of the state’s Essential Services Commission.

The post Adani Renewables applies – again – for Whyalla solar farm generation licence appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

How one of the most profitable leisure industries in the world can also be one of the most polluting.

The box tree caterpillar comes top of the list of gardeners' concerns for the third year in a row.

Report raises fresh doubt about viability of Australia’s thermal coal export industry

Building new wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper in every major market across the globe than running existing coal-fired power stations, according to a new report that raises fresh doubt about the medium-term viability of Australia’s $26bn thermal coal export industry.

While some countries are moving faster than others, the analysis by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a climate finance thinktank, found renewable power was a cheaper option than building new coal plants in all large markets including Australia, and was expected to cost less than electricity from existing coal plants by 2030 at the latest.

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A company in Benin harvests water hyacinths which can be used to soak up oil.

All-electric, solar housing complex in Utah to feature a Sonnen battery inside all 600 apartments, in deliberate design “statement” unlikely to be replicated in Australia any time soon.

The post US housing complex to put Sonnen batteries inside all 600 apartments appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Electrifying the transport sector is the best way to boost Australia's energy security – think policies to increase EV uptake, not sourcing oil from the other side of the Pacific.

The post Taking US oil in a global crisis won’t do much for Australia’s energy security appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California Carbon Offset (CCO) issuance attained the highest level so far this year as four existing forestry projects helped boost supply this week under the state's WCI-linked ETS, according to data published Wednesday.

Clinching an international carbon trading deal on the Paris Agreement’s Article 6 will not be among the major issues for the British hosts of November’s UN climate talks in Glasgow, an ex-lead UK climate negotiator said on Wednesday.

The oil deal is a side-show. Australian energy diplomacy instead must grapple with the rapid deployment of renewables. Christian Downie, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If it’s possible to secure incomes due to coronavirus, why can’t we help families who can’t access healthy food?

This was no ordinary Conservative budget – but these are not ordinary times. In his first budget since taking office a month ago, Rishi Sunak was ebullient as he stated that this government would spend and invest “what it takes” to drive productivity and growth, and “level up” the country. His plan to address the economic impacts of coronavirus was comprehensive, clear in its understanding of the nature of the threat, and included many commendable measures – from making it easier to access statutory sick pay and benefit payments, to helping small businesses cover sick pay costs, though the TUC has called for greater support for low-paid workers. Many of today’s proposals could have come from a Labour chancellor.

That said, in a budget proclaiming an intention to “get things done”, there were some major omissions. Coronavirus may be the most immediate crisis facing the UK, but it is far from the only one: we face a climate emergency; our public services – especially those run by cash-strapped councils – are at breaking point; and for too many, the economy is not delivering security or hope. The chancellor’s budget fell short of the mark on these.

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The Spanish government has launched a consultation until Mar. 14 on its plans to establish of an aviation levy, amid EU-wide demands to increase ‘green’ taxation efforts. 

Scientists say a fossil from Myanmar represents the tiniest dinosaur ever found.

China is worst hit as lack of financial support leaves small-scale farms struggling to survive while big companies continue to expand

Small farmers across the globe are losing out in the aftermath of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak that killed a quarter of the world’s pig population, argues a new report.

Nowhere is this more evident than China, where swine fever has hit the country’s nearly 40 million small-scale pig farmers hardest, says the report by non-profit organisation Grain.

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Rishi Sunak pledges to more than double spending on government research and development by 2024.

Astronomers study an exotic planet where they suspect iron droplets fall through the atmosphere.

Losses of ice from Greenland and Antarctica are tracking the worst-case climate scenario, scientists warn

The polar ice caps are melting six times faster than in the 1990s, according to the most complete analysis to date.

The ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica is tracking the worst-case climate warming scenario set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists say. Without rapid cuts to carbon emissions the analysis indicates there could be a rise in sea levels that would leave 400 million people exposed to coastal flooding each year by the end of the century.

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The UK will in the coming months launch a consultation on a new tax as a post-Brexit carbon pricing alternative to an ETS, the government announced as part of its annual budget on Wednesday, while keeping the country’s domestic carbon levy frozen for another year.

The Budget has simultaneously pleased and infuriated environmentalists.