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Plastic pollution: Snowdon research is a 'wake-up call'
How the Tesla big battery has smoothed the transition to zero emissions grid
The Tesla big battery has reshaped thinking about a renewables grid - it has cut prices, kept the lights on and has yet more tricks up its sleeve.
The post How the Tesla big battery has smoothed the transition to zero emissions grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia on the frontline: ask an expert about climate change and its effects
Your chance to put questions to climate scientists and academics as well as experts on controlling bushfires
From unprecedented bushfires in forests that used to be too wet to burn to warming seas that have killed giant underwater forests, Australia is experiencing the effects of the global climate crisis more rapidly than much of the world.
Over the past three weeks, Guardian Australia has told these stories in a major six-part series that was paid for by readers.
10am-11am: Prof Lesley Hughes, ecologist, distinguished professor of biology and pro-vice-chancellor (research) at Macquarie University, and Climate Councillor. Hughes has expertise on the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems.
11am-12pm: Greg Mullins, former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW, volunteer firefighter and Climate Councillor.
12pm-1.30pm: Prof Michael Mann, climatologist, geophysicist and director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University. Mann is currently based in Sydney.
2pm-3pm: Assoc Prof Donna Green, from the University of New South Wales’ climate change research centre. Green has expertise in the health effects of climate change and air pollution.
Continue reading...Eco-campaigners hail Heathrow as a victory, but will it turn out to be one for the planet? | Margaret Heffernan
On Thursday, when climate activists spilled on to the road, singing “We’ll take climate change seriously” to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, they felt confident of a big victory.
Heathrow’s expansion had been declared illegal because it is incompatible with legislation committing the government to zero carbon emissions by 2050. The proposal, which would have brought 260,000 new flights a year to the airport, was dead and campaigners celebrated because similar schemes were now doomed.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: Nasa images show China pollution clear amid slowdown
New York plastic bag ban comes into force but opponents tote exceptions
Campaigners hail move against environmentally damaging bags though small-business concerns mean many will remain
A plastic bag ban will come into force in New York on Sunday, a moment hailed by environmentalists but marred by last-minute bickering.
Related: Is there anything more un-American than New York’s plastic bag ban? | Emma Brockes
Continue reading...Making chopsticks into house furnishings
Anak Krakatau: Lightning frenzy points to scale of volcanic plume
The insanity of Angus Taylor’s fossil fuel technology roadmap
Angus Taylor's technology roadmap seems designed to deliberately ignore the obvious choices for abatement.
The post The insanity of Angus Taylor’s fossil fuel technology roadmap appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Collinsville: the Queensland town on the frontline of the coal wars
The idea of a new coal-fired power station in the town has been a useful political tool but few experts think it necessary, or viable
The only physical trace of Shine Energy, which wants to build a $2bn coal-fired power station in north Queensland, is a small post office box next to an Asian grocer at a suburban Brisbane shopping complex. The same mailbox is shared by more than a dozen online businesses, including the maker of a metal card that spuriously claims to improve the quality of wine.
Company documents show Shine Energy is worth a nominal $1,000 on paper. It has no registered financial obligations, and no physical office at its listed address.
Continue reading...CP Daily: Friday February 28, 2020
AEMO set to launch Australia’s first distributed energy database
Australian Energy Market Operator launching nation’s first detailed database of rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and other consumer-owned resources.
The post AEMO set to launch Australia’s first distributed energy database appeared first on RenewEconomy.
US Carbon Pricing Roundup for week ending Feb. 28, 2020
Washington’s Puget Sound to further evaluate comments on regional LCFS
Judge keeps WCI, California agency heads in Trump administration ETS lawsuit
Eni fixes 2050 emission goals with focus on gas shift, forest offsets
The week in wildlife – in pictures
The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including orphan elephant calves and the ‘Brad Pitt of mountain lions’
Continue reading...Naomi Seibt: 'anti-Greta' activist called white nationalist an inspiration
German teenager is due to speak at US rightwing conference CPAC
A young campaigner who has been hailed by climate sceptics as the right’s answer to Greta Thunberg has previously described a white nationalist who appeared to promote “white genocide” theories as one of her “inspirations”.
Naomi Seibt, a 19-year-old from Münster, Germany, who styles herself as a “climate realist”, has also had to deny she made remarks that could be seen as antisemitic following an attack on a synagogue last year.
Continue reading...Waiter, there's a fly in my waffle! Scientists try baking with insects
Fat from larvae could be a more sustainable alternative to dairy, say researchers
Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium are experimenting with larva fat to replace butter in waffles, cakes and cookies, saying using grease from insects is more sustainable than dairy produce.
The researchers soak black soldier fly larvae in a bowl of water, put it in a blender to create a smooth greyish dollop and then use a kitchen centrifuge to separate out insect butter.
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