Around The Web

Deputy premier John Barilaro says the government’s priority is ‘getting new trees in the ground and strengthening the industry’

The New South Wales government won’t proceed with privatising Forestry Corporation’s softwood plantation business after an unprecedented bushfire season.

The government decided to forgo a long-term lease of the business after a five-month investigation which took into account recent damage to the state’s forestry assets.

Continue reading...

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

Germany is now the biggest buyer of electric vehicles in Europe, surpassing previous market leader Norway as both diesel and petrol vehicle sales fall.

The post Germany spurns diesel, petrol cars to become biggest EV market in Europe appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Poland has proposed eliminating free carbon allowance allocations for aircraft operators covered by the EU ETS and wants to implement full auctioning for the sector, according to a document seen by Carbon Pulse.

Large stationary emitters regulated under Alberta’s outgoing Carbon Competitiveness Incentive Regulation (CCIR) are expected to surrender a similar number of offsets as the prior year at the upcoming March compliance deadline, government officials said Wednesday.

Swedish furniture giant to launch its complete home solar offering – called SOLSTRÅLE – around Australia in April, starting with employees of the company.

The post Ikea to offer home solar systems in Australia, starting this year appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Climate Solutions seeks a smart, innovative Washington Policy Manager with a deep commitment to equitable and just climate and clean energy solutions to further the organization’s mission through concrete program and policy work and building diverse coalitions at the local, state, and regional levels.

Scenarios and modelling is distorting the debate we need to have about energy and climate, and hiding what can be acheived.

The post How energy and emission projections and scenarios distort climate debate appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More modest GHG reductions expected in California’s transportation sector and utility Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) anticipated involvement in 2020 auctions will lead WCI carbon prices higher than previously estimated this year, analysts said Wednesday.

This summer's bushfires have sparked a fiery debate about hazard-reduction burning. Scientists are still debating whether it really helps prevent bushfires – here's why. Kevin Tolhurst, Hon. Assoc. Prof., Fire Ecology and Management, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For months, Australians breathed air pollution caused by bushfire smoke that was up to 26 times above levels considered hazardous to human health. The long-term impact could be devastating

Continue reading...

Bones of fish eaten by humans thousands of years ago offer clue to region’s ancient climate

The Sahara’s shift from savannah with abundant lakes to a largely arid expanse has been traced in the remains of fish eaten thousands of years ago.

Researchers analysing material found in a rock shelter in the Acacus mountains in south-west Libya say they have found more than 17,500 animal remains dating from between 10,200 and 4,650 years ago, 80% of which are fish. About two-thirds of the fish were catfish and the rest were tilapia. The team say telltale marks on the bones reveal the fish were eaten by humans who used the shelter.

Continue reading...

Number of properties built in high-risk areas has more than doubled in recent years

One in 10 of all new homes in England since 2013 have been built on land at the highest risk of flooding, official figures reveal, potentially leaving tens of thousands of people in greater danger from extreme winter storms.

The number of properties built in these high-risk areas annually has more than doubled in recent years, with more than 84,000 new at-risk homes in total since 2013, according to a Guardian analysis of government data.

Continue reading...

Reckless new developments on green belt land and farmland greatly add to the flooding risk, writes Dr Jon Mulberg, while Prof Tom Spencer says that flood defences are just a sticking-plaster solution. Plus letters from Dr Mark Ashby, Dr Andreas Heinemeyer, Anne Gray and Innes Thomson

There is a link between the Trinity College protest (Cambridge college lawn dug up by XR protesters, 18 February) and the flooding on which you also report. The Trinity protest was aimed at the plan to dig up farmland in Kirton, Suffolk, to build a mammoth lorry park, which would ruin three villages. This particular proposal has now been rejected.

You also report on the need for better natural drains to protect against floods (Better natural drains needed as storms get more intense, warn scientists, 18 February). However, the main natural drain in Suffolk is precisely the farmland and marshland that Trinity is infamous for building on (the plan for a lorry park has now been replaced with plans for a de facto new town). Digging up green belt land and farmland is a flood risk. The water that used to be stored in the ground has to go somewhere. Suffolk was spared this time round, but last year had floods in areas adjacent to new-builds that had never flooded before. Other counties may not have been so lucky – there was building uphill just outside Tenbury Wells.

Continue reading...

The process to restart the UK’s EU carbon allowance auctions has not yet been completed, the British government announced late Wednesday, adding that it still intends to resume sales on Mar. 4.

She appeared on TV shows ranging from Blue Peter to The Sky At Night, as well as documentaries.

Study indicates human fossil methane emissions have been underestimated by up to 40%

The oil and gas industry has had a far worse impact on the climate than previously believed, according to a study indicating that human emissions of fossil methane have been underestimated by up to 40%.

Although the research will add to pressure on fossil fuel companies, scientists said there was cause for hope because it showed a big extra benefit could come from tighter regulation of the industry and a faster shift towards renewable energy.

Continue reading...

California regulator ARB should address the growing oversupply of compliance instruments in the state’s cap-and-trade programme to ensure it remains on course to hit its long-term climate goal, a prominent state senator said Tuesday.

People affected by UK floods tell of their impact and ‘painful, disruptive aftermath’

Flooding not only wrecks businesses, destroys homes and disrupts everyday life but also causes long-lasting and dangerous levels of stress, residents from flood-hit communities have said.

Hundreds of homes have been flooded and six people are thought to have died across England and Wales after heavy downpours and successive storms further exposed the fragility of flood defences and the gravity of the climate emergency.

Continue reading...

Discovery draws criticism from those who say fashion industry generates too much waste

Hundreds of Victoria’s Secret bras have reportedly been found discarded in a bin close to a recently closed branch of the lingerie store in Colorado.

The discovery comes at a time when the fashion industry is under fire for generating significant levels of waste, while Victoria’s Secret continues to face criticism regarding recent controversies.

Continue reading...