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Red-state Utah embraces plan to tackle climate crisis in surprising shift
Utah aims to reduce emissions over air quality concerns as other red states are also starting to tackle global heating
In a move to protect its ski slopes and growing economy, Utah – one of the reddest states in the nation – has just created a long-term plan to address the climate crisis.
Related: Washington state takes bold step to restrict companies from bottling local water
Continue reading...Coronavirus shaves 100 MtCO2 off China emissions -analyst
‘Just transition’ in Europe’s most coal-addicted regions possible by 2030 -report
Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes pledge $12m to supply solar systems for disaster relief
The billionaire couple want to provide ready-made solar and battery arrays to communities cut off from the power grid
Software billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie have promised up to $12m to install solar and battery systems in communities disconnected from the electricity grid by bushfire or flood.
The couple say they will provide prefabricated solar panel and battery systems through a new venture, known as Resilient Energy Collective, that will power up to 100 sites disconnected from the grid in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Some are relying on diesel generators, others are without power.
Continue reading...Cannon-Brookes teams with Tesla, 5B to fund solar and batteries for fire victims
Cannon-Brookes teams up with Tesla and "rapid" solar company 5B to install solar and battery stand alone systems for bushfire victims.
The post Cannon-Brookes teams with Tesla, 5B to fund solar and batteries for fire victims appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The white swan harbingers of global economic crisis are already here | Nouriel Roubini
Seismic risks for the global system are growing, not least worsening US geopolitical rivalries, climate change and now the coronavirus outbreak
In my 2010 book, Crisis Economics, I defined financial crises not as the “black swan” events that Nassim Nicholas Taleb described in his eponymous bestseller but as “white swans”. According to Taleb, black swans are events that emerge unpredictably, like a tornado, from a fat-tailed statistical distribution. But I argued that financial crises, at least, are more like hurricanes: they are the predictable result of builtup economic and financial vulnerabilities and policy mistakes.
There are times when we should expect the system to reach a tipping point – the “Minsky Moment” – when a boom and a bubble turn into a crash and a bust. Such events are not about the “unknown unknowns” but rather the “known unknowns”.
Continue reading...The European Green Deal will bypass the poor and go straight to the rich | Daniela Gabor
For all the talk of retraining Polish miners, this fund will most likely line the pockets of the carbon finance elites
When Josep Borrell, the EU’s newly appointed foreign policy chief, recently caused outrage by dismissing young climate activists as flaky sufferers of “Greta syndrome”, he made not just a serious error of judgment but a serious mistake in macroeconomics. It was a mistake that is symptomatic of the dire state of European economic debate after a decade of austerity and schwarze Null (balanced budget) ideas.
Continue reading...Carrie Symonds’ influence only goes so far – green Toryism is a hollow dream | Alex Niven
Love of nature may be a party tradition, but the urge to exploit is strong. Boris Johnson is unlikely to go beyond minor tinkering
The nature of our new political consensus – call it Johnsonism if you must – is still hard to figure out. Will we see the rise of an authentic populism with a northern face, or just a nipped and tucked version of the same old Thatcherism? As we try to parse what this government has in store, all eyes are on Boris Johnson’s inner circle. The opinions of certain advisers seem to matter far more to the prime minister than those of Conservative MPs in his ultra-centralised regime.
A key player is Johnson’s partner, Carrie Symonds, whose controversial role in shaping government policy will be tested by a court probe into the cancellation of a cull on badgers in Derbyshire in the last months of 2019. As her opposition to the cull suggests, Symonds is an animal rights activist and patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, which will raise hopes in some quarters that Johnson’s government can find a special place in its heart for environmental issues.
Continue reading...I shot a deer – and I still believe it was the ethical thing to do | George Monbiot
Between kill nothing and kill almost everything lies the pragmatic aim of maximising diversity and abundance on Earth
It was a protest against me. But I sympathised with the demonstrators, who gathered outside the theatre where I was speaking last week to call me a killer. I didn’t dispute their claim. I am a killer.
While making Apocalypse Cow, a film for Channel 4 about how we should feed ourselves without destroying the world, I shot a deer. If it helps (though it didn’t help the deer), I hated every minute of it, from picking up the rifle and learning to use it, to finding and stalking the innocent animal, then shooting it through the chest from 180 metres, watching it rear into the air, stumble, spasm and die. It was a gruesome, horrible experience.
Continue reading...Victoria left in the dark over potential bilateral energy deal with Angus Taylor
Victoria has been left in the dark over any potential deal with the federal government on energy, hasn't heard from Angus Taylor for months.
The post Victoria left in the dark over potential bilateral energy deal with Angus Taylor appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Tesla makes it into top 10 most popular car brands in NSW
New figures reveal Tesla is in top ten most popular auto brands in NSW, while some European and Japanese mainstays saw dipping sales.
The post Tesla makes it into top 10 most popular car brands in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Yes, the Australian bush is recovering from bushfires – but it may never be the same
Energy Insiders Podcast: Victoria goes it alone to save renewable transition
Victoria energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio laments “crazy situation” around grid connections as state becomes latesr to “go it alone”, introducing new legislation to fast-track transmission investment.
The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Victoria goes it alone to save renewable transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Morrison recycles old tactics in bid to avoid zero emissions targets
Scott Morrison is set to rehash outdated arguements and ignore the experts in his efforts to avoid Australia signing up to a zero emissions target.
The post Morrison recycles old tactics in bid to avoid zero emissions targets appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Shell to buy power from Europe’s biggest battery
Shell signs contract with proposed 100MW Minety battery storage project to help optimise renewable power and mark another step towards a zero carbon grid.
The post Shell to buy power from Europe’s biggest battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Tasmania’s Granville Harbour wind farm now sending power to the grid
Newest wind farm in Tasmania now sending power to the grid.
The post Tasmania’s Granville Harbour wind farm now sending power to the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
EasyJet, Harrods breach EU ETS rules as UK issues record £5.6m in fines
Tesla big battery at Hornsdale gets big jump in revenues, more to come
Tesla big battery at Hornsdale reports sharp jump in revenue in fourth quarter, and can expect even bigger leap in current quarter after South Australia separation.
The post Tesla big battery at Hornsdale gets big jump in revenues, more to come appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Putting the 'net' into net-zero targets: it’s time to start doing things that work. Now | Richard Denniss
The best way to hit a net zero target would have been to stop building coalmines and gas fields 20 years ago
After a summer of catastrophic bushfires, the most brutal evidence of the impacts of climate change, the government has managed to move the debate towards the pros and cons of setting a long-term net zero emissions target for 2050.
While #Scottyfrommarketing copped flack for his lack of empathy or response to the summer of fires, you have to admit, he’s done an amazing job of shifting the debate away from the Coalition’s failure to reduce emissions or prepare for the fires they were warned of by 24 former fire and emergency chiefs.
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