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How the Middle East's water shortage drives demand for live animal imports
The increasingly dry region relies on imports of sheep and cows from as far as Brazil to satisfy the rapidly growing population
Cows are waiting in pens, on sweet-smelling fresh straw. They have come to Lebanon from Spain, from Romania. In the one end of the alley are two pens packed with enormous Brahman cattle, standing well over six feet with their distinctive humps, all the way from Brazil.
“They are the most aggressive,” says one of the slaughterhouse staff. “It’s just their personalities.”
Continue reading...EU Midday Market Briefing
Mount Vesuvius eruption: Extreme heat 'turned man's brain to glass'
Revealed: e-mails show that NRA shaped gun policy at interior department
The National Rifle Association has used its connections in the Trump administration to influence decisions
In the fall of 2017, a National Rifle Association lobbyist named Benjamin Cassidy left his job at the influential gun group. His next stop: a top position at the US interior department, which oversees hundreds of millions of acres of federal land across the country.
Once in office, it didn’t take Cassidy long to turn around and use his new government gig to provide his long-time NRA colleagues with special access to the powerful federal agency, as revealed by previously unreleased communications obtained by the Guardian.
Continue reading...Doubts emerge for China ETS launch amid new leadership, virus outbreak
Appetite for 'warm meat' drives risk of disease in Hong Kong and China
A wet market, where animals are freshly slaughtered rather than chilled was identified as the source of the coronavirus outbreak. But experts have long warned of dangers
Each evening, under cover of darkness, hundreds of live pigs from farms across China are trucked through the rusting gates of a cluster of mildew-stained quarantine and inspection buildings in the Qingshuihe logistics zone in Shenzhen.
Overnight they are checked for illness, primarily the African swine fever (ASF) that is expected to kill off a quarter of the world’s pigs, and reloaded on to ventilated trucks with dual mainland China and Hong Kong licence plates.
Continue reading...Make big polluters pay for mass tree planting, officials say
Oil companies and airlines could fund 100m trees a year, says Committee on Climate Change
The planting of 100m trees a year in the UK to tackle the climate emergency could be paid for by new carbon levies on oil companies and airlines, the government’s official climate adviser has proposed.
The Committee on Climate Change also recommends banning the burning of grouse moors and the sale of peat compost to protect the nation’s bogs, which can store huge amounts of carbon. Voluntary measures have failed, it said.
Continue reading...Victorian Liberals change tack and push for long-term federal emissions targets
Victoria Liberal leader Michael O'Brien calls on federal Coalition to raise bar on climate policy, after announcing his Party's support of the need for state emissions reductions.
The post Victorian Liberals change tack and push for long-term federal emissions targets appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Downer earnings hit after more problems at wind and solar projects
Downer flags drop in earnings, citing connection bottlenecks and commissioning delays from its portfolio of wind and solar projects.
The post Downer earnings hit after more problems at wind and solar projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.
AEMO activates reserve trader mechanism for NSW on Thursday
To meet NSW consumers’ energy requirements and maintain power system security, AEMO has commenced activation with Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT) panel members to secure off-market generation and demand management reserve contracts.
The post AEMO activates reserve trader mechanism for NSW on Thursday appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Taylor concedes Australia to reach 48% renewables by 2030
Taylor confirms Australia to reach 48 per cent renewables by 2030, without wrecking the economy.
The post Taylor concedes Australia to reach 48% renewables by 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.
JinkoSolar breaks world record for bifacial modules conversion efficiency
JinkoSolar can announce that the maximum conversion efficiency of its bifacial solar modules reached 22.49%, breaking the previous world record.
The post JinkoSolar breaks world record for bifacial modules conversion efficiency appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Scotland to reach 100% renewables in time to host 2020 climate summit
Data shows Scotland is likely to meet its 100% renewable electricity target in good time for the November climate meeting, making it an exemplary host.
The post Scotland to reach 100% renewables in time to host 2020 climate summit appeared first on RenewEconomy.
AEMC executive appointments
The Australian Energy Market Commission is pleased to announce two new executive appointments.
The post AEMC executive appointments appeared first on RenewEconomy.
World’s largest offshore wind farm – 3.6GW – begins construction
Construction of 3.6GW Dogger Bank offshore wind farm has begun near the coastal village of Ulrome, England, starting with the onshore infrastructure.
The post World’s largest offshore wind farm – 3.6GW – begins construction appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Monarch butterfly population critically low on California coast – again
Study finds 29,000 butterflies, compared with 4.5 million during the 1980s, as experts point to habitat destruction
The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California’s coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed.
The count of the orange-and-black insects by the Xerces Society, a not-for-profit environmental organization that focuses on the conservation of invertebrates, recorded about 29,000 butterflies in its annual survey. That’s not much different than last year’s tally, when an all-time low 27,000 monarchs were counted.
Continue reading...Renewable hydrogen costs could halve by 2030, beating “unabated” fossil fuels
New report suggests costs for hydrogen produced by wind and solar will halve in next decade, beating fossil fuels and presenting huge opportunity for Australia.
The post Renewable hydrogen costs could halve by 2030, beating “unabated” fossil fuels appeared first on RenewEconomy.