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A group of scientists respond after UK government minister Heather Wheeler stated that it had been ‘widely reported on social media that 75% of the fires were started by arsonists’

We write as scientists alarmed that a minister has ignored scientific evidence, relying instead on grossly misleading social media sources. In the House of Commons on 9 January, Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Heather Wheeler answered a question about the Australian bushfires by stating: “Very regrettably, it is widely reported on social media that 75% of the fires were started by arsonists.”

The claim that arson is a primary cause of this season’s bushfires has been comprehensively debunked: fire officers report that the majority of blazes were started by dry lightning storms. Nevertheless, social media is awash with false claims about the role of arson, obscuring the link between climate change and bushfires (Disinformation and lies are spreading faster than Australia’s bushfires, 11 January).

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The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled a €1 trillion investment plan to help meet the EU’s climate goals, seeking to divert 10% of the funds towards a “just transition” mechanism for fossil fuel-dominant regions, and potentially channelling aid to ETS installations.

Former Victorian Labor premier says the prime minister must act on global heating and put a price on carbon

Scott Morrison needs to take action on global heating or he will become a “climate change casualty”, a former Victorian Labor premier, Steve Bracks, said.

Bracks, who is chair of the $55bn industry superannuation fund Cbus, said the fires that have raged Australia have galvanised community support for action and he called on the Morrison government to put a price on carbon.

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The Northeast US RGGI carbon market will offer 16.2 million allowances for sale at its first quarterly sale to include New Jersey since 2011, the programme announced Tuesday.

The dead 15ft (4.5m) long juvenile killer whale was found on the coast of Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

Frequent flyer levy and cheaper trains would help with environmental pledges – but neither is planned

Travel from Exeter to Manchester next Wednesday, and a round trip with the airline Flybe returning the next day would cost you £68, of which air passenger duty amounts to £26. A train ticket for the same journey would cost £141.

This kind of price disparity between domestic flights and rail journeys has been the norm for years, the result of under-investment in railways and rail fares allowed to rise at rates much higher than inflation, while regional airports and airlines receive publicly funded incentives and tax breaks on fuel. It comes despite the government’s much-vaunted green policies, and its repeated goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

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Discovery of dead juvenile killer whale is first confirmed stranding in nearly 20 years

Experts are investigating the first confirmed stranding of an orca in England and Wales for almost 20 years, the Zoological Society of London has said.

The juvenile male killer whale, approximately 15ft long, became stranded in salt marsh in the Wash on the east coast of England.

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EUAs fell to a two-month low under €24 on Tuesday, dropping below technical support levels as diverging fuel prices diminished the incentive for utilities to buy carbon.

Smile for Good brand on sale in Waitrose and Boots, at £5 for 75ml tube

Colgate has launched a new toothpaste which is being billed as the first of a kind because it comes in a recyclable tube.

Toothpaste tubes have traditionally been impossible to recycle because they are made from a mixture of plastic and aluminium. Consumers get through 20bn packs of toothpaste every year with discarded tubes contributing to the plastic pollution crisis.

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New Zealand carbon allowances rose to fresh record highs in Tuesday trade as last month’s government proposal to raise the Fixed Price Option continued to dominate sentiment.

The Market Analysis team is primarily responsible for providing analysis of European Gas & Power, Global LNG and Carbon markets to the trading and origination teams within the International Gas (IG) business and the wider IST organization.

The Associate Director, Climate Change will work closely with members of the climate team to provide strategic,technical, policy, fundraising, and thought leadership for Oxfam America’s work on climate change.

The prime minister says he will work on ‘practical’ measures rather than bolstering emission reduction targets

• The government has been forced to talk about climate change, so it’s taking a subtle – and sinister – approach | Greg Jericho

The prime minister says he is focused on “practical” measures to address the effects of climate change in Australia rather than bolstering emission reduction targets.

As the government faces internal pressure to do more on climate change policy, Scott Morrison said Australia was already “carrying its weight” in terms of its global emission reduction efforts and transition to renewables but more needed to be done on “resilience and adaptation”.

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Having fewer children is one of the most effective ways an individual can mitigate climate change. Melissa Pappas, PhD Candidate, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Neoen wants the expanded Tesla big battery to be operating in the grid by early March, reveals equity contribution to new construction.

The post Neoen wants Tesla big battery expansion to be on line in March appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Installations and orders for South Australia home battery scheme surge, with the combined capacity now equivalent to half of the Tesla big battery.

The post South Australia home battery scheme now half the size of Tesla big battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Update: Sales of electric cars and hybrids were the only good news to come out of the new car market in Australia in 2020. Has the transition begun?

The post Electrics and hybrids the shining lights in bleak year for petrol, diesel car sales appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Environment department launches consultation on proposed regulatory regime for offshore wind farms in Australian waters.

The post Federal government seeks powers to regulate Australia’s offshore wind farms appeared first on RenewEconomy.

UK scientists say the recent fires in Australia are a foretaste of decades to come.

Increasing pressure on the Australian government to act on climate change amid devastating bushfires is creating a bullish outlook for carbon prices, analysts said Tuesday.