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The Bronx Zoo in New York says this case of human-to-animal transmission appears to be unique.

Northern Territory to provide $6,000 grant for homes and businesses to install battery storage, funded by a cut in the solar feed in tariff.

The post Northern Territory offers $6,000 grant for home batteries, cuts solar tariff appeared first on RenewEconomy.

On what basis does Santos claim that LNG exports lower emissions in client countries when it is known that fugitive emissions negate any advantage over coal?

The post Santos must come clean on methane and accept its responsibilities to human health appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Snowy 2.0 tunnel segment factory gets planning approval as environmental groups and energy experts call for project to be halted, pending independent review.

The post NSW approves critical Snowy 2.0 factory as more energy experts call for project halt appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Oil and gas sector, including in Australia, ramps up lobbying for financial support and the repeal of environmental regulations due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The post Under cover of pandemic, fossil fuel interests unleash lobbying frenzy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

There is every reason to expect that the virus crisis will strengthen and accelerate the imperative to transition to a low-carbon world by mid-century.

The post Sorry to disappoint climate deniers, but coronavirus makes the low-carbon transition more urgen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Smart Energy Council webinar warns rooftop solar installers to “get deadly serious” about Covid-19 infection control, or “shut up shop” the for the next three months.

The post Rooftop solar installers warned, get serious about Covid-19 control or shut up shop appeared first on RenewEconomy.

March sales figures for electric and hybrid vehicle sector show considerable gains while petrol and diesel sales fall off a cliff during the Covid-19 economic downturn.

The post Australia electric and hybrid sales hold up, as overall car sales crash appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Conservation experts say the pandemic is a watershed moment for curbing global wildlife trade.

The blaze started on Saturday close to the site of the world’s worst ever nuclear disaster, Ukrainian officials say

Ukraine has reported a spike in radiation levels in the restricted zone around Chernobyl, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident, caused by a forest fire.

“There is bad news – radiation is above normal in the fire’s centre,” Yegor Firsov, head of Ukraine’s state ecological inspection service, said on Facebook on Sunday.

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Northern Territory finally endorses big battery for Darwin grid, which will deliver 5-year payback and help expansion of solar power needed to meet 50% renewables target.

The post NT plans big battery in Darwin to cut gas costs and accelerate solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The coronavirus slowdown provides an opportunity to reset the economy to address climate change. John Hewson, Professor and Chair, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fall in energy use combined with bright, breezy weather leads to lowest electricity prices in 10 years

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Thousands of British homes will be paid to use electricity during the day for the first time, as wind and solar projects produce a surge in clean energy during the coronavirus lockdown.

On Sunday morning, windfarms contributed almost 40% of the UK’s electricity, while solar power made up almost a fifth of the power system. Fossil fuels made up less than 15% of electricity, of which only 1.1% came from coal plants.

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The oil industry saw its opening and moved with breathtaking speed to take advantage of this moment

I’m going to tell you the single worst story I’ve heard in these past few horrid months, a story that combines naked greed, political influence peddling, a willingness to endanger innocent human beings, utter blindness to one of the greatest calamities in human history and a complete disregard for the next crisis aiming for our planet. I’m going to try to stay calm enough to tell it properly, but I confess it’s hard.

The background: a decade ago, beginning with indigenous activists in Canada and farmers and ranchers in the American west and midwest, opposition began to something called the Keystone XL pipeline, designed to carry filthy tar sands oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. It quickly became a flashpoint for the fast-growing climate movement, especially after Nasa scientist James Hansen explained that draining those tar sands deposits would be “game over” for the climate system. And so thousands went to jail and millions rallied and eventually Barack Obama bent to that pressure and blocked the pipeline. Donald Trump, days after taking office, reversed that decision, but the pipeline has never been built, both because its builder, TC Energy, has had trouble arranging the financing and permits, and because 30,000 people have trained to do nonviolent civil disobedience to block construction. It’s been widely assumed that, should a Democrat win the White House in November, the project would finally be gone for good.

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W.A. unveils new energy roadmap focusing on rooftop solar, batteries and EVs, and will roll out ten "neighbourhood" batteries in and around Perth before end of the year.

The post West Australia puts community batteries at top of new energy roadmap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As global heating makes coral bleaching a regular event, scientists are urgently seeking ways to help the world’s biggest reef survive

When coral scientist Zoe Richards left the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island in late January, she was feeling optimistic.

Richards is a taxonomist. Since 2011 she has recorded and monitored 245 coral species at 14 locations around the island’s research station, about 270km north of Cairns.

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Scientists, farmers and volunteers are looking for ways to lessen the impact of climate change as experts warn a third mass bleaching has taken place

• Photographs by Jonas Gratzer

One of the dive instructors points out two blacktip reef sharks circling a docile green turtle busy grazing on algae. Stingrays of various sizes, colours and shapes pass beneath us. Suddenly, a pod of dolphins appears, swimming over the hard corals.

The dive takes place on what appears to be healthy and pristine coral reef surrounding Lady Elliot Island, at the very southern end of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef off Queensland.

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Scientists race to halt spread of pungent insect species after it sweeps eight cities

The world’s hazelnut supplies could be threatened by a stinkbug that has recently invaded Turkey, scientists have warned.

The brown marmorated stinkbug, which is native to north-east Asia, has been spreading across the world in shipping containers, breeding freely thanks to warmer temperatures and a lack of natural predators.

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The critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback's future looks "dire," say conservationists.

ClimateWorks study says Australia has what it needs for economy-wide decarbonisation in line with 1.5°C target. The only missing ingredient is a Coronavirus-style response from government.

The post Australia has what it needs to go “all in” and reach zero emissions by 2035 appeared first on RenewEconomy.