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APA Group's 110MW Darling Downs solar farm officially – and finally – launched, after a tortuous path to commercial operation.

The post Queensland’s 110MW Darling Downs solar farm officially launched appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fire officials warn that this week's catastrophic fire conditions are "where people die". Climate change has arrived, and politicians should drop the meaningless rhetoric. Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Parts of New South Wales and Queensland woke to catastrophic bushfire danger warnings and towns and cities blanketed in smoke on Tuesday. Hundreds of schools were closed and residents in bushland areas were advised to leave as conditions were expected to worsen. Two hundred homes and sheds had been destroyed in recent days and three people confirmed dead.

• Live coverage of Tuesday’s catastrophic fire conditions
• How you can donate and help with the NSW and Queensland bushfires
• Open thread: tell us how you’re affected by the fires

• If you are in a bushfire affected area stay tuned to your local emergency broadcaster. Full alerts can be found here for NSW and here for Queensland

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Australia's largest banks make steps towards decarbonising their operations, but none have a comprehensive plan for zero net emissions, a ClimateWorks Australia assessment finds.

The post Australia’s largest banks make slow progress on decarbonisation promises appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fukushima, host to one of world’s worst nuclear disasters, set to start work on 21 solar and wind farms, in a $US2.7 billion renewable energy rebirth.

The post Fukushima to turn unusable farmland into wind and solar “mega park” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMO confirms new minimum operational grid demand of 458MW on Sunday afternoon, replacing previous summer minimum record set in December 2018.

The post Rooftop solar delivers yet another record low in grid demand for South Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Development has long been given priority over the endangered bird’s welfare – and is set to again with the Carmichael coalmine

• Vote now for the Australian bird of the year

The black-throated finch is a refugee. For decades, progress has forced the small, rotund, patchwork finch to retreat to a few pockets of grassland in central and north Queensland. Now the largest colony will be forcibly moved from the best remaining habitat to make way for Adani’s Carmichael coalmine.

Since it was listed as endangered and protected under Australian law, 775 development applications have proposed removing or damaging potential finch habitat. One has been rejected.

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Vaping caused a catastrophic reaction in Ewan Fisher's lungs that meant he could not breathe.

Negative pricing events hit record highs in September quarter that saw record levels of wind and solar and a record low for coal generation.

The post Negative pricing events hit record levels as solar takes big bite out of coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The US-China over artificial intelligence is heating up, but some warn the US could be over-reacting.

Windlab faces another four to five months before commissioning of world-first wind, solar and battery project, as dispute with EPC contractors deepens.

The post Windlab dispute with contractors depends over delays to Kennedy energy hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) biofuel credits rose over the past few days from a recent low as buyers scooped up credits at bargain prices.

Response follows Jeremy Corbyn urging PM to ‘take personal charge’ as locals tell of ruined homes

Boris Johnson has agreed to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Tuesday to discuss the response to the recent severe floods, after he was urged by Jeremy Corbyn to “take personal charge” of the situation.

The announcement by Downing Street came as residents began a clean-up operation, and warned that further damage was likely unless existing water was pumped away.

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The most damaging tropical cyclones are three times more frequent now than they were 100 years ago.

British Columbia’s yet-to-be-finalised carbon pricing system for large industry is the only proposed scheme among Canada’s provinces that meets the environmental stringency requirements of the federal government’s ‘backstop’ mandate, a report released on Saturday found.

A loss of snow and ice cover are the main reasons for the reduction of the Arctic's albedo effect, not soot as had been previously thought.

While residents in bushfire-affected areas in Qld and NSW count their losses, politicians have exchanged fire on the role climate change is playing in this crisis.

ABC panel manages civil debate on climate change after shadow climate minister’s intervention

Shadow climate change minister Mark Butler issued a plea last night to set aside public debates about climate change while communities were fighting for their lives and homes in the face of unprecedented bushfires.

Speaking at the beginning of ABC TV’s Q&A program last night, Butler said his political colleagues on all sides should stick to an unwritten protocol of “putting political disputes aside” while people were in harm’s way during emergencies.

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Pressure is mounting on Australia's dairy farmers, from farm gate prices to animal welfare concerns, and technology that could produce milk without cows. Andrew Fisher, Professor of Cattle & Sheep Production Medicine, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.