Around The Web

Magpie behaviour is not black and white

ABC Environment - Sat, 2019-10-05 05:30
[RE-ISSUE] The phrase 'mate for life' might seem romantic, but the reality of such a relationship for the long-lived Australian Magpie involves turf wars, sex on the side and the possibility of a step-parent bringing up your kids if you get too aggro.
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'Everywhere we looked': trillions of microplastics found in San Francisco bay

The Guardian - Sat, 2019-10-05 04:39

Most comprehensive study to date finds plastic in sediment collected from bay and tributaries and digestive tracts of fish

The most comprehensive study to date of microplastics in California has turned up a mind-boggling amount of plastic particles in the San Francisco bay.

An estimated 7tn pieces of microplastics flow into the San Francisco bay via stormwater drains alone, researchers discovered. Nearly half of the microscopic particles found in stormwater looked suspiciously like tiny fragments of car tires, which rainfall washes off the streets and into the ocean.

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Climate change: Polarstern icebreaker begins year-long Arctic drift

BBC - Sat, 2019-10-05 04:33
The research vessel is spearheading the biggest ever scientific expedition at the North Pole.
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Trump administration to explore increasing 2020 biofuel quotas, further examine RIN reform

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2019-10-05 03:29
President Donald Trump on Friday tasked two federal agencies with taking steps to elevate next year’s biofuel quotas under the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), also requesting that the departments continue to evaluate credit market reforms after previous proposals were shelved this year.
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The week in wildlife - in pictures

The Guardian - Sat, 2019-10-05 01:15

A crayfish crossing a road, fur seals living on a volcanic island and dissected seahorses

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EU Midday Market Brief

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2019-10-04 22:23
European carbon prices consolidated near yesterday’s six-month lows on Friday, taking a breather after two days of heavy losses.
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Does Extinction Rebellion have a race problem?

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 22:00

Critics say group is not doing enough to involve people of colour, or expose links between climate crisis and inequality

It was just a tweet, and whoever sent it probably didn’t think much about it. It was a sunny day in July and environmental activists had blocked the Strand with a big blue boat.

“Live from the royal courts of justice,” Extinction Rebellion London wrote. “It has been announced that all protesters arrested during the April rebellion will be prosecuted. We are asking the police and legal system to concentrate on issues such as knife crime, and not non-violent protesters who are trying to save our planet.”

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Norway to release forestry cash to Guyana after renewable energy commitment

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2019-10-04 20:30
Norway has agreed to release the final $50 million of its forestry protection payments to Guyana after the South American nation agreed to increase its renewable energy use.
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South Korea plans tighter CO2 caps for ETS companies next decade

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2019-10-04 20:17
South Korea plans to reduce the number of allowances issued to participants in its emissions trading scheme over the 2020s as part of its strategy to meet Paris Agreement obligations, according to a draft government climate plan.
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Why are female cyclists targeted by aggressive drivers for abuse?

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 20:09

By being on the road, women seem to be transgressing a boundary that some men find intolerable

I commute in London by bike. Run-ins with aggressive drivers are as much a part of my daily routine as brushing my teeth. Recently though, I’ve started to wonder whether there is a distinctly gendered dimension to the frequency and intensity with which I am shouted, sworn and honked at.

When I talk to friends who cycle, I’m struck by the instant recognition of this phenomenon by fellow women, who are quick to share their stories. Sometimes the abuse is explicitly sexual, more often it’s simply aggressive and unpleasant, or merely patronising. Almost without exception, it’s perpetrated by men.

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Greater horseshoe bats living in Kent after absence of 115 years

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 20:00

Climatic change may be behind expanded range of very rare native mammal of British Isles

One of Britain’s and northern Europe’s rarest and most elusive mammals has been discovered living in the east of England for the first time in 115 years.

The return to Kent of the greater horseshoe bat has delighted and astounded conservationists, who are now examining whether climate change is shifting the species’ range. The bat is normally found only in Wales and the west of England.

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Tesla Model 3 outsells total of all other new electric cars in New Zealand

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2019-10-04 18:51

tesla new zealand vehicle salesThe Tesla Model 3 outsells combined total of all other new pure electric cars in New Zealand in the third quarter 2019.

The post Tesla Model 3 outsells total of all other new electric cars in New Zealand appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Wagga mayor plans electric road trip to counter skeptical councillors, Murdoch media

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2019-10-04 18:51

Wagga electric vehicle range mayorWagga Wagga mayor plans business trip to Sydney set straight controversy over the city’s electric vehicle purchase.

The post Wagga mayor plans electric road trip to counter skeptical councillors, Murdoch media appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Daily life of Amazonian Tembe tribes - in pictures

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 17:30

Tembe warriors in Brazil wear colourful headdresses of macaw and other feathers, and wield bow and arrows to hunt and protect their homeland, which is constantly under threat in the globally vital Amazon region. Like their ancestors, the Tembe plant trees to teach their children the value of preserving the world’s largest rainforest, which is a critical bulwark against global warming

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No Casino shootout: police deny plan to kill swooping magpies in NSW town

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 16:44

Police say media reports that trained marksmen would be brought in to control the town’s magpies were incorrect

Police in the northern New South Wales town of Casino have denied they planned to deploy specially trained officers to shoot and kill magpies, contrary to media reports.

On Friday the Northern Star reported that elite police officers would descend on the town to shoot local magpies which have been deemed too dangerous to live.

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Video shows 400km of dead and badly damaged mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria – video

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 15:11

Vision taken from a helicopter shows 400km of dead and badly damaged mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The mangroves have been hit by a combination of rising sea levels, heatwaves and back-to-back tropical cyclones. Prof Norman Duke, of James Cook University, spent 10 days monitoring 2,000km of coastline from a helicopter. For hundreds of kilometres, Duke says what would usually be a landscape of lush green mangroves has been replaced by struggling dull grey trees with stripped foliage.

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Hydrogen Mobility Australia relaunched as Australian Hydrogen Council

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2019-10-04 15:10

Hydrogen Mobility Australia will now be known as the Australian Hydrogen Council, after the leading hydrogen peak body changed its name to reflect the diversity of its growing membership.

The post Hydrogen Mobility Australia relaunched as Australian Hydrogen Council appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Experts want air-con “clunkers” replaced to soften Victoria demand peaks, cut bills

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2019-10-04 14:58

Young man Cleaning and washing maintenance dirty filter - optimised air conditionersIndustry body calls for more support to replace air conditioner "clunkers" as Victoria hails successes of energy efficiency scheme

The post Experts want air-con “clunkers” replaced to soften Victoria demand peaks, cut bills appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Energy Insiders Podcast: View from China – Climate and carbon markets

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2019-10-04 14:49

solar chinaBeijing-based Stian Reklev joins Energy Insiders to provide the view from China on climate, coal and carbon markets, and why progress is slow. Plus, the regulatory problems in Australia.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: View from China – Climate and carbon markets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Adani mine: another insurer distances itself from Carmichael project

The Guardian - Fri, 2019-10-04 14:44

Possible rail line insurer Canopius says it is ‘not involved in any negotiations’ over the Queensland project

A Lloyd’s of London insurer – considered one of the few remaining possible underwriters for elements of the Carmichael coal project – has distanced itself from Adani and says it is not involved in negotiations.

Canopius was one of two global companies understood to have held discussions with a broker about insuring the construction of Adani’s proposed rail line, linking the Carmichael mine site to the Queensland freight network.

Both now appear to have ruled themselves out. It was reported on Thursday that Axis Capital withdrew its bid. Canopius said in a statement on Friday it was “not involved in any negotiations to provide insurance coverage for the Adani mine project”.

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