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Planting any tree is more important than planting a particular tree when it comes to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sebastian Leuzinger, Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

'Even though it is slow, the pace is picking up and the debate is shifting,' 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg tells a rapturous audience at George Washington University. Thunberg pioneered the Fridays for Future school climate strikes in August last year by staging a solo protest outside the Swedish parliament. The movement has since grown around the world. The next mass protest is on 20 September. 'Activism works', she says, before concluding: 'See you on the street!'

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17 September 1957: As well as commercial poachers, the crofter who wants ‘one for the pot’ is just as likely to be the victim

“Wha’ll gang a poachin’ tae Kergord wi’ me?” is the challenging refrain of a comic song, sung to the tune of Waltzing Matilda, popular at village hall concerts in Shetland. Hear an audience of young Shetlanders taking up this refrain and you may assume that they are no less willing than their forebears to encroach on a laird’s preserves. But times have changed and, like the Cornish pastime of shipwrecking, the Shetland sport of netting the burns joins the list of anti-social nocturnal activities.

Related: Eerie silence falls on Shetland cliffs that once echoed to seabirds’ cries

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Global fossil fuel divestment movement tops US$11 trillion as campaigners place further pressure on investors to respond to climate emergency.

The post Global divestment movement hits $11 trillion, pushes for more – and faster appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Criminals threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people, Human Rights Watch finds

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is a lucrative business largely driven by criminal networks that threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people who try to stop them, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

Rainforest Mafias concludes that Brazil’s failure to police these gangs threatens its abilities to meet its commitments under the Paris climate deal – such as eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030. It was published a week before the UN Climate Action Summit.

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Victoria government planning amendment introduced to ensure large-scale solar projects choose appropriate locations on grid, have minimal environmental or social impacts.

The post Victoria locks in new solar farm planning guidelines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Could a glowing red sunset really foretell the next morning's weather?

The climate crisis has now grown so severe that the actions of denialists have turned predatory: they are now an immediate threat to our children.

The post Why ‘predatory’ climate deniers are a threat to our children appeared first on RenewEconomy.

DNA from historical museum specimens may help save the giant salamander from extinction in the wild.

Dozens of students say they were "traumatised" by investigations that left them feeling unsafe on campus.

Why is there a shortage of the precious gas and how is it affecting firms?

As the drought continues to bite, a number of regional towns in New South Wales and Queensland are facing desperate water shortages.

Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott is warning "unintended consequences" may result from the Government's re-framed energy "big stick" legislation.

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

Biofuel credits under the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) jumped in value over the past several days amid reports that President Donald Trump may back a plan to make up for compliance obligations waived through dozens of programme exemptions this year.

Critics and supporters of California's Tropical Forest Standard (TFS) are anticipating a contentious meeting on Thursday to decide the fate of the possible precursor to jurisdictional REDD offsetting, with some believing state regulator ARB will approve the proposal after its year-long review.

Climate deniers have joyously laboured to create a world potentially uninhabitable for our children. Our activism has failed, and rebellion may be the only answer. Tim Flannery, Professorial fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Paddy Manning's new book charts the challenges faced by the Greens (and greenies in general) with admirable clarity and detail. Marc Hudson, Researcher, University of Manchester Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Millions of acres of midwest farmland have been underwater for months in poor rural US areas

Media interest in natural disasters concentrates on events such as hurricanes that happen over a short period in a specific area. Sometimes, though, destructive weather effects build up gradually across a region over many months, like the floods afflicting the American midwest this year.

A blizzard described by the National Weather Service as “of historic proportions” in March added to already deep snow cover. Spring rains rapidly melted the snow and the inundation began. Above-average rainfall has continued through August, and a slow-motion disaster has played out.

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