Around The Web

Melting sea ice is prompting fevered dreams of ever-easier access, and a renewed jockeying among Arctic nations for status, profit and ownership

I could not keep my eyes off the graves, could not stop staring at them even as I walked away, turning repeatedly to look over my shoulder at them as I slogged my way across the gravel-strewn shore of Beechey Island until they disappeared from view.

It was profoundly saddening to contemplate their presence on a low-lying, windswept outpost of the Canadian Arctic, to imagine the fear and loneliness those buried here must have felt as they faced death in the harshest of conditions, thousands of miles and a world removed from their homes. And yet, they were the lucky ones, the first casualties of an expedition that vanished 173 years ago while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage between Atlantic and Pacific, whose remaining members met their doom after their ships became frozen in never-yielding sea ice, who perished one by one waiting for a summer that never came.

Continue reading...

Mike Cannon-Brookes says first Zoox "robot cars" should be on the road within two years, and may re-define our thinking about road transport.

The post Cannon-Brookes says Zoox “robot” cars will be on the road within two years appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Around 200 environmental campaigners are barred from climate talks after Greta Thunberg speaks.

Reducing meat and dairy consumption will cut methane and allow forests to thrive

Livestock production needs to reach its peak within the next decade in order to tackle the climate emergency, scientists have warned.

They are calling for governments in all but the poorest countries to set a date for “peak meat” because animal agriculture is a significant and fast-growing source of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Continue reading...

Experts say the art, found in an Indonesian cave, could be the world's oldest recorded story.

IEEFA report finds that with “modest” suite of EV incentives, the payback for rooftop, a home battery and an electric vehicle falls to just five years today, and zero by 2030.

The post Combining home solar, batteries and EVs will be better deal than solar alone by 2024 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New battery brand hits Australian market, with first commercial shipment of China-made Soluna lithium-ion energy storage products arriving in Victoria.

The post Soluna batteries land in Australia, with plans for local manufacturing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wollongong, the NSW home to Australia's biggest steelworks, has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, with a view to reducing that timeline to 2030.

The post Australia’s biggest steel city targets net zero emissions by 2050 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sungrow has announced that it reached a 100 GW shipment milestone.

The post Sungrow hits a 100GW inverter shipment milestone appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Network owners were once seen as villains for over-charging on local networks, but they're pretty happy about building new links to capture wind and solar resources.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Why networks really like wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

NSW government breaks ranks with federal Coalition, signing off on 2030 target to reduce emissions by 35 per cent amid bushfire crisis.

The post NSW to cut emissions by 35 pct by 2030, attacks “vested interests and ideologues” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian scientists say a new green hydrogen production technique could slash costs by avoiding the need for expensive metals.

The post UNSW scientists say they have key to unlock low-cost green hydrogen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Thunberg slams countries, like Australia, for using the COP25 climate talks to push for accounting loopholes instead of raising their climate ambition.

The post Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg hits out at Australia’s quest for climate loopholes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Parents have been told to consider keeping Tamborine Mountain state school students at home, while trucks take local water to bottling plants for companies including Coca-Cola

The Tamborine Mountain state school has run out of water, even as water miners in the Gold Coast hinterland are sending millions of litres to commercial bottling operations.

Trucks sent by the Queensland government carrying emergency supplies to the school, including Mount Tamborine bottled water, have been passing trucks heading in the opposition direction taking local water to bottling plants for beverage giants such as Coca-Cola.

Continue reading...

If the grid valued environmental outcomes there wouldn't need to be so many different scenarios in AEMO's Integrated System Plan.

The post The missing pieces from AEMO’s big energy transition plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Infigen Energy says Lake Bonney battery now in full operation, adding a third big battery to the South Australia grid.

The post Infigen says Lake Bonney battery now in full production appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Geoff Grewcock set up the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in his garden 18 years ago.

A factory in France is trialling a more efficient way of packaging orders, Emma Simpson reports.

With a prediction of an even hotter summer this time around, what can be done to cool urban environments? The Northern Territory is widely recognised for it's steamy summer temperatures, and is now the testing ground for heat mitigating research.