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Fisheries department will no longer be able to use nets and drumlines to control sharks

The Queensland government has lost its battle for the right to use nets and drumlines to catch and kill sharks in a bid to protect swimmers on the Great Barrier Reef.

The state government appeal to maintain its controversial management program was dismissed on Wednesday in the federal court in Sydney.

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BP, Shell and Chevron representatives will be at event on sidelines of UN climate summit

Oil and gas executives are holding an exclusive invitation-only forum with environmentalists and government representatives on the sidelines of the UN climate summit, in what critics have condemned as an attempt to influence negotiations in favour of fossil fuel companies.

Senior executives from leading oil companies including BP, Shell and Chevron will be at the event in New York on 22 September, which they describe as a “closed high-level discussion” with key stakeholders.

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One million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, yet governments are failing to stem the tide

The number of mammals, insects, amphibians, fish and birds is in steep decline, the world’s forests are on fire and the abundance of life is diminishing at rates unprecedented in human history. The TV screens are full of images of gorgeous wildlife but one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction and governments appear paralysed.

Faced with stark and mounting evidence of nature’s precipitous decline, leading natural and social science researchers, philosophers, anthropologists and conservationists have come together to ask why conservation is failing, and to call for an urgent re-think of how the natural world should be protected.

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Greenland’s ice melt has been adopted by the world as a bellwether for climate crisis, but the impact on biodiversity has been overlooked. At an ice station on a remote Arctic glacier, scientists are looking to the smallest of life forms to predict the pace of species extinction

Behind the remote research huts of Sermilik ice station, a vast sheet of ice stretches north for 1,480 miles, spanning an area three times the size of France.

It is holding 10% of the world’s freshwater, water that has been frozen solid for millions of years. It’s glacier calving season in the south-eastern reaches of Greenland, and the adjacent channel is full of the thunderous roars and cracks of a flotilla of icebergs breaking apart.

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Photographers hoping to get a shot of Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg had to contend with a young boy who attempted to shield the often shy teenager from the media. The spontaneous act elicited a smile from Thunberg. Thunberg was attending an event on Capitol Hill and had opted not to speak at the event, choosing instead to listen as other teens spoke about their own environmental concerns. Thunberg attended a Senate climate crisis task force on Tuesday, and told lawmakers: 'Don’t invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it because it doesn’t lead to anything.' 

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The broadcasters – often among the most trusted voices in their communities – are connecting the dots between extreme weather and climate science, and shifting public opinion

Local TV weather forecasters have become foot soldiers in the war against climate misinformation. Over the past decade, a growing number of meteorologists and weathercasters have begun addressing the climate crisis either as part of their weather forecasts, or in separate, independent news reports to help their viewers understand what is happening and why it is important.

And the reports are having an impact.

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Another proposed coal mine in NSW fails to win development approval as climate impacts grow as a substanital barrier to new coal mines.

The post Huge Bylong coal mine blocked due to long-term environmental impacts appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New documents reveal that then environment minister Josh Frydenberg went against department advice when he decided to block two wind turbines on Lord Howe Island.

The post Did anti-wind ideology cause Coalition to ban Lord Howe Island turbines? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian energy storage company Redflow Limited has won an order to provide 68 ZBM2 zinc-bromine flow batteries for at least 20 mobile phone tower sites in South Africa owned by one of Africa's leading telecommunication companies.

The post Redflow to deliver ZBM2 batteries for telco mobile phone tower sites in South Africa appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Environmentalists are concerned gas extraction near the Carmichael site will compound the impacts of coalmining on the Galilee Basin

A Queensland gas company plans to begin fracking at two exploratory wells close to the Adani Carmichael mine site later this year, and hopes production can begin “early” to service nearby mining projects.

Gas explorers appear to have increased the pace of their planning and activities in the Galilee Basin during the past year as the Carmichael mine has passed key milestones – in contrast to companies behind other thermal coal proposals.

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WA govt opens its $10 million Renewable Hydrogen Fund to applications that will expand WA's ability to export green gas.

The post WA opens $10m hydrogen fund to boost renewable gas production and exports appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy Transition Hub report models suggests huge advantages of aiming for 200 per cent renewable energy target, rather than just 100 per cent renewables.

The post Why 200 per cent renewables would be better for Australia than 100 per cent appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Few nations are on track to reaching our goal, causing us to head to a warming above 3℃ by 2100 - and this will have catastrophic consequences for the planet.

The post The good, the bad and the ugly: the nations leading and failing on climate action appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Mass strikes help target the psychological factors most important for acting on climate change, by emphasizing social norms and reinforcing the effectiveness of collective action. Belinda Xie, Scientia PhD Scholar, School of Psychology, UNSW Ben Newell, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

ACT to become the first jurisdiction outside Europe to complete the switch from fossil fuel electricity to a grid powered completely by renewables.

The post Australia’s capital to be first city outside Europe to transition to 100% renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For the past two and a half million years, Earth has experienced regular ice ages, but with carbon dioxide levels now over 400 parts per million, the next ice age is postponed for a very long time. James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What can we do to meet the demands of our increasingly technology-dependent lives?

You love your dog and want it to have a happy life, so often buy it treats to eat and toys to play with. But how can you make sure you’re not causing damage to the planet? And are different types of dogs better suited to particular environments?

Australian energy major AGL launches plan for electric vehicle drivers to earn credits towards bills reducing household costs and offsetting higher purchase price of EVs.

The post AGL upgrades EV charging plan in bid to engage electric drivers appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new report injects hope into the climate fight with a list of 10 measures – using current technologies – that can keep global warming to well below 2°C. But not at the current rate of progress, and not without the support of good policy.

The post 10 ways technology can meet the Paris climate targets appeared first on RenewEconomy.