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Air pollution: Cars should be banned near schools says public health chief
Galleonosaurus dorisae: New dinosaur discovered in Australia
Nationals turn leadership stakes into contest of stupidity about energy
Nationals turn expected leadership spill into a contest of who can say the most stupid thing about energy. It will be a close call. Just as well it's scheduled for April Fool's Day.
The post Nationals turn leadership stakes into contest of stupidity about energy appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Modelling suggests Snowy 2.0 will lift prices, defend coal, kill batteries
Modelling used by board to approve Snowy 2.0 shows that it will likely lift wholesale prices over medium to longer term, will protect baseload power generation, and the biggest loser will be batteries.
The post Modelling suggests Snowy 2.0 will lift prices, defend coal, kill batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.
'We’ve been forced into this': Australia's school climate strikes to go global
In November, Scott Morrison told the striking students to ‘go to school’ – this time even more of them will strike
Four months on, 17-year-old Doha Khan says the school climate strikers have learned a lot.
On Friday, thousands of primary and high school students are again planning to walk out of class across the country, protesting against the government’s inaction on climate change, and what they see as the destruction of their future.
Continue reading...Construction begins on Mortlake South wind farm, transmission lines to be buried
Construction begins on Acciona's 157.5MW Mortlake South wind farm, including Victoria's first underground transmission line, in response to community concerns.
The post Construction begins on Mortlake South wind farm, transmission lines to be buried appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Curious Kids: what happens when fruit gets ripe?
Plunging sales suggests end is nigh for fossil fuel cars in Australia
Electric vehicles may already be killing demand for petrol and diesel cars in Australia - and they haven't even arrived yet.
The post Plunging sales suggests end is nigh for fossil fuel cars in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
To reduce fire risk and meet climate targets, over 300 scientists call for stronger land clearing laws
Wildlife World Zoo: Jaguar attacks selfie-taker
‘Rubbish police’ check bin bags to drive up recycling rates
A pair of council officers in hi-vis jackets scrutinise a clipboard before approaching a bungalow on a windswept estate on the western outskirts of Swansea. They are looking for residents who have sneaked recyclables into black bin bags destined for landfill sites or incineration plants.
Recycling promotion officer Scott Matthews shakes two bulging, partly ripped bags and listens to the telltale clinks and clanks: “There’s glass and cans in these. There is food too. And there is no recycling out whatsoever.”
Continue reading...Rowan Williams says pupils are right to protest over climate
The former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has backed pupils who have been taking part in school strikes to protest over climate change and who are planning to join a “climate rebellion” next month, warning that the ecological crisis means “the future of the human race is now at stake”.
Williams, whose stark comments come amid a growing wave of protests over the scale of the ecological crisis, said non-violent civil disobedience should have “wide and deep” support from the public.
Continue reading...The Roundup row: is the world’s most popular weedkiller carcinogenic?
Producer Monsanto is facing thousands of lawsuits from customers who now have cancer. But not all experts are convinced of a link…
As a third-generation cotton farmer in Bakersfield, California, John Barton estimates that he sprayed thousands of gallons of the herbicide Roundup over the course of his 30-year working life.
“My family were farming 1,000 acres of cotton, so we’d be out in the fields spraying it, and we’d get our pants wet, our shoes wet, our socks wet, and if the wind changed it would blow in our face,” Barton tells me. “We did that spring, summer and fall for most of my life. There was really no regulation at the time that we were spraying Roundup; no one was offered any protection. But I didn’t think anything of it, as they kept telling us how safe it was.”
Continue reading...'Was that disruptive?': congressman blasts Trump official with air-horn in committee hearing – video
Joe Cunningham intervened in a House committee hearing on the environmental impact of seismic air-gun testing. The Democrat reached for the 120-decibel device after the official claimed the practise, used to locate underwater oil deposits, would have no effect on marine animals. Cunningham said seismic air guns were 16,000 times louder than his air-horn
Continue reading...First gin made from discarded grapes to hit Tesco's shelves
Hyke gin is part of effort to drive down UK’s annual £20bn food waste bill
A major British fruit supplier and a craft spirits producer have teamed up to find a way to prevent an estimated 166m surplus supermarket grapes from going to waste every year – by turning them into gin.
The new Hyke gin – the first in the UK to be made from grapes grown to be eaten fresh – goes on sale at 300 Tesco branches later this month.
Continue reading...The secret Grand Canyon: 10 hidden gems to escape the crowds
The canyon, which turns 100 this year, sees 6 million annual visitors. An Arizona travel writer reveals how to get off the beaten track
The Grand Canyon is already a pretty famous hole in the ground in Arizona. Now, with Grand Canyon national park celebrating its centennial in 2019, it’s receiving an additional jolt of publicity. Six million people visit each year, and if you happen to be there on a holiday weekend, it feels like you’re stuck behind all of them.
Yet here’s the thing – Grand Canyon is big, an immense tear in the earth’s fabric 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. So it’s not hard to find privacy if you know where to look. Here are some tips to get you started.
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