Around The Web

A bucolic community was reduced to ash by a new kind of wildfire – the deadliest in California’s history. Survivors recall that horrible day

William Goggia awoke to a poisonous orange atmosphere so thick with smoke he couldn’t see the sun.

It was 8am on Thursday, 8 November. He heard the piercing metallic clang of propane tanks exploding in the distance. His sister, who lived nearby, called to ask him to help a relative in the area, but Goggia told her that he couldn’t: chunks of burning wood were falling from the sky.

Continue reading...

A newly formed industry association is planning to develop carbon estimation and reporting standards for vegetation-based carbon credit projects to reduce risk for involved parties and increase confidence for banks lending to project developers.

More than 700,000 hectares cleared over two years, 40% of it in reef catchment, before stricter laws were passed

More than 700,000 hectares of forest and bushland were destroyed in Queensland in the past two years and 40% of it occurred in Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Environment groups have described the level of deforestation as an “environmental disaster” and called for federal intervention to end land-clearing in reef catchments and other nationally significant areas.

Continue reading...

Judgment details how ‘payment difficulties’ emerged in contract between AECOM and Adani subsidiary

Adani has been ordered to pay almost $12m owed to engineering firm AECOM for work on a scrapped rail line to the Carmichael coalmine.

A judgment in the Queensland Building and Construction commission details how “payment difficulties” emerged in a contract between AECOM and an Adani subsidiary company. The 1,862-point commission adjudication says Adani had “anticipated” receiving government support that did not materialise, including a $1b federal loan to build the rail link between Carmichael and the Abbot Point port.

Continue reading...

The TSSC is seeking comments on proposals to list the ‘Illawarra-Shoalhaven subtropical rainforest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ and the ‘Robertson Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ as threatened ecological communities. Consultation...

The TSSC is seeking comments on proposals to list the ‘Illawarra-Shoalhaven subtropical rainforest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ and the ‘Robertson Rainforest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ as threatened ecological communities. Consultation...

Coalition ends 2018 with its position on climate and energy policies even further to the right than when the year started.

The post Coalition energy and climate policies hit rock bottom at year’s end appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Tokyo denies report by Kyodo news agency that government will reveal its decision by the end of the year

Japan is to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial whaling next year, a report claimed on Thursday, in a move that drew condemnation from Australia, with other anti-whaling nations expected to follow suit.

Japan will inform the IWC of its decision by the end of the year, Kyodo news agency said, months after the body rejected its latest bid to resume commercial whaling.

Continue reading...

Yeah, we get it – environment news can be depressing. So here are ten uplifting stories from 2018 that prove it's not all doom and gloom out there in the natural world. Happy reading! Michael Hopkin, Editor: Energy + Environment, The Conversation Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Neoen says Tesla big battery to deliver "millions" of new savings this summer because of its role in allowing more network capacity.

The post Neoen says Tesla big battery to deliver more savings this summer appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Under the terms of the binding Research Agreement, UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering will carry out contracted research on behalf of ClearVue. The research team will be led by Dr Shujuan Huang and supported by Assoc. Prof. Alison Lennon, Dr Yang Li and Dr Robert Patterson.

The post ClearVue signs Research Agreement with School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW to explore Quantum Dots appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Must listen: To the tune of John Schumann's I was only 19, three energy advocates nail the state of the Coalition's energy policy.

The post Coalition’s energy policy insanity brilliantly summed up in a single song appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Thrill-seeking tourists are putting themselves in danger getting too close to volcanoes.

Australia's average temperature has risen 1°C, leading to more high-impact weather events such as heatwaves, extreme fire weather conditions, coastal inundation and marine heatwaves.

The post State of the Climate 2018: Heatwaves, fires and floods appeared first on RenewEconomy.

They've blocked bridges, held die-ins and closed roads - all in the name of stopping climate change.

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

Two US senators introduced bipartisan legislation on Wednesday that would implement a carbon fee-and-dividend programme, mirroring a bill introduced by lawmakers in the House in November.

Genex brings in EnergyAustralia as potential partner to unique solar-pumped hydro facility in north Queensland, although the solar component will be delayed.

The post Genex brings in EnergyAustralia for solar-pumped hydro storage project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The State of the Climate 2018 report said Australia is in for more frequent heatwaves as well as an increase in dangerous fire conditions.

European carbon prices resumed their upward climb on Wednesday, hitting a new three-month high but failing to breach €25 after numerous attempts.