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Hastings dinosaur footprints exposed by cliff erosion

BBC - Tue, 2018-12-18 01:12
Dozens of well-preserved dinosaur footprints from at least seven species have been uncovered.
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Climate change activists vow to step up protests around world

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-12-18 00:30

Campaigners say they will force governments to act after lack of progress at UN summit

Civil society groups have pledged growing international protests to drive rapid action on global warming after the UN climate summit in Poland.

The summit agreed rules for implementing the 2015 Paris agreement, which aims to keep global warming as close to 1.5C (2.7F) as possible, but it made little progress in increasing governments’ commitments to cut emissions. The world remains on track for 3C of warming, which scientists says will bring catastrophic extreme weather.

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Chickens freezing to death and boiled alive: failings in US slaughterhouses exposed

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-12-17 22:00

An investigation finds hundreds of shocking welfare incidents, fuelling concerns about standards in a post-Brexit trade deal

Chickens slowly freezing to death, being boiled alive, drowned or suffocating under piles of other birds are among hundreds of shocking welfare incidents recorded at US slaughterhouses, according to previously unpublished reports.

Among them are “inexcusable” violations, say campaigners, who ask if the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) current system, where inspectors issue reports when they see violations, really works. One inspector, who asked to remain anonymous, questioned the impact of those reports.

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Bloodhound supersonic car project saved

BBC - Mon, 2018-12-17 20:50
The supersonic vehicle could still race at 1,000mph after an entrepreneur bought the business.
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London's new official plan for cycling is bold but has a major flaw

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-12-17 19:51

With no new infrastructure or funding, questions remain on how to genuinely democratise cycling in a big city

London has a new official plan for cycling. It’s full of bold statements of intent and has some interesting ideas. That’s the good news. Here’s the drawback: within the 59 glossy pages I could detect no new plans for cycling infrastructure.

This all might seem a bit niche, not to say London-centric. But there is a wider lesson here: if cities are to truly move ahead in making cycling everyday and for everyone, good intentions aren’t enough. It involves political boldness, and taking risks.

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Is the simple life a good life?

ABC Environment - Mon, 2018-12-17 19:05
How do we strip back our lives, smell the roses, embrace frugality and simplicity?
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Offset purchases drop to new record lows in Australia’s latest ERF auction

Carbon Pulse - Mon, 2018-12-17 18:55
Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator achieved record low volumes in last week’s Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) auction, the agency said Monday.
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Porche achieves 3 minute recharge at 450kW EV charging station

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 17:15

An ultra-fast prototype charger with 450kW is now open to the public in Germany – and it can charge an EV in as little as three minutes.

The post Porche achieves 3 minute recharge at 450kW EV charging station appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Charging your EV with diesel is greener than you think

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 17:02

A group of outback EV drivers test out using an EV charger powered by a diesel generator, and the results are promising.

The post Charging your EV with diesel is greener than you think appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Country diary: making wines in Sussex that taste of the place

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-12-17 15:30

Dew farm, Peasmarsh, East Sussex: Ben Walgate wants to establish a vineyard that echoes the humus- and microbe-rich soil environment in which wild vines thrive

In a coppiced corner of Dew farm, deep in the rolling Sussex Weald, grows a wild grapevine: ancient, gnarled and bountiful. When Ben Walgate moved here last year, he wild-fermented grapes from the vine and found he had made a wine that, as he put it, “tasted of the place”.

Now Walgate, who comes from a long line of farmers, is creating a vineyard – Tillingham Wines – using that vine as inspiration. Instead of the intensive and chemical-dependent practices of traditional viticulture, Walgate, with the collaboration of the owner of the estate, the environmentalist Lord Devonport, wants to establish a vineyard that echoes as closely as possible the natural, biodiverse, humus- and microbe-rich soil environment in which wild vines thrive.

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Australia lies low in Katowice as UN scrapes together rules for climate deal

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 14:26

Environment minister Melissa Price kept as low a profile as possible in Poland climate talks, as Australia's only noticeable contribution to public debate was its declared support of fossil fuels.

The post Australia lies low in Katowice as UN scrapes together rules for climate deal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Tetris Energy secures PPA for 5MW solar and battery project in South Australia

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 14:16

Melbourne firm says it has signed offtake deal for 5MW solar and storage project in S.A. Murray River region, as stage 1 of what could become a 30MW affair.

The post Tetris Energy secures PPA for 5MW solar and battery project in South Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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10 million and more reasons to be cheerful: RenewEconomy page views surge in 2018

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 14:09

Huge interest in clean energy transition – and technologies and policies that go with it – helped deliver more than 10m page views to RenewEconomy this year.

The post 10 million and more reasons to be cheerful: RenewEconomy page views surge in 2018 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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WA names new energy minister, primes grid for 900MW renewables rush

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 13:25

WA opens up grid for nearly 1GW of new large-scale renewable projects. And it has appointed a new energy minister to shepherd the process.

The post WA names new energy minister, primes grid for 900MW renewables rush appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Gupta flags float of Simec Zen Energy, solar + storage bid for Coalition tender

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 13:04

Gupta flags possible float Simec Zen Energy business and confirms interest in Coalition government's controversial tender for new dispatchable generation.

The post Gupta flags float of Simec Zen Energy, solar + storage bid for Coalition tender appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Solar farms getting smaller, cheaper and smarter to overcome grid hurdles

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-12-17 11:24

Kanowna solar farm near Moree believed to be the first to use both DC optimisers and centralised DC-coupled inverters to cater for battery storage and get around network connection hurdles.

The post Solar farms getting smaller, cheaper and smarter to overcome grid hurdles appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Curious Kids: how do people know what the weather will be?

The Conversation - Mon, 2018-12-17 10:52
Twice every day the Bureau of Meteorology sends out the official weather forecasts for towns and cities across Australia. Here's how we work out what to say in them. Adam Morgan, Senior Meteorologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Growers kept busy harvesting Christmas trees and making wooden spoons

ABC Environment - Mon, 2018-12-17 10:30
Christmas tree growers are busy getting their trees off to market; shellfish reefs return to Pt Phillip Bay; we make wooden spoons from timber off-cuts; and jump on board the 'Savannahlander'
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Climate change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about

BBC - Mon, 2018-12-17 10:16
Cement is the source of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. How can this be changed?
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Introducing the first carbon neutral certified building

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2018-12-17 09:31
Frasers Property has the first carbon neutral certified building in Australia
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