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What does Victoria poll result mean for renewables, and has Labor got it right with its new energy plan?

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Victoria’s poll win and Labor’s energy plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Two climate-conscious Swedish mums have launched a campaign urging people not to fly in 2019.

Australia's weak climate action highlighted in latest UNEP report that says countries should be tripling their pledges to limit warming to 2°C, and increase them 5-fold to meet 1.5°C target.

The post Australia shamed – again – on climate, as UNEP report calls for urgent action appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Macron plans to exit coal by 2022, and delay closure of 14 nuclear reactors while it completes a massive investment in wind and solar.

The post France turns to wind and solar as it plans to exit coal, and phase down nuclear appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new study involving leaving animal carcasses strewn across Tasmania shows that in places where devils have dwindled, other scavengers are stepping up to fill the gap, with nasty knock-on effects. Calum Cunningham, PhD candidate, University of Tasmania, University of Tasmania Christopher Johnson, Professor of Wildlife Conservation and ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, University of Tasmania Menna Elizabeth Jones, Associate professor, University of Tasmania Tracey Hollings, Senior Scientist, Ecological Modelling at Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, and Honorary Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ministers give a timeline for the UK's first carbon capture and storage project, as research funding is announced.

Chemical cocktail suppresses periwinkles’ ability to avoid crabs and disrupts food chain

Toxins leaching from microplastics leave shellfish at the mercy of predators, research has found. The chemicals completely suppress the ability of the periwinkles to detect and avoid the crabs that eat them.

Microplastics plague the world’s rivers and oceans and absorb poisonous chemicals from the water. Previous work has shown mussels are harmed by these toxins when they eat microplastics, but the latest study is the first to show disruption of the relationship between predator and prey. This is likely to disrupt the entire food chain, researchers say.

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Management of UK rail lines fails to take environmental best practice into account

An independent review into the scale of tree felling by Network Rail is calling for a complete cultural change by the company to focus on valuing nature and the environment.

The review, published on Wednesday, was sparked after Guardian articles highlighted a threat to millions of line-side trees from Network Rail’s approach to managing the environment around its tracks and the scale of tree felling taking place in nesting season.

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Greenpeace Energy, a German electric utility that runs independent of its titular founder, wants to buy out RWE’s lignite coal business and replace it with 8.2 GW worth of renewables by 2025.

The post Greenpeace Energy bids to buy German brown coal generators and replace with renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

A bipartisan group of US House representatives introduced a $15 carbon fee and dividend bill on Tuesday that could signal the onset of increased climate policy efforts in next year’s Congress.

Energy network businesses leading the way in improving customer outcomes were recognised last night at the Energy Networks Australia 2018 Annual Awards.

The post Innovation and engagement key to energy future appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Humpback whale and 27 pilot whales among those beached in Croajingolong national park

A humpback whale and 27 pilot whales have stranded themselves on a remote beach in a Victorian national park.

Most of the beached animals have died, according to authorities.

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The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) will alter its CO2 pricing approach to carbon-free resources on the margin in an effort to minimise emission leakage, according to a presentation.

Laminaria hyperborea forests soak up carbon and provide food and shelter for sea life

This week’s storms are washing up quantities of Laminaria hyperborea kelp on our shores. Removing the rotting and smelly stems, or stipes, can be a big task for local authorities.

This species of kelp, which has 3-metre leaves, among the most numerous of the seven that grow in British waters and form undersea forests, mainly on the west coast. It grows on rocky shores in water from a metre to 32 metres deep, wherever there is sufficient light. These forests soak up vast amounts of carbon and are good for stabilising the climate as well as providing food and a habitat for many sea creatures.

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Making the transition to a sustainable energy future also means ensuring that affected communities - such as Australia's coal workers - aren't left by the wayside. Franziska Mey, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Chris Briggs, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

EU carbon prices dipped on Tuesday, staying in a narrow range in a becalmed session that defied a rising energy complex.

Maryland’s Department of the Environmental held its final public hearing on Monday for the proposed RGGI Model Rule updates, and officials anticipate finalising them next month.

France on Tuesday confirmed plans to close two of its nuclear reactors in 2020 as part of a strategy that paces the country's atomic power phase-down through 2035 while hiking domestic carbon taxes.

EU carbon prices will rise by at least 60% to above €30 early next year as the onset of the MSR squeezes the market, analysts predict.