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In the face of continuing government failure to act on climate change, a social enterprise is paving the way for communities across Australia to go it alone in terms of electricity supply.

The post Disrupting the power industry status quo appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Union calls for stop on work on five Queensland solar farms unless developers provide wages guarantee after major contractor RCR suspends trade in shares.

The post Turmoil in solar industry as RCR stock suspended on earnings fears appeared first on RenewEconomy.

NSW looks to create 200MW virtual power plant, suggesting homes with solar and smart storage can earn up to $1,000 a year by providing services at times of grid stress in heatwaves.

The post NSW proposes 200MW virtual power plant, in bid to bolster grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

‘By the time the science is proven, it will be too late to act,’ chief Peter Coleman says

Woodside Petroleum chief executive, Peter Coleman, has joined mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto in calling for a price on carbon to help with emissions reduction targets and the transition to renewable energy.

But the energy minister, Angus Taylor, has claimed Australia doesn’t need a carbon price as emissions levels are coming down – a position at odds with the government’s official emissions data and independent modelling.

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This living laboratory could hold the key to controlling malaria and other conditions.

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

The Morrison Government continues to stick its head in the sand on climate and energy, but communities are taking power into their own hands.

The post Communities lead governments on climate action appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia continues to lead the world’s green building sector with further growth predicted over the next three years, according to a new global report.

The post Australia leads the way as green building booms globally appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Efforts to protect native fauna and flora ‘lack purpose, direction and coordination’

Queensland has systematically failed the state’s growing list of threatened species, delaying declarations by up to seven years and botching its conservation management responsibilities, a scathing report by the state’s auditor general has found.

Related: Australia's east coast named as 'deforestation front' in WWF Living Planet report

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Sunraysia, one of the largest solar farms in Australia, is among the first projects structured with long-term offtake to an end user

The post Decmil selects NEXTracker’s NX Horizon smart solar tracker for 255 MW Sunraysia solar farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Carbon emissions from nation’s largest LNG development were meant to be captured. More than two years on, the storage still hasn’t started

Half of the increase in Australia’s annual carbon dioxide emissions can be linked to a single issue: the failure to bury greenhouse gases underground at the country’s largest liquefied natural gas development.

Chevron’s Gorgon LNG development in the Pilbara is considered a landmark development in carbon capture and storage, a long-promised technology to limit emissions from fossil fuels.

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European carbon ended lower on Tuesday in a wild session that saw buyers emerge to quickly lift prices back up every time they crashed below €20.

This special conference sees primary and secondary students present innovative projects relating to history, geography, science, English and technologies.

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) proposed carbon charge would have a minor impact on emissions inside of the state and across the region, while leading to little change in the RGGI market, three independent studies found.

"I think there is some political vested interest in indicating things are looking much better than they are on the ground."

Trend in US regions where once-brutal winters are now mild raises new concerns over climate change

Warmer winters are linked to increased crime rates in parts of the United States, a new study has found.

Researchers found that violent crime is almost always more prevalent when temperatures are warmer in the winter months. The trend was especially strong when winters were mild in regions that usually have fierce winters, like the north-east and midwest.

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EPA to start writing rule requiring new trucks produce less nitrogen oxide, one of its first moves to regulate industry

Donald Trump’s administration plans to cut air pollution from heavy-duty trucks, marking one of its first moves to regulate US industry rather than roll back environmental standards.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will start writing a rule to require new trucks produce less nitrogen oxide, which contributes to smog and particulate matter pollution that causes breathing problems, asthma attacks and early deaths.

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Commonwealth Bank becomes first Australian owned company to join RE100 and commit to 100% renewables, signs contract with Sapphire wind and solar projects.

The post CommBank first to pledge 100% renewables, signs Sapphire wind and solar farms appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The president blamed ‘poor forest management’ for the state’s crisis. But much of the area burning isn’t forest

You cannot possibly understand what it means to live with the risk of wildfire until you have to do so.

I’m a fire scientist and have spent most of my adult life in the flammable south-west. At the start of the fire season, you pack up the things in your house you cannot replace and stage them so they are ready to be thrown into the car. You make a plan for your family and your pets. You identify escape routes and put together a bag with clothing and you spend the summer alert to smoke, radio reports and evacuation notices.

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The California fires are just the most recent in a series of major wildfires. Together, they suggest we need to look at alternative ways of living with fire. David Bowman, Professor, Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.