Around The Web

Antarctica 'gives ground to the ocean'

BBC - Tue, 2018-04-03 20:08
The White Continent is surrendering ocean floor as the undersides of its glaciers are melted.
Categories: Around The Web

Scientists examine threats to food security if we meet the Paris climate targets | John Abraham

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-04-03 20:00

Even with aggressive climate policies to limit global warming, food security in some areas will be threatened

We have delayed action for so long on handling climate change, we now can no longer can “will it happen?” Rather we have to ask “how bad will it be?” and “what can be done about it?” As our society thinks about what we should do to reduce our carbon pollution and the consequences of electing science-denying politicians, scientists are actively studying the pros and cons of various emission reductions.

Readers of this column have certainly heard about temperature targets such as 1.5°C or 2°C. These targets refer to allowable temperature increases over pre-industrial temperatures. If humans take action to hit a 1.5°C target, it means we are committed to keeping the human-caused global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Similarly for a 2°C target.

Continue reading...
Categories: Around The Web

NSW approves 1,000MW Liverpool Range wind farm in New England

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 18:18
The New South Wales state government has given planning approval for the Liverpool Range wind farm, which at more than 1,000MW could be the biggest in the country.
Categories: Around The Web

Meet the latest organisation to achieve carbon neutral certification

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2018-04-03 16:50
International Lubricant Distributors (ILD) has been certified carbon neutral against the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS)
Categories: Around The Web

New Australian wind farms reach nearly 50% capacity factor

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:55
Two new Australian wind farms are heading towards 50 per cent capacity factor - that is about the same as some ageing coal generators.
Categories: Around The Web

Genex gets development approval for next 270MW stage of Kidston solar

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:53
Genex gets DA for next stage of its Kidston solar project, which will end up becoming the country's, and most likely the world's, first major solar project paired with large pumped hydro storage.
Categories: Around The Web

Will battery storage kill “duck curve” market for gas generators?

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:49
Australia's big retailers are planning major investments in gas generation. But California illustrates how that market has been shuttered by battery storage.
Categories: Around The Web

Country diary: spring's dramatic upwelling of life

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:30

Claxton, Norfolk: The birds, wildflowers and insects burst into action; it’s what the great environmentalist Roger Deakin called ‘opening time in nature’s great saloon’

At last those winter rains have ended and the sun shone here for two full days. Suddenly it is time for cock pheasants, flushed crimson with testosterone, to fight long tail-twisting battles; for wild violets to flower quietly over our meadow-lawn; for goldfinches to strip spider thread from the back wall to bind their nests; for hairy-footed summer-bees to zip among the rosemary blooms, and for buff-tailed and early bumblebee queens to truffle the green hellebore heads in a last garden before the marsh. They’re all part of that dramatic upwelling of life which Roger Deakin once called “opening time in nature’s great saloon”.

Continue reading...
Categories: Around The Web

Statement on the passing of Terry Effeney

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:25
One of the Australian energy industry’s greatest contributors, Terry Effeney, passed away on the weekend.
Categories: Around The Web

2.75 GW! JinkoSolar acquires largest solar panel deal in history

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 14:21
JinkoSolar announced that, as the world’s largest solar module manufacturer, it has signed a 2750 MW solar panel supply deal with NextEra Energy, the world’s most valuable utility company.
Categories: Around The Web

Coalition back-bench’s crazy last gasp attempt to save coal

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 12:18
Monash Forum pushes for new coal fired generators, as it seeks to confirm role of National Energy Guarantee as do nothing policy. Monash Forum is said to represent more than half of Coalition backbench, which is about the same that reject climate science.
Categories: Around The Web

Invitation to comment on listing assessment for Philotheca sporadica (Kogan waxflower) - 2018

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2018-04-03 11:18
The public consultation period will be open until 18 May 2018.
Categories: Around The Web

Invitation to comment on listing assessment for Philotheca sporadica (Kogan waxflower) - 2018

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2018-04-03 11:18
The public consultation period will be open until 18 May 2018.
Categories: Around The Web

'Send in the drones' to protect soil

BBC - Tue, 2018-04-03 09:37
Drones should be used to locate and penalise farmers who let soil run off their fields, a report will say.
Categories: Around The Web

Dinosaur tracks on Skye 'globally important'

BBC - Tue, 2018-04-03 09:19
Researchers find that the footprints belonged to sauropods and therapods from the Middle Jurassic period.
Categories: Around The Web

UK to tighten laws on 'abhorrent' ivory trade

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-04-03 09:01

Defra consultation on proposals received more than 70,000 responses, 88% in favour

A UK ban on ivory sales, which the government claims will be the toughest in Europe and one of the strictest in the world, is to be introduced after the proposals were overwhelmingly backed in a public consultation.

The ban makes exemptions only for musical instruments containing a small percentage of ivory, some antiques, and museum objects.

Continue reading...
Categories: Around The Web

The quiet e-bike revolution

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 08:45
While EVs dominate the headlines, a quiet revolution has been taking place and the fastest growing segment in the transport world now is e-bikes, or electric bicycles.
Categories: Around The Web

EPA announces easing of car and truck emissions standards

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-04-03 08:41

Agency says Barack Obama’s timeline set standards ‘too high’ in move that could lead to legal showdown with California

US environmental regulators announced on Monday they would ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by Barack Obama was not appropriate and set standards “too high”.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it had completed a review that would affect vehicles for model years 2022-25 but it did not provide details on new standards, which it said would be forthcoming. Current regulations from the EPA require the fleet of new vehicles to get 36 miles per gallon in real-world driving by 2025. That’s about 10 miles per gallon over the existing standard.

Continue reading...
Categories: Around The Web

Australian cleantech stocks outperform market in latest month, quarter

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 08:39
Australian CleanTech Index again outperformed the ASX200 for the month of March and the third quarter of the 2018 fiscal year.
Categories: Around The Web

That’s not a solar farm. This is a solar farm!

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-04-03 07:18
Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund and Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank plan 200GW of solar projects by 2030 to replace heavily subsidised petroleum power.
Categories: Around The Web

Pages

Subscribe to Sustainable Engineering Society aggregator - Around The Web