Around The Web

European carbon prices plunged on Wednesday after Poland’s spot auction cleared at a massive discount to the secondary market.

China has 259GW of new coal-fired power generation capacity under construction, equivalent to the total US coal plant fleet, despite Beijing's efforts to hold back carbon-intensive development, a report found on Wednesday.

How hydro technology defied gravity and became the gold standard for grid-scale energy storage.

The post A deep dive into the evolution of pumped-hydro storage technology appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Concerns over CO2 emissions as development restarts at hundreds of coal-fired power stations in China.

Emails tabled in Senate inquiry recommended ‘trade-offs’ to Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Great Barrier Reef scientists were told they would need to make “trade-offs” to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, including focusing on projects that would look good for the government and encourage more corporate donations, emails tabled in the Senate reveal.

The documents, including cabinet briefing notes, contain significant new details about the workings of the foundation and the government decision to award it a $443m grant, including:

Continue reading...

All three of the methods found to be most effective at protecting livestock do not involve killing carnivores. Lily van Eeden, PhD Candidate in Human-Wildlife Conflict, University of Sydney Adrian Treves, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison Euan Ritchie, Associate Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Greens want to create a new not-for-profit energy retailer to end the scamming of consumers. The government already owns an energy utility, so why not re-purpose that for the public good.

The post Greens propose new not-for-profit energy retailer. Why not use Snowy? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As opposition to renewables from Australia’s largest electricity utilities has faded, Trevor St Baker has emerged as one of the few dissenting voices left.

The post Trevor St Baker’s coal power blues appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Discovery comes as zoo faces scrutiny after a meerkat was stolen, and later recovered

Police in Western Australia have located a critically endangered tortoise that was stolen from Perth zoo seven years ago.

The discovery comes as the zoo faces intense scrutiny of its security measures, after last week’s theft, and subsequent recovery, of a baby meerkat.

Continue reading...

AGL defends decision to close coal generators, but dares not mention Liddell by name. "It's not ideological," says interim CEO Brett Redman. But AGL appears to be angling for something else from new energy minister Angus taylor - capacity payments.

The post AGL promises no change in strategic direction, coal closures not “ideological” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An expert urges more research to confirm a possible link between fruit, veg, nuts and grains and mood.

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

The inclusion of a speaker from a fossil fuel-tied think-tank at an Oregon legislative hearing on Tuesday drew criticism from stakeholders who said the appearance was detracting from the state’s efforts to develop a carbon reduction policy, including a cap-and-trade system, ahead of the 2019 legislative session.

More research is needed to help conserve the poorly-understood basking shark

Surprisingly little is known about the largest fish in British waters, the basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus; for example, where does it go in winter? Even its name is misleading. When this 10-metre (33ft) giant is on the surface, it is not sunbathing but swimming gently along with its metre-wide mouth open, filtering tons of water to harvest the plankton.

These sharks used to be hunted for their large oil-filled livers, a quarter of their body weight, which kept them buoyant. The oil was used to fuel Victorian lamps. Shark numbers are much reduced and efforts are being made to track them, identify individuals and conserve them.

Continue reading...

Our new invention tackles one of the greatest impediments to fish migration in Australia: culverts, those tunnels or drains often found under roads. Jabin Watson, Postdoctoral researcher, The University of Queensland Craig E. Franklin, Professor in Zoology, The University of Queensland Harriet Goodrich, PhD student, University of Exeter Jaana Dielenberg, Science Communication Manager, The University of Queensland Rebecca L. Cramp, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Northeast US states are making progress in developing a programme to regulate transportation emissions from 13 states, but the initiative still needs to tackle some significant questions.

The cancellation of Ontario’s carbon market and green energy programmes has put the jurisdiction in danger of backsliding on its recent progress in cutting greenhouse gases, according to a report issued Tuesday by the province’s environmental watchdog.

Conversation can be turned into conservation, says Phil Brown. Plus Rob Yorke on the need for honesty about trade-offs between land use and diet choices

Chris Packham is wrong to propose banning dogs from nature reserves (Two hundred ways to save British wildlife, Opinion, 19 September). In fact, the enactment of such a measure would actually exacerbate the problem of dogs and nature by depriving the largest single group of green-space users in Britain, namely dog walkers, from access to countryside awareness.

Instead of a knee-jerk ban, he should consider an effective alternative that balances access with conservation. If he were to visit Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Carlton Marshes nature reserve on the edge of Lowestoft, he would learn how – with its dog ambassador scheme – it has managed to turn conversation into conservation. Through the scheme, Carlton’s dog owners have learned to access the reserve in a considerate fashion that supports the trust’s wildlife conservation objectives.

Continue reading...

Men who stopped lorries to become first campaigners to be jailed for a protest in UK since 1932

Four anti-fracking activists face being the first environmental campaigners to be jailed for a protest in the UK since 1932.

Simon Roscoe Blevins, 26, Richard Loizou, 31 and Richard Roberts, 36, were told by a judge to expect custodial sentences after being convicted of causing a public nuisance by a jury at Preston crown court in August. Another defendant, Julian Brock, 47, pleaded guilty so did not face trial.

Continue reading...

A beluga whale has been spotted off Gravesend in Kent. The cetacean is more than 1,000 miles from its usual Arctic habitat. Experts say it appears lost but is swimming strongly

Continue reading...