Around The Web

The debate about the need for baseload coal-fired power stations has reignited with the Coalition saying it would welcome a new coal-fired power station to the country.

The post Why baseload coal has no future in a modern grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Although she’s too modest to agree with the description, retired farmer Sylvia Wilson is an electric vehicle pioneer.

The post Sylvia , 70, completes round-Australia trip in an EV for …. $150.90 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

With wind, solar and storage clearly beating fossil fuels on costs, would conservatives seek to stop that investment if it were not also about emissions? Emma Herd, from the IGCC, joins us for a fascinating discussion.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Would conservatives try to stop clean energy if it wasn’t about emissions? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Some species of plant have evolved to take up metals like nickel and iron, without being poisoned.

60% of the bonnethead shark’s diet is made up of seagrass, which they happily graze upon as well as eating fish, crabs, snails and shrimp

It is one of the most radical rebrandings in history: contrary to their bloodthirsty image, some sharks are not irrepressible meat eaters, but are happy to munch on vegetation too.

According to US researchers, one of the most common sharks in the world, a relative of the hammerhead which patrols the shores of the Americas, is the first variety of shark to be outed as a bona fide omnivore.

Continue reading...

Internal watchdog found the agency has no approved procedures to determine how much security the administrator needed

The millions of dollars spent on a round-the-clock security detail for the scandal-laden former head of the US Environmental Protection Agency were not justified, according to the findings of an internal watchdog.

Scott Pruitt’s transition team asked for a 24/7 security team for him when he was appointed as head of the EPA by Donald Trump, even pulling agents from criminal investigations to guard him, in a move that dramatically escalated the cost for the taxpayer and broke with the protocol followed by his predecessors.

Continue reading...

EU carbon prices held their ground on Tuesday to consolidate above €20 after another weak auction result and yesterday's big losses.

Labor says it would use a grant agreement clause to force the return of any unspent funds

Labor has warned the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to prepare to return a $443.8m grant in the event of change of government.

Continue reading...

A rapidly-rising EU carbon price is helping to boost confidence that the Paris Agreement rulebook will be finalised this year, though this could mean leaving out guidance on how carbon markets will operate under the UN pact.

Rockfall a growing risk as high temperatures thaw ground at higher altitudes

France will impose a daily cap of 214 climbers on Mont Blanc next year, one of several measures taken to limit overcrowding on one of Europe’s highest peaks.

“It’s a tough decision but a very good one, because Mont Blanc is a climb unlike any other. You have to be prepared,” said Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, the Alpine town where the most popular route to the top of the mountain begins.

Continue reading...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named Francois de Rugy as the country’s new environment minister, after the previous minster Nicolas Hulot resigned abruptly last week.

The room has been transformed in honour of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning.

The nation is united behind drought-hit farmers, but some query the merits of "special treatment".

Marine biologist Melissa Marquez shares a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and tips for swimming with sharks.

European carbon will hit €30 before the end of 2019, as the current momentum could combine with structurally bullish factors ahead to lift EUA prices to record highs, analysts predict.

Most extinctions were caused by deforestation in South America, a new study of endangered birds shows

Spix’s macaw, a brilliant blue species of Brazilian parrot that starred in the children’s animation Rio, has become extinct this century, according to a new assessment of endangered birds.

The macaw is one of eight species, including the poo-uli, the Pernambuco pygmy-owl and the cryptic treehunter, that can be added to the growing list of confirmed or highly likely extinctions, according to a new statistical analysis by BirdLife International.

Continue reading...

The EU risks a repetition of the large-scale ETS VAT fraud that has cost governments billions of euros in tax revenue unless it extends protections beyond this year, a group of business associations said on Tuesday.

AEMO has lifted its forecasts for the uptake of electric vehicles for the second time in less than six months, and flags it could have an impact on the way we manage the grid.

The post How the EV boom will reshape the way we use electricity appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As a federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. For our operations in Kampala/Uganda, we are looking for an Intern at the Global Carbon Markets Programme.