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Allow nuclear waste disposal in national parks, say MPs

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-07-31 15:01

Safest site should be chosen regardless of location, committee says – but opponents call idea ‘outrageous’

Highly radioactive nuclear waste could be permanently buried under national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), under government plans backed by a committee of MPs.

Deep geological burial is seen as the only permanent solution for nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for many thousands of years and is currently stored at surface sites across the UK. Ministers’ attempts to choose a site in Cumbria for the £12bn facility were foiled in 2013 when the county council rejected the proposal.

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2017 UK's fifth warmest year on record, says Met Office

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-07-31 15:01

Average temperature in past decade is 0.8C hotter and ‘notably wetter’ than the 30 years leading up to 1990

Last year was the fifth warmest on record for the UK, showing a clear warming trend above the long-term average, despite a wet summer last year and cold winter.

The average temperature over the past decade, since 2008, was 0.8C above the 30 year average to 1990. Summers over that period have also been “notably wetter”, the Met Office said, in its fourth annual State of the UK Climate report on Tuesday.

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Shhh: Harley-Davidson confirms ‘twist and go’ electric motorcycle for 2019

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 14:44
Iconic US motorcycle maker reaches out to new generation of riders with electric LiveWire motorcycle, with a view to release it as early as next year.
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Country diary: wildflowers struggle in the heartless heat

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-07-31 14:30

Folly Farm, Somerset: Even sun-loving insects have been suffering as their food plants wither and nectar sources dry up

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Open letter to energy ministers: Release NEG modelling in full

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 14:06
A group of 23 energy researchers from 11 institutions have called for the full release of National Energy Guarantee modelling.
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Timor Leste a Mecca for whales but they face threats

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-07-31 14:00

One third of all cetacean species are found in the waters off Timor Leste, but measures are needed to protect them

Olive Andrews believes Timor Leste could be one of the best destinations in the world for whale watching. Andrews - a research scientist with a particular interest in cetaceans - drew this conclusion when she joined a survey team assessing the coastal waters north of Timor Leste in October 2016. “I’ve never seen such a biomass of cetaceans in such a small geography,” she says. “We encountered 2287 cetaceans from 11 species, including superpods of up to 600 individuals.”

There are 90 distinct species of cetacean - and at least 30 of them occur in Timor Leste. These include both local populations like melon headed whales and spinner dolphins, and migratory species like humpbacks and pygmy blue whales. Managed properly, whale tourism could generate significant income for Timor Leste, one of the world’s youngest - and poorest - nations.

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AEMO’s Zibelman admits “hiccup” in new solar and wind connections

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 13:59
AEMO's Audrey Zibelman concedes there is a “hiccup” in connection of new solar and wind projects to the grid, caused by overwhelming volume, and as the speed of new projects overtakes the ability of the grid to adapt.
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Australia renewables boom rolls on, but NEG shadow looms

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 12:16
CEC details jaw-dropping scale of Australian renewables boom, but survey says investor confidence shaky, summed up in two words: "policy uncertainty."
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The Black-Allan Line

ABC Environment - Tue, 2018-07-31 11:05
It's the straight bit of the border between NSW and Victoria. It's high altitude mathematical precision and messy politics.
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US wind continues record growth despite Trump’s coal fetish

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:59
Trump may be promising to bring back jobs for the coal industry, but it’s the country’s wind energy industry which is making the strongest headway.
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Spanish solar thermal group models 85% renewable energy plan

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:55
Scaling up CSP capacity would not only help reduce emissions and provide the necessary electricity, and help renewables meet 85% of Spain's supply.
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Butler lambasts “pathetic” emissions target, “silly” pursuit of coal

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:49
Labor's Mark Butler has lambasts "pathetic" emissions target in National Energy Guarantee and "silly" pursuit of coal, as Greens and Victoria warn of no approval for NEG at CoAG meeting until after it is endorsed by Coalition party room.
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Spider mower blitzes vegetation underneath PV panels

RenewEconomy - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:42
The Spider’s unique patented design means that one mower can maintain the entire farm between the rows of solar panels and below them, reducing the need for multiple machines.
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Manitoba releases draft framework for regulating large emitters under carbon tax

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:41
The Manitoba government published a discussion paper on Monday laying out how an output-based pricing system (OBPS) would give heavy emitters more flexibility under the Canadian province’s upcoming CO2 tax.
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Livestock treatment may offer solution to antibiotics crisis, say scientists

The Guardian - Tue, 2018-07-31 10:01

Dosing animals with antibodies from their own immune systems could prevent illness and reduce the need for antibiotics

Using animals’ own immune systems may provide a way to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in farming, replacing the drugs with cheap farm byproducts and cutting the growing risk of resistance to common medicines, new research has suggested.

Natural antibodies, produced by the immune system without previous infection, in animals and humans, can protect the body against harmful bacteria. They are present in some usually unconsidered farm byproducts, such as the whey left over from milk production, and they could be administered to animals easily in feed.

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Largest king penguin colony shrinks 90% in 30 years

BBC - Tue, 2018-07-31 09:17
The world's largest colony, in the Indian Ocean, has shrunk 90% over 30 years, research suggests.
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The National Energy Guarantee is a flagship policy. So why hasn't the modelling been made public?

The Conversation - Tue, 2018-07-31 05:58
A policy that aims to reshape the electricity sector needs to be judged on its numbers. But the lack of public modelling from the Energy Security Board makes it impossible for analysts to do this. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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EU Market: EUAs hold above €17 as summer auction cuts near

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2018-07-31 03:34
EU carbon prices held above €17 for a seventh straight day in quiet trade on Monday, continuing to consolidate at higher levels ahead of the annual reduction of summer EUA supply.
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California LCFS credits surpass $190 on eve of data release

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2018-07-31 03:03
California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) prices rose to yet another new record on Monday as the week-long bull run closed in on the programme’s quarterly data release.
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Massachusetts GHG, energy goals bolstered with signing of international hydroelectric contract

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2018-07-31 02:47
Massachusetts utilities inked a deal with a cross-border hydroelectric project last week, helping the state close in on its emissions reduction and clean energy targets and successfully circumventing delays in the state's original selection.
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