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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but plastic straws are ruining the ocean. Kim Borg, Doctoral Candidate & Research Officer at BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Denise Goodwin, Research Fellow, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Stanhope, Weardale: A watchful heron awaits his moment as the fish introduced to this former industrial landscape gorge on a rich supply of damselfly nymphs

In the heat of yet another cloudless summer afternoon the still air in Ashes quarry wobbled in the heat haze. Blasting, hewing and hauling of limestone ended here 60 years ago. Since then nature has reclaimed this peaceful mile-long scar in the fellside; today the loudest sound came from chirruping grasshoppers.

The prolonged drought is unlikely to dry up the flooded quarry floor, an olive-green oasis surrounded by parched, yellowing grasses growing in the thin veneer of soil on rock scree. Standing on the edge of the squelchy bog, among cotton grass shedding its gossamer seeds and head-tall reed mace, I listened to the croak of moorhens hidden in channels among the forests of water horsetail, and also heard a strange plopping sound.

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BMW has announced that its hybrid electric i8 Roadster, plus a fresh look i8 Coupé, is ready to buy for cashed up Australian EV enthusiasts.

Planning commission finds ‘uncertainty’ around the massive project’s emissions

A plan for a massive waste-to-energy incinerator in western Sydney has been blocked, after the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission ruled there was “uncertainty” over human health and environmental impacts.

The plant – the largest planned in the southern hemisphere – would have burned 552,500 tonnes of waste every year, generating enough electricity to power 100,000 homes.

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Peaking plant in South Australia fined for not following instructions after network fault that forced BHP's Olympic Dam to wind down production and narrowly averted wider blackouts.

One of Victoria's first large-scale solar projects, IIG's merchant funded Swan Hill solar farm, has been formally opened.

Australian CleanTech Index has outperformed ASX200 by cumulative 89% over last five financial years and, for fifth year in row has outperformed the wider market. And investors are making handsome profits.

AEMO report confirms suspicions that the construction of proposed Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project would result in more coal being burned for power needs, and will crowd out large scale solar and other storage projects.

Video of a seabed filmed by a BBC journalist has helped the area get special protection.

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

CERs surged to a 20-month high on Wednesday, accelerating a recent rally that has seen prices double in the past four months and which has left many traders scratching their heads.

Acting administrator said the ease of Obama-era rules, which pushes back deadline to close ash dumps, saves $30m annually

The Trump administration on Wednesday eased rules for handling toxic coal ash from more than 400 US coal-fired power plants after utilities pushed back against regulations adopted under former president Barack Obama.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acting administrator Andrew Wheeler said the changes would save utilities roughly $30m annually.

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Would you pay to see rhinos in Australia's savannas or forests? It's not as crazy as it sounds – and could help save collapsing rhino populations. Bill Laurance, Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australians tried to do the right thing by recycling but then we discovered we’d been played for mugs

The announcement by China earlier this year that they would no longer purchase Australia’s contaminated waste plunged the local recycling industry into a crisis from which it has yet to recover.

But the consequences for public trust might be even more severe.

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In central-western New South Wales, farmers are facing a crippling drought many are calling the worst since 1902

“It’s a pretty tough old time,” says Coonabarabran farmer Ambrose Doolan. “But if you’re working with your family and everyone is looking out for each other, you count your blessings.” In the central-west region of New South Wales, farmers continue to battle a crippling drought that many locals are calling the worst since 1902. In Warrumbungle shire, where sharp peaks fall away to once fertile farmland, the small town of Coonabarabran is running out of water. The town dam has fallen to 23% of its capacity and residents are living with level-six water restrictions. There are real fears the town will run dry.

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EU carbon rose steadily on Wednesday to close at their highest in seven years, as a stronger auction boosted confidence that prices would extend recent highs.

Activist group Shoot’em with a Camera seeks to infiltrate a bear hunt by acquiring licenses they don’t intend to use

Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist, and a group of wildlife activists are some of the unexpected entrants in a lottery to hunt up to 22 grizzly bears near Yellowstone national park.

Related: Alarmed conservationists call for urgent action to fix 'America's wildlife crisis'

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Doctors urge ministers to act as 1,320 killed by asthma in England and Wales last year

A record number of people are dying of asthma, and experts have warned growing air pollution and a lack of basic care could be to blame.

In England and Wales 1,320 people died of asthma last year, a sharp rise of more than 25% over a decade, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

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A successful effort to introduce a carbon charge in New York’s wholesale electricity markets separate to RGGI would take nearly three years to take effect, according to the state’s grid operator NYISO.

The EU will from Thursday impose measures aimed at curbing a surge of steel imports diverted from the tariff-setting US, quelling fears that ETS-covered domestic production could be affected.