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Baker McKenzie acts on $A500 million Macarthur Wind Farm refinancing

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 13:58
Baker McKenzie successfully represented a syndicate of lenders on the successful refinancing of 50% interest in the Macarthur Wind Farm.
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Tandem virus cocktail kills pest rabbits more effectively

The Conversation - Wed, 2018-06-27 13:53
Feral rabbits previously exposed to myxoma virus are more likely to be killed by rabbit haemorrhagic diease, meaning that these two biocontrol agents can become even more powerful when used in tandem. Corey Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology, Flinders University Louise Barnett, Adjunct researcher, Flinders University Thomas Prowse, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft reaches cosmic 'diamond'

BBC - Wed, 2018-06-27 13:34
A Japanese spacecraft has arrived at a diamond-shaped asteroid where it will collect rock samples.
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Could seaweed solve Indonesia's plastic crisis?

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-27 13:00

In a country of more than 17000 islands, seaweed might be the ideal raw material for a bio-plastics revolution.

Indonesia produces more marine plastic pollution than any other country except China. This is perhaps unsurprising: the world’s biggest archipelago is also its fourth most populous. Limited income and cash flow means that poorer communities rely on cheap single-use plastics like bags, water cups and shampoo sachets. Waste management systems are rudimentary and each year millions of tonnes of trash ends up in waterways and eventually the ocean.

Last year Indonesia pledged US$1 billion to cut its marine waste by 70% by 2025. The country will have to tackle the issue on multiple fronts if this ambitious target is to be met. Besides changing consumer habits and improving waste management infrastructure, industry needs to move away from single use plastics and quickly introduce and scale up biodegradable alternatives.

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State government is keeping solar owners in the dark

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 11:57
The returned Liberal state government announced that it would “begin [a] review of the Solar FiT” in its first 100 days. It's been 103 days with no public information released.
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Plastic coffee cup waste is being cut by a simple change

BBC - Wed, 2018-06-27 11:51
A university campus has cut the use of disposable cups with a simple change.
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New coal doesn’t stack up – just look at Queensland’s renewable energy numbers

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 11:49
Renewable energy is a much better choice than coal fired generation, in terms of both costs and jobs.
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Dutch adventurer dispels EV range myths in 800-day drive to Darwin

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 11:37
One man with an idea showcases the potential of EV's and how sustainability can be applied to everyday life by driving an EV to Australia – with no money.
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Australia solar costs hit “extraordinary” new lows – $50s/MWh

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 10:57
ARENA says Australia utility-scale solar prices has plunged to “somewhere in the $50s” today, while BNEF says China module surplus could lower prices further in Australia by end of the year.
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Wärtsilä, Hyundai sign deal to use EV batteries for energy storage

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 10:28
Hyundai and Wärtsilä to target both utility-scale and commercial applications which can suitably use second-life EV batteries.
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Europe wants to make roads that recharge electric cars

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 09:43
European Union funded project looks at how electric vehicles could be charged wirelessly - via the road itself.
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How Australia will get to 33% renewable energy by 2020

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 09:36
Despite best efforts by Coalition government to stop it, Australia will end up with 33% renewables by 2020, will likely get to 40% by 2030, and has enough in pipeline to reach 85%.
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Bumblebees thrive in towns more than countryside

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-27 09:01

Urban bumblebees have better access to food, allowing them to produce more offspring

Bumblebee colonies fare better in villages and cities than in fields, research has revealed.

Bumblebees are important pollinators, but face threats including habitat loss, climate change, pesticide and fungicide use and parasites. Now researchers say that bumblebee colonies in urban areas not only produce more offspring than those on agricultural land, but have more food stores, fewer invasions from parasitic “cuckoo” bumblebees, and survive for longer.

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CP Daily: Tuesday June 26, 2018

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-27 08:42
A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.
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Big business lobby declares war on wind and solar

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-27 08:12
In echoes of the mining lobby's war on the mining tax, the Business Council vows to fight higher renewable energy targets, even as many big corporates turn to wind and solar and new data suggests that Australia will already have reached 33% renewable by 2030.
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US EPA draws ire of biofuels groups with release of 2019 RFS quotas

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-27 07:59
The EPA published preliminary 2019 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) on Tuesday, with the biofuels industry arguing that the modest increases in the yearly quotas were more than cancelled out by the agency’s failure to act on several compliance waivers issued this year.
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New coal doesn't stack up – just look at Queensland's renewable energy numbers

The Conversation - Wed, 2018-06-27 05:48
There are calls from the backbench and elsewhere for the federal government to safeguard the future of coal. But do those calls make economic sense? A look at Queensland's energy landscape suggests not. Matthew Stocks, Research Fellow, ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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EU Market: EUAs hold above €15 after stronger auction

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-27 03:49
EU carbon prices held just above €15 for the second straight day on Tuesday after the day’s auction cleared relatively strongly and despite analyst warnings that the recent rally may have petered out.
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The environmental impact of a third runway at Heathrow | Letters

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-27 03:05
Letters from Dr Robin Russell-Jones, Les Bright and Andrew Papworth

This government’s decision to create more pollution at Heathrow (Report, 26 June) while simultaneously rejecting tidal power in Swansea Bay (Report, 26 June) shows it has no strategy for tackling climate change.

Although aviation only contributes about 2% of global emissions of carbon dioxide, it accounts for over 6% of global warming due the effects of other greenhouse gases and vapour trails. The upcoming report by the UK Committee on Climate Change shows that a third runway will increase CO2 emissions from air travel from 37 to 43 million tonnes per annum. But since our overall carbon budget will have fallen by 2030 to 344 million tonnes, the contribution from aviation will have jumped from 6.5% to 12.5% of the UK’s carbon emissions. In other words, a third runway is incompatible with the UK’s climate commitments, and things will only get worse post-Brexit.
Dr Robin Russell-Jones
Marlow, Buckinghamshire

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CARBON FORWARD: New entrants seek to ride the wave as EU carbon prices quadruple

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-27 02:40
The EU ETS has witnessed a dramatic change over the past year as carbon prices have quadrupled, the market has attracted new participants, and the developments have given confidence to existing participants that the world’s biggest carbon market will remain the EU’s main climate policy tool.
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