Around The Web

Can Norway help us solve the plastic crisis, one bottle at a time?

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-07-12 20:10

A bottle deposit hub on the outskirts of Oslo has had a stream of high-level international visitors. Can its success be replicated worldwide?

Tens of thousands of brightly coloured plastic drinks bottles tumble from the back of a truck on to a conveyor belt before disappearing slowly inside a warehouse on the outskirts of Oslo.

As a workman picks up a few Coke bottles that have escaped, Kjell Olav Maldum looks on. “It is a system that works,” he says as another truck rumbles past. “It could be used in the UK, I think lots of countries could learn from it.”

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Rising ocean waters from global warming could cost trillions of dollars | John Abraham

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-07-12 20:00

We’ll need to mitigate and adapt to global warming to avoid massive costs from sea level rise

Ocean waters are rising because of global warming. They are rising for two reasons. First, and perhaps most obvious, ice is melting. There is a tremendous amount of ice locked away in Greenland, Antarctica, and in glaciers. As the world warms, that ice melts and the liquid water flows to the oceans.

The other reason why water is rising is that warmer water is less dense – it expands. This expansion causes the surface of the water to rise.

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Sixty NZ businesses to take climate action, cut emissions

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-07-12 19:55
Sixty New Zealand companies on Thursday vowed to measure and report their CO2 output and set GHG reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement, a move that will impact half the nation’s emissions.
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Federal Politics: ACCC, Timor-Leste and robocalls

ABC Environment - Thu, 2018-07-12 18:35
RN Drive unpacks the biggest stories from the week in politics.
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Government responds to ACCC report amid speculation over energy policy

ABC Environment - Thu, 2018-07-12 18:06
"I do not care whether it comes from coal or gas or solar or wind or chook poo, the important thing is that it's the cheapest, most reliable and affordable option."
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Australia’s regulators still can’t imagine a clean energy future

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:50
This has been the story of Australia's energy market for more than a decade. Almost every report done by a statutory authority has refused to contemplate what a decarbonised grid might look like. Sims falls into the same trap.
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Three revolutions and the future of cars: An interview with Dr. Dan Sperling

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:45
Abby Figueroa sat down with Dr. Sperling to discuss the future of transportation and his book Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future.
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If we cherry-pick data, use discredited projections, and ignore CO2 … then EVs are bad!

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:34
Another report that ignores the positive carbon benefits of EVs; misrepresents EV infrastructure investments; and fails to provide adequate context to compare EV subsidies, costs, and impacts. We set the facts straight.
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Country diary: soft sounds of sparrow seduction

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:30

Sandy, Bedfordshire: The house sparrows are busy caring for their young, but can still find time to mate dozens of times a day

Lolling in the shade under a hazel bush, I had become the inadvertent eavesdropper on a private conversation. Out of the canopy came a whispered “brrr” whirr of wings and then the soft sounds of sparrow seduction, a love song of tenderness that was scarcely imaginable from a bird known for its strident chirps.

Gentle, soothing, piteous peeps drifted down, an intimate dialogue that was both charming and disarming. I caught a glimpse through the sparrows’ bower and saw the female, mouth agape, wings a-flutter. The male rode her for a second or two only. House sparrows may mate up to 40 times a day, but it’s always a quickie.

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Is Rod Sims having a lend of us ?

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:30
The ACCC has done a good job shedding light on some of the darker places of the electricity industry. But the recommendations range from unrealistic to downright dangerous. And some run across policy work of the ESB.
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Electric Mini in works as BMW signs China EV factory deal

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 14:14
BMW Group seals deal with China’s Great Wall Group to build state-of-the art EV factory in Jiangsu Province.
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Redflow ships “biggest” battery order for Fiji digital TV roll-out

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 13:37
Australian energy storage company ships largest-ever order of zinc-bromine flow batteries, to provide energy storage for Fiji’s new digital television network.
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Two new big solar farms to begin construction in NSW “in coming weeks”

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 11:54
Developers confirm works set to begin on first of two new solar farms in NSW, totalling more than 460MW of large-scale PV capacity.
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Tasmania’s Granville Harbour wind farm reaches financial close

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-07-12 11:10
A 112MW wind farm that will deliver a one-third increase to Tasmania’s wind power capacity has reached financial close, after an investment from the CEFC.
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Killing rats could save coral reefs

BBC - Thu, 2018-07-12 10:00
Threatened coral reefs can be protected by eradicating destructive rats that have invaded tropical islands, scientists say.
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Survey: Half of young people want electric cars

BBC - Thu, 2018-07-12 09:58
Young drivers increasingly want to buy electric cars - but myths are still deterring older drivers, survey shows.
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Using roads to make power and toilet paper

BBC - Thu, 2018-07-12 09:43
Can we use roads to generate power, make toilet paper and help increase the bee population?
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CP Daily: Wednesday July 11, 2018

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-07-12 09:29
A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.
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Canada’s Northwest Territories to implement C$20 carbon tax in July 2019

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-07-12 09:25
The Northwest Territories (NWT) will begin taxing carbon-based fuels in July 2019 at a rate in line with the federal government’s pan-Canadian framework, it announced Wednesday, with an accompanying rebate system designed to defray the costs for residents of the remote subarctic jurisdiction.
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Quebec issues first offsets for 2018 as compliance demand squeezes WCI market

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-07-12 08:06
Quebec's environment ministry granted almost 41,000 offsets this week to seven landfill gas projects in its first issuance since Sep. 2017, as traders said this fall’s approaching WCI compliance deadline is creating a supply crunch throughout the market.
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