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US power sector CO2 emissions declining among major producers -report

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-06-21 03:40
CO2 emissions attributable to the largest electricity producers in the US have continued to drop from heights in the mid-2000s as energy efficiency measures and coal displacement drives reductions, according to new analysis published on Wednesday.
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The gene-edited pigs immune to lung disease

BBC - Thu, 2018-06-21 03:30
Pigs in Scotland have had their genes altered so they are now immune to a deadly respiratory disease.
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Gene-edited farm animals are on their way

BBC - Thu, 2018-06-21 03:00
Scientists create pigs that are immune to one of the world's costliest livestock diseases.
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Blockchain network launches new EV collaboration to trace California LCFS credits

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-06-21 02:41
A blockchain partnership has teamed up with a California municipal utility to introduce renewable energy tracking for electric vehicles (EVs) and create a digital record of Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits.
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Shetland scallop fishery retains eco label despite dredging protests

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-06-21 02:34

Review rejects conservation groups’ complaints that use of dredging gear damages seabed

A scallop fishery in Shetland has retained its coveted eco label after an independent review rejected allegations that it damaged the marine environment.

The marine conservation charity Open Seas and the National Trust for Scotland protested that the fishery’s use of dredging gear to harvest scallops caused unjustifiable damage to the seabed and other marine species.

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UPDATE – Analysts ratchet down EU carbon price forecasts as lawmakers strengthen bloc’s energy targets

Carbon Pulse - Thu, 2018-06-21 01:25
Analysts have cut their EU carbon price forecasts as the EU clinched agreements to raise its 2030 renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, warning that the impact of increased ambition won’t be fully absorbed by the market's supply-curbing MSR.
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Astronauts eject UK-led space junk demo mission

BBC - Wed, 2018-06-20 22:10
The RemoveDebris satellite will trial technologies for snaring broken hardware drifting in orbit.
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A world without puffins? The uncertain fate of the much-loved seabirds

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 22:00

On the small Welsh island of Skomer, puffin numbers are booming. But in former strongholds in Scotland, Norway and Iceland, the picture is ever more worrying

Bryony Baker lies spreadeagled at the edge of a cliff and reaches her hand deep into a hole in the ground that is almost entirely hidden beneath a clump of grass. She pushes futher in and her arm disappears up to the shoulder. It is a little like watching a vet getting up close and personal with a labouring cow. “Ouch!” she exclaims suddenly, her face creasing in pain. She pulls her arm out and inspects her fingers, already covered in scars. “That one’s definitely a puffin. They look sweet, but they can be pretty aggressive.”

She presses her lips together in anticipation of another nip and pushes her hand in again. A large, dirty white egg emerges from the burrow – “warm, good” – and she places it safely on a cushion of moss. She reaches into the ground again. When she withdraws it, a second later, she’s holding an irritated puffin by its orange beak. She rings it, notes its number – this is now Bird EZ88918 – then gently replaces it and its precious egg in the burrow.

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Former PM Abbott throws fresh spanner in the works for Australia’s NEG

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-20 20:54
Australia’s former prime minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday threatened to vote against his own party’s proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG) because it focuses too much on cutting carbon emissions.
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South Korean firms ink PoA deal as country eyes new CDM projects following carbon market rule change

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2018-06-20 20:39
Three South Korean firms have signed a preliminary agreement to invest in a cookstove PoA, as investors and participants in the country's emissions trading scheme dip their toes back into the CDM market after the government earlier this year made some UN-issued carbon credits eligible for compliance use.
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'Barnacled angels': the whales of Stellwagen Bank – a photo essay

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 19:29

Off the tip of Cape Cod, pods of humpbacks return every summer to feed. For the past 18 years, Philip Hoare has been joining them to witness this incredible display

At the tip of Cape Cod, a sandy spit reaches out into the Atlantic, like an arm, towards a vast underwater plateau where humpbacks gather each summer to feed. This is the US marine sanctuary of Stellwagen Bank, where for the past three weeks I’ve been a guest on the Dolphin Fleet whalewatch boats, working out of Provincetown.

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Li and the art of electric motorcycle evolution

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-20 16:23
The evolution of electric motorcycles is happening before our eyes, with control systems and battery designs the final barriers to yet more power and speed.
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How can you support farmers who are using fewer antibiotics?

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 16:00

There are limited opportunities to support farmers who are using less, so the most important thing is to make your voice heard

Farm antibiotic use rarely features on food labels or marketing in the UK, so it’s very hard for shoppers to know how to support farmers who are using less. For whole meat and butchered cuts, there are some rules of thumb for the conscious shopper:

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More tigers live in US back yards than in the wild. Is this a catastrophe?

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 16:00

It is easier to buy a tiger in some states than to adopt a rescue dog – and only 6% of the animals are housed in approved facilities. This is bad for the big cats – and for humans

According to estimates, the population of tigers in people’s back gardens in the US outnumbers those in the wild. Seven thousand of the big cats live in US captivity, whereas, despite increases, there are as few as 3,890 wild tigers worldwide. Most of the captive animals are kept in unregulated conditions, as the BBC reported last week. Only 6% are housed in zoos or facilities approved by the US Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The rest live in private breeding facilities, back yards, even urban apartments. In some states, it is easier to buy a tiger than to adopt a rescue dog.

Leigh Henry, a species policy expert at the World Wildlife Fund, says the situation threatens the work that has been done to conserve wild populations in Asia. “A patchwork of regulations governs these tigers, meaning no agency can say how many there are, when they are born, when they die and what happens to their valuable parts when they do. Illegal trade in tiger parts remains the primary threat to tigers in the wild, and the last thing we want is parts from captive tigers helping sustain or even fuel this black market.”

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JA Solar’s Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Module Receives TUV Rheinland Certificate on Solar Power Generation

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-20 15:46
JA Solar announced that the electricity generating capability of its bifacial mono PERC double glass module was certified by international authoritative testing institute TUV Rheinland.
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Cross-party MPs say government is dragging feet on air pollution

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 15:30

Calls by joint inquiry to bring forward UK car sales ban have been resisted by government

The government has been accused of dragging its feet on air quality improvements by a cross-party group of MPs.

A partnership of four committees said serious concerns remained about the UK’s commitment to cutting pollution and its impact on public health.

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Five ways the NEG works against consumers, and solar

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-20 14:48
Here are five ways the the NEG will penalise consumers, particularly those with rooftop solar. If it all sounds like it can’t possibly be true, it is. But it can be fixed.
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Silicon Valley EV network plugs into Australian blockchain technology

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-20 14:41
Blockchain platform developed by Perth-based Power Ledger used in California to manage credits generated by renewable EV charging.
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Coalition makes it harder to change low-ball emissions target

RenewEconomy - Wed, 2018-06-20 14:27
Coalition seeks to make it harder for any future government to change low-ball emissions targets, and removes option for changes with 5-years notice.
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Senate to probe Great Barrier Reef grant of $444m to small charity

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-06-20 14:12

Inquiry will look at what the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is capable of delivering

A parliamentary inquiry will examine how a $444m grant for work on the Great Barrier Reef was awarded to a small not-for-profit charity, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, with no competitive tender process.

Labor, Greens and crossbench senators have backed the inquiry, which was moved by a Greens senator, Peter Whish-Wilson.

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