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Coral reef scientist jointly awarded John Maddox prize weeks after his research centre lost government funding

Judges have awarded an Australian scientist a prestigious international prize, saying he has battled political smears and public attempts to discredit his work in order to shine a light on the devastating effects of climate change on coral reefs.

Prof Terry Hughes was jointly awarded the John Maddox prize on Wednesday for bringing public attention to coral bleaching.

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Germany's grid - even in midst of shift to renewables - remains one of most stable in Europe, as biggest threat comes from extreme weather.

The post Germany’s electricity grid stable amid energy transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Spain proposes new laws banning petrol vehicles, fracking, scraps fossil fuel subsidies and sets 2050 goal for 100% renewable power.

The post Spain bans petrol cars, fracking, fossil fuel subsidies – aims for 100% renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Man used radio to contact coast guard after shark rammed and bit his craft and sent him flying into the ocean on the Sunshine Coast

A kayaker has been sent flying after a four-metre tiger shark rammed and then sank its teeth into his tiny craft on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

The man, aged in his 30s, was fishing from his kayak off Moffat beach on Thursday morning when he was flung into the water, surfacing to find the shark with its jaws still clamped around one end.

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The number of sheep and cattle in the UK should be reduced to help combat climate change, a report says.

The Climate Governance Manager will become a key member of C40 City Diplomacy team, contributing to shape its global diplomatic strategy towards national governments and other stakeholders, in support of the Paris Agreement and C40 mission.

The project is the largest of six successful bids underVictoria's928 MW Renewable Energy Auction Scheme, and the second winning project backed by Vestas' customised solutions.

The post Vestas wins largest project in Victoria’s Renewable Energy Auction with the first V150-4.2MW turbines in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

SD Strategies is offering a 3-month internship with duties spanning issues such as energy, transport, and climate policies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Government advisers call for radical changes, including turning farmland into forests

Tree planting must double by 2020 as part of radical changes to land use in the UK, according to the government’s advisers on climate change.

New forests would lock up carbon but also help to limit the more frequent floods expected with global warming.

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Major research also shows charging polluting trucks had no effect on health

Pollution from diesel vehicles is stunting the growth of children’s lungs, leaving them damaged for life, a major study has found.

The research, conducted with more than 2,000 school children in London, is the first such study in a city where diesel pollution is a significant factor, and has implications for cities around the world. It also showed that charges to deter polluting trucks from entering the city did reduce air pollution a little but did not reduce the harm to children’s lungs.

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

Fossil fuel companies including Chevron and ExxonMobil ‘knowingly caused harm’ by contributing to warming, group says

For the fourth-generation crab fisherman John Beardon, the warming of Pacific waters off the coast of California has meant toxic crabs, shortened fishing seasons and a near decimation of his livelihood as a crab boat captain. Now he would like to see the industry he says is responsible pay for the damage.

On Wednesday, associations representing California crab fishermen like Beardon filed suit against 30 fossil fuel companies seeking to make the companies pay for the harm global warming has caused to California’s fisheries. The suit demands that petroleum interests finance the changes that will be needed to sustain the crab fishing industry in the future.

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Energy Estate and MirusWind propose 4GW wind and solar project with storage in NSW - the largest single renewable energy project in Australia's main grid.

The post Energy Estate, MirusWind propose 4GW wind and solar project in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The UK government’s cabinet of senior ministers has backed a Brexit text crafted by negotiators, Prime Minister Theresa May said late Wednesday, increasing the chances that lawmakers will endorse the EU divorce deal that keeps the country in the EU ETS until the end of 2020.

California regulator Air Resources Board (ARB) issued more than 835,000 offsets over the past three weeks, including roughly 51,000 credits before the WCI market's Nov. 1 compliance deadline, state data showed Wednesday.

EU carbon prices slipped back below €20 in another wavy session on Thursday, closing down nearly 2% despite a bullish auction result.

A mounting allowance surplus spurred by declining fuel sales in the WCI cap-and-trade programme should result in smaller price gains than previously expected following Wednesday’s auction and into the next decade, according to analysts.

Scientists find evidence that an iron asteroid slammed into the Earth deep inside the Arctic Circle.

European carbon allowances are forecast to remain above €20 even in the case of a massive sell-off by the investors who helped prices triple in the past year, analysts said.

Anti-fossil fuel activism is gaining ground where previous climate campaigns have failed, largely because it resonates better with people. Fergus Green, PhD Candidate in Political Theory, Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.