Around The Web

Automaker behind world's best selling EV unveils Nissan Energy Solar – a home solar, storage, and smart control package, including 2nd-hand EV batteries.

Alan Jones and Josh Frydenberg traded barbs on radio on Thursday. And beneath the bravado was an insight into how far to the right the debate around Australia’s climate and energy politics has shifted.

Wind, solar PV and Nuclear have gained electricity market share in China, but because of another downturn in hydro, coal generation continues to grow.

What is it about AI that unnerves us? Alan Finkel suspects it’s a combination of things.

Australia faces many security issues driven by climate change, including more international migration and an increase in defence personnel being sent on disaster relief missions, a Senate inquiry has found. Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How an Australian town found itself at the vanguard of a global solar revolution.

Report finds Narrabri has “enormous potential” for renewables, with scope for between 1GW and 4.5GW of large-scale solar and wind, that would create 500-2,600 permanent local jobs.

Senate report acknowledges the huge risks of climate change and the "threat to intelligent life". But it needs to do more than that.

A high-tech solution being tested in Iceland gets rid of waste carbon dioxide by pumping it 1,000m underground.

A high-tech solution being tested in Iceland gets rid of waste carbon dioxide by pumping it 1,000m underground.

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

North American carbon markets jumped into life late this week as the WCI programme prepared for its second quarterly auction result, while RGGI traders began to plan for the northeast US market’s second sale of the year.

Mo Brooks rejects notion that global warming is causing sea levels to increase, and says: ‘What about the White Cliffs of Dover?’

A member of Congress has suggested that the White Cliffs of Dover tumbling into the English Channel was causing rising sea levels.

Related: Everglades under threat as Florida's mangroves face death by rising sea level

Continue reading...

The world's national parks cover an area bigger than South America. But a new survey finds that one-third of this area is subject to pressure from human developments, potentially putting wildlife at risk. James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland James Allan, PhD candidate, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland Kendall Jones, PhD candidate, Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland Pablo Negret, PhD candidate, The University of Queensland Richard Fuller, Associate Professor in Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Queensland Sean Maxwell, PhD candidate, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One third of the world's protected lands are being degraded by human activities, says a new study.

One third of the world's protected lands are being degraded by human activities, says a new study.

New study’s author says failure to protect biodiversity in places identified for that purpose is ‘staggering’

•Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

A third of global protected areas such as national parks have been severely degraded by human activities in what researchers say is a stunning reality check of efforts by nations to stall biodiversity loss.

A University of Queensland-led study, published on Friday in the prestigious academic journal Science, analysed human activity across 50,000 protected areas worldwide.

Continue reading...

Insects are vital to ecosystems but will lose almost half their habitat under current climate projections

Global warming is on track to cause a major wipeout of insects, compounding already severe losses, according to a new analysis.

Insects are vital to most ecosystems and a widespread collapse would cause extremely far-reaching disruption to life on Earth, the scientists warn. Their research shows that, even with all the carbon cuts already pledged by nations so far, climate change would make almost half of insect habitat unsuitable by the end of the century, with pollinators like bees particularly affected.

Continue reading...

Threat is not a possible future one but one endangering Australia now, parliament told

Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon

Climate change is a “current and existential national security risk” to Australia, a Senate inquiry has told parliament, one that could inflame regional conflicts over food, water and land, and even imperil life on Earth.

The Senate committee inquiry into the implications of climate change for Australia’s national security recommended an increase in foreign aid to be dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region, as well as a government white paper on climate security, Department of Defence emissions targets and a dedicated climate security post within the Department of Home Affairs.

Continue reading...

The European Commission is gearing up to propose deeper EU emission reduction goals later this year as lawmakers are increasingly willing to accept more ambitious near-term measures, according to EU climate chief Miguel Arias Canete.