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BNEF: Turnbull’s NEG akin to joining gym and not lifting weights
CEFC targets energy hungry shopping centres, with $200m finance deal
Alinta dives back into coal with purchase of Loy Yang B
Australia facing climate disaster on its doorstep, government's white paper warns
Foreign policy paper says climate-related conflict and migration could put Australia’s economic interests under pressure
Climate change is creating a disaster on Australia’s doorstep, with environmental degradation and the demand for sustainable sources of food undermining stability in some countries, especially “fragile states”, according to the Australian government’s first foreign policy white paper in more than a decade.
The new white paper, released on Thursday, contains warnings over the disruptive effects of climate change in Australia’s immediate region, noting that many small island states will be “severely affected in the long term”, and the coming decade will see increased need for disaster relief.
Continue reading...First Australian corporate bulk-buy to deliver new 80MW wind farm
Why the nights are getting brighter – but not in a good way
Spread of light pollution is bad for the environment, animal life and humans, five-year study concludes
The world’s nights are getting alarmingly brighter – bad news for all sorts of creatures, humans included – as light pollution encroaches on darkness almost everywhere.
Satellite observations made by researchers during five consecutive Octobers show Earth’s artificially lit outdoor area grew by 2% a year from 2012 to 2016. So did nighttime brightness.
Continue reading...Is NEG just an elaborate plan to fund Turnbull’s vanity project?
Three cups of coffee a day 'may have health benefits'
1414 plans two “gigawatt hour” silicon storage plants in S.A.
Tesla big battery on track to be “energised” in coming days
EU ban on bird imports sees 'massive' cuts in global trade
How we are losing the night
High-energy 'ghost particles' absorbed by Earth
New research suggests common herbicides are linked to antibiotic resistance
Light pollution: Night being lost in many countries
Treasury backs electric cars but makes limited moves on diesel
Funds set aside for national charging network and tech research, but lack of scrappage scheme disappoints
Electric cars have received a funding boost with the government earmarking £340m for a national charging network and subsidies for vehicle purchases.
However, further budget backing for greener vehicles was limited to a small rise in vehicle excise duty for new diesel cars that fail to meet rigorous emissions standards – disappointing campaigners who had hoped for a rise in fuel duty or a diesel scrappage scheme.
Continue reading...Plague reached Europe by Stone Age
No subsidies for green power projects before 2025, says UK Treasury
Government accused of ‘turning their back on renewables’ after saying there will be no more money for new low-carbon levies
Companies hoping to build new windfarms, solar plants and tidal lagoons, have been dealt a blow after the government said there would be no new subsidies for clean power projects until 2025 at the earliest.
The Treasury said it had taken the decision to “protect” consumers, because households and businesses were facing an annual cost of about £9bn on their energy bills to pay for wind, solar and nuclear subsidies to which it had already committed.
Continue reading...Record numbers of rare migrant dragonflies spotted in the UK
Conservationists believe global warming could be partly responsible for the influx of species such as the scarlet darter that have been seen this year
Record numbers of rare migrant dragonflies have been spotted in the UK this year, according to an analysis by volunteers from the Migrant Dragonfly Project.
The study recorded the first confirmed UK sighting of the scarlet darter for 13 years, at Longham Lakes in Dorset. It is only the eighth time this species has been spotted in Britain.
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