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The CSIRO says it only received $1m over the last ten years to combat the highly invasive pests despite pioneering research into their management

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Australia’s leading scientific research body received just $100,000 a year towards combatting fire ants, a Senate inquiry into the highly invasive pests has heard.

At the third and final session of public hearings for the Senate inquiry on Monday, the committee’s chair, Senator Matt Canavan, said some of the evidence he had heard had “freaked [him] out”.

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The carbon arm of an international commodities trader has partnered with one of Japan's largest gas suppliers to grow their offset portfolios, eyeing nature-based solutions in Asia.

A direct air capture (DAC) startup has partnered with a simulation company for the development of a digital twin, or digital model, of its planned real-world plants.

An insurance provider is entering the carbon insurance market with the launch of a new product to cover both the physical and political risks of buying voluntary carbon credits on a forward basis.

China saw thermal power generation in the first two months of 2024 continue to outpace the growth of total power output amid rosier economic figures, according to the latest government data.

The EU needs to develop a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy and lay out a roadmap for carbon removals deployment from now to 2050 in order to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, according to a climate non-profit.

A broader definition of blue carbon ecosystems could help fund conservation efforts by unlocking greater carbon credit supply, according to a study released this week.

In states with competition between retailers, the energy regulator is promising savings for most customers on the default plan. But it’s small change compared to price hikes. Here’s what to expect. Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can we expect people to care for the countryside if they are denied access to it? We must fight for our right to roam

When people ask me where I’m from, I wryly tell them “the middle of nowhere”. So, imagine my surprise when I saw that my old landlord and the remote place where I grew up were making national headlines over a court battle for the right to wild camp on Dartmoor.

Alexander Darwall bought the 1,619-hectare (4,000-acre) Blachford estate on southern Dartmoor in 2011. Dartmoor is the only place in England where wild camping is allowed, in designated areas, without permission from a landowner. Darwall successfully contested this right in court, arguing that the right to wild camp – as opposed to walking or picnicking – on the moors never existed. Then an appeal restored it. Now, he’s taking the case to the supreme court.

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Indonesia’s national carbon exchange has remained quiet in the first two months of this year, according to newly published data, but market sources believe the exchange will open itself up to international trade later this year.

There has been another step towards low-carbon fuels this week, as two groups signed agreements to develop e-fuels, or synthetic replicas of traditional fossil fuels made with captured CO2 and renewable energy.

Chevron and JX Nippon Gas have signed a non-binding agreement to look at capturing CO2 in Japan and sending it to Australia and other nearby nations for permanent sequestration.

Court of appeal’s removal of ‘consent’ defence means defendants on trial for criminal damage can no longer use it

It took a matter of minutes in the court of appeal, where demonstrators were strangely absent, for the dial to shift once more on the rights of protest in England and Wales.

The decision taken on Monday by the court of appeal to, in effect, find in favour of the attorney general, the Conservative government’s premier legal officer, has removed a defence for climate protesters that had been available on the statute books since 1971.

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Researchers claim new bifacial solar technology offers greater efficiency than traditional solar at significantly less cost than existing solar panels.

The post New bifacial solar technology generates more power at much reduced cost appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In a grid reshaped by wind and solar, and rooftop PV in particular, there is a lot of space for fast and flexible "firming" capacity, but not for baseload technologies like nuclear.

The post Rooftop solar ducks would eat nuclear’s lunch. So will Coalition slow PV or pay to store it? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Almost all countries failing to meet mark for PM2.5, tiny particles expelled by vehicles and industry that can cause health problems

Only seven countries are meeting an international air quality standard, with deadly air pollution worsening in places due to a rebound in economic activity and the toxic impact of wildfire smoke, a new report has found.

Of 134 countries and regions surveyed in the report, only seven – Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand – are meeting a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for tiny airborne particles expelled by cars, trucks and industrial processes.

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Engineering firm signs deal with renewable energy retailer Flow Power that will see its NSW sites powered by locally sourced wind and solar.

The post Ampcontrol signs deal to power industrial sites entirely with NSW wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Zealand’s plants and animals are globally unique and underpin primary production and tourism. The government’s fast-tracking proposal threatens to erode the natural capital the economy relies on. Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Jo Monks, Lecturer in Ecology, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As renewables drive down wholesale electricity prices, questions are raised over why consumers will get only marginal bill relief in the coming year.

The post Consumers to get “marginal” bill relief despite rooftop PV driving big falls in wholesale power prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Zen Energy begins construction of its first major battery project, which will help accelerate South Australia's push to net 100 pct renewables in three years.

The post Construction starts on second biggest battery in world’s most renewable grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.