Feed aggregator

The spot price for NZUs fell lower on Tuesday amid weak volumes and high regulatory uncertainty, as a ban on new industrial coal boilers comes into effect later this month.

We are not helpless: we need to do big things quickly, though, to halt the disturbance of nature. And I fear that’s not happening

• John Vidal is a former Guardian environment editor

When he bought the pretty little striped field mouse on the internet for $8 to give to his daughter for her sixth birthday, the businessman from São Paulo was told it was free of infection and had been bred by a registered dealer. In fact, it had been sourced from the vast sugar cane fields planted in Brazil to grow biofuels to reduce the use of fossil fuels – and which were swarming with rodents after yet another heatwave.

It nipped his daughter on the finger, but no one thought much of it – and six days later, he left on a trip to Europe. By the time he reached Amsterdam, she had started suffering fevers, muscle aches and breathing problems and had been rushed to hospital, and he too felt unwell. It was the start of one of the worst pandemics in human history, killing more people than Covid-19, Sars or the 1918 flu pandemic put together.

John Vidal is the Guardian’s former environment editor and author of Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature (Bloomsbury, £20). To support The Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

Continue reading...

Cane toads first crossed into WA from the Northern Territory 15 years ago and have slowly spread through the Kimberley

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Motion sensor cameras have revealed the confronting spread of cane toads across Western Australia’s eastern Kimberley region.

Supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, the Nyaliga Rangers deployed cameras at 141 locations between August 2020 and October 2022.

Continue reading...

Thames Water’s woes are a clear sign that basic oversight of our critical industries simply isn’t happening

The potential collapse of Thames Water, sinking under £14bn of debt, is just the latest evidence that the regulatory regimes that oversee large parts of the British economy are failing.

It comes on the heels of Ofgem, the gas and electricity regulator, failing to notice that companies supplying power to consumers were undercapitalised and vulnerable to global price volatility. The rail regulator, Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), has failed to protect the users of northern rail services or of commuter services around London from the incompetence of franchise operators. Ofcom, once the most respected regulator, has failed to prevent egregious telecom double-digit price increases – one of the worst recent examples of corporate exploitation which has helped to push up the cost of living.

Continue reading...

Sun Cable founders step down from executive roles and dozens of staff cut after a strategic review by new owners Grok and Quinbrook.

The post Sun Cable sheds dozens of staff, founders step aside, as new owners prepare to take control appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists in Australia solve puzzle of sole egg left in museum and identify new deep-sea species with unique ridged egg case

Off the north-western coast of Australia, near the remote coral atolls of Rowley Shoals, ghost catsharks are slinking through the dim water and searching for bushy colonies of corals growing between 400 and 500 metres (1,300-1,600ft) down.

This is where the elusive sharks lay their egg cases and leave them hanging like Christmas tree ornaments.

Continue reading...

Concerns raised after tests found stretch of river used for world-famous event had dangerous bacteria

The Henley Royal Regatta was marred by sewage pollution from Thames Water, organisers have said, as they call for urgent action on our rivers.

The prestigious event, a rowing competition on the Thames that has been going since 1839, was held last week. Chairman of the event’s organisers, Sir Steve Redgrave said: “At Henley Royal Regatta, we are deeply concerned about the impact that sewage pollution is having on our beautiful river. Sewage pollution is harming the environment that we enjoy and respect so much.” The organisers’ concerns come after two local campaign groups – River Action and Henley Locals – carried out their own tests on the Thames at Henley every weekday over a four-week period and found the stretch of river used for the world famous regatta had dangerous bacteria.

Continue reading...

Soil carbon project developer AgriProve Solutions has partnered with industry group Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) on three demonstration sites across the country’s east coast, as the issuance of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) fall to more nominal levels.

Does natural hydrogen have the potential to replace all fossil fuels? And why are we only just finding out about it? Here’s what we know.

The post The earth might hold huge stores of natural hydrogen – and prospectors are already scouring South Australia for it appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The University of Sydney technique leans heavily into what will work commercially at scale.

The post Australian scientists design cheaper carbon fibre recycling to cut wind turbine waste appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Researchers alarmed by results of study of dogs and horses living close to Chemours factory in North Carolina

Pets living near a PFAS manufacturing plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina have concerning levels of the toxic chemicals in their blood, and show evidence of health effects linked to exposure, new research finds.

PFAS were present in all 32 dog and 31 horse blood samples checked, and the findings provide evidence that human and animal exposures to the chemicals impacts their bodies, said Scott Belcher, a North Carolina State University researcher and co-author.

Continue reading...

The first supermoon of 2023 has been seen in Spain, Russia, Greece and Argentina and according to the Old Farmer's Almanac is called the 'full buck moon', named after the antlers of male deers which are growing at this time of year. A supermoon occurs when the full moon takes place at or near the lunar perigee, which means its closest approach to the Earth. When the full moon occurs at or around this point in its orbit, it appears larger and brighter than other full moons

• Astronomers observe time dilation in early universe

• ‘It was an accident’: the scientists who have turned humid air into renewable power

Continue reading...

Five councils bring a legal challenge against the London mayor's plans to expand ULEZ.

Ocean Winds, a joint venture of two European energy giants, is putting forward three offshore wind projects for Australia's first offshore wind zone.

The post European offshore wind venture makes 3 bids for Victoria offshore wind tender appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In the late 1980s, well diggers in Mali struck a rich source of naturally-created hydrogen. Now prospectors are scouring South Australia, looking for natural hydrogen. Linda Stalker, Senior principal research scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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

Analysts raised their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) average price forecasts for the second half of the year on expected policy developments attracting speculative interest, while maintaining RGGI Allowance (RGA) price estimates despite annual deficits seen over the next three years.

Adoption of carbon pricing in one country significantly increases the likelihood of similar policy adoption in other countries, especially neighbouring ones, a study has found.

The share of coal in Australia's main grid has fallen to its lowest level this century, with renewables jumping to 36.8 per cent in the last financial year.

The post Australia reaches record 36.8 pct renewables in 22/23, lowest coal this century appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Voluntary carbon market standards body American Carbon Registry published its revised crediting methodology on Monday, updating a prior version of project-based carbon credit issuance guidelines from December 2020.