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Federal Labor must make crucial decisions on role of gas – and powerful fossil fuel lobby – or miss the opportunity to electrify Australia, Greens say.

The post Bandt says Australia is “petrol state” dealing with “last gasp” of gas lobby appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Gigawatt-scale solar projects planned for China’s Gobi Desert and other arid regions could have significant positive climate impacts, scientists find.

The post Giga-scale desert region solar plants may have positive climate impact appeared first on RenewEconomy.

World’s biggest grain trader accused of ‘shoddy due diligence’ on deforestation and alleged rights violations

The world’s largest grain trader, Cargill, is facing a first-ever legal challenge in the United States over its failure to remove deforestation and human rights abuses from its soya supply chain in Brazil.

ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, filed the formal complaint on Thursday, accusing Cargill of inadequate monitoring and a laggard response to the decline of the Amazon rainforest and other globally important biomes, such as the Cerrado savannah and the Atlantic Forest.

Soya beans bought from third-party traders, which make up 42% of all Brazilian soya Cargill purchases.

Soya beans owned by other companies that passes through Cargill ports.

Indirect land use change.

Soya sourced from the Cerrado savannah.

Soya sourced from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

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Researchers were particularly excited by the discovery of dunnarts on Kangaroo Island, where fires ravaged up to 90% of their habitat

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New photos of Australian wildlife in bushfire recovery areas, captured and analysed using artificial intelligence, have given new insights into the journey of vulnerable species back from natural disaster.

Researchers from WWF and Conservation International teamed up with local land managers to collect more than 7m photos from about 1,100 sensor-activated cameras in eight parts of Australia affected by bushfires in recent years.

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CEC and Acciona call for extension to federal Renewable Energy Target as Australia struggles to compete in the global clean energy race.

The post Extend the RET: Wind industry giants call for reboot of federal renewables incentive appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sundrive, a solar innovator backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes, says Australia can become a solar manufacturing powerhouse as it maps out plans for 5GW of PV capacity.

The post Solar innovator Sundrive maps out plan for 5GW of Australian PV manufacturing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Replacing 10 freight vehicles with EVs would have same impact as putting 56 electric cars on road, study shows

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Putting more electric trucks on Australian roads would cut transport pollution faster than electric cars could and governments should introduce grants and zero-emission zones to accelerate their adoption, a new report recommends.

The study, from the logistics firm Adiona Tech, also found that replacing 10 delivery trucks with electric models would have the same impact as putting 56 electric cars on the road.

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Change will only come when protecting our unique wilderness comes over other considerations. There are concerning signs the Albanese government is not on board

The catastrophic environmental damage from Australia’s bushfires of 2019-20 is still playing out, but scientists now have a clear picture of what was been lost in that unprecedented summer and lessons that can be learned. It is set out in a recent book, Australian Megafires, which brings together the research and analysis of more than 200 experts in their field.

The scale of the impact is so vast that it is hard to get your head around. Fire burned the entire known habitat – every part of it – of more than 500 plant and animal species. At least 100 species that were already threatened with extinction before black summer had more than 50% of their habitat burnt. About 350 species and ecosystems either became threatened for the first time or were pushed closer to extinction.

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New energy minister Penny Sharpe praises work of Matt Kean and says she is looking to accelerate the state's renewable and storage roadmap.

The post Sharpe says she wants to accelerate NSW renewable and storage roadmap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Germany will increase its financing to climate action in developing countries, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced as the two-day Petersberg dialogue concluded in Berlin on Wednesday, pledging fresh funding to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

As the energy revolution gains pace, huge numbers of PV panels are already going to landfill. Many are still usable and even those that aren’t contain valuable materials that shouldn’t be discarded. Archie Chapman, Senior Lecturer, School of IT and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Morocco plans to send renewable energy to Europe, but some want it to save it for its home market.

Four of the largest regulated entities under the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) carbon market have emissions trending above 2023 allowance holdings, but should be able to satisfy compliance obligations through various channels given the plunge in Q1 emissions, according to a report published Wednesday.

The Brazilian Senate on Tuesday voted in favour of legislation allowing the sale of voluntary carbon credits from public forest concessions, leaving only President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to sign his predecessor's bill into law.

The Oregon Clean Fuels Program (OCFP) recorded its lone quarterly credit surplus of 2022 over the October-December period as low-carbon diesel alternatives outweighed greater deficits from fossil fuels, government data showed Tuesday.

California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) prices this week shrugged off another large quarterly credit generation figure to approach an eight-month high, even as traders reported one of the largest refiners under the programme was heard selling units.

From September onwards, migratory birds will arrive on Australian shores. If one is carrying the lethal bird flu, it could devastate our birdlife Parwinder Kaur, Associate Professor | Director, DNA Zoo Australia, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fear and Wonder is a new climate podcast, brought to you by The Conversation, and sponsored by the Climate Council. In this live bonus episode, we discuss where to next on climate change. Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Research says mining boom to support renewable energy risks ‘significant social and environmental damage’

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In the high-stakes quest to break China’s grip over minerals crucial to clean energy technology, Australia risks over-mining while ignoring alternatives such as improved battery recycling, according to a new report.

The release of the Jubilee Australia research, which questions mineral demand assumptions and warns against causing unnecessary environmental harm, comes as the federal government prepares a strategy to address China’s dominance of minerals seen as critical to a nation.

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