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Minister says $2m app will reduce plastic going to landfill but experts warn the recycling industry remains under-resourced

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The national rollout of an app to help Australians better sort their recycling has received a lukewarm reception as critics warn it won’t help solve fundamental problems with the industry.

Recycle Mate is a free to access app by developer DreamWalk that has been available in an earlier form in New South Wales since 2019.

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Victoria to move forward to formal tender for 1.5GW of new wind and solar in new renewable zones, as CEFC also pitches in.

The post Victoria seeks 1.5GW of new wind and solar in first renewable zone tender appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Japanese global trading house Marubeni and Taiwan’s national oil company, CPC, will complete the world’s first “carbon neutral” ethylene cargo delivery, the two companies have announced.

AEMO looks at battery storage as quicker and cheaper alternative to at least two of the network upgrades needed for switch to 100 per cent renewables.

The post Battery alternatives sought for network upgrades needed for renewables transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Hitachi Energy wins Darwin big battery tender, in major step towards removing need for thermal generators during the day and allowing local grid to run on solar only.

The post Hitachi wins Darwin big battery tender, in major step towards solar-only grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Corporate demand for wind and solar slows down and changes shape in 2021. But Renewable Energy Zones and sustainability targets promise new growth.

The post Corporate demand for wind and solar dips in 2021, but poised to ride REZ wave appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new report predicts an incredibly rapid closure of coal-fired power stations. Continuing to deny this is simply not in the interest of coal workers and their communities. Tim Nelson, Associate Professor of Economics, Griffith University Joel Gilmore, Associate Professor, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Senate Inquiry report “A way forward” recommended Aboriginal heritage protection be co-designed with Aboriginal people. However WA’s new Aboriginal Heritage Act seems to prioritise mining interests. Hannah McGlade, Associate professor, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In several countries, court rulings have forced governments to make stronger cuts to emissions. But New Zealand courts have so far stayed clear of imposing legal steps, calling for regulation instead. Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

An ambitious $15 billion plan to produce renewable hydrogen in central Australia to be fast tracked after receiving "major project" status.

The post Massive $15bn Desert Bloom green hydrogen project gets planning fast track appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia’s National Broadband Network commits to source 100% renewables by end of 2025, and slash its use.

The post NBN Co commits to source 100 per cent renewables by 2026 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

British landscapes will be devastated by the collapse of the ash. In the long term, resistant strains may pull through

The ash is one of Britain’s most recognisable and common trees. Tall and elegantly canopied, it is also one of its most beautiful, with its pale, feathered leaves and its fruits – its “ash keys” – hanging from its branches like real bunches of keys dangling from a caretaker’s belt. The late emergence of the leaves of ash trees allows species such as dog violet and mercury to thrive beneath them. Woodpeckers, owls and nuthatches nest in them. Lichens, moss and liverworts grow happily on them. Friendly fungi – such as the marvellously named King Alfred’s cakes – flourish upon them.

The National Trust reports that 30,000 ash trees on its land will have been felled this year owing to ash dieback. “Dieback” sounds like a gentle, seasonal withdrawal. In fact, ash dieback is a devastating disease caused by a fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, likely to have been carried into the UK on imported ash saplings in the early part of this century. A ban came on such imports in 2012 – too late to do much but slow the fungus’s spread. When affected by the gradually developing ailment, the leaves of the ash wither and blacken, and lesions develop on the branches; eventually the tree dies.

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Macron government backs down after UK and Channel Islands governments agree to more licences

France has quietly dropped its threat of a trade war over post-Brexit access to fishing waters after the UK and Channel Islands governments agreed to issue 83 more operating licences before an EU deadline.

The offer did not fully meet the demands of Emmanuel Macron’s government but Brussels and Paris signalled their satisfaction after a period of increasingly bellicose rhetoric.

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The Clean Energy Regulator will launch an 18-month trial of a hydrogen certification scheme. SEC says it should be focused on renewables.

The post Australian regulator launches trial green hydrogen certification scheme appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Laura Shepard Churchley's father, Alan, became the first American in space in 1961.

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The US administration has ordered an immediate stop on public finance to overseas coal plants and other carbon-intensive energy projects, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic cable.

The insurance sector should bolster its role in the growing voluntary carbon market, according to a recent report that estimates that the sector’s 2030 cut could be as high as $1.3 bln, as more market participants look to address risks associated with forest fires and other perils.

Group of six argued obstruction in London’s financial district was lawful protest against government inaction

Six climate crisis activists whose protest halted transport links serving London’s financial district have been acquitted by a jury.

The group of Extinction Rebellion protesters targeted the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which runs commuters around the City, Canary Wharf and other parts of east and south-east London, saying they wanted to draw attention to the financial industry’s contribution to the climate emergency.

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