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Massospora cicadina, laced with the same chemical as psychedelic mushrooms, infects a small number of cicadas

As billions of Brood X cicadas emerge from the dirt for the first time in 17 years, a fungus is making these bugs want to mate more than usual.

The Massospora cicadina, laced with the same chemical as psychedelic mushrooms, infects a small number of the periodical cicadas and takes over their bodies. Besides making the bugs eat away their insides, the fungus also increases their sex drives.

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UN report warns that quantity not matched by quality, with many conserved areas poorly protected, as Germany backs new landscapes fund for developing countries

An area greater than the land mass of Russia has been added to the world’s network of national parks and conservation areas since 2010, amid growing pressure to protect nature.

As of today, about 17% of land and inland water ecosystems and 8% of marine areas are within formal protected areas, with the total coverage increasing by 42% since the beginning of the last decade, according to the Protected Planet report by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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EUAs lost another €3 on Wednesday to deepen the previous session's 7% plunge, while UKA futures fell during their first trading day as the market remained wary over increased supply coming in the form of UK utilities selling EU units, Britain's first standalone auction, and the prospect that this year's free EUA allocations would begin soon.

China’s environment ministry on Wednesday released rules for registry, trading, and settlement under its national carbon market, the last piece of the ETS puzzle, though important details were left for the exchange to complete.

Imagery comes back from the six-wheeled robot that landed successfully at the weekend.

The world-first system can allow anyone to check if reefs known to be under heat stress have started to bleach

Scientists have launched a world-first system to detect in almost real time the bleaching of the planet’s coral reefs that are under severe threat from global heating.

The developers of the new tool, which has been four years in the making, claim it can allow anyone to check if reefs known to be under heat stress have actually started to bleach.

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Australia’s biggest carbon project developer has acquired a start-up that offers customers the opportunity to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, the company announced Wednesday.

Government-owned firms are often branded as uncompetitive, stuck in the past and unable to truly innovate. But they're sometimes better suited than private firms to drive new, clean technologies. Arjuna Dibley, Visiting Researcher, Climate and Energy College, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Western Australia's largest wind energy project, the 214MW Yandin wind farm, is formally open and will be one of the most productive in the country.

The post Western Australia’s biggest wind farm formally opened, with PPA to come appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A global energy authority created a roadmap for the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, Australia committed $600 million for a major new gas plant. Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Clean Energy Council slams federal government decision to go ahead with new gas-fired power station in New South Wales, noting battery storage is significantly cheaper.

The post Coalition gas plant “reckless,” battery storage is much cheaper, says CEC appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A South Australian government-backed operation to manufacture green hydrogen and distribute it through the gas mains has officially begun operations.

The post Australia’s largest electrolyser switches on, to pipe “renewable gas” into homes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Verdant Earth Technologies, a small energy company with big plans for exporting green hydrogen, wants to create a hydrogen export hub in the Top End.

The post Verdant enlists NT’s ex-chief minister to push big Darwin green hydrogen plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Higher temperatures have accelerated build-up of salts, which causes the art to flake off the walls.

Government inadvertently reveals list of grant recipients, including Rio Tinto, the Australian Energy Council and an ambitious concentrating solar project.

The post Revealed: Energy lobby group, Rio Tinto to receive ARENA grants appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Cargill, Bunge and Cofco sourced beans from companies allegedly supplied by a farmer fined for destroying swathes of rainforest

Three of the world’s biggest food businesses have been accused of buying soya from a farmer linked to illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.

Cargill, Bunge and Cofco sourced soya beans from the Chinese-owned Fiagril and the multinational Aliança Agrícola do Cerrado, both of which have allegedly been supplied by a farmer fined and sanctioned multiple times after destroying swathes of rainforest, according to a new investigation.

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Drier summers mean the ground in vulnerable areas will be more prone to shrink and crack, scientists say

The climate crisis is very likely to put millions of homes at increased risk of subsidence, according to new data from the British Geological Survey (BGS). The hotter and drier summers being driven by global heating mean the ground under houses will shrink and crack, scientists said.

The key areas affected are London, Essex, Kent, and a swathe of land from Oxford up to the Wash. This is because the clay formations underlying these areas are most vulnerable to losing moisture.

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How cheap can solar be? Find out in this interview with Dr Martin Green from UNSW. Sponsored by Solar Juice.

The post Great Solar Business Podcast: Martin Green from UNSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Mitsui & Co’s Australian subsidiary has acquired an offset developer in order to launch a carbon solution business in the country, the company announced Wednesday.

Vested interests have lobbied against climate policy worldwide, but that's only one reason for the slow political response. While most people want climate action, they rank other issues as more urgent. Sam Crawley, Researcher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.