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Federal and state governments are spending more than $10 billion a year subsidising the fossil fuel industry, mostly through fuel tax credits.

The post Australia spends more propping up fossil fuels than it does on the Army appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Alinta plans to build a 100MW big battery next to its Wagerup peaking gas and diesel plant, the second big battery to be built in Western Australia's main grid.

The post Alinta to build second big battery in WA grid, next to Alcoa alumina plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Japan’s plans to discharge radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean is a callous act that would do catastrophic harm

Earlier this month, the Japanese government announced plans to discharge 1m tonnes of radioactive wastewater accruing since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 into the Pacific Ocean.

To Pacific peoples, who have carried the disproportionate human cost of nuclearism in our region, this is yet another act of catastrophic and irreversible trans-boundary harm that our region has not consented to.

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Large defunct rocket bodies have the potential to break into thousands of pieces, threatening functioning satellites that provide vital services like GPS.

A giant fish farm in Florida is rearing salmon for the US market in a huge indoor facility.

Farmers say integrating renewables on their operations can be a win-win for them and developers, boosting income and cutting costs.

The post Solar and sheep: Farmers say they want renewables to boost income, cut costs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For the first time, political will and global public opinion seem focused on profound climate action. This decade will be a decisive one. Gabi Mocatta, Lecturer in Communication, Deakin University, and Research Fellow in Climate Change Communication, Climate Futures Program, University of Tasmania Rebecca Harris, Senior Lecturer in Climatology, Director, Climate Futures Program, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The climate emergency should not be used to make poorer countries dependent on private finance

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden made it clear that the environment would be at the heart of his economic agenda. In office, he has been true to his word by proposing fiscal and regulatory action to limit the damage from the climate emergency, while simultaneously addressing the inequalities that distort the US economy. No president has so fully embraced tackling the climate emergency. Republicans think it’s too hard a hug, while some Democrats think Mr Biden ought to hug harder. But the world should breathe a sigh of relief, especially after the climate denialism of the Trump administration.

President Biden’s green shift is both welcome and in tune with US public opinion. What is disappointing is that while he wants to deploy the power of the state at home, his administration wants markets to do the heavy lifting abroad. The climate emergency should not be used to make poorer countries dependent on private finance. Richer countries ought to provide enough no-strings cash to allow developing nations to gain the institutional capacity to sustain their own patterns of carbon-neutral consumption and investment. The US will double public climate finance to developing countries to $6bn a year. This is just a sliver of Mr Biden’s $2.25tn green jobs plan. Developing countries have no votes in the US Congress. But it is morally wrong for them to be collateral damage.

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Investigation finds up to 40% of UK solar farms were built using panels from leading Chinese companies

Solar projects commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, the government’s Coal Authority, United Utilities and some of the UK’s biggest renewable energy developers are using panels made by Chinese solar companies accused of exploiting forced labour camps in Xinjiang province, a Guardian investigation has found.

Confidential industry data suggests that up to 40% of the UK’s solar farms were built using panels manufactured by China’s biggest solar panel companies, including Jinko Solar, JA Solar and Trina Solar.

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Riots, policy changes and funding cuts have all threatened the mission to protect the Amazon rainforest from deforestation.

The first mention in parliament of ‘greenhouse gas’ occurred in 1986 - decades later the government is still not proposing anything near appropriate

So many wasted years.

The first mention in parliament of “greenhouse gas” occurred in 1986 when the ALP’s Barry Jones took a question on whether the government was concerned about the greenhouse effect and reports that it “will raise ambient temperature to such an extent that sea levels will rise and flood coastal cities?”

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Warning comes after lack of new funding pledges at virtual summit attended by 40 world leaders and hosted by White House

Rich countries have failed to provide the financial assistance needed for the developing world to cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, poorer nations have warned, after a US summit of world leaders ended with few new funding promises.

The failure leaves billions of people at risk from the worsening ravages of extreme weather, as poor countries struggle with the Covid-19 crisis and rapidly mounting debt.

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SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station.

At a climate summit, President Bolsonaro had promised to boost spending and tackle deforestation.

Countries with poor track records on climate change, including Brazil and Saudi Arabia, were also courted at virtual summit

The US will work with Russia on ways to combat the climate crisis, President Joe Biden has announced, saying he looked forward to joint efforts and was “very heartened” by the country’s call for collaboration on new technologies such as carbon removal.

But though Russia’s president Vladimir Putin insisted he was “genuinely interested in galvanising international cooperation so as to look further for effective solutions to climate change as well as to all other vital challenges”, he made no mention of reducing oil and gas supply or consumption.

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Find a tree, bush or hedge and emulate Japanese custom of hanami by savouring sights and scents of spring

Life may be getting busier as the long, hard lockdowns come to an end but people are being urged to pause for a few moments to savour the sights and scents of one of nature’s precious but fleeting glories – the blossom season.

The National Trust is launching on Saturday what it bills as the UK’s first ever “blossom watch” day. The idea is that people will find a tree, bush or hedge bursting with blooms, perhaps meet friends and family there and – if so inclined – share images of the moment on social media using the hashtag #BlossomWatch.

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The specialist will support the leader of the Intact Forest team in driving the three components of the initiative, namely building the science case, influencing global policy, and accelerating implementation of solutions in the field. The latter is linked primarily to our global portfolio of forest landscapes, and to national policy advocacy in the countries where they are found.

Verra is looking for a Director of Market Relations to build and strengthen relationships with market stakeholders to promote the use of Verra’s standards worldwide.

Verra is looking for a Director of Market Strategy to ensure the growth and maturation of environmental and social markets, with a particular focus on carbon markets, in a manner that fosters trust and confidence.