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The schemes were introduced to tackle increasing traffic on minor roads but some face fierce opposition.

Campaigners welcome ruling that ‘tradition is no excuse’ and practice is not selective and breaks EU rules

European judges have ordered France to outlaw the hunting of songbirds using glue sticks, a practice described by campaigners as barbaric and a threat to endangered species.

French hunters argued the method was traditional and justified exemption from an EU ban introduced in 1979.

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Statement by energy secretary is the clearest indication yet of opposition within the government

There are “very compelling reasons” not to open a controversial planned coalmine in Cumbria, the business and energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said on Wednesday.

The statement is the clearest indication to date of opposition to the project within the government, which has been heavily criticised for allowing the mine as the UK prepares to host a vital UN climate change summit, Cop26.

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The prime minister's former aide says he wanted science funding to be doubled.

Whalers’ logbooks show rapid drop in strike rate in north Pacific due to changes in cetacean behaviour

A remarkable new study on how whales behaved when attacked by humans in the 19th century has implications for the way they react to changes wreaked by humans in the 21st century.

The paper, published by the Royal Society on Wednesday, is authored by Hal Whitehead and Luke Rendell, pre-eminent scientists working with cetaceans, and Tim D Smith, a data scientist, and their research addresses an age-old question: if whales are so smart, why did they hang around to be killed? The answer? They didn’t.

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Geologist Helga Torfadottir takes a BBC team to an active volcano area.

Investigation appears to show unnecessary cruelty, suffering and disregard for Covid health precautions at more than a dozen farms

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Campaigners are urging the UK government to ban fur imports after an investigation appeared to show widespread animal abuse and disregard for Covid-19 health protocols at more than a dozen fur farms in China.

Videos and photos from 19 farms visited in northern and north-eastern China last November and December appear to show foxes and raccoon dogs packed tightly in unsanitary cages and animals being electrocuted in ways that prolong their pain before death, often in front of others awaiting the same fate.

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Their habitat is getting chopped down a lot - not really a surprise. While sad, it has become the cause du jour for men’s rights activists

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Changes to taxes and planning laws, and a national approach, should be priorities to make Australia a leader in the rollout of low-emissions vehicles

Technological advances aimed at responding to climate change are happening at a dazzling pace around the world. We are seeing this most dramatically in the energy sector, with renewable sources having so quickly become the most cost-effective solutions to so much of our future energy needs, including in Australia.

One area of technological potential where change is coming more slowly in Australia, though, is the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). While EV sales had significant growth before the pandemic, the market share remains just 0.75% of new car sales.

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The international company will fly a demonstration of the technology it hopes can help clean up space.

Report by Reputex says NSW could close all its coal fired power stations and be powered by renewables by 2030 - but it needs a plan.

The post Australia’s biggest coal state could reach 100 pct renewables by 2030, Reputex says appeared first on RenewEconomy.

From a glacial river to a lion fight, 2020’s winning shots in 13 categories reflect the natural world’s splendour

• Dubai’s stray cat cafe – in pictures

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NSW solar farms are performing a lot better than Queensland, Victoria and South Australia projects on the metric of spot revenue per MW of maximum capacity.

The post Why NSW large-scale solar farms are delivering a bigger bang for their buck appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New ANU research shows Australia needs to up the pace on new wind and solar investment, as AGL spends $152m upgrading Bayswater coal plant.

The post AGL starts coal upgrade, as ANU says faster shift to wind and solar needed appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The natural song of the regent honeyeater has essentially "disappeared" in 12% of the population.

Korea Zinc takes 30% stake in MacIntyre wind farm, part of a gigawatt-scale Queenalnd project that will supply a state government utility and a major refinery.

The post Korean metals giant takes 30 pct stake in massive Queensland wind complex appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The starfish could represent a lucrative trade but they also play a key role on the coastal ecology.

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We talk to Origin Energy’s head of mobility, and head of strategy, Chau Le, about the utility’s new push into electric vehicles.

The post The Driven Podcast: Why Australia’s big utilities are plugging into EVs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New research has found that a loss of song culture could be a big problem for one of Australia’s rarest songbirds. A lack of adult males passing on mating calls to younger birds may have forced some to pick up the tunes of other species. Females are less likely to pair and nest with those singing unusual songs, causing further problems for dwindling populations. Conservationists are trying a new technique to arrest this decline, playing songs captured in the wild to birds bred in captivity

• How an endangered Australian songbird is forgetting its love songs

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