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Program & Communications Associate, RGGI Inc. – New York City
Australia risks being left behind in petrol-fuelled 'parallel world' as other countries embrace electric cars
Morrison government’s inaction is driving away chance to build a new low-emissions economy, industry experts say
Australia risks being left in a “parallel world” with petrol cars as the rest of the world turns to electric vehicles in an effort reduce carbon emissions.
As Ford announced that all its cars sold in Europe would be electric by 2030, industry experts warned Australia faces an uphill struggle to catch up with other nations in preparation for the phasing out of the internal combustion engine.
Continue reading...Komodo dragons: 'the biggest, worst lizard of the modern day' | Helen Sullivan
From the Komodo’s mouth hang various strands of toxic drool, lightly coated in dust
The goanna wanted an egg. It had climbed a few metres up the trunk of a large cabbage palm and was looking at me: egg. Its nose pointed down, its eyes looked up, like a begging dog, and – distinctly unlike a dog of any kind – it flicked its forked tongue against the bark: egg. Although I was in possession of a carton, I declined the request. I have seen a goanna (Australian for monitor lizard) eat an egg and they have no idea how to do this in a normal way. They crunch the snack whole, a dull look on their faces, as most of the yolk dribbles down the sides of their mouths.
Of course, the best monitor lizard – and champion of disturbing feeding habits – is the Komodo dragon: a big beast that lives on small islands such as Indonesia’s Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang (50,000 years ago, Komodos lived in Australia, too). As the cult internet comic strip Achewood puts it, “Everyone knows that a Komodo Dragon is the biggest, worst lizard of the modern day.”
Continue reading...Human destruction of nature is 'senseless and suicidal', warns UN chief
UN report offers bedrock for hope for broken planet, says António Guterres
Humanity is waging a “senseless and suicidal” war on nature that is causing human suffering and enormous economic losses while accelerating the destruction of life on Earth, the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has said.
Guterres’s starkest warning to date came at the launch of a UN report setting out the triple emergency the world is in: the climate crisis, the devastation of wildlife and nature, and the pollution that causes many millions of early deaths every year.
Continue reading...Call to tax international flights to raise climate funds for poor countries
Six experts say failure to reform climate finance risks undermining trust in Paris agreement
Taxes on international transport could provide new flows of finance to developing countries to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, a group of climate finance experts have said.
Rich countries are failing on their pledge to provide $100bn a year to help poor countries cope with the climate crisis, and the way in which climate finance is organised needs urgent reform, the six academics argue in an article in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Continue reading...Indigenous peoples face rise in rights abuses during pandemic, report finds
Increasing land grabs endangering forest communities and wildlife as governments expand mining and agriculture to combat economic impact of Covid
Indigenous communities in some of the world’s most forested tropical countries have faced a wave of human rights abuses during the Covid-19 pandemic as governments prioritise extractive industries in economic recovery plans, according to a new report.
New mines, infrastructure projects and agricultural plantations in Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Indonesia and Peru are driving land grabs and violence against indigenous peoples as governments seek to revive economies hit by the pandemic, research by the NGO Forest Peoples Programme has found.
Continue reading...Facebook announces UK trial to tackle climate misinformation
Labels to be attached to posts directing users to Facebook’s Climate Science Information Center
Facebook has said it will start labelling misinformation about the climate crisis in a small trial limited to the UK.
Labels will be attached to certain posts directing users to Facebook’s Climate Science Information Center, a repository of fact-checked claims about the environment.
Continue reading...Isle of Man Viking jewellery found by metal detectorist
Miner Rio Tinto to draw up carbon offset strategy
Smart materials: From tiny robots to colour-swapping clothes
Mink farms a continuing Covid risk to humans and wildlife, warn EU experts
Health experts call for regular testing of staff and animals after coronavirus found at 400 breeding units across Europe
All mink farms are at risk of becoming infected with Covid-19 and spreading the virus, and staff and animals should be regularly tested, EU disease and food safety experts said on Thursday.
Mink are highly susceptible to coronavirus, which spreads rapidly in intensive farms that often breed thousands of animals in open housing caged systems (outdoor wire cages covered with a roof). Humans are the most likely initial source of infection.
Denmark, the world’s largest exporter of mink fur, announced that it would cull up to 15 million mink in November, after discovering a mutated variant of the virus that scientists feared might have jeopardised the effectiveness of future vaccines.
Continue reading...River Action targets agri-businesses in campaign to stop pollution
New group has written to Noble Foods near River Wye, where chemical runoffs are said to be causing serious damage
The heads of some of the biggest agricultural suppliers are being targeted in a campaign to stop their activities polluting rivers.
River Action, a new group focusing on the state of UK rivers, is launching its first campaign by writing to the chief executive of Noble Foods, one of the biggest egg producers operating around the River Wye, where pollution from increasing numbers of free range poultry farms is said to be seriously damaging the river.
Continue reading...Experts identify 'super-plant' that absorbs roadside air pollution
Bushy variety of cotoneaster works best in areas of heavy traffic, say researchers, while other plants can cool buildings or reduce flooding
Bushy, hairy-leafed cotoneaster is a “super plant” that can help soak up pollution on busy roads, horticultural experts have said.
Scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) looked at the effectiveness of hedges for soaking up air pollution, comparing different types of shrubs including cotoneaster, hawthorn and western red cedar.
Continue reading...Our turtle program shows citizen science isn't just great for data, it makes science feel personal
RenewEconomy and sister sites blocked on Facebook, along with other media
RenewEconomy and sister sites The Driven and One Step off the Grid kicked off Facebook as small publications set to lose out in broader media battle.
The post RenewEconomy and sister sites blocked on Facebook, along with other media appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Nationals push nuclear power in new attempt to highjack CEFC changes
Nationals senators set to derail Morrison government legislation with a plan to open up Australia's green bank to nuclear power investments.
The post Nationals push nuclear power in new attempt to highjack CEFC changes appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Gas giant writes down gas processing plant as it weighs rapid decarbonisaton
Australian gas giant flags major write-down in the value of troubled processing plant on Victoria’s east Gippsland coast.
The post Gas giant writes down gas processing plant as it weighs rapid decarbonisaton appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia’s biggest wind farm faces yet more delays, Origin to pay penalty
Australia's largest wind project remains idle, and ongoing delays means Origin Energy has to pay a large penalty for not producing enough renewable energy certificates.
The post Australia’s biggest wind farm faces yet more delays, Origin to pay penalty appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Don’t be fooled by Woodside’s tree planting, hydrogen and CCS plans
Oil and gas giant announces planting of 3.6m native trees in Western Australia, a headline action in a cluster of seemingly climate friendly initiatives.
The post Don’t be fooled by Woodside’s tree planting, hydrogen and CCS plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Fortescue puts aside $400m for new hydrogen, wind and solar projects
Fortescue to channel 10 per cent of future profits into renewable energy to help meet its green hydrogen ambitions.
The post Fortescue puts aside $400m for new hydrogen, wind and solar projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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