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Tim Crosland faces investigation after breaking embargo on airport expansion judgment

The UK’s supreme court will refer a lawyer who broke the embargo on its ruling on Heathrow airport to the attorney general and the Bar Standards Board for investigation.

Tim Crosland, the director of environmental charity Plan B Earth, received the ruling in advance as one of the parties involved in the case, and published his reaction on Tuesday, the day before the judgment was delivered.

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Investigation launched into alleged donation to close ally of Japanese PM after resistance to ending use of cramped cages for egg-laying hens

Japan’s decision to resist international pressure to improve conditions for egg-laying chickens is under scrutiny after allegations of bribery involving a former agriculture minister.

Takamori Yoshikawa, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) who served as agriculture minister from October 2018 to September 2019, is alleged to have accepted ¥5m (£36,000) in undeclared donations from a former representative of a leading egg producer in Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan.

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US start-up Capella is in the vanguard of companies changing the way satellites see the Earth.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah was "living on a knife edge" before her fatal asthma attack, the inquest heard.

Taiwan should introduce an economy-wide carbon tax of around $10/tCO2e that could transition to an emissions trading scheme over time, according to a report commissioned by the Taiwan EPA, just before the agency is expected to publish a proposal to adjust the country's 2015 GHG Reduction Act.

Good breeding conditions mean millions of people are now threatened in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

Oil major BP has acquired a majority stake in carbon offset developer Finite Carbon, deepening its interest in the forestry-focused company and targeting a major expansion internationally.

In the last episode of the year, we take a look at the biggest solar stories of 2020.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: The biggest solar stories of 2020 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

In a blow to campaigners, judges say ministers' decision to approve the runway was legitimate.

Earlier ruling said expansion plan was illegal as government had not considered its climate commitments

The supreme court has overturned a February judgment that a third runway at Heathrow airport was illegal. It means the project can now seek planning permission, but the ultimate completion of the runway remains uncertain.

The supreme court ruling marks the latest twist in years of legal and political wrangling over the climate impact and economic benefits of expanding the airport. The decision in February was seen as historic by environmental campaigners, as it was the first significant ruling in the world to be based on the Paris climate agreement, and related cases were subsequently brought against plans to build more roads and gas-fired power plants in the UK.

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Conservationists allege company has breached its environmental licence 52 times at its NSW Bayswater power station site in the past five years

Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, AGL, will pay a $1m penalty for a coal ash spill at a creek in the Hunter region of New South Wales, but environmentalists say the company should have faced criminal prosecution.

The incident occurred at the Bayswater power station near Muswellbrook in September 2019 when a pipeline transporting fly ash – a waste product from burning coal – burst, causing 1,440 cubic metres of hazardous slurry to leak into the dry bed of Bayswater Creek.

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Mountain hares in Scotland failing to adapt to climate change, leaving them more vulnerable to predators

When snow begins to fall, mountain hares melt into the landscape by shedding their dark fur and becoming a brilliant – but camouflaged – white.

But mountain hares in Scotland are failing to adapt to a dramatic increase in snowless days, with their white fur on dark mountainsides leaving them newly visible to potential predators.

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Joel Fitzgibbon adds pressure on Mark Butler to be moved shadow climate and energy portfolios, calls on Labor to adopt Morrison's climate policies.

The post “We should do whatever Morrison says:” Fitzgibbon calls on Labor to capitulate on climate appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A veteran emissions trader has left one of the biggest emitters participating in New Zealand’s carbon market.

Environmentalists question why waste washing up on Maine coast was being imported from Northern Ireland for energy production

Brightly coloured plastic debris from the UK has been washing up along the coast of Maine in the US after a shipment bound for incineration fell into the sea.

The plastic debris, part of a 10,000-tonne consignment from Re-Gen Waste, a company based in Newry, Northern Ireland, has infuriated environmentalists and locals surprised to learn that the north-eastern state of Maine is importing plastic from almost 3,000 miles away.

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A German research team sets a new solar conversion efficiency record using two different types of solar energy technologies sandwiched together.

The post German researchers pip Australian lab to set new next-gen solar panel efficiency record appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Canadian Solar corporate vice president predicts that that all new large-scale solar farms being proposed for construction in Australia over the coming five years will include storage.

The post All new solar farms will have batteries included, says Canadian Solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Australia’s Liberal state government predicts the state could boast more than 500 per cent renewable energy by 2050 as it becomes a national and international exporter of clean energy. South Australia has sourced a world-leading 60 per cent of its local grid demand from wind and solar over the past 12 months and aims...

The post South Australia aims for more than 500 pct renewables in new climate plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

What's happened since the 2015 Paris agreement? Not enough - but more than you might think.

The post Graph of the day: Where we’ve come since Paris is further than you think appeared first on RenewEconomy.

German scientists say cost of meat should be doubled to account for climate change impacts - perhaps we'll see Barnaby Joyce's "$100 roast" after all.

The post $100 roasts? Why doubling the price of meat could protect the climate appeared first on RenewEconomy.