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The widespread pessimism about our ability to solve climate change is misplaced. Australia is putting in place the fundamentals of a net zero future. Now we need to go faster. Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The rising climate crisis presents an existential threat to humanity yet our government and political system are on a go-slow response. Is this issue too hard for humans to solve? Judith Brett, Emeritus Professor of Politics, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

People who switch from gas to reverse-cycle air conditioning to heat their homes still want to feel comfortable. Some don’t. Home electrification programs must tackle the causes of the problem. Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University Nicola Willand, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Sara Vihaji, Lecturer, School of Engineering, RMIT University Trivess Moore, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Kieran Chapman, 27, says removal of young sycamore he planted at site of historic felled tree is ‘devastating’

A man who planted a sapling at the site where the Sycamore Gap tree previously stood at Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland has said it is “devastating” that it has been removed.

The National Trust dug up the young sycamore planted by 27-year-old Kieran Chapman metres away from the stump of the historic tree, which was illegally felled overnight on Wednesday.

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Experts predict there will be fewer than 100 individuals of the species by 2031 as the rate of decline in population grows faster

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“They’re really cute. They are very chatty. When they’re around you know they’re around,” says conservation scientist Giselle Owens. “They make this little flying call – it goes ‘pip, pip, pip, pip’.”

So fascinated was Owens by the critically endangered swift parrot, she is writing a PhD on the bird, which is one of just two migratory parrot species in the world, and the farthest flying.

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William became largest private landholder in the national park when he inherited Duchy of Cornwall

Campaigners are urging Prince William to invest in significant rewilding across swathes of Dartmoor’s predominantly farmed land.

The land became William’s after he inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, an extensive landholding including the largest privately owned area of Dartmoor national park, from his father, King Charles, when he succeeded to the throne.

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Countries including France, Germany and Poland all had their hottest Septembers on record

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland have all experienced their hottest Septembers on record, with unseasonably high temperatures set to continue into October, in a year likely to be the warmest in human history.

As 31C (88F) was forecast in south-west France on Sunday and 28C in Paris, the French weather authority, Météo-France, said September’s average temperature was 21.5C, between 3.5C and 3.6C above the norm for the 1991-2020 reference period.

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Survey shows nearly 90% of 2019 Conservative voters say green industry is vital to UK’s economic growth

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Almost nine in 10 voters who intend to switch their support from Conservative to Labour candidates in the next general election believe that “green growth” is important for the future of Britain’s economy, according to a poll.

Carried out by pollsters Opinium, the survey found that 82% of all respondents backed the growth of Britain’s green industry to boost the economy, in the same week that the prime minister announced a series of U-turns on the government’s green commitments in a bid to create a dividing line with Labour ahead of the election.

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Renewables covered more than half of Germany’s electricity consumption so far this year, and has averaged 50 pct or more for each of the last seven months.

The post Germany covers 52 pct of electricity consumption with renewables so far this year appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Investigation begins as people complain of diarrhoea and vomiting after swimming in Hever Castle’s lake

The organisers of a triathlon on a lake fed by the River Eden in Kent have launched an investigation after a number of competitors fell ill with diarrhoea and vomiting.

The Castle Race Series, organisers of the triathlon and other competitions at Hever Castle last weekend, said rigorous tests in the days and weeks leading up to the event had indicated the water was safe to swim in.

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Arrival result of Enfield reintroduction scheme, started last year as part of natural flood defence project

A baby beaver has been photographed in London for the first time in 400 years, 18 months after an initiative began to reintroduce the species to the capital.

Enfield council began London’s beaver reintroduction programme last year as part of a wider rewilding and natural flood-management project.

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UK-based charter firm launches ‘ludicrous’ £8,166 Dubai-London route for clients who want to fly with pets

Environmentalists have condemned a “ludicrous” private jet service that transports wealthy people’s dogs, which this week ran its first flight from Dubai to London.

For £8,166, one way, customers were able to sit with their dogs on their laps and sip champagne as they travelled from Al Maktoum international airport to Farnborough in a Gulfstream IV-SP jet.

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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Perhaps it’s naive not to imagine that all of life itself is about accepting the fragility of how easily things break

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We turned off the highway, headed down the road which leads to the pub and saw the pink little fellow hovering near his mate, who was dead by the side of the road.

Having moved to the country a little over a month ago, I was still getting used to the frequency of spotting creatures on the shoulders of western New South Wales’s arteries.

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Experts are optimistic of detecting life signs on a faraway world within our lifetimes - possibly in the next few years.

Acorn, a business unit from Rabobank, creates and sells Carbon Removal Units (“CRU”) of 1 tonne CO2, captured by agroforestry projects with smallholder farmers in developing countries. Large corporates and financial institutions with ambitious climate goals are our target audience.  As Business Developer, you make sure you get the best price for the CRUs and thereby help our smallholder farmers get the maximum value for the carbon sequestered by the trees that they have planted.

The Chilean government on Friday published regulations setting out the rules for utilising offsets against the country’s $5/tonne carbon tax, including restrictions on geography and expiry.

Fewer new financial players opened accounts in California’s WCI-linked cap-and-trade programme in Q3 than in previous quarters, while a slew of dairy digester owners exited the programme, according to state data published Friday.

Regulated parties picked up holdings of California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) and RGGI Allowances (RGAs) over the week as financial players moved in the opposite direction, while the roles were reversed in the third week of Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) holdings being reported in US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Friday.

A working group convened by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) released its final memorandum Friday detailing recommendations for cap-and-trade in the Keystone State, though the Commonwealth leader did not provide any information regarding his plans to implement the advice.