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Survey in 16 countries finds just over half of consumers believe their own behaviour can help

A small majority of people believe there is still time to make a difference and slow global heating, a survey of consumer attitudes in 16 countries reveals.

People aged 55 and over believe most strongly that their behaviour can make a positive difference to the environment. People in Brazil, Spain, Canada, Italy, China and Thailand are the most optimistic that if we act now there is still time to save the planet, the survey by Mintel found.

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Australian Technologies Competition 2021 announces 41 companies selected as semi-finalists in this year’s contest, including Australia’s first dedicated electric motorcycle business.

The post Electric motorcycles, solar sharing, energy smarts: ATC announces 2021 finalists appeared first on RenewEconomy.

It took a pandemic, but decarbonisation is firmly on the discussion table at last. What we need now is investment in innovation, favourable policy settings and bold action.

The post Covid-19 has cleared Australia’s path to zero emissions: Now is the time to act appeared first on RenewEconomy.

With Joyce and Canavan steering Nationals federally away from farmers and towards fossil fuels, parts of the party are already looking for the exit.

The post Miners versus farmers: Nationals split over Barnaby’s climate and coal strategy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Port Augusta and Whyalla are in the middle of a renewable energy construction boom. But what does it mean for locals? Some workers are starting to lose faith.

The post Green dreams: Managing the transition from rust to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new children's story, Amy's (AEMO's) Balancing Act - uses a sunbaking goanna, an albatrosss, and a sugar glider to explain switch to renewables.

The post Amy’s Balancing Act: How to explain the clean energy revolution to children appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Lumea proposes a "first of its kind" funding proposition without government support for what could be the biggest battery in Australia.

The post Lumea plans huge “first of its kind” big battery in Melbourne appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Queensland to invest in pumped hydro storage upgrade as it continue to look to energy storage in response to the Callide coal generator explosion.

The post Pumped hydro boost follows “battery blitz” as state responds to Callide coal explosion appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For Indigenous people, Country is more than a landscape. But climate change, and the natural disasters it produces, present a clear and present threat to Country, culture and heritage. Bhiamie Williamson, Research Associate & PhD Candidate, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Top US diplomat in Canberra says US and Australia have a shared obligation to protect the planet

The top US diplomat in Australia has declared both countries need to set “more ambitious climate goals” and tackle the climate crisis “head on”, as international pressure mounts on the Morrison government to act.

Mike Goldman, who is chargé d’affaires at the United States embassy in Canberra, emphasised that the US and Australia had a shared obligation to protect the planet.

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Experts say now’s the time to get on top of the destructive impact of the invasive species on vulnerable ecosystems

If there is one thing beef cattle farmer Ted Rowley has learned while trying to manage feral deer on his property, it is this: for every deer that you see, there are at least another 10 that you can’t see.

“In the beginning you see a few deer and think that’s pretty cute,” he says. “But what you don’t see is the very large number that are across the landscape.”

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Developers use this laden word when they want to obliterate wildlife and its habitats, to demonise anyone who objects

If there’s one word in the English language that I’d like to get rid of, it’s nimby. The acronym – for “not in my back yard” – is often used by developers and politicians to deride local protesters who stand up to housebuilding. “Nimbys”, they claim, are self-interested, live in nice houses, in nice places and want to deny these privileges to newcomers. In my opinion, the word is a spectacular example of how language can stand reality on its head: developers are not champions of the people and those who oppose them are certainly not selfish.

The postmortem of the Chesham and Amersham byelection, where many voters, upset at environmentally destructive local projects, voted for the Liberal Democrats, brought accusations of nimbyism out in force. The Daily Telegraph declared the win “a victory for nimbys”, adding that it was “no reason to give up on planning reform” – reforms which, needless to say, look set to confer most benefit on Tory-donor housebuilders. Even sympathetic commentators couldn’t resist the cliche: the “voters may possibly be nimbys”, said Polly Toynbee, “but that doesn’t make them wrong on this”.

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Companies must have human rights and environmental obligations, say TUC and Amnesty International

Almost 30 organisations have joined forces to call for the UK to follow in the footsteps of its European partners by introducing corporate accountability laws requiring companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence across their supply chains.

The groups, including the TUC, Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International, say systemic human rights abuses and environmentally destructive practices are commonplace in the global operations and supply chains of UK businesses, and voluntary approaches to tackle the problem have failed.

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As a doctor in a big city hospital I am part of a privileged class with air con and water. But millions have neither

Karachi’s heat hits you like a wall when you wake up in the morning. When you are up and getting changed, and the humidity hits you in the chest, you realise it’s going to be really hot today. But it’s another day, so you grab your bag and go to work.

Related: Nowhere is safe, say scientists as extreme heat causes chaos in US and Canada

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An artist’s images of tiny toys and figurines dumped in the ocean highlight the wasteful ways we have to change

Social media was made for projects like Tracey Williams’s #LegoLostatSea, which anecdotally charts the plastic that has been dumped in the ocean in the past 70 years. Williams began her mission after becoming obsessed with the container of 4.8m Lego pieces that spilled from a cargo ship 20 miles off Land’s End in 1997, and which continue to be washed up on Cornwall’s beaches every day. The fact that many of those Lego sets had a nautical theme – mini plastic octupuses and divers’ flippers are common finds – makes them a perfect metaphor for the 8m tonnes of plastic that end up in the oceans each year. At current rates, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. A special report in the journal Science last week launched a campaign for governments to commit to phase out “virgin” plastic production in the next 20 years. Even if that happens, our age will be known for centuries to come for its detritus: the Happy Meal figurines and plastic bottles and Lego snorkellers that come and go on every tide.

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The population of the rare saiga has more than doubled since 2019, reversing a slide towards extinction.

The world’s biodiversity is declining faster than at any other time in human history, and an estimated 1 million species are at risk of extinction

Corporate Australia is familiar with the concept that climate change presents a financial risk to the global economy, but more recently biodiversity loss has emerged as an equally important risk.

In fact, climate change and biodiversity loss are now often referred to as the “twin crises” facing the global financial system and awareness of the role the financial sector plays in this is rising swiftly.

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

UK carbon allowances just ended their second straight month above the trigger for possible market intervention, but views are mixed as to whether the British government will decide to unleash more supply into the market in an attempt to dampen rising prices if the Cost Containment Mechanism (CCM) is activated at the end of July.

As Arctic sea-ice melts in a warming world, it causes the world to heat more rapidly.