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Insects have ‘no place to hide’ from climate change, study warns
Analysis of 50 years of UK data shows woodlands are not havens, while changing emergence times damage nature and farming
Insects have “no place to hide” from climate change, scientists have said after analysing 50 years’ worth of UK data.
The study found that woodlands, whose shade was expected to protect species from warming temperatures, are just as affected by climate change as open grasslands.
Continue reading...Blue Planet: Executive producer defends sea turtle hatchling release
Air pollution falling in London but millions still exposed
No breach of annual limits so far in 2019, after 2017’s first breach within five days
Two million people in London are living with illegal air pollution, according to the most recent data. However, nitrogen dioxide levels are falling and could reach legal levels within six years.
In 2017, London saw its first breach of annual pollution limits just five days into the new year and in 2018 it occurred within a month. However, three months into 2019, no such breaches have taken place. In 2016, the last year in which Boris Johnson was mayor of London, there had been 43 breaches by this time.
Continue reading...Hyundai Kona test drive: Finally, a long-range EV at half the price
We drive the fully electric Hyundai Kona for a week and deliver our verdict.
The post Hyundai Kona test drive: Finally, a long-range EV at half the price appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Butterfly numbers fall by 84% in Netherlands over 130 years – study
European insect populations shrink as farming leaves ‘hardly any room for nature’
Butterflies have declined by at least 84% in the Netherlands over the last 130 years, according to a study, confirming the crisis affecting insect populations in western Europe.
Researchers analysed 120,000 butterflies caught by collectors between 1890 and 1980 as well as more recent scientific data from more than 2 million sightings to identify dramatic declines in the country’s 71 native butterfly species, 15 of which have become extinct over the last century.
Continue reading...UPDATE – EU ETS emissions fell 4% in 2018, preliminary data shows
'I’m skint – I know why people buy cheap meat’: the truth about being a farmer
From financial struggles to arguing with vegans, Sally Urwin’s new book lifts the lid on farming
Spring in the countryside near Hadrian’s Wall is a scenic season for visitors, all grassy meadows and lambs gambolling in the sunshine. But it’s hard labour for Sally Urwin. The small, cheerful Northumbrian farmer is lambing from 6am to 9pm every day (her husband, Steve, takes the night shift). Her first book, a diary of a year on their 80-hectare (200-acre) farm, has been published, meaning Urwin must also take a bottle-fed lamb to various “scary” literary festivals. Then, looming over every family farm like a particularly black rain cloud, is Brexit.
Farmers have a reputation for looking on the gloomy side of life, but Urwin, 44, is a naturally upbeat person. A Farmer’s Diary combines humour and the stark reality of modern farming, often in the same anecdote, such as the moment the “knacker van”, filled with a pungent pile of dead ewes, drives into their yard just as guests assemble for a wedding party.
Continue reading...Labor's plan for transport emissions is long on ambition but short on details
Rare Sehuencas water frogs' first date footage released
NZ Market: NZUs extend gains as emitters hedge against fixed price risk
Greens blast key part of Labor's climate policy as 'fake action'
Party says allowing heavy polluters to use international permits to meet emissions reduction targets allows companies to ‘keep polluting at home’
The Greens are positioning to torpedo a key element of Labor’s new climate policy in the event Bill Shorten wins the federal election in May, telegraphing strong opposition to heavy polluters using international permits to meet their emissions reduction targets.
The thumbs-down from the Greens, who will likely be the critical Senate bloc post-election in the event of a Labor victory, comes as the politically influential motoring lobby has also signalled it will push back on Labor’s proposal to introduce vehicle efficiency standards for light vehicles that would bring Australia broadly into line with carbon pollutions standards for cars in the US.
Continue reading...Labor's climate change policy dissected
Labor unveils climate change policy on budget eve
Dubstep artist Skrillex could protect against mosquito bites
Japanese cherry blossom in full bloom – in pictures
Japan’s sakura (cherry blossom) season has officially begun, with crowds flocking to parks to photograph the early blooms
Continue reading...Ausgrid and Reposit unveil 1MW virtual power plant
Ausgrid and Reposit launch trial 1MW virtual power plant linking the rooftop solar and battery storage of 233 customers across 170 suburbs.
The post Ausgrid and Reposit unveil 1MW virtual power plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Audi says electric sedan on its way, electric Q2 coming soon
Audi adds another all-electric vehicle to its belt, this time an A4-sized sedan, and makes plans to launch electric Q2 in China.
The post Audi says electric sedan on its way, electric Q2 coming soon appeared first on RenewEconomy.
AEMO says we’re running out of gas – again
AEMO is warning of a potential gas shortage, but is basing that call on information from the industry - which wants to drill, frack and extract.
The post AEMO says we’re running out of gas – again appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The Driven Podcast: Test driving the long range electric Kona
The Hyundai Kona is described as a “game-changer” for electric vehicles in Australia, delivering a long range option at a cheaper price than before. So how does it rate?
The post The Driven Podcast: Test driving the long range electric Kona appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Bad news. Closing coal-fired power stations costs jobs. We need to prepare
Where rapid structural change happens due to closures of large coal plants in regional areas, it is important to have measures in place to ease the transition.
The post Bad news. Closing coal-fired power stations costs jobs. We need to prepare appeared first on RenewEconomy.