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Don't know how to save the planet? This is what you can do
Should we become vegetarians? Is it OK to fly? The author of There Is No Planet B, A Handbook for the Make or Break Years, answers the big questions
Our food makes up something like a quarter of our greenhouse gas footprint, and at the same time as cutting this we need to feed a growing population better than we are doing now, while rescuing our haemorrhaging biodiversity and avoiding an antibiotics crisis. There is no escaping the clear evidence that humans need to reduce their meat – especially beef and lamb – as well as dairy consumption. When we feed a soya bean to a cow, we get back only about 10% of the nutrition in beef, and it comes with a hefty dose of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) and very likely some deforestation.
Continue reading...Australian zoo breeds rare plains-wanderer by replacing absent father with feather duster
Captive population of critically endangered bird doubles with the birth of nine chicks
The captive population of Australia’s most unique critically endangered bird has doubled with the birth of nine plains-wanderer chicks, helped out by a feather duster, a heat lamp and a lot of cotton wool.
The chicks were born to two pairs and hatched within 24 hours of each other at Werribee open range zoo in Victoria last week.
Continue reading...Renewables might not be the answer
Ban cars outside UK schools to tackle air pollution, teachers say
Government must take urgent action to improve air quality around schools, report finds
Nearly two-thirds of teachers would support car-free roads outside schools during drop-off and pickup times, while more than half want the government to take urgent action to improve air quality outside schools, a survey suggests.
The study, in which 840 people in teaching roles across the UK participated, found that 63% would support a ban on motor vehicles outside the school gates at the start and end of the day.
Continue reading...Coalition’s Canavan launches the sausage sizzle climate scare campaign
Canavan says Labor's climate plan will mean the end of the sausage sizzle and $100 meat trays. The scare campaign is on!
The post Coalition’s Canavan launches the sausage sizzle climate scare campaign appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Court rejects bid to block South Australia wind and ‘biggest’ battery project
Legal bid to block 180MW Twin Creek wind farm, with provisions for an energy storage facility more than twice the size of the Tesla big battery, has been rejected.
The post Court rejects bid to block South Australia wind and ‘biggest’ battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.
In bloom: the art of drawing and painting Australian plants – in pictures
Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden first launched its Botanica exhibition in 1999, focusing on the often overlooked but historically vital art of painting and drawing plants. Since then, Botanica has become a key event on the gardens’ annual calendar, with the sale of all artworks going towards funding science and conservation programs. This year, the free exhibition will feature 120 artworks from 66 established and emerging botanical artists from Australia and overseas.
• Botanica is showing at the Royal Botanic Garden’s Lion Gate Lodge garden, Sydney, from 30 March
Continue reading...CEFC tips $10m into home solar and battery-focused green bond
CEFC invests $10m in latest green bond from FlexiGroup – a $90.9 million issuance, with a large portion of rooftop solar, and a smaller portion of small-scale battery storage.
The post CEFC tips $10m into home solar and battery-focused green bond appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Know your NEM: Market design to receive formal attention from ESB
Energy Security Board turns focus to a re-write of the market design. It will be an impossible task without including the environment in market objective.
The post Know your NEM: Market design to receive formal attention from ESB appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Market power delivers $3.5 billion windfall to coal generators, report finds
New report suggests coal generators pocketed an extra $3.5 billion from wholesale markets from closure of Hazelwood, and it had little to with added costs or capacity shortfalls.
The post Market power delivers $3.5 billion windfall to coal generators, report finds appeared first on RenewEconomy.
A national savings scheme could save 4.5 Liddells by 2030
Australia is the developed world’s worst performer in energy efficiency, but a focused scheme could save the output equivalent of 4.5 Liddell coal generators by 2030.
The post A national savings scheme could save 4.5 Liddells by 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Hanwha broadens Australian solar patent fight to include REC, BayWa, Sol
Hanwha Q Cells extends Australian patent infringement fight, with new Federal Court filing against REC Group, Sol Distribution and BayWa.
The post Hanwha broadens Australian solar patent fight to include REC, BayWa, Sol appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Tim Peake joins Scouts Association to launch a new science badge for scouts.
Wind generation hits peak output of more than 4,000MW in Australia
Australia's wind output reaches a record peak of more than 4,000MW.
The post Wind generation hits peak output of more than 4,000MW in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Fracking plan ‘will release same C02 as 300m new cars’
The government’s fracking proposals would release the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as almost 300 million new cars, fatally undermining ministers’ obligation to tackle the escalating climate crisis, according to new research.
Analysis by the Labour party shows that the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere if the government’s plans go ahead would be the same as the lifetime emissions of 286 million cars – or 29 new coal-fired power plants.
Continue reading...Hunt for bogus asthma cure threatens pangolins
One of nature’s most remarkable creatures, the pangolin, is being driven to extinction as hunting and trafficking have soared in recent years. Studies have discovered that hundreds of thousands of these distinctive, scaly animals are now being killed every year to satisfy markets in Asia, making it the most trafficked and poached mammal on Earth.
The pangolin is hunted for its meat – and also for its scales, which are believed to have important medicinal properties as cures for poor circulation, skin complaints and asthma.
Continue reading...Huge fossil discovery made in China's Hubei province
Coal became a dirty word in NSW poll, but wind and solar face uncertainty
The likely biggest losers from the NSW poll result were the coal loving Nationals, and the large scale wind and solar industry.
The post Coal became a dirty word in NSW poll, but wind and solar face uncertainty appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Supermarkets urged to stop stalling over glitter sales ban
It is a familiar adornment of both Mother’s Day and Easter gifts, and brings dustings of sparkle to everything from children’s craft projects to greetings cards and even flowers and pot plants. But campaigners are calling for a ban on glitter, branding it an environmental scourge that contains damaging microplastics.
“Glitter might look lovely but, because it’s plastic, it sticks around long after the sparkle has gone – often in the stomachs of fish and birds,” said David Innes, from the campaign group 38 Degrees, which has launched a petition calling on environment secretary Michael Gove to outlaw the product. Innes cites a recent study showing that up to a third of fish caught in the North Sea contained microplastic particles – including glitter.
Continue reading...Mongolia: A toxic warning to the world
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