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Ancient alcohol making a comeback; grape stomping competition marks the start of harvest; waterhole springs back to life as Indigenous rangers tackle feral buffalo damage; historic farm in the centre of Hobart provides food for Government House guests.

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Government owned Snowy Hydro leads long list of major retailers choosing to pay "shortfall" penalty on renewable energy target.

The post Snowy Hydro leads retailers failing to meet renewables target in 2018 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Labor aims to build another 7GW renewables in NSW by 2030, using reverse auctions and new state-owned generator. It adds to 2GW of rooftop solar additions.

The post NSW Labor to add 7GW renewables by 2030, to create state-owned generator appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Drive to ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and cut waste’ could include plastic tax and deposit scheme

Millions of homes could have their food waste bins collected weekly, if new proposals from the environment secretary are implemented in the wake of a government consultation on the UK’s waste system.

Michael Gove’s proposed measures to ensure consistent recycling collections come after a number of councils cut the frequency of collections, leaving residents with overflowing bins.

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A new study released today by environmental finance group Market Forces reveals many of Australia’s largest ‘climate risk-exposed’ companies continue to defy regulators and investors by failing to effectively manage risk.

The post Australia’s top companies’ failure to manage climate risk highlights investor and regulator weakness appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Shell snaps up battery maker Sonnen in challenge to Tesla Powerwall and LG Chem, while BP sees renewables becoming dominance source of global power supply by 2030.

The post Shell snaps up battery maker Sonnen as it seeks to challenge Tesla and LG Chem appeared first on RenewEconomy.

It's easy to whip out the fly spray, but our fondness for pesticides can bring knock-on effects such as increased resistance, and harming beneficial insects in and around our homes. Lizzy Lowe, Postdoctoral researcher, Macquarie University Cameron Webb, Clinical Lecturer and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney Manu Saunders, Research fellow, University of New England Tanya Latty, Senior Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

• Encouraging sign for the critically endangered species
• Only about 450 North Atlantic right whales remain
  

Seven rare right whale calves have been spotted so far this winter off Florida’s Atlantic coast, an encouraging sign for the critically endangered species but one which one expert said “still isn’t enough”.

Related: No North Atlantic right whales killed in Canadian waters in 2018

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Scientists say roast meal can make household air dirtier than in sixth most polluted city

Cooking a Sunday roast can drive indoor air pollution far above the levels found in the most polluted cities on Earth, scientists have said.

Researchers found that roasting meat and vegetables, and using a gas hob, released a surge of fine particles that could make household air dirtier than that in Delhi.

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Extinction Rebellion calls for British Fashion Council to declare climate emergency

Protesters from the environmental action group Extinction Rebellion have disrupted London fashion week in an attempt to urge the British Fashion Council to declare a climate emergency.

A group with a banner saying “rebel for life” blocked the road outside Victoria Beckham’s show at Tate Britain for about half an hour on Sunday, holding up Mercedes cars provided for the event.

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Experts warn that failure to act risks spike in global temperatures

Dramatic rises in atmospheric methane are threatening to derail plans to hold global temperature rises to 2C, scientists have warned.

In a paper published this month by the American Geophysical Union, researchers say sharp rises in levels of methane – which is a powerful greenhouse gas – have strengthened over the past four years. Urgent action is now required to halt further increases in methane in the atmosphere, to avoid triggering enhanced global warming and temperature rises well beyond 2C.

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Population growth and climate change mean we need hi-tech to boost crops, says a new report

It is 2040 and Britain’s green and pleasant countryside is populated by robots. We have vertical farms of leafy salads, fruit and vegetables, and livestock is protected by virtual fencing. Changing diets have seen a decline in meat consumption while new biotech production techniques not only help preserve crops but also make them more nutritious.

This is the picture painted in a report from the National Farmers Union which attempts to sketch out what British food and farming will look like in 20 years’ time.

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From teachers to traditional owners, local people make the case for resisting coal mining in their ‘beautiful’ and ‘sacred’ valley

We bought our house less than a year ago, having exercised due diligence. We determined that the supposed last appeal by Gloucester Resources, the owners of the proposed Rocky Hill mine, was almost certain to be dismissed. It was. We thought that any lingering worries that we had about the proposed mine were over.

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The 41-year-old man, who was surfing at Belongil Beach, was airlifted to Gold Coast University hospital

A man has been bitten on the leg by a shark on the New South Wales north coast, which has led to the closure of the beach.

Forty-one-year-old Sam Edwardes was surfing at Belongil Beach near Byron Bay about 6.40am on Sunday when he was bitten on the leg.

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Techniques used to analyse data are producing misleading and often wrong results, critics say.

Marlon Brando bought an island in French Polynesia, and dreamt of a creating a luxury resort there that fuelled science and conservation. Has it worked?

Marine scientists at the National Sea Simulator are trying to help corals adapt to harsher conditions in the ocean. They use the brief windows of annual coral spawning events for much of this research.

Scientists have called for a ban on the development of weapons controlled by AI.

Travis Kauffman was hiking in Colorado when he came toe-to-toe with a young mountain lion.