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Tackling bad driving will encourage cyclists – but more money is needed

The Guardian - Sat, 2018-06-30 01:14

It’s time for the Treasury to allocate significant funding so the nation can reap the huge benefits of more people cycling

The government has announced £1m of funding to help police forces across the UK crack down on close passing of cyclists by drivers, and to improve driving instructor training around cycling safety.

Although the sum is small beer indeed in transport terms, split between two projects, poor driver behaviour is a key reason people are discouraged from cycling in the UK. If we can start to tackle the culture of poor driving, including at source with driving instructors, we could eliminate a major reason more people don’t cycle – but it needs more money.

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Categories: Around The Web

CN Markets: Pilot market data for week ending Jun. 29, 2018

Carbon Pulse - Sat, 2018-06-30 00:46
Below is a table of the closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week. All prices are in RMB, and volumes in tonnes of CO2e. Data sourced from local exchanges.
Categories: Around The Web

Shanghai postpones ETS compliance for one month

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2018-06-29 23:29
Shanghai has pushed back its compliance deadline to July 31, giving the local ETS participants one more month to fulfill their commitments, the local government said on Friday.
Categories: Around The Web

The week in wildlife – in pictures

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 22:42

Flying pink flamingos, Hebridean red deer and a Sumatran tiger are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Categories: Around The Web

Climate change has turned Peru's glacial lake into a deadly flood timebomb

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 21:55

Lake Palcacocha is swollen with water from melting ice caps in the Cordillera Blanca mountains. Below, 50,000 people live directly in the flood path

Nestled beneath the imposing white peaks of two glaciers in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, the aquamarine Lake Palcacocha is as calm as a millpond. But despite its placid appearance it has become a deadly threat to tens of thousands people living beneath it as a result of global warming.

A handful of residents of Huaraz, the city below the lake, can recall its destructive power. In 1941 a chunk of ice broke away from the glacier in an earthquake, tumbling into the lake. The impact caused a flood wave which sent an avalanche of mud and boulders cascading down the mountain, killing about 1,800 people when it reached the city.

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Categories: Around The Web

Britain's biggest butterfly threatened by rising seas

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 21:27

New charity warns Britain’s largest butterfly could be lost within four decades as rising seas turn its habitat into saltmarsh

Britain’s biggest butterfly, the swallowtail, could become extinct within four decades because of rising sea levels, a new charity has warned.

New inland habitat needs to be created for the swallowtail because rising seas are predicted to turn much of its current home, the Norfolk Broads, into saltmarshes later this century.

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Categories: Around The Web

US meatpacking workers face new hazard: threat of deportation by Ice

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 20:00

In industry where one-third of workers are immigrants, Ice’s largest raid at an Ohio plant strikes fear in local communities

Meatpacking has never been the safest, or the most pleasant, job. Now, under the Trump administration, workers are facing another hazard – the threat of deportation.

“We were working in the plant and the agents showed up with machine guns and started taking everyone outside,” 20-year-old “Carlos”, a meatpacker at the Fresh Mark meatpacking plant in Salem, Ohio, told the Guardian.

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UK households urged to conserve water as heatwave continues

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 18:29

Northern Ireland Water to introduce hosepipe ban this weekend after rise in demand

Water companies have urged UK households to conserve supplies as the country continues to bask in a near record-breaking June heatwave.

The hot weather is likely to remain, with the sun expected to shine throughout the weekend and temperatures in the high 20s across much of Britain.

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Categories: Around The Web

Crow vending machine skills 'redefine intelligence'

BBC - Fri, 2018-06-29 16:17
An experiment with a "vending machine for crows" is revealing insights into how intelligence evolves, scientists say.
Categories: Around The Web

Norway pledges £12m to global fight against forest crime

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 16:00

Money will be spent on expanding an Interpol taskforce dedicated to investigating the gangs driving illegal deforestation

The Norwegian government has announced a pledge of 145m kroner (£12m) to help fight forest crime such as illegal tree clearances.

The money will be shared by Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Rhipto Norwegian Centre for Global Analyses, which collects data on illegal logging. The funds will allow Interpol to expand its dedicated taskforce from six to 15 detectives.

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Categories: Around The Web

Country diary: my moth trap nets the usual suspects and a rare newcomer

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 14:30

Lower Benefield, Northamptonshire: The stubby little white specimen turns out to be my first concolorous moth

National Moth Night has inspired me to dust off my moth trap and indulge in a summer pageant of colourful insects. With some disappointment I clock the dropping temperatures and cleared sky with twinkling stars. Not a positive development. Clear, cold nights deter moths from taking to the wing. I consider hanging the trap back up, but decide a small haul of moths would be suitably charming.

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Categories: Around The Web

Reminder - War on Waste 3rd July - QLD's new waste levy & recycling future

Newsletters QLD - Fri, 2018-06-29 14:15
Single-Column Responsive Email Template Event Reminder - War on Waste - Closing the cycle Australians currently produce about 50 million tonnes of waste per year, averaging over 2 tonnes per person and it is continually increasing. This session will look at the waste cycle, the current state of the industry and how we can all help reduce the volume of waste produced. It will also provide insight into the new waste levy in QLD and the impact China's ban on receiving recyclables is likely to have. Waste Reduction – Richard Denniss Richard will deliver an entertaining discussion on how we can reduce waste by distinguishing between consumerism, the love of buying things, which is undeniably harmful to us and the planet, and materialism, the love of things, which can in fact be beneficial. Reuse – Kali Martin Kali will discuss the waste streams that are currently being processed by NuGrow and how they are recycled into beneficial products such as compost and soil conditioners. Case studies will be presented demonstrating NuGrow’s innovative approach to closing the loop between waste and resources to achieve their vision of healthier environments supporting healthier communities. Recycling – Rick Ralph Rick will discuss the facts behind the new waste levy in Queensland and what a new waste strategy should contain and look like. He will also discuss the current state of the recycling industry after China’s ban on receiving recyclable waste and what is needed to secure a sustainable future recycling industry. Is it as bad as it sounds? Anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy recovery from organics – Dr. Gareth Forde and Max Barnes Gareth will talk about how we can generate energy from waste organics and how AD compares to other waste to energy (W2E) options. Implications of the proposed landfill levy will be considered. See the event website for more information. Moment for Action Sign the petition David's Blog Keep up to date by reading David's Blog on the SENG website. Log in using your to post comments or questions. Join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page If you have an idea to share, an issue you would like feedback on, or just want to follow the conversation, click here to join the group. If you can't view this email click here to view online Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter
Categories: Newsletters QLD

Belectric launches 40MW of battery storage projects in UK, Germany

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 13:34
Germany company commissions three new large-scale battery storage facilities using first and second life auto battery modules.
Categories: Around The Web

Who are the world’s biggest makers of EV batteries?

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 13:30
Tesla and Panasonic take top spot in latest BNEF ranking of tier 1 li-ion battery cell makers. But China's CATL getting most attention.
Categories: Around The Web

Major 200MW + battery solar farm approved in outback South Australia

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 13:21
Work set to begin on Solar River Project after "Australia's biggest" PV farm approved for 220MW solar, 120MWh lithium-ion battery.
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Abbott: Renewables killing coal, just to “make world a bit colder”

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 13:07
Former PM says "obsession" with emissions will damage Australia's economy, for what? Just to save the planet for the grandkids.
Categories: Around The Web

Tesla batteries arrive for world’s first wind-solar-battery project

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 12:31
Tesla batteries arrive on site at company's third big battery project in Australia, and at what will be the world's first grid-connected project combining large scale wind, solar and battery storage.
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How a protein’s secret function could boost solar tech

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 11:47
A new protein discovery by a team of Dutch and South African researchers could help develop new smart solar technologies.
Categories: Around The Web

Birdbrainy: New Caledonian crows make tools using mental images

The Guardian - Fri, 2018-06-29 10:38

Study finds birds have design templates in their minds and may pass them on to future generations

New Caledonian crows use mental pictures to twist twigs into hooks and make other tools, according to a provocative study that suggests the notoriously clever birds pass on successful designs to future generations, a hallmark of culture.

“We find evidence for a specific type of emulation we call mental template matching,” co-author Alex Taylor, director of the Language, Cognition and Culture Lab at the University of Auckland, told AFP.

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Categories: Around The Web

Renewables replaced more than half Hazelwood capacity

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2018-06-29 10:19
AEMO data shows some surprising results on the replacement of Hazelwood, and what happened to wholesale electricity prices.
Categories: Around The Web

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