Feed aggregator

Climate Change Authority recommends office of National Wind Farm Commissioner be extended by three years, and broadened to oversee large-scale solar and battery storage development.

Germany struggles to get coal exit task force on track, with government postponing official launch of phase-out commission for third time.

Comins Coch, Ceredigion: Meadow grasses and flowers have grown in abundance, but the trees have been slow to green

In the pasture beside the lane, dandelions have already set seed, their spherical heads intact and waiting for the right gust of wind to break the seeds free and disperse them across the village like invading paratroopers. The meadow grasses and wild flowers have grown rapidly in confused abundance, but the crown of the oak tree across the field remains more defined by the framework of branches than by new foliage. Possibly the sudden drop in temperature that preceded the late snow selectively stalled development.

Further uphill the old meadow was marked by fresh molehills among the rushes and the lady’s smock, showing where these stolid hunters have been clearing and extending their shallow runs. The activity of their favoured prey, earthworms, is triggered by rising temperature and an attractive level of soil moisture – conditions that have apparently been satisfied.

Continue reading...

Car industry kicks back against emissions standards proposed for light vehicles, underscores uphill battle of shift to EVs.

Baker McKenzie has successfully assisted its longstanding client, Mars Australia in signing a 20 year PPA with Total Eren to generate the equivalent of 100% of Mars’ electricity from renewable energy by 2020.

Gippsland dairy producer Burra Foods signs 10-year PPA with Flow Power to source electricity from Ararat Wind farm – a deal that’s expected to cut its electricity costs by 20%.

Attacks against Elon Musk and Tesla becoming more intense, and nasty – from short-sellers, ideologues, climate deniers, and incumbent industries. They all have a lot to lose.

Winter is here, and many farmers are still waiting on their 'autumn break' of heavy rain. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be a dry, warm winter – although the snow season will likely be good. Jonathan Pollock, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Andrew B. Watkins, Manager of Long-range Forecast Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Sanjeev Gupta’s SIMEC ZEN Energy has installed 1MW of solar across four shopping centres in Adelaide, as businesses follow the UK steel billionaire’s clean energy lead.

Mars goes 100% renewables in Australia, sourcing all its electricity needs from Kiamal solar farm and renewables "firming" contract.

Victoria gives planning approval for 40MW wind farm near Horsham to be developed by German company.

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

The technology would be used to develop cats that only produce male offspring but scientists acknowledge there are risks in developing genetically modified cats.

A new investigation by Background Briefing and 7.30 has found Macquarie took big risks with its clients' money and earnt a lot of fees in the process.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has pinpointed early 2020 for the state to re-enter RGGI auctions and for emitter compliance obligations to begin should its ongoing negotiations proceed on schedule, according to new documents released on Wednesday.

Conservation fences create a few hundred square kilometres of safety for vulnerable native animals surrounded by 7.6 million lethal square kilometres. Michael Bode, Associate Professor of Mathematics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

EU carbon prices dropped 2.8% on Wednesday as a stronger auction provided only temporary relief amid wider financial market upheaval stemming from Italy’s political turmoil.

Benjamin Mancroft says Labour allowed its prejudice that all hunting people were toffs to blind it to the realities of managing foxes. Plus letters from Andrew Barker, Karen Lloyd, Ian Coghill and Philip Merricks

There is growing anecdotal evidence that the fox population in lowland rural Britain is in sharp decline (Is Britain’s fox population in decline?, Shortcuts, G2, 23 May). This is not because they are short of food, and thus in need of feeding on roadkill by Chris Packham or anybody else.

Professor Stephens of Durham University is right that “fox populations appear to have dropped specifically within the past 15 or 20 years”, ie since the enactment of the ban on fox-hunting in 2004. Nor is he wrong when he suggests that “people who were enthusiastic about hunting would often encourage fox populations”. More accurately, this means that they provided habitat (which benefited all wildlife), observed a closed season to allow foxes to breed and rear their cubs in peace, and practised a method of culling that encouraged survival of the fittest and removed the surplus numbers required to maintain a level population. The existence of hunts also acted as a deterrent to those wishing to shoot foxes indiscriminately and all year round with rifles which have significantly increased in accuracy and range over the past 15 years.

Continue reading...

Scientists have isolated the two different forms of water molecule for the first time.

The team caught 333 minkes, many of which were pregnant females, in its Antarctic "field survey".