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Road of Dreams: Why 18km stretch became testing ground for clean technologies

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-03-01 10:47
This rural Georgia highway has become a proving ground for cutting-edge clean energy technologies.
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Blizzard survival skills: Building a snow hole

BBC - Thu, 2018-03-01 10:42
In the Cairngorms National Park Jo Whalley learns what to do if you become lost in a blizzard.
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Microsoft and Sunseap sign agreement on largest-ever solar project in Singapore

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-03-01 10:35
Microsoft purchases 100 percent of the renewable output from new 60MW solar project, supports development of new solar projects and greening of Singapore’s grid.
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Scarcer snow?

BBC - Thu, 2018-03-01 10:34
In the UK, there is evidence to suggest that snowfall has decreased over the past few decades. Worldwide, it's a more complicated picture.
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Agave trial powers up Far North bio revolution

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2018-03-01 10:26
Renewable electricity and biofuels made from agave are now one step closer, following kick-off of a groundbreaking trial by MSF Sugar, with support from the Queensland Government.
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SENG Networking Event on Tuesday - Intersection of Engineering, Sustainability, and Politics

Newsletters S.A. - Thu, 2018-03-01 08:25
Single-Column Responsive Email Template SENG SA Newsletter - March 2018 Intersection of Engineering, Sustainability, and Politics Join us for an evening of networking and to hear from SENG's Immediate Past National Chair, Graham Davies, about his journey from engineering to politics. Date: Tuesday, 6 March 2018 Time: 6pm to 8pm - Arrive from 6pm, presentation begins 6.30pm, followed by a Q&A session, then further networking Venue: The Lady Daly Hotel, 126 Port Road, Hindmarsh SA 5007 Cost: Free Register: For further information and to register follow this link. Leigh Creek Energy Underground Coal Gasification Pre-commercial Demonstration Project Leigh Creek Energy prepared an Environmental Impact Report and Draft Statement of Environmental Objectives for the construction and operation of an In-Situ Gasification Demonstration Plant at Leigh Creek. These were submitted in late December to the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet Energy Resources Division (DPC-ERD) for assessment under the South Australian Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000 for approval consideration. As part of this assessment process the DPC-ERD has released these documents and is seeking public comment, these documents can be found here. Date: Thursday, 22 March 2018 Time: 5.30pm to 8pm Venue: Engineers Australia South Australia - Level 11, 108 King William Street Adelaide SA 5000 Cost: $10 members, $40 non-members Hosts: Engineers Australia SA Chemical Branch, IChemE and RACI Register: For further information and to register follow this link. Unmaking Waste 2018 International Conference With a particular emphasis on redesigning systems, processes and products to ‘unmake’ waste, this conference is intended to challenge researchers, from every relevant discipline, to rethink what can be done about our global consumption problem and its multiple effects. The conference’s themes are Eco-Design and Development, Sustainable Consumption, Waste Minimization, and Circular Economy. Date: Thursday, 20 September to Sunday 23 September 2018 Venue: Adelaide SA 5000 Hosts: China-Australia Centre for Sustainable Urban Development, and the University of South Australia Register: For further information, to register, and to read the 2015 conference proceedings, follow this link. Undergraduate Student Awards Applications are open for SENG SA's next round of undergraduate student awards, for projects completed in 2017. For further information and to apply, email Kurt van Ryswyk, SA Awards Coordinator. What Do You Want To See? Have yourSAy on SA Government policies and initiatives here. EPA SA consultations can be found here. Get in touch with the SENG SA committee; we welcome feedback, suggestions, and content contributions. Or join us on LinkedIn. If you can't view this email click here to view online Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter
Categories: Newsletters S.A.

Signal detected from 'cosmic dawn'

BBC - Thu, 2018-03-01 08:23
Scientists observe a signature on the sky from the very first stars to shine in the Universe.
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Pesticides put bees at risk, European watchdog confirms

BBC - Thu, 2018-03-01 07:28
Most uses of insecticides known as neonicotinoids represent a risk to wild bees and honeybees, say European experts.
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How warm arctic weather caused the 'Beast from the East'

ABC Environment - Thu, 2018-03-01 05:17
Record temperatures in the Arctic have pushed cold air further south.
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Grey squirrels are unfairly maligned | Letters

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-03-01 03:08
Red squirrels, for whose troubles the greys are blamed, became virtually extinct in the UK before greys were even introduced, writes Natalia Doran

Your article (The faddy eater: Could I stomach southern-fried squirrel?, 22 February) should be admired for its honesty in showing appropriate discomfort with the idea of eating a creature that should have been living, breathing, playing, instead of suffering an early violent death. However, it also propagates a couple of myths regarding the highly intelligent and successful grey squirrel. The thing is, red squirrels, for whose troubles the greys are blamed, became virtually extinct in this country before greys were even introduced. That happened because of habitat loss. The reds were then also reintroduced from continental Europe, so the “nativeness” narrative is flawed. The tree damage is hugely exaggerated as well – the Forestry Commission puts the damage at 5%. More is lost due to poor growing practices. Furthermore, that figure relates to commercial forestry: in natural woodland grey squirrels are uniformly good for the ecosystem.
Natalia Doran
Urban Squirrels, London

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

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Adani asked Coalition to help secure funding from China, FOI shows

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-03-01 03:00

Exclusive: Despite official denials, emails reveal discussions about the Indian company’s requests before ministers wrote to a Chinese agency vouching for the $16bn project

Adani asked the Australian government to help secure funding for its controversial Carmichael coalmine, documents obtained under Freedom of information reveal. Two government ministers subsequently wrote to a Chinese government agency vouching for the proposed coalmine.

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Peru moves to create huge new indigenous reserves in Amazon

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-03-01 02:52

Major step taken by government Multi-Sector Commission following 15 year process

Two “naked” people spotted hunting armadillo. One “naked” family on a river-bank. About five other “naked” people - plus houses, settlements and crops - seen from small planes. Fresh footprints on a path, on a tree trunk, and along a Canadian oil company’s seismic lines. Noises in the night. Whistling and birdsong imitation. A loosed arrow. Fishing utensils, abandoned fires, and food stolen from inhabitants in the surrounding areas. . .

This is just some of the vital evidence currently being used to promote the establishment of two new reserves for indigenous peoples living in “isolation” that together could extend for more than 2.5 million hectares across one of the remotest parts of Peru’s Amazon, along the border with Brazil. If created, they could become the biggest indigenous reserves in the country.

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Q&A: What does all this snow mean for climate change?

The Guardian - Thu, 2018-03-01 02:39

Why are scientists worried about freezing temperatures in winter, is the beast from the east a freak event – and what is the polar vortex?

Q: Snow in winter. That feels reassuringly normal. Does this mean the climate has fixed itself?

A: Unfortunately not. In fact, many scientists are concerned this is a prelude to more extreme and less predictable weather.

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England sees funding fall for energy-efficient homes

BBC - Thu, 2018-03-01 00:52
In the last five years, there has been an average of 32,000 excess winter deaths in the UK.
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Latin America poised to agree world's first legal pact for nature defenders

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-02-28 22:04

After lengthy negotiations and record deaths of defenders on the continent, sources say a deal is very likely to be reached

Latin American countries are poised to agree the world’s first legally binding convention to protect environmental defenders at a conference in Costa Rica.

Land activists and indigenous people were killed in record numbers on the continent last year, with more than two nature protectors murdered every week.

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Rome to ban diesel cars from city centre by 2024

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-02-28 21:33

Mayor announces ‘strong measures’ to tackle pollution in Italy’s traffic-clogged capital

Rome, one of Europe’s most traffic-clogged cities and home to thousands of ancient outdoor monuments threatened by pollution, plans to ban diesel cars from the centre by 2024, its mayor has said.

Virginia Raggi announced the decision on her Facebook page on Tuesday, saying: “If we want to intervene seriously, we have to have the courage to adopt strong measures”.

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Total ban on bee-harming pesticides likely after major new EU analysis

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-02-28 21:17

Analysis from EU’s scientific risk assessors finds neonicotinoids pose a serious danger to all bees, making total field ban highly likely

The world’s most widely used insecticides pose a serious danger to both honeybees and wild bees, according to a major new assessment from the European Union’s scientific risk assessors.

The conclusion, based on analysis of more than 1,500 studies, makes it highly likely that the neonicotinoid pesticides will be banned from all fields across the EU when nations vote on the issue next month.

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Is the UK winning the graphene race?

BBC - Wed, 2018-02-28 20:03
The scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his work with graphene worries about research funding.
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Shorten is selling out miners to get Green votes on Adani, says Turnbull

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-02-28 18:42

The prime minister’s attack focuses on Labor’s policy shift on Carmichael mine and renews attempts to paint Labor leader as ‘not fair dinkum’

Malcolm Turnbull has blasted Bill Shorten for going “snorkelling” on the Great Barrier Reef courtesy of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and for selling blue-collar jobs down the river “to get Green votes” in the Batman byelection.

The prime minister went on the political offensive against Shorten after the businessman and environmentalist Geoff Cousins revealed a series of conversations with the Labor leader over the past three months about stopping the controversial Adani coal project in Queensland.

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PG tips announces switch to plastic-free fully biodegradable teabags

The Guardian - Wed, 2018-02-28 16:30

Pyramid teabags made from a plant-based material will go on sale next week, with company’s other teabags set to follow suit by end of 2018

The UK’s biggest tea brand is switching to fully biodegradable tea bags free from synthetic materials to cut down on plastic pollution caused by the nation’s favourite hot drink.

The first of the new eco-friendly pyramid teabags from PG tips – made from a plant-based material that is 100% renewable and biodegradable – will go on sale in UK supermarkets next week, it was announced on Wednesday.

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