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‘Wicked problem’: Coalition doesn’t rule out EV road user tax as fuel excise falls with uptake of greener vehicles
Bridget McKenzie tells Insiders she is working on the opposition’s transport policy ahead of the next federal election – including EV plans
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Liberal senator Bridget McKenzie has again left the door open for a Coalition government to level a road user charge against owners of electric vehicles, indicating concern about decreasing fuel excise and the impact on budgets for road repairs.
But the shadow transport minister also said the Coalition wouldn’t follow the US in banning Chinese-made EVs, which put her at odds with comments on Sunday from Nationals colleague, Barnaby Joyce. He invoked last week’s Hezbollah members’ pager explosions in raising his concern about technology he claimed could be made with a “malevolent purpose” by a “totalitarian state”.
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Continue reading...Australia’s magpie swooping season is here – but they aren’t the only birds to watch out for
Noisy miners, butcherbirds and masked lapwings will also go on the offensive to protect their eggs and young
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Australia’s infamous magpies have started to attack – but they’re not the only birds you might fall victim to this swooping season.
Lesser known suspects including noisy miners, butcherbirds and masked lapwings also swoop to protect their eggs and young, typically between August and October.
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Continue reading...One of Australia’s biggest battery projects seeks green tick for site next to giant Victoria smelter
The post One of Australia’s biggest battery projects seeks green tick for site next to giant Victoria smelter appeared first on RenewEconomy.
SpaceX on mission to return two stranded astronauts
New York asset management firm launches $25 mln carbon credit fund
Canada awards $15 mln globally for sustainable forestry projects
The world is shifting away from using animals in research. Will Australia get left behind?
Australia’s lack of transparency and funding leave it on the outer as researchers worldwide explore alternatives for training, study and testing
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A global shift in scientific and medical research is under way as countries hope to phase out experimentation on animals – but Australia risks being left behind.
The transition from using animals to alternatives based on human cells, tissue and data is driving multibillion-dollar growth in new technologies and methods. However, industry leaders and insiders warn Australia will miss those opportunities due to a lack of funding, opaque record keeping and national inconsistencies.
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Continue reading...Burning rubbish to create energy could end landfills. But some worry where Australia’s new path is leading
Some conservationists believe the ‘incineration industry’ is trying to gain a foothold in Australia and say the trend will end up damaging the environment
Australia’s first major waste-to-energy power plant has begun accepting rubbish, marking the start of a contentious nationwide shift towards burning household refuse to generate electricity.
At least 10 developments are under way across the country, sparking concern from some conservationists who argue the trend will be environmentally damaging and at odds with plans to develop a circular economy.
Continue reading...An 'abomination' of a sub – and the boss convinced Titan was safe
Cows help farms capture more carbon in soil, study shows
Research also reveals that a mixture of arable crops and cattle helps improve the biodiversity of the land
Cows may belch methane into the atmosphere at alarming rates, but new data shows they may play an important role in renewing farm soil.
Research by the Soil Association Exchange shows that farms with a mixture of arable crops and livestock have about a third more carbon stored within their soil than those with only arable crops, thanks to the animals’ manure.
Continue reading...‘It’s hugely moving’: record numbers of sea turtle nests recorded in Greece
Conservationists celebrate as efforts to save the Caretta caretta sea turtle, which has existed for 100m years, pay off
After nearly a quarter of a century observing one of the world’s most famous sea turtle nesting grounds, Charikleia Minotou is convinced of one thing: nature, she says, has a way of “sending messages”.
Along the sandy shores of Sekania, on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, what she has seen both this year and last, has been beyond her wildest dreams. The beach, long described as the Mediterranean’s greatest “maternity ward” for the Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle, has not only record numbers of nests, but record numbers of surviving hatchlings as the species makes an extraordinary resurgence.
Continue reading...UK climate envoy to keep role at charity whose founders invest in fossil fuels
Supporters rally to Rachel Kyte after criticism of appointment over link to investment firm Quadrature Capital
The UK’s new climate envoy will retain her role on the board of a charity whose founders made a multimillion-pound donation to the Labour party and have investments in fossil fuels, the Guardian has learned.
Rachel Kyte, the former World Bank climate chief who was announced as the UK’s special representative on climate this week, is on the climate advisory board of Quadrature Climate Foundation, a charity set up by the founders of the Quadrature Capital investment company.
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