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Special bricks could attract mites or encourage spread of disease if not cleaned properly, say some experts

An initiative in Brighton aimed at helping protect the bee population could do more harm than good, scientists have warned.

The council in Brighton has passed a planning condition that means any new building more than five metres high will have to include swift boxes and special bricks with holes known as bee bricks. They will provide nesting and hibernating space for solitary bees.

There are about 270 species of bee in Britain, just under 250 of which are solitary bees that live alone, although often nest close to one another.

Solitary bees in Britain are highly diverse, and so are their nesting habits. Most British species nest in the ground, excavating their own nest.

The honeybee is probably the best-known bee. They live socially and are led by a queen and serviced by male drones and female worker bees.

The bee population is thought to have declined in the UK since the 1970s. For example, the number of managed honeybee hives in England dropped by 50% between 1985 and 2005, and 67% of common widespread moth species have declined since the 1970s.

Since 1900, the UK has lost 13 species of bee, and a further 35 are considered under threat of extinction.

The decline in population is thought to be because of changes in land use, which has led to habitat loss. Other issues affecting bees include disease, pesticides, pollution and climate change.

One of the best ways of helping bees is thought to be by planting flowers rich in nectar.

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Integrated carbon services firm South Pole has expanded its business in Africa through its acquisition of Carbonsink, an Italian-based consultancy with more than 30 carbon-cutting projects on the continent.

Investment fund manager says firms that do not plan for a carbon-free future risk being left behind

Larry Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s biggest investment fund manager, said pushing climate policies was about profits, not being “woke”.

In his annual letter to CEOs , Fink said businesses, cities and countries that do not plan for a carbon-free future risked being left behind. He argued that the pursuit of long-term returns was the main driver behind climate policies, after being criticised for seeking to influence companies.

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EUAs drifted lower on Tuesday morning as trading volumes picked up compared to recent days, while energy markets were flat to firmer as gas supplies from Norway dropped.

The climate goals of US oil and gas companies are less ambitious compared with their European counterparts as they avoid firm commitments to address full lifecycle emissions and set targets that enable their absolute greenhouse gas output to rise.

America’s largest oil firm claims its history of publicly denying the climate crisis is protected by the first amendment

ExxonMobil is attempting to use an unusual Texas law to target and intimidate its critics, claiming that lawsuits against the company over its long history of downplaying and denying the climate crisis violate the US constitution’s guarantees of free speech.

The US’s largest oil firm is asking the Texas supreme court to allow it to use the law, known as rule 202, to pursue legal action against more than a dozen California municipal officials. Exxon claims that in filing lawsuits against the company over its role in the climate crisis, the officials are orchestrating a conspiracy against the firm’s first amendment rights.

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Emissions from China’s car making industry are set to plateau after peaking in 2027, putting the sector off track for a 2060 net zero pathway, according to an analysis by a green group released on Tuesday.

Australian companies doubled the number of carbon credits they retired voluntarily from the national registry last year, though the growth was far higher for cheap, plentiful UN-issued credits than the expensive, less-available domestic units.

Study calls for cap on production and release as pollution threatens global ecosystems upon which life depends

The cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet now threatens the stability of global ecosystems upon which humanity depends, scientists have said.

Plastics are of particularly high concern, they said, along with 350,000 synthetic chemicals including pesticides, industrial compounds and antibiotics. Plastic pollution is now found from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans, and some toxic chemicals, such as PCBs, are long-lasting and widespread.

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Assessment contains inadequate surveys of threatened species habitat and fails to identify that project could cause flooding of 284km of waterways, officials say

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The Perrottet government will have to rework large parts of the environmental impact statement for its proposal to raise the Warragamba dam wall, according to officials responsible for assessing the project.

NSW environment officials have told the government its analysis, published in September, has failed to properly assess or justify impacts to the Greater Blue Mountains world heritage area that would be caused by the $1.6bn plan to raise the wall by up to 17 metres.

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Australian based Verdant Earth readies to list on the Nasdaq, to raise funds for its planned NSW biomass-to-hydrogen plant.

The post Austalian biomass-to-hydrogen venture readies for US public listing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Victoria pushes ahead with major transmission upgrade, to open way for 1,500MW of additional renewable capacity and ease wind farm constraints.

The post Victoria pushes ahead with 1.5GW network upgrade in windy south-west appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fuel cell buses, trucks and hydrogen fuelled cremation to be trialled in Victoria with the support of more than $7 million in state government grants.

The post Victoria backs hydrogen fuelled cremations, fuel cell buses, with $7m in grants appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Queensland's wholesale electricity prices are going through the ceiling, which is remarkable given that nothing in particular is happening to demand.

The post Know your NEM: As rooftop solar soars, something is rotten in the state of Queensland appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new hub for energy market expertise will tackle some of the toughest challenges of transitioning the Australian electricity grid to net-zero emissions.

The post New research hub to tackle energy transition’s toughest challenges appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Pollution from plastics is a global emergency in need of a robust UN treaty, according to a report.

How close are we really to a green hydrogen industry? And which states are best placed to host it? New research offers some answers.

The post How competitive is Australian renewable hydrogen? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian solar innovator launches $33.4m ARENA-backed program to leverage automation – including solar farm building robots – to make it faster and cheaper to develop large-scale projects.

The post 5B targets solar farm building robots in $33m push to ultra low cost PV appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy Changes Projektentwicklung requires a manager to develop and manage GHG emission reduction projects, including screening, preparing project design documents, MRV support, and assisting in the validation and verification processes according to various international carbon standards such as VCS, GS, GCC, ISO and other upcoming carbon schemes.