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‘No one has noticed it’: 400-year-old giant coral discovered on Great Barrier Reef
Named Muga dhambi by traditional owners, it was uncovered on a marine citizen science course
At 10.5 metres wide, four centuries old and twice the size of its nearest cousin, an “exceptionally large” coral has been discovered on the Great Barrier Reef – the widest known in the area.
The coral is 5.3 metres tall, “hemispherical in shape” and 2.4 metres wider than the next widest specimen. It is roughly the length and height of a modern double-decker bus.
Continue reading...Extinction Rebellion targets City of London over climate role
Protests starting next week aim to highlight the billions poured into fossil fuels by financial sector
The City of London will be the target of a new round of Extinction Rebellion protests aimed at highlighting the role of high finance in the climate crisis, starting next week and carrying on for at least a fortnight.
Thousands of protesters are expected to take part in a series of actions in the City, details of which are under wraps. These will target businesses headquartered in the Square Mile financial district, and will include site occupations. There are no plans to disrupt public transport, as has occurred during some previous actions.
Continue reading...ART programme upgrades REDD standard for low deforestation jurisdictions, emissions removals
Nature: Rattlesnakes' sound 'trick' fools human ears
Taylor’s favoured coal subsidy could reach $7 billion and hit households
New analysis suggests the costs of capacity payments to coal and gas plants could lead to electricity price increases much greater than the carbon price.
The post Taylor’s favoured coal subsidy could reach $7 billion and hit households appeared first on RenewEconomy.
EDF manager selected for California carbon market watchdog position
Australian offset price reaches fresh landmark high as demand persists
If children are to live with the climate crisis, we must green the curriculum | Meryl Batchelder
It’s clear to me when I teach that sustainability and the environment should be a thread running through every subject
In August 2018, the then 15-year-old Greta Thunberg started spending her school days outside the Swedish parliament calling for stronger action on climate change. It might sound perverse, a teacher supporting kids taking time off school, but spreading awareness of environmental issues is something I’ve always been passionate about. The challenge is finding a way to give them a meaningful climate education in the classroom.
As a middle school (aged nine to 13) science teacher, I’ve seen pupils react to the climate crisis in a number of ways. I still hear “my dad says it’s not real” every once in a while, but mostly they are interested. Interested in how oil companies obfuscated the truth, interested in the science, and interested in what the future holds now that we’re “running out of time”.
Continue reading...Euro Markets: Midday Update
Africa’s park tourism crash is a wake-up call. Can we find new ways to finance conservation? | Peter Muiruri
As Covid continues to curb visits to see our iconic wildlife, now is the time to move away from western-led funding models
That African governments have failed to mobilise funds to conserve their vast protected areas is not in doubt. Countries were just about managing to pay basic salaries to rangers who barely had enough to put fuel in their patrol vehicles. Covid has exacerbated this already dire situation, with the loss of income from foreign tourism.
The continent has more than 8,500 protected areas, described by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as government-led national parks, areas jointly governed by state agencies, communities, privately owned wildlife reserves, and public-private partnerships between governments, companies and NGOs. Included too, are what the IUCN calls “indigenous peoples and communities conserved territories and areas”.
Continue reading...Chicken producers blame Brexit for staff and supply shortages
Government urged to relax UK immigration rules after one in six jobs left unfilled since EU departure
The British Poultry Council has said food producers are facing serious staff shortages because of Brexit as this week’s partial closure of the Nando’s chain threw the spotlight on problems made worse by the fallout from Covid.
The trade association said its members, which include 2 Sisters Food Group – the country’s largest supplier of supermarket chicken, said one in six jobs were unfilled as a result of EU workers leaving the UK after Brexit.
Continue reading...Reared curlews act like wild counterparts after release in Norfolk
Sweden makes second swoop for Article 6 projects, this time in Ghana
Why is life on Earth still taking second place to fossil fuel companies? | George Monbiot
Effective action against climate breakdown is near impossible while governments are vulnerable to lawsuits
The human tragedy is that there is no connection between what we know and what we do. Almost everyone is now at least vaguely aware that we face the greatest catastrophe our species has ever confronted. Yet scarcely anyone alters their behaviour in response: above all, their driving, flying and consumption of meat and dairy.
During the most serious of all crises, the UK elected the least serious of all governments. Both the Westminster government and local authorities continue to build roads and expand airports. An analysis by conservation charity WWF suggests that, while the last UK budget allocated £145m for environmental measures, it dedicated £40bn to policies that will increase emissions.
Continue reading...“Not doing so well:” US puts pressure on Australia as Labor flags new interim target
Labor's Chris Bowen says medium-term emissions targets need to drive "greatest economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution".
The post “Not doing so well:” US puts pressure on Australia as Labor flags new interim target appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Hundreds of UK and EU cosmetics products contain ingredients tested on animals
New analysis finds chemicals tested on animals in moisturisers, lipsticks, hair conditioner and sunscreen, despite ban
Hundreds of cosmetic products sold in the UK and Europe contain ingredients that have been tested on animals, despite bans that outlawed such testing years ago, a new analysis has shown.
Banned tests were performed on ingredients used in products including moisturisers, lipsticks, sunscreen and hair conditioner, the analysis found, with more than 100 separate experiments performed on animals including mice and rabbits.
Continue reading...Origin ready to ‘pull trigger’ on big batteries after recording $2.3 billion loss
Origin Energy prepares pivot into big batteries and green hydrogen after $2.3 billion loss, another legacy company wrestling with the energy transition.
The post Origin ready to ‘pull trigger’ on big batteries after recording $2.3 billion loss appeared first on RenewEconomy.
“Digital twin”: Online simulator to help wind and solar farms connect to the grid
AEMO to build an "online twin" of the main grid to allow wind and solar developers to more easily model the impact of their project proposals.
The post “Digital twin”: Online simulator to help wind and solar farms connect to the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The climate crisis is an accelerating calamity of our own making. So what would it take to turn things around? | Lesley Hughes
Vote. Divest. Plant trees. Recycle. Remove fossil fuel subsidies. Go renewable. We don’t need to accept the inevitable demise of life on the planet
Imagine if scientists had just informed the world that there was a huge meteor heading our way that would likely wipe out life as we knew it. Or if the sun started doing really dangerous and frightening things that were likely to fry us. What would we do? Party like there was really no tomorrow? Or just crawl under the doona to wait out the inevitable?
The silver lining to the climate change catastrophe is that it’s not caused by a meteor, or the sun. It’s us. And because we’ve caused it, and we know how, we can fix it – or at least slow it down a lot.
Continue reading...Cost of wind turbines to jump 10 per cent due to mineral prices, logistics and Covid
Wind turbines face a price hike of around 10 per cent over the coming year due to rising mineral prices, logistics and Covid problems.
The post Cost of wind turbines to jump 10 per cent due to mineral prices, logistics and Covid appeared first on RenewEconomy.