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Agricultural runoff from farms and livestock operations creates oxygen-depleted areas inhospitable to animal and plant life

Scientists recently surveyed the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico around Louisiana and Texas and what they discovered was a larger-than-average area of oxygen-depleted water – a “dead zone” where nothing can live.

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists announced their findings this week: about 4m acres of habitat in the Gulf are unusable for fish and bottom-dwelling species. The researchers had estimated a smaller dead zone this year, predicting an average-sized area.

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The prime minister’s core belief is that things will work out, and there’s no need for a plan B. We’ve seen how that works

First came the plague, then the flood, and now the fire. This has been a biblical summer, one where the doomsday warnings of climate scientists have felt increasingly close to the bone.

Horror stories of Chinese commuters drowning as underground train tunnels suddenly filled with water have merged uncomfortably in our imaginations with images of flash floods in east London, wildfires burning up the Turkish coast and a Canadian heatwave so fierce it cooked mussels in their shells on the beach.

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The Chinese Carbon Emissions Allowance (CEA) price rebounded from a week earlier while trading activities continued to shrink, a sign that market observers said shouldn’t be read into too much because of limited participants on the market.

Exclusive: IPCC says gas, produced by farming, shale gas and oil extraction, playing ever-greater role in overheating planet

Cutting carbon dioxide is not enough to solve the climate crisis – the world must act swiftly on another powerful greenhouse gas, methane, to halt the rise in global temperatures, experts have warned.

Leading climate scientists will give their starkest warning yet – that we are rushing to the brink of climate catastrophe – in a landmark report on Monday. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will publish its sixth assessment report, a comprehensive review of the world’s knowledge of the climate crisis and how human actions are altering the planet. It will show in detail how close the world is to irreversible change.

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State and territory energy ministers may be freed from federal cabinet confidentiality rules, following a landmark FOI ruling.

The post Landmark FOI ruling could shed new light on Taylor’s big energy market ploy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Offshore wind is emerging as a major new player in Australia's renewable transition, and could be part of Morrison's Glasgow offerings.

The post Offshore wind adds new option to Australia’s future grid, and Morrison’s Glasgow play appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rather than a solar tax, we should keep growing the solar pie, and improve benefit sharing through technologies like community batteries.

The post To fix unequal rooftop solar benefits, there’s a better way than taxes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Global market for renewable hydrogen production is surging BloombergNEF says. The next challenge is to work out what to do with it.

The post Global green hydrogen supply is surging, but can demand keep pace? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Satellite images confirm snow decrease spurred by climate crisis as glaciers recede and communities reliant on mountain water face shortages

The Andes mountain range is facing historically low snowfall this year during a decade-long drought that scientists link to global heating.

Scant rain and snowfall are leaving many of the majestic mountains between Ecuador and Argentina with patchy snow cover or no snow at all as dry, brown earth lies exposed.

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Tasmania wind farm has been making progress on one of the industry’s most divisive issues: turbine-related bird deaths.

The post The wind farm where turbines shut down 400 times a day when eagles approach appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Advertisers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to come up with their winning slogans.

Minister responsible for climate conference travelled mainly during winter and spring and did not isolate

The government minister responsible for this year’s UN climate change conference in Glasgow has flown to 30 countries in the past seven months, it has been reported.

Alok Sharma, who was appointed as president of Cop26 in January, has visited countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya since February, according to the Daily Mail.

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

A large utility regulated under the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) carbon market has advocated for revisions to the programme's auction limits and banking provisions, while the bulk of public commenters in a consultation process supported the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) proposal to maintain the in-state power sector scheme.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices rebounded this week from recent lows on additional demand from financial firms, while RGGI Allowances (RGAs) climbed to a new all-time high as year-to-date emissions crept up to the 50-million short ton level.

The Canadian government on Thursday provided additional details on its post-2022 benchmark for the federal ‘backstop’ carbon pricing regime, including guidance on setting allowance budgets for cap-and-trade systems, as it also launched the first phase of its carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) consultation.

Over four-fifths of countries with revised Paris emissions pledges plan to participate in international carbon market mechanisms, according to think-tank WRI, comparing countries’ revised and original pledges while still finding a yawning gap to global warming goals.

Stanford's Tony Seba says world has technologies to achieve rapid emission reductions. We just need to deploy them at speed and scale.

The post “Get serious”: Eight technologies that could eliminate nearly all emissions by 2035 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New research surveyed more than 5,000 Australians about their concerns. Its findings suggest an epidemic of mental health related disorders is on the horizon. Rhonda Garad, Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in Knowledge Translation, Monash University Joanne Enticott, Senior Research Fellow, Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI), Monash University Rebecca Patrick, Director, Sustainable Health Network, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

US President Joe Biden (D) will sign an executive order on Thursday that aims for half of all new vehicle sales to be zero emissions by 2030, as two federal agencies will propose to partially overturn the Trump administration's clean car rollbacks by adapting vehicle GHG standards negotiated by California and several automakers.