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Annual Big Butterfly Count records lowest ever number of usually prolific species despite the relatively warm, dry summer

If you think you saw fewer butterflies than ever this British summer, you are probably correct: the Big Butterfly Count has recorded its lowest number of common species since records began.

Normally ubiquitous butterflies such as the gatekeeper, comma and small copper experienced their worst summers in the history of the count, which is run by Butterfly Conservation and began in 2010.

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Bloomberg New Energy Finance says Turnbull intervention into energy debate is a "worrying sign" and suggests Coalition could be using South Australia to weaken confidence in renewable energy investment.

Researchers at NREL claim breakthrough in development of perovskite solar PV that tops 10% efficiency and could also fast-track commercialisation of the technology.

Green groups say latest Queensland govt move to fast-track Carmichael coal mine development “indefensible” and “reckless.”

India’s power minister again calls on power generators to cease coal imports if the nation is to come good on “One Nation, One Grid, One Price” energy goal.

Australian solar installs in September reached their highest levels in more than a year, boosted by commercial uptake in South Australia.

The conservation organisation Great Barrier Reef Legacy is raising funds to operate the reef’s only independent research vessel and it wants Leonardo DiCaprio’s help. The actor, a well-known environmentalist and activist for action against global warming, has spoken about the reef’s plight and the need to protect it

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Charles Sturt University and Pangolin Associates join the Carbon Neutral Network.

Charles Sturt University and Pangolin Associates join the Carbon Neutral Network.

Charles Sturt University and Pangolin Associates join the Carbon Neutral Network.

Charles Sturt University and Pangolin Associates join the Carbon Neutral Network.

Government of Alberta posts request for information to explore the possibility of using solar energy to meet half of its energy needs.

Large-scale battery storage could have a significant role to play to ensure the stability of Australia’s electricity grid.

Peak demand, carbon budgets, innovation, resilience, new governance standards, and stranded assets will help redefine the way the world supplies energy.

Redflow Ltd has verified that the ES Series Inverter from GoodWe Power Supply Technology Co. Ltd. works with its new ZCell battery, allowing for easy deployment into Australian homes.

Forget South Australia, the market is more focused on Hazelwood brown coal generator, and its likely closure. Plus: why it's nearly economical for households to export solar back into grid.

China's State Grid envisages a world energy market powered 80% by wind and solar. Does this help explain why its bid for Ausgrid was rejected?

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 13 October 1916

The appearance of the American grey squirrel in a Withington garden might well cause surprise, but the lady who reports it evidently knows this animal, which is rather larger than our familiar red squirrel, is grey in colour, and lacks ear-tufts. She wonders if it had escaped from confinement. I do not expect so; it is more likely that it has been intentionally released in one of the Manchester parks, or possibly at Belle Vue. Many of these engaging little squirrels are turned down in different parts of the country; I have seen them in woods near Torquay, and, locally, in Dunham Park.

The first successful introduction that I know of was more or less accidental. A large number of grey squirrels were placed in the marmots’ enclosure in the London Zoological Gardens, but the authorities did not calculate upon their excellent jumping powers, and several escaped. These ran free in the Gardens and in Regent’s Park for some time, getting very friendly with the visitors, even taking food from their hands. The result was that a number were pocketed by people who thought that they would make nice pets. Since then others have been put in the enclosure and allowed to escape; and the species has also been turned loose in other London parks. It appears to be more ready to make friends than our British squirrel, but possibly it has not the same hereditary recollection of stone-throwing boys.

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In response to public concern, small, relatively inexpensive air pollution sensors are coming on to the market. But tests show that they can be inaccurate. Is there an alternative?

If only we could see the air pollution around us we could identify the culprits and avoid exposure. From an early age we are taught not to drink dirty water or eat mouldy food but we have less opportunity to avoid harmful air.

In a re-run of autumn 2010, this September’s warm weather caused unusually late summertime smog. Air pollution over most of England reached six on the UK government’s ten point scale. These incidents go largely un-noticed but they have a health impact; 10 days of high particle pollution in spring 2014 caused an estimated 600 extra deaths.

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Getting your heating upgraded in a rental can be a nightmare. Heating image from www.shutterstock.com

Saving energy is a win-win. You reduce greenhouse emissions and you reduce your energy bills. However, improving energy efficiency is not an option for a significant number of people in Australia – renters.

This is important not only because rental properties account for 29.6% of Australian houses, or 2.3 million homes, but because the high proportion of low-income households in rental properties are particularly vulnerable to rising energy prices.

Those who can, and those who need to but can’t

In Victoria, only 58% of private and 55% of public rented homes have some insulation. In contrast, 95% of owner-occupied homes have insulation.

In 2009 the Victorian government found the use of electric heaters is much higher in rental properties, and that half of all rental households report difficulty heating their homes.

The relationship between low incomes and higher rates of renting is a long-term trend in Australia. More than 20% of long-term renters regularly pay more than half of their income on rent, and 17% of all private renters are on government pensions or allowances. The proportion of people with a disability, a group with higher-than-average energy needs, is also much higher in rental properties.

As energy prices continue to rise, the gap between those who can afford to improve the energy efficiency of their property and those who cannot is growing. Those who are most vulnerable to energy price increases are the people with the least capacity to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

What is getting in the way?

Internationally, split incentives (when two parties engaged in a contract have different goals and levels of information) are recognised as a key barrier to improving energy efficiency in rental properties.

The International Energy Agency estimates that, globally each year, over 3,800 petajoules of energy (roughly 65% of Australia’s total energy use in 2013-14) is not saved due to split incentives.

In Australia, several additional legislative barriers prevent improvements to rental properties.

For example, landlords can offset the entire cost of any repairs made to rental properties against their income in the same financial year. But any repair has to be like-for-like.

So if a gas hot-water system broke down in a rental property and the landlord decided to replace it with a solar hot-water heater it would be classed as an improvement, not repair. The entire cost of improvements cannot be offset in the same financial year, which deters landlords from replacing broken appliances with more efficient versions.

Many state tenancy laws require tenants to return the properties to the same condition as when they rented the property. This means even willing renters are discouraged from improving properties themselves, or engaging in energy efficiency programs offered by external parties.

The majority of leases in Australia are for six to 12 months. In Victoria you cannot get a lease longer than five years.

Therefore, tenants who do have the income and permission to improve the energy efficiency of their properties cannot be sure they will live in the property long enough to pay off the initial investment through energy savings.

Hope for change

In our 2015 study we aimed to identify solutions for the barriers to energy efficiency in rentals. We surveyed 230 tenants and landlords and interviewed five real estate agents.

We found two possible solutions that received a high degree of support from all stakeholders.

The first solution, which received over 90% support from both landlords and tenants (see image below), is to change the classification of energy efficiency improvements to repairs under tax law. This would allow landlords to offset the entire cost of the improvement in the same financial year. Real estate agents were also convinced this solution would work, with no repercussions for tenants.

Landlord and tenant responses to questions about changing the tax classification of energy efficiency improvements.

The second solution that all stakeholders supported was mandatory minimum efficiency standards for rental properties. Over 90% of tenants and 70% of landlords supported this solution (see below).

However, fewer landlords strongly disagreed with a mandatory standard if it was combined with tax offsets for energy efficiency improvements. Real estate agents agreed that the combined solution could be effective.

Landlord and tenant responses to questions about a mandatory minimum energy efficiency standard for rental properties.

Interestingly, if the mandatory minimum energy efficiency standard were enacted, it could allow landlords to claim tax offsets for energy efficiency improvements in the same financial year. This is because spending required to make a property satisfy regulatory requirements falls into the repairs classification.

The results of this study show that despite the different goals of landlords and tenants there are combinations of solutions that could overcome the barriers to improving the energy efficiency of rental properties.

If landlords and tenants can find some common ground, surely politicians across multiple levels of government can work together to find solutions for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.