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The big four banks have made significant strides to curb lending for fossil fuel projects but a report says they still have not met their own climate targets.

The post Big banks go cool on coal and gas but fall well short on climate funding: report appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US-based BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, published guidelines outlining its voting strategy at shareholder meetings on behalf of funds with climate-related investment objectives, inclusive of positions on corporate disclosures, shareholder proposals, and board effectiveness.

AEMO boss says nuclear too slow to replace coal, and confirms that "notion of baseload" will not compete with grid powered by cheaper renewables.

The post Nuclear too slow to replace coal, and baseload “simply can’t compete” with wind and solar, AEMO boss says appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As part of the annual Beaker Street festival, a celebration of science and art in Tasmania, finalist images in the festival’s annual science photographic competition will be on show at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery from 6 August to 23 August

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The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has revealed its plans to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to align the sector with the country’s international climate commitments, but emphasised that achieving these goals requires additional support.

RGGI allowance (RGA) values jumped over the past week on the back of strong power demand and high summer temperatures, as the futures market witnessed roughly four-month low volumes amidst the ongoing wait for programme review developments.

Dozens of unique animal and insect finds have helped secure protection for an unspoilt mountain forest.

Australia’s banks are still funding fossil fuel projects and their developers at a rate inconsistent with Paris climate targets and their own net zero timelines, a report released Tuesday by activist shareholder group Market Forces said.

Top global producers of ammonia and ethanol based in the US announced a joint effort on Monday to pilot low carbon fertiliser application across US farms, thereby lowering the carbon intensity (CI) of corn used in ethanol production.

Clean Energy Council head says bad faith actors pushing nuclear are using a weakened media and praying on anxious communities to "tear things down."

The post “Battering ram of bad faith actors:” CEC says nuclear push causing confusion, delays and higher costs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

When I was in school, for a few weeks every year, caterpillars were the most exciting thing happening

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On the trunks of small magnolia trees, in the corner where a table leg meets a table top, on a low damp wall in the shade – here the hairy caterpillars gather together. They travel in long lines, they sleep as close to each other as possible (displaying, it is called in science, a high level of “gregariousness”), as though the scariest thing a predator might see is a cat’s disembodied tail or retched-up fur ball, or a too-small itchy blanket.

If you take a picture of a hairy caterpillar and put it on the internet, a stranger will tell you that you can safely touch it, while another will say you can’t under any circumstances. “What about that says, ‘Touch me’?” one person will ask. “People really need to get a grip,” another will write. “The caterpillars which are hazardous to touch are the hairy Marys, which have hollow hairs with venom. The hairy Marys are very obviously hairy.” This person sounds exactly like an older kid talking to a younger one.

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The hikers were a father and daughter lost in Canyonlands and a woman who passed out at Snow Canyon state park

Three hikers died over the weekend in suspected heat-related cases at state and national parks in Utah, including a father and daughter who got lost on a strenuous hike in Canyonlands national park in triple-digit temperatures.

The daughter, 23, and her father, 52, sent a 911 text alerting dispatchers that they were lost and had run out of water while hiking the 8.1-mile (13km) Syncline Loop, described by the National Park Service as the most challenging trail in the Island in the Sky district of the south-east Utah park.

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Offshore wind industry could be entering a “just for the heroes” era, where only the most robust projects in the most attractive geographies will survive. Australia's hopes could be at risk.

The post “Just for the heroes:” Can Australia survive the offshore wind inflection point? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Invasive alien species become much harder and more expensive to manage as they establish and spread through the landscape. So preventing their arrival is vital. Arman Pili, Research affiliate, Monash University David Chapple, Professor in Evolutionary and Conservation Ecology, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Melting of ice is slowing planet’s rotation and could disrupt internet traffic, financial transactions and GPS

The climate crisis is causing the length of each day to get longer, analysis shows, as the mass melting of polar ice reshapes the planet.

The phenomenon is a striking demonstration of how humanity’s actions are transforming the Earth, scientists said, rivalling natural processes that have existed for billions of years.

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South Africa’s legislative capital has raised R$36 million ($2 mln) by auctioning credits generated under the Kyoto-era UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) from projects that convert landfill-origin methane into electricity.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments over Ella’s fatal asthma attack

The mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate has said she wants an official apology for her daughter’s suffering as her high court claim against the government heads to trial.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is suing three government departments for compensation for personal injury arising from the illness and premature death of her daughter Ella, who had a fatal asthma attack in 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution.

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There was a slight lift in trading prices across several key indices in the voluntary carbon market last week, reflecting the ongoing interest in the impact of Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) on the market.

Federal Labor will fast-track a national certification scheme to guarantee the provenance of green hydrogen – and renewable electrons – produced in Australia.

The post Guarantee of origin scheme for green hydrogen, renewable electricity put on fast track appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Africa’s president has urged other developing countries to ditch fossil fuels in favour of green energy in order to avoid having to pay economy-damaging future carbon taxes, Reuters reported on Monday.