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Australian effort to contain fire ants hampered by funding shortfall, documents show
Invasive Species Council releases material showing contrast between original $133m plan to fully eradicate the ants and $89m ‘revised work plan’
Lack of proper funding is hindering efforts to contain the spread of invasive fire ants by Australian authorities, according to documents obtained by the Invasive Species Council.
The documents show a stark contrast between the original $133m plan to fully eradicate the ants and an $89m “revised work plan” to continue for the next 12 months. This revised plan would only treat half the area needed, even as the ants continue their southward march towards New South Wales.
Continue reading...How algae conquered the world – and other epic stories hidden in the rocks of the Flinders Ranges
Nicola Jennings on Thérèse Coffey ignoring post-Brexit green watchdog – cartoon
Indigenous activists gather in Brazil to discuss future of the Amazon
Campaigners voice hopes and fears for the rainforest before leaders of eight Amazon nations attend summit in Belém
Thousands of Indigenous activists and environmentalists have converged in one of the Amazon’s biggest cities to voice their hopes and fears about the future of the world’s biggest rainforest.
The Brazilian city of Belém will this week host a two-day conclave bringing together the presidents of eight Amazon nations including Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Continue reading...I feel bad about enjoying the rain – but this sodden summer brings back such wonderful memories | Emma Beddington
Grey skies, gale-swept beaches, soggy donkeys: my childhood holidays were all wet, wet, wet. And, as a result, deliciously idle
I am enjoying this sodden summer. I do know this much rain is bad: July was the UK’s sixth wettest on record and the wettest ever for Northern Ireland. It is worse than bad in China; it is catastrophic, with 20 killed in the worst rainfall in 140 years, since records began. And in the UK, there is harvest havoc to worry farmers, plus a very real danger that the insular and idiotic will point to a persistently, dramatically wet summer that is probably linked to the climate crisis as the opposite: a sign that everything is fine, really, so let’s celebrate with more North Sea drilling.
I am sorry, too, for anyone who needs a summer fix of vitamin D, light and warmth to maintain their health and equanimity. I am on record as being fairly anti-summer, and that remains true, but I am not implacably opposed to a bit of balmy weather. I don’t want to go all “some of my best friends are balls of incandescent gas” on you, but I am attempting to grow some tomatoes this year and I have a hammock. I wouldn’t say no to some sun now and then.
Continue reading...Look at the crisis in the Amazon and understand the stakes: we’re battling for life itself | Mark Ruffalo
At this week’s Amazon summit, the world must stand with Indigenous peoples – and demand protection for the rainforest
Some of the most fulfilling moments in my life as an actor are when I play roles that speak to the challenges facing humanity. In The Avengers, for example, in which I play the Hulk, the team tries to undo the “the snap” – an apocalyptic event brought about by the villain Thanos to eradicate half of all living beings.
As a good friend of mine says: “Fantasy is not an escape from our world, but an invitation to go deeper into it.” The simple fact is that humanity has triggered extinction events – and the collapse of the Amazon is a disaster that will be terrible for all of us in real life.
Continue reading...Rishi Sunak – a total investment banker | Stewart Lee
What kind of person opposes initiatives designed to protect the future of our planet so his enfeebled party can retain power?
I view human nature through the Techniscope ™® lens of 1960s Italian cowboy films. In Spaghetti Western World, the men we most despise are those who, when the chips are down, snatch an innocent peasant child and put a pistol to their temple, to use as a human shield until their demands are met. Our cowardly prime minister, cornered by the possibility of a catastrophic election defeat, has just done the same thing, but instead of merely manhandling an infant peon on the steps of a saloon, he is holding a gun to the head of the whole world and threatening the future of all life on Earth. See him now in His Name Is Sunak, Our Angel of Death, and You Must Prepare Your Coffin, Amigo (Gianfranco Parolini, 1968).
For Sunak has, in the face of all credible scientific evidence, and in naked contempt for the international court of civilised opinion, decided to grant hundreds of new licences for drilling for North Sea oil. Why? Is Sunak perhaps sexually aroused by the idea of being held in contempt on a global scale? Does he retire to his North Yorkshire mansion priapic and alone under a cloud of assumed loathing, wondering in the dark what he can do to make himself ever-more despised? Did Sunak choose his job as an investment banker because he enjoyed the rhyming slang connotations?
Basic Lee tour dates are here. A fun-size ™ ® version of the show is at the Stand’s New Town theatre, Edinburgh, from 11 to 20 August
Continue reading...Australia gets wake up call on materials manufacturing in surge to renewables
Australia wants to lead the world in the race to renewables, but it is in the bottom half for projected growth in the capability to make complex items.
The post Australia gets wake up call on materials manufacturing in surge to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Winter heatwave in Andes is sign of things to come, scientists warn
Human-caused climate disruption and El Niño push temperature in mountains to 37C
Exceptional winter heat in the Andean mountains of South America has surged to 37C, prompting local scientists to warn the worst may be yet to come as human-caused climate disruption and El Niño cause havoc across the region.
The heatwave in the central Chilean Andes is melting the snow below 3,000 metres (9,840ft), which will have knock-on effects for people living in downstream valleys who depend on meltwater during the spring and summer.
Continue reading...Ulez just the start and similar scheme needed for buildings, experts warn
Lowering pollution produced by houses, offices and factories is just as crucial as tackling vehicle emissions
Imposing strict controls on car exhausts will only partially improve the quality of air people breathe in the UK, scientists have said. New measures to counter emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants will also be needed for buildings, heating plants and many other domestic and industrial sources in future.
The warning follows the controversy that has surrounded London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in which drivers are charged for their vehicles’ polluting impact. This month the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the zone from inner London so it covers all boroughs in the city. The decision has provoked opposition from some drivers and was blamed by various Labour party figures for the Conservatives surprise byelection win in Uxbridge and South Ruislip last month.
Continue reading...‘Despair is a luxury we can’t afford’: David Suzuki on fighting for action on the climate crisis
The celebrated science broadcaster and environmental activist says we have to stop elevating the economy and politics over the state of our world
David Suzuki is in an office, shirt unbuttoned, sunglasses on, a bookshelf over his left shoulder overflowing with a mess of boxes, bottles and binders, some barely hanging on to the top shelf. We’re speaking via video between his family cabin on an island off the Canadian west coast and my barely-more-organised home office in southern Tasmania. But the celebrated science broadcaster and environmental activist is considering something else.
“Maybe I can just give you an idea of what I’m looking out at,” he says, turning his laptop so I can see what he sees: a beautiful bay in late afternoon sun. My response is involuntary: “Oh, wow.”
Continue reading...Fifty-seven swimmers fall sick and get diarrhoea at world triathlon championship in Sunderland
Athletes competing on stretch of UK coastline where reduced water quality at centre of dispute over sewage discharges
At least 57 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after competing in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, health officials confirmed this weekend.
About 2,000 people participated in the events last weekend, which included a swim off Sunderland’s blue flag Roker beach. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it would be testing samples from those who were ill to establish the cause of the illness and any common pathogens.
Continue reading...What Apple did to Nokia, Tesla is now doing to the motor industry | John Naughton
People scoffed at the idea of electric vehicles for the masses. But now a Tesla hatchback has outsold the Toyota Corolla
An intriguing news item dropped into my inbox this week. It said that in the first quarter of this year, an electric vehicle (EV) had become the biggest-selling car in the world, outselling the Toyota Corolla. I know, I know, dear reader: you think this is non-news of the “Small earthquake in Chile, not many dead” variety. But to those of us condemned to follow the tech industry, three things are significant about it: the vanquished car was a Corolla, the EV was a Tesla (the Model Y hatchback), and the runner-up is made by Toyota.
The poor Corolla gets a lot of disdainful looks from petrolheads, who tell rude jokes about it and view the vehicle as bland, unimaginative and boring. Normal people, however, have consistently regarded it as one of the best compact cars available, with good fuel economy, impressive reliability and excellent luggage capacity. And they have backed that judgment with their wallets for many years. So on the sales front, the Corolla was no pushover.
Continue reading...UK offshore wind at ‘tipping point’ as funding crisis threatens industry
Industry figures warn climate crisis goals cannot be met unless government pumps more money into renewables
Britain faces being left with no hope of meeting its crucial climate crisis goals and losing its status as a world leader in offshore wind energy without an urgent overhaul of government support, ministers are being warned.
The sudden halting of one of the country’s biggest offshore windfarm projects last month could signal a “tipping point” in the construction of new sites unless ministers intervene, a number of senior energy industry figures told the Observer.
Continue reading...Australia seeks 24 gigawatt hours of storage, and batteries have the front seat
Australia confirms it is seeking 24 gigawatt hours of storage through its capacity investment scheme, with batteries looking best placed.
The post Australia seeks 24 gigawatt hours of storage, and batteries have the front seat appeared first on RenewEconomy.
CP Daily: Friday August 4, 2023
Compliance entities, financial players part with CCAs and RGAs amid July expiry
Voyager 2: Nasa fully back in contact with lost space probe
California carbon fund managers depart for voluntary market positions
North Dakota rejects permit for CCS ethanol project involved in large carbon removal deal
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