Feed aggregator

Bird lovers will see a very different pattern of species in the future, scientists warn.

A look into curtailment of wind and solar on Wednesday shows Australia's new record for renewables share on the grid could have been even higher.

The post AEMO celebrates new renewables record – but it could have been even higher appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Potential investors in biodiversity credits must engage effectively with Indigenous peoples or risk sub-par returns, as the wider financial sector moves towards building nature into their decision-making, according to the co-lead of a UN finance initiative.

G20 scorecard says Australia also needs to close off "major loopholes" in emissions reduction policies and stop exporting emissions via coal.

The post Call to snuff out “dead end” coal, including mine approvals, exports and subsidies appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The facility, with a total of 2,240 surface mirrors, will provide heat equivalent to 2.3GWh of gas consumption for a Belgian manufacturing plant.

The post “Europe’s largest” concentrated solar and thermal project turns up the heat appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Climate Action Tracker finds Australia at a decarbonisation "crossroads," with mixed messages on coal and renewables and going the way entirely on fossil gas.

The post “Wrong direction:” Australia called out for betting bigger on fossil gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More water company regulations and improvements at treatment plants needed to protect rivers, say authors

Pollution from treated and untreated sewage is the greatest threat to river biodiversity, causing more damage than runoff from farms, according to research.

There is a need for more regulation of water companies and improvements at their treatment plans to protect rivers, say the authors of the study.

Continue reading...

Homegrown clean and renewable electrification remains the answer for the EU's decarbonisation and security of supply, but more investment and infrastructure upgrades are urgently needed to enable a tripling in electrification rates by 2050, a according to an industry group report published on Thursday.

Futures contracts for carbon credits tagged with its Core Carbon Principles (CCP) moniker could appear soon, a member of the Integrity Council on the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) executive body said Wednesday, as the cross-stakeholder group has introduced working groups that could fast-track some offset categories for labelling.

Developments in EV markets and retail electricity markets deliver much hope for a rapid energy transition, and much food for thought.  

The post I’m buying an EV. The generosity of some EV charging and solar export tariffs surprised me appeared first on RenewEconomy.

After a chance discovery in the lab, this team used IVF to make hundreds of coral babies for restoration projects in New South Wales. So far the IVF babies are doing well in the wild. Meryl Larkin, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University David Harasti, Adjunct assistant professor, Southern Cross University Kirsten Benkendorff, Professor, Southern Cross University Stephen D. A. Smith, Professor of Marine Science, National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University Tom R Davis, Research Scientist - Marine Climate Change, Hunter New England Local Health District Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Members of parliament and former politicians have reacted with scorn to Rishi Sunak's overhaul of the UK's net zero targets, which involved dropping several key policies and watering down others. Criticism came from across the political spectrum, with Tory MP Simon Clarke describing it as wrong and Green party co-leader Carla Denyer calling it a 'dangerous and desperate U-turn'

• UK net zero policies: what has Sunak scrapped and what do changes mean?

• Sunak’s big green gamble: the story behind the PM’s decision to U-turn

• UK politics – live updates

Continue reading...

Despite its importance, water management has been largely absent from the election campaign. But using trading markets to improve freshwater quality in smaller catchments deserves wider debate. Julia Talbot-Jones, Senior lecturer in Environmental Economy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Yigit Saglam, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering says ministers must ‘make up for lost time’ with more ambitious policy

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Australian engineers and technology scientists have urged the Albanese government to “make up for lost time” and set itself a “monumental challenge” by setting a target to wipe out the country’s climate footprint by 2035 – 15 years earlier than currently proposed.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, representing nearly 900 leading engineers and scientists, called on the government to set a goal of reaching net zero emissions in just 12 years, arguing it could be achieved with existing mature, low-carbon technology.

Continue reading...

The prime minister has rolled back some net zero policies, but says he's still committed to targets.

There’s nothing long term about the prime minister diluting green policies in the hope of clinging on to power

You could sense the panic when news was leaked of Rishi Sunak’s plans to water down some of his climate change targets. Instead of a controlled speech later in the week – probably somewhere with green connections: Rish! never knowingly undersells the irony – we got a hastily arranged press conference. In the very same Downing Street media centre where No 10 staff had joked about having illegal parties during the pandemic. Call it karma. Stay calm and carry on taking the piss out of the country.

And breathe. Sunak strode into the room and stood in front of a lectern with a sign reading “long-term decisions for a brighter future” on the front. Gaslighting the country again. It’s getting to be a habit. He then opened his mouth. RishGPT can’t really help the entitled, nasal whine. But this time it came soaked in contempt. This wasn’t just patronising, it was the most cynical speech from a prime minister in years. Deep down Sunak must know that he has sold his soul for the chance of remaining in office a while longer. There was a comedy to Liz Truss. At least she believed the mad things she was saying. Plus when all’s said and done she only destroyed the economy. But Rish! doesn’t believe any of this. He can’t be that stupid and deluded. And he’s hellbent on taking down the whole planet. The dishonesty was breathtaking. He lied and he lied and he lied.

Continue reading...

Net zero rollback could be a disaster for business confidence, with cars policy looking particularly perverse

One can understand why Rishi Sunak sees political opportunity in watering down a few climate policies. Previous soundbites about “the economic opportunity of the 21st century” may be correct in the round, but voters have also noticed that heat pumps are expensive and that the path to net zero by 2050 involves costs as well as opportunities. A strategy that claims, in effect, that net zero can be delivered more gently is not absurd for a party that is miles behind in the polls.

The problem, though, is the one highlighted by the furious reaction from some carmakers, in particular, to Sunak’s flip-flop. Any realistic route to net zero involves winning, and keeping, the broad confidence of businesses that will be overhauling the infrastructure. At one level, hitting the 2050 target requires an enormous public-private effort to rewire the entire economy. The whole point of setting interim targets is to make it more likely that you hit the main end goal. Presented with a legally binding commitment, the government risks looks incapable of delivering a plan that it can stick to.

Continue reading...

Teresa Ribera calls for alert systems in every country by 2027 after spate of natural disasters across the world

The latest spate of natural disasters – from the floods in Libya, Greece and Spain to the wildfires in Hawaii and Canada – has further underscored the need for early warning systems to help the world cope with the realities of the climate emergency, Spain’s environment minister has said.

Speaking to the Guardian as she prepared to travel to New York to take part in the UN’s climate ambition summit and sign a landmark treaty to protect the high seas, Teresa Ribera said the calamities laid bare the challenges the planet faced.

Continue reading...

With PM’s electoral options narrowing, strategists came to conclusion policy could help create dividing line with Labour

Isaac Levido, the strategy guru behind Boris Johnson’s 2019 victory, has spent much of the summer working on the overhaul of Rishi Sunak’s green policies.

One of the goals has been to find that elusive political property: a dividing line with Labour that Tory strategists believe will present voters with a clear choice at next year’s election.

Continue reading...