Feed aggregator
Ratings agency says Victoria ban is beginning of the end for gas distributors
Bans on new gas connections will force distributors to start paying down debt sooner than expected as managed declines begin.
The post Ratings agency says Victoria ban is beginning of the end for gas distributors appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Genex eyes trebling of revenue, says new battery already “sopping up” negative prices
Genex says its revenue will increase threefold over next three years, with its growing storage portfolio and the "tremendous opportunity" of volatile grid pricing.
The post Genex eyes trebling of revenue, says new battery already “sopping up” negative prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Health evidence against gas and oil is piling up, as governments turn a blind eye
Rooftop solar market closes out winter at a new high, as households keep going big
Rooftop solar installs had their biggest August ever, new SunWiz data shows, as households help put the market within striking distance of best year ever.
The post Rooftop solar market closes out winter at a new high, as households keep going big appeared first on RenewEconomy.
PREVIEW: NZ ETS participants doubt September auction will clear
Sunak ‘poised to revoke ban on onshore windfarms’ – report
Ministers hope to make it easier for councils to pass planning applications for new turbines in move that has Labour support
Rishi Sunak is reportedly planning to revoke the ban on building new onshore windfarms in order to head off a row with Tory MPs for the second time.
Ministers are preparing to introduce changes to planning rules that will allow councils to give the go-ahead to turbine proposals where there is broad public support, according to the Telegraph.
Continue reading...*EMEA Policy Editor, Carbon Pulse – Brussels/London/Remote (in Europe)
“Business will kill your children:” Was Andrew Forrest’s climate speech really that “loopy”
Andrew Forrest has been described as "loopy" and weird for his striking speech that warns "humanity is at risk" and that "business will kill your children." Just because he said the obvious.
The post “Business will kill your children:” Was Andrew Forrest’s climate speech really that “loopy” appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Unveiling the enigmatic world of moths: from ancient pollinators to whistling wonders
Voters won’t trust Labour if it backs Tory pollution plans, green groups warn
Party’s apparent support for Tory move to axe controls on pollution caused by housebuilders is condemned by a range of environmental organisations
Labour will “lose public trust” over moves to clean up the environment if it continues to back Tory plans to scrap pollution rules for housebuilders, green groups have said.
Secretaries of state Michael Gove and Thérèse Coffey last week tabled an amendment to the levelling up bill removing rules that require local councils to block new homes in sensitive areas, such as the Lake District and Norfolk Broads, if they add to nutrient pollution in rivers.
Continue reading...The Tories watering down protections for polluted rivers? I smell a rat | Stewart Lee
One thing the Conservatives have achieved: the comprehensive choking to death of our waterways
Last Monday, the Conservative government announced plans to scrap the water pollution rules that protect rivers from environmental damage caused by nearby housebuilding. Some people accuse Sunak’s government of being a zombie government, trapped by infighting and incompetence in legislative inertia, incapable of seeing any task through. This is unfair on zombies who, given enough time, often overwhelm shopping malls, eat people’s brains, or fight sharks underwater. If a barely sentient zombie can do all this, it makes the Conservative’s failure to Stop the Boats ™ ® and Get Brexit Done ™ ® seem even less impressive.
But during their time in office the Conservatives will at least have achieved the comprehensive choking to death of our pesky seas and rivers, once teeming with unruly life, providing leisure opportunities to ungrateful peasants, and offering employment opportunities to the ne’er-do-wells who don’t vote Conservative – surfboard hire operators, conservationists, and a Spanish hippy who sits at the prow of the boat on a cruise round Camden Lock, serenading you relentlessly with detumescent Neil Young covers on a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar.
Tickets for Stewart’s Basic Lee show are on sale now
Continue reading...Beavers are back – but scientists fear Defra’s silence on protection deal
Return to the wild will boost biodiversity, but government accused of backing out of scheme
They were some of the country’s most resilient residents, creatures that shaped and nurtured our environment for millennia. Few animals could beat the beaver as a restorer of blighted landscapes, say scientists.
This ecological prowess means Castor fiber has a crucial role to play in helping the nation to revitalise its biodiversity and find solutions to the impacts of climate change, these researchers argue. However, they have become alarmed that a government scheme to reintroduce beavers across England is being held back by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Continue reading...Bogus war on the motorist is sign of Tory desperation | Sadiq Khan
I welcome robust discussion, but this obsession with Ulez is an attempt to sow discord and division
London’s ultra-low emission zone expanded to the Greater London boundary on 29 August – making it the largest clean air zone in the world. Five million more Londoners will now breathe cleaner air – helping to prevent early deaths, protect children growing up with stunted lungs and reduce serious health issues such as asthma, cancer and dementia.
Nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day already meet the strict emissions standards and their drivers will not have to pay the charge, but will see the benefits of cleaner air. The Ulez will also help to tackle climate change and congestion.
Continue reading...Sadiq Khan hits back at criticism of London Ulez expansion
Mayor of London defends scheme and accuses Tories of trying to sow ‘division and discord’
Sadiq Khan has hit back at criticism of the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) and accused the Conservatives of creating a “bogus war on the motorist”.
The scheme, which was expanded to cover all of Greater London on Tuesday, charges older, more polluting vehicles £12.50 a day and is the largest clean air zone in the world. However, the strategy aimed at improving air quality has been divisive.
Continue reading...Scale of Battery of the Nation project cut in half after huge cost blow-out
Federal and state governments cut a deal to save Marinus Link after cost blowout, but the key element of the Battery of the Nation project is cut in half.
The post Scale of Battery of the Nation project cut in half after huge cost blow-out appeared first on RenewEconomy.
California legislative committee advances GHG disclosure, climate risk bills to final stage
Artist captures the impact of climate crisis over 150 years on Mont Blanc
Paintings from a climb that retraced an 1800s route on western Europe’s highest mountain reveals the extent of the peak’s melting ice
A British landscape artist who recreated a climb made 150 years ago to document the impact of the climate crisis on western Europe’s highest mountain says what he found was so grim it reminded him of the “dark paintings” of Francisco de Goya.
James Hart Dyke ascended Mont Blanc’s ancien passage north face, the route taken in 1786 by the first climbers to reach the summit. It was also the same one taken in August 1873 by French painter Gabriel Loppé, whose climb inspired Hart Dyke’s own.
Continue reading...Typhoon Saola leaves trail of destruction in Hong Kong – video report
Typhoon Saola has made landfall in southern China after leaving a trail of destruction in Hong Kong. Thousands of trees were felled and boats sank in the city's harbour. Nearly 900,000 people had been evacuated in Hong Kong and China while business, transport and schools were suspended in advance of the typhoon making landfall
Continue reading...Original Observer Photography
From clean water activists to Nessie hunters and Chrissie Hynde to Phoebe Bridgers: the best original photographs from the Observer commissioned in August 2023
Continue reading...