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Shark nets create false sense of safety and should be phased out, inquiry finds
Upper house committee says nets damage other marine wildlife and recommends replacement of lethal drum lines
Shark nets in place across Australia to protect beachgoers should be phased out as they cause more harm than good, a Senate inquiry has found.
An upper house committee examined shark mitigation and deterrent measures in Australia, and specifically the use of mesh nets in New South Wales and Queensland.
Continue reading...Warmer Arctic is the 'new normal'
What is the Tesla big battery actually selling? It’s not just energy
LG increases solar product warranty to 15 years on MONO X® plus and NeON ® 2
Renewable interconnectors to “span the globe,” as costs fall, technology improves
Climate change could boost wind power in Australia, reduce it in US, UK
Woodside gas platform installs first battery micro-grid – to burn less gas
Nasa's New Horizons probe strikes distant gold
Third round for new energy technology projects
Court upholds Obama-era ban on new Grand Canyon uranium mines
Celebration of the ruling by environmentalist has been tempered by expectations that the Trump administration will side with mining interests to end the ban
A powerful court ruled on Tuesday that an Obama-era ban on new uranium mines around the Grand Canyon should stay in place, though celebration on the environment side was tempered by expectations the government itself will now side with mining interests to end the ban. A separate, but linked, ruling on an older mine was a defeat for a Native American tribe.
The mining industry and a coalition of Republicans in Arizona and Utah had hoped for court support to tear down an order from the Obama administration in 2012 that protected a million acres of land around the Grand Canyon from mining development for 20 years. But they lost in the ninth circuit court of appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday.
Weatherwatch: the 'halcyon days' of December hark back to the kingfisher
This shy little bird is linked to many bizarre beliefs about the weather
The ancients called them the “halcyon days” – a period of fine, settled weather, lasting roughly seven days, which began sometime in the first half of December. During this time, it was said that the kingfisher (also known as the halcyon) would lay its eggs on the surface of the sea.
The phrase, and the concept behind it, originated in ancient Greece, but during the Renaissance was popularised by several writers, including the poet Michael Drayton, who wrote of “the halcyon, whom the sea obeys…” and Shakespeare, where the halcyon features in a speech by Henry VI.
Continue reading...The government is miscounting greenhouse emissions reductions
Arctic permafrost thawing faster than ever, US climate study finds
- Sea ice also melting at fastest past in 1,500 years, US government scientists find
- ‘The Arctic is a very different place than it was even a decade ago’ – author
Permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever, according to a new US government report that also found Arctic seawater is warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years.
The annual report released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed slightly less warming in many measurements than a record hot 2016. But scientists remain concerned because the far northern region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe and has reached a level of warming that’s unprecedented in modern times.
Continue reading...Jupiter Great Red Spot has deep roots
Interstellar asteroid checked for alien technology
'Face of climate change'?
Dracula ticks in amber tell ancient blood-sucking tale
EU announces €9bn in funding for climate action
Funding will be focused on clean energy, and sustainable cities and agriculture
The European commission has announced funding of €9bn (£8bn) for action on climate change, one of a flurry of measures from governments, businesses and investors aimed at achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement.
The EU funds will form part of the bloc’s External Investment Plan, and will be focused on sustainable cities, clean energy and sustainable agriculture. The announcement was made at the One Planet Summit in Paris on Tuesday, held to mark the second anniversary of the landmark 2015 pact.
Continue reading...Calls for greater fossil fuel divestment at anniversary of Paris climate deal
Campaigners call for an end to fossil fuel finance and subsidies to avoid dangerous global warming at a meeting to mark two years since the signing of the landmark agreement
The Paris agreement on climate change, ratified by world governments a year ago, has failed to ensure major investors are moving away from fossil fuels with the urgency required to safeguard the planet, civil society groups have said.
Large companies, investors and national and local governments met in Paris on Tuesday to celebrate the second anniversary of the signing of the landmark 2015 agreement, which bound nearly all developed and developing countries for the first time to keep global temperatures below 2C, the threshold scientists regard as the limit of safety.
Continue reading...How big oil is tightening its grip on Donald Trump's White House
The oil industry has stalled action on climate change from the inside and sold America on fossil fuels – and its influence goes back further than people realize
When Rick Perry was interrupted by climate-change protesters during his address to the National Petroleum Council in late September, the energy secretary was ready with a retort.
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