Feed aggregator

The so-called corpse plant takes a decade to flower – and when it does, the blossom lasts just 24-48 hours and smells of rotting flesh. Guardian Australia's Henry Belot went along to take whiff

• ‘I can hear dry-retching from inside’: queuing for hours to smell Geelong’s corpse plant

Continue reading...

NSW has closed a controversial planning loophole that allowed "vexatious neighbours" to block new wind farms, in welcome updates to the state's Renewable Energy Planning Framework.

The post Big win for wind industry as planning changes tighten rules on “phantom dwellings” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Low pressure troughs sitting over swaths of the country are being charged by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, weather expert says

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Days of severe storms have been forecast for every mainland state and territory in Australia this week, with possible wind gusts, heavy rain, large hail and flash flooding on the cards.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said “millions of lightning strikes” were also expected across the country.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Using LED lighting on the underside of surfboards or kayaks could deter great white shark attacks, new research suggests. An Australian-led study found lighting disrupted the ability of great whites to see silhouettes against the sunlight above, reducing the rate at which the sharks followed and attacked seal-shaped decoys. 'We think this tells us a lot about how sharks see the world and how they detect and target their prey,' Macquarie University's Prof Nathan Hart says. 'But it also potentially gives us an insight in to how we can develop a non-lethal shark deterrent.'

• LED lights on underside of surfboards may deter great white shark attacks

Continue reading...

With the global carbon budget for a 1.5 C rise in temperatures set to be exceeded, researchers have floated the idea of assigning rich countries responsibility for extra emissions reductions and carbon removals in addition to achieving their own national targets.

Economists and forestry researchers are working with Verra to develop a framework to better account for the full extent of forest carbon leakage in Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects, including the market-based responses of the global timber market.

RGGI Allowances (RGA) rallied briefly back above $24 post US election results last week, but gave back some gains as market focus returns to clarity on proposed programme changes.

A barrage of developments has come out of Brazil in the week ending Nov. 10 as carbon market observers wait with bated breath for congressional ETS approval this week, setting the stage for a dynamic first week at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

A bipartisan trio of US House Representatives on Friday introduced a bill to extend a biofuels tax credit by a year as producers await guidance on a key incentive.

Latest data shows that G20 countries alone provided $A1.7 trillion of fossil fuel subsidies in 2022, and Australia gets a mixed review.

The post Annual global fossil fuel subsidies jump to $1.7 trillion – just in the G20 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The biggest battery storage tender to be held in Australia will open this week, with more than 4 GW and 16 GWh sought.

The post Australia’s biggest ever battery storage tender to open this week appeared first on RenewEconomy.

National renewable targets will lead to a doubling of global capacity by 2030, far from the goal of tripling the total that was agreed one year ago at the COP29 climate conference.

Exclusive: Target is 81% emissions cut compared with 1990, but activists say it must be backed by plan of action

Keir Starmer will announce a stringent new climate goal for the UK on Tuesday, the Guardian can reveal, with a target in line with the advice given to the government by its scientists and independent advisers.

The UK will pledge to cut emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035, a target in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee.

Continue reading...

The succession of authoritarian fossil fuel producers hosting international climate negotiations is a concern. We must pay attention to political influences on the talks and beware of greenwashing. Ellie Martus, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University Fengshi Wu, Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Extreme weather is already costing vulnerable island nations US$141 billion each year. How should rich nations contribute and who should pay the most? Nina Ives, PhD Candidate in Climate Change, Auckland University of Technology David Hall, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Public Policy, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Agreement on rules paving way for rich countries to pay for cheap climate action abroad breaks years-long deadlock

Diplomats have greenlit key rules that govern the trade of “carbon credits”, breaking a years-long deadlock and paving the way for rich countries to pay for cheap climate action abroad while delaying expensive emission cuts at home.

The agreement, reached late on the first day of Cop29 in Azerbaijan, was hailed by the hosts as an early win at climate talks that have been snubbed by prominent world leaders and clouded by the threat of a US retreat from climate diplomacy after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

Continue reading...

The political push to massively electrify energy systems risks making them more vulnerable to climate change, said the chief transition officer of the Flemish distribution system operator (DSO) at an event in Brussels. 

The demand for carbon credits in the international voluntary carbon markets is terrible and needs to be fixed, the prime minister of Bhutan said at a panel discussion on the first day of COP29 in Azerbaijan on Monday.

News of the COP29 presidency securing an early Article 6 outcome during Monday’s opening plenary session lifted spirits in the voluntary market, which had been left uneasy by last week’s election of Donald Trump to the White House despite improving liquidity amid a typical fourth quarter pick-up.

Even if president-elect rolls back climate progress, John Podesta reaffirms commitment to a clean planet at Cop29

The US climate envoy John Podesta said the fight “for a cleaner, safer” planet will not stop under a re-elected Donald Trump even if some progress is reversed, speaking at the Cop29 UN climate talks on Monday as they opened in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Although under Donald Trump’s leadership the US federal government placed climate-related actions on the back burner, efforts to prevent climate change remain a commitment in the US and will confidently continue,” said Podesta, who is leading the Biden administration’s delegation at the annual talks.

Continue reading...