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City of Sydney lord mayor reveals testing of potentially contaminated mulch has cost $200,000 with remediation costs likely to be ‘substantial’

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Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, has accused the New South Wales government and the state’s environment watchdog of a “massive” and “costly” regulatory failure over the ongoing asbestos contamination crisis.

City of Sydney councillors gathered at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday to discuss how contaminated mulch came to be used across numerous city parks. Moore revealed testing alone had already cost the council more than $200,000.

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Four-metre shark euthanised after becoming beached on shore at Kingscliff on Tweed Coast

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A great white shark washed up on to a beach on the New South Wales north coast, shocking locals and attracting a crowd of beachgoers.

The 4m shark was seen swimming close to shore near Kingscliff beach on the Tweed Coast on Monday morning, with lifeguards tracking its progress until it was beached.

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On a planet getting hotter and drier by the year, governments are wilfully ignoring a looming crisis

There’s a flaw in the plan. It’s not a small one: it is an Earth-sized hole in our calculations. To keep pace with the global demand for food, crop production needs to grow by at least 50% by 2050. In principle, if nothing else changes, this is feasible, thanks mostly to improvements in crop breeding and farming techniques. But everything else is going to change.

Even if we set aside all other issues – heat impacts, soil degradation, epidemic plant diseases accelerated by the loss of genetic diversity – there is one which, without help from any other cause, could prevent the world’s people from being fed. Water.

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The three men and one woman will conduct scientific experiments, including a study of degenerative diseases.

With new penalties for exporting solar to the grid expected in July, sustainable energy advisor Norman Koslowski says, ‘buy a battery.’

The post SwitchedOn Podcast: Why a home battery is a good idea if you have rooftop solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Ignoring the potential of small-scale and local generation creates a risk of building too much transmission infrastructure – at great cost.

The post The National Electricity Market wasn’t made for a renewable energy future. Here’s how to fix it appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Trevor St Baker backed companies agree to ramp up production of batteries, install EV infrastructure and demonstrate industrial solar and storage in the Philippines.

The post St Baker battery factory eyes 2GWh of production in Philippines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Platypuses are drowning in Australian waterways, tangled in fishing line and trapped in closed nets meant for freshwater crayfish or yabbies. But we can fix this. Katherine Warwick, PhD Candidate, Western Sydney University Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Michelle Ryan, Senior lecturer, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Consumer NZ’s case against Z Energy under the Fair Trading Act may be a sign of things to come. But new legislation would be a cleaner way to regulate fossil fuel advertising. Matthew Hall, Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists collected radioactive sand grains in the dark to understand when they formed.

New York regulators have awarded new contracts to two offshore wind projects thrown into doubt last year after inflated supply chain costs rendered them uneconomical.

The post New York offshore wind projects back on track – at nearly double the original cost appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia's total emissions have essentially stopped falling. If this trend continues, it'll take until the year 2207 to reach zero emissions.

The post Australia’s emissions are stuck, despite best efforts of renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An Australian carbon trade company has signed an agreement with a Fijian NGO to nurture the country’s emerging carbon industry, alongside the national government, and is seeking interest from stakeholders to join a development working group.

Developers had been exploring hydrogen and grid sales in tandem, but decided on the latter after winning a grid connection.

The post Biggest offshore wind farm in world scraps green hydrogen proposal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Translocation may have been the key to survival for the eastern barred bandicoot but it might not be the golden ticket for every species. Anthony Rendall, Lecturer in Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Amy Coetsee, Threatened Species Biologist, The University of Melbourne Aviya Naccarella, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

AGL - still the country's biggest coal generator and polluter - unveils plans for a new joint venture in south-west NSW that would include 1.5 GW of wind and solar and a giant four hour battery.

The post AGL plans huge 2GW, 2,000 MWh wind, solar and battery hub in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Japan energy giant makes agreed $380 million bid for the only remaining renewables and storage company on the ASX.

The post Japan partner launches bid for Australia’s only listed renewables and storage company appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Big changes are needed to create a consumer-centric National Electricity Market that’s able to manage the rise of rooftop solar. Vikki McLeod, PhD Graduate, Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices, Queensland University of Technology Marcus Foth, Professor of Urban Informatics, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Despite all the doom and gloom, the wind and solar currently under construction makes it certain we will be over 50% renewable by mid 2026 at the latest and probably by late 2025.

The post Wind are solar projects gathering pace, despite Coalition campaign appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The latest World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations failed to reach an agreement on strengthening rules to curb harmful fisheries subsidies in what observers say is a major setback for marine biodiversity conservation efforts.