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Republican climate science denial reared its ugly head at Bridenstine’s congressional hearing

Unlike past Nasa administrators, Trump nominee Jim Bridenstine doesn’t have a scientific background. He’s a Republican Congressman from Oklahoma and former Navy pilot. He also has a history of denying basic climate science. That’s concerning because Nasa does some of the world’s best climate science research, and Bridenstine previously introduced legislation that would eliminate Earth science from Nasa’s mission statement.

At his Senate hearing last week, Bridenstine tried to remake his image. He said that his previous science-denying, politically polarizing comments came with the job of being a Republican congressman, and that as Nasa administrator he would be apolitical. A kinder, gentler Bridenstine. But while he softened his climate science denial, his proclaimed new views remain in line with the rest of the harshly anti-science Trump administration. That’s very troubling.

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The European Space Agency has part-funded the pilot project involving five ambulances in the Highlands.

India’s population and emissions are rising fast, and its ability to tackle poverty without massive fossil fuel use will decide the fate of the planet

“It’s a lucky charm,” says Rajesh, pointing to the solar-powered battery in his window that he has smeared with turmeric as a blessing. “It has changed our life.”

He lives in Rajghat, a village on the border of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states, and until very recently was one of the 240 million Indians who live without electricity. In the poverty that results, Rajghat has become a village of bachelors, with just two weddings in 20 years.

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Brothers Mike and JP Andrews bought a drone camera, flew to Australia, and embarked on Abstract Aerial Art, a 70,000-mile global photographic odyssey

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Hosts Fiji will be aiming to build transparency and constructive dialogue – and this will be crucial to successfully ratcheting up the tough climate targets sidestepped at Paris

Talanoa is a Fijian term for discussions aimed at building consensus, airing differences constructively, and finding ways to overcome difficulties or embark on new projects. It is one of the building blocks of Fijian society, used for centuries to foster greater understanding among a people distributed over many small islands, and carry them through a tough existence.

This week, talanoa comes to Europe, and the rest of the world. Fiji is hosting the UN’s climate talks, following on from the landmark Paris agreement of 2015, and will hold the conference in Bonn, Germany. Talanoa will be the founding principle of the conference, the means by which Fiji hopes to break through some of the seemingly intractable problems that have made these 20-plus years of negotiations a source of bitter conflict.

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A pending decision on Monsanto’s ubiquitous weedkiller is a crucial opportunity to protect our children from the toxic cocktail of pesticides polluting their food, water and play areas

Our children are growing up exposed to a toxic cocktail of weedkillers, insecticides, and fungicides. It’s on their food and in their water, and it’s even doused over their parks and playgrounds. Many governments insist that our standards of protection from these pesticides are strong enough. But as a scientist and a lawyer who specialises in chemicals and their potential impact on people’s fundamental rights, I beg to differ.

Last month it was revealed that in recommending that glyphosate – the world’s most widely-used pesticide – was safe, the EU’s food safety watchdog copied and pasted pages of a report directly from Monsanto, the pesticide’s manufacturer. Revelations like these are simply shocking.

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Kirkham Priory, Malton, North Yorkshire The skeleton of a building offers respite from a biting wind and a final home for the last of the summer’s wasps

It is one of those season-hinge days when the slightest atmospheric whim might swing it either way. There is some warmth in the intermittent sunshine and autumn’s colours are still bright, but the wind is pure north and it carries smatters of cold rain. The river is swollen, with violet reflections in oxtail-brown water – an ominous palette of decay.

This stretch of the Derwent was once used to transport stone a mile from the ancient Whitwell Quarry to Kirkham, where in 1122 a local nobleman founded an Augustinian priory as a memorial to his son, who died falling from his horse on the hill above. For 400 years, monks went about their practical and spiritual business here. Orchards spread on to the surrounding slopes, fishponds were excavated on the flood meadow.

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New Energy Solar is hoping to bankroll big solar buy up in US, and Australia and other markets, with $300m IPO.

Rooftop solar expected to provide more than 20% of local generation by 2025, ushering in transition to consumer focused grid in South Australia. Meanwhile, S.A. begins to benefit from renewables, with prices so far in 2017/18 lower than coal-dominated Victoria and NSW.

Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy adds Biala wind farm, approved for development in NSW Southern Tablelands, to growing Australian portfolio.

Garnaut says proposed National Energy Guarantee may fail on price reductions, emissions, and reliability, and may serve to simply reinforce the power of the big energy incumbents.

First phase of 1GW+ solar and battery storage hub in Gympie approved for development by local council.

PV and wind power systems generated 15 billion kWh of electricity in Germany in October, with renewables accounting for 44.1% of demand

At the Bonn climate talks that start today, Australia will cop some flak for its lack of reductions ambition, and action.

Defence department seeks 15.5MW of solar for Darwin barracks, RAAF base to cut energy costs and boost energy security. More are planned.

More than half of people in the UK can't name a famous woman in science - this week, BBC 100 Women aims to change that number.

A group of fewer than 800 orangutans in northern Sumatra has been recognised as a new species - and they are already under threat from deforestation. Colin Groves, Professor of Bioanthropology, Australian National University Anton Nurcayho, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The proposed NEG is already delivering big gains for the big three gentailers, as Adani emerges as major Queensland issue, and REC prices fall.

The Australian Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition (AES 2018) is heading to the nation’s clean-energy leader, Adelaide, in 2018. Registrations to exhibit and sponsor are now open.

More than 80 had been stuck and were moved to other Highland areas with no red squirrels.