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Fukushima 360: walk through a ghost town in the nuclear disaster zone – video

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-03-12 13:53

Please note: Apple/IOS mobile users should view within the YouTube app

What happens to a town that has been abandoned for seven years after a nuclear meltdown? Greenpeace took former residents and a 360-degree camera into the radiation zone north of Fukushima to mark the anniversary of the disaster. The Fukushima Daiichi plant was damaged by a tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9 earthquake on the afternoon of 11 March 2011. The tsunami killed almost 19,000 people along the north-east coast of Japan and forced more than 150,000 others living near the plant to flee radiation. Some of the evacuated neighbourhoods are still deemed too dangerous for former residents to go back.

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Know your NEM: Time to focus on ISP, and dump the NEG

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-03-12 13:48
If COAG gets behind AEMO's Integrated System Plan, instead of the NEG, Australia may yet manage the transition to a low-carbon economy in a way we can be proud of.
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Tritium zooms in on Europe EV boom, with new base in Amsterdam

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-03-12 13:33
Brisbane based EV fast charger manufacturer Tritium sets up office in Netherlands, to capture greater share of booming European EV market.
Categories: Around The Web

Carnegie eyes another 10MW solar and battery project in W.A.

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-03-12 13:32
Carnegie Clean Energy negotiates plans for 10MW solar farm, with up to 10MWh battery storage, in an industrial estate in south-western W.A.
Categories: Around The Web

Farmers fight back against foxes and volunteers harvest the hops

ABC Environment - Mon, 2018-03-12 10:30
Join a feral fox hunt in Western Australia; a monster saltwater croc goes to school; we head off on a camel beach safari; and volunteers harvest the hops at Van Dieman Brewing.
Categories: Around The Web

Can Queensland Labor end broadscale land clearing, as promised?

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-03-12 09:58

Green groups welcome proposed changes to land-clearing law but there are still reasons to doubt they are enough to halt the crisis

Last week, the Queensland government tabled a highly anticipated bill seeking to implement its promise to “end broadscale clearing in Queensland”.

Queensland is responsible for more tree clearing than the rest of the country combined, so making good on that promise would go a long way to halting Australia’s growing land clearing crisis.

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WA suburb to trial community battery ‘bank’ for rooftop solar deposits

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-03-12 06:49
A new Community Power Bank scheme led by WA utility Western Power will allow local solar homes to store their excess generation in a shared battery.
Categories: Around The Web

Regional Victoria council adds 14.5kW solar system, on path to zero carbon

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2018-03-12 06:46
Mount Alexander Shire to install 14.5kW solar PV on heritage listed visitor centre building, as part of zero carbon 2025 goal.
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Curious Kids: Why aren't birds pulled down by gravity while they're flying?

The Conversation - Mon, 2018-03-12 05:52
To stay up, the bird must overcome gravity with a force called 'lift'. Simon Griffith, Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
Categories: Around The Web

Will Labrador make you switch energy suppliers?

The Guardian - Mon, 2018-03-12 02:13

Startup claims to automatically switch smart-meter users three times a year and save them £300

A device that plugs into a home broadband router and automatically switches supplier when cheaper deals become available is set to revolutionise the home energy market.

The launch of Labrador comes as more and more people are changing their energy companies.

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What happens when AI meets robotics?

BBC - Sun, 2018-03-11 11:39
Researchers in Texas aim to create robots that can cope with our messy world.
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Fukushima 360: walk through a ghost town in the nuclear disaster zone – video

The Guardian - Sun, 2018-03-11 07:44

What happens to a town that has been abandoned for seven years after a nuclear meltdown? Greenpeace took former residents and a 360-degree camera into the radiation zone north of Fukushima to mark the anniversary of the disaster. The Fukushima Daiichi plant was damaged by a tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9 earthquake on the afternoon of 11 March 2011. The tsunami killed almost 19,000 people along the north-east coast of Japan and forced more than 150,000 others living near the plant to flee radiation. Some of the evacuated neighbourhoods are still deemed too dangerous for former residents to go back.

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Categories: Around The Web

Big firms push to overturn uranium mining ban near Grand Canyon

The Guardian - Sun, 2018-03-11 03:10

Companies say mining poses scant threat but conservation groups say ban should remain until environmental risks have been fully explored

The US mining industry has asked the supreme court to overturn an Obama-era rule prohibiting the mining of uranium on public lands adjacent to the Grand Canyon.

Related: Trump official under fire after granting broad access to mining and oil firms

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Week-old baby western lowland gorilla in Congo

BBC - Sat, 2018-03-10 21:54
Rare footage of a baby western lowland gorilla was taken in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Congo.
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Award for fighting civilisation’s greatest challenge

ABC Environment - Sat, 2018-03-10 11:18
Michael Mann has been acknowledged with the Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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Climate changing ten times faster than historic natural variation

ABC Environment - Sat, 2018-03-10 11:05
And sea levels are rising faster causing flooding in many coastal cities.
Categories: Around The Web

River Dreams

ABC Environment - Sat, 2018-03-10 07:45
The Cooks River is a tributary of Botany Bay in the south-east of Sydney. A new book traces the rivers history, by its environmental history.
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Weatherwatch: how to maximise the power from mighty blades

The Guardian - Sat, 2018-03-10 07:30

Engineers are working on turbine blades that automatically adjust to high wind pressure and will stand up to strong winds and turbulent gusts

Wind turbine blades are getting ever larger and producing more power, but fluctuations in wind speed mean they are not always efficient. Blades can now be 85m long (and will be longer in the future) and they swing through an area the size of four football pitches. The wind speed will vary at the top and bottom of each rotation. The blades also have to be robust to withstand the pressure of high winds. Even so, in the worst weather operators sometimes need to angle the blades away from the wind and turn the turbines off to avoid damage. Then they lose production altogether.

Related: Mersey feat: world's biggest wind turbines go online near Liverpool

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Categories: Around The Web

A Big Country

ABC Environment - Sat, 2018-03-10 05:20
Join a feral fox hunt in Western Australia; a monster saltwater croc goes to school; we head off on a camel beach safari; and volunteers harvest the hops at Van Dieman Brewing.
Categories: Around The Web

Alien atmospheres recreated on Earth

BBC - Sat, 2018-03-10 04:53
Research shows that planets orbiting distant stars may be surprisingly colourful.
Categories: Around The Web

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