Feed aggregator

The value of investment funds committed to selling off fossil fuel assets has jumped to $5.2tn, doubling in just over a year

Five years ago, the idea that investments in fossil fuel companies were morally or financially problematic was all but unheard of. But an argument started to take shape on US university campuses — that with more coal, oil and gas in existing reserves than can ever be burned while keeping climate change under control, it is ethical and economic madness to spend billions looking for more.

Fast forward to today and the argument has rocketed into mainstream financial thinking. It was revealed on Monday that investors worth more than $5tn have now committed to dump their fossil fuel stocks, and more than 80% of that is professional funds run for profit. Furthermore, this risk of a “carbon bubble” is now being taken seriously at the highest level, including by the Bank of England, World Bank and the G20’s financial stability board.

Continue reading...

Scientists say they have a clue that may enable them to find traces of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs in the very crater it made on impact.

The Minister is seeking input from consumers and industry on ways to improve our fuel quality to reduce noxious emissions, ensure engine operation and facilitate new engine technology.

A star was 'swallowed' after it passed too close to a black hole, say Queen's University astronomers.

Researchers find neonicotinoid insecticides harm ability of bees to vibrate flowers and shake out pollen to fertilise crops

The world’s most widely used insecticides harm the ability of bees to vibrate flowers and shake out the pollen to fertilise crops, according to preliminary results from a new study.

Some flowers, such as those of crops like tomatoes and potatoes, must be shaken to release pollen and bumblebees are particularly good at creating the buzz needed to do this. But the research shows that bumblebees exposed to realistic levels of a neonicotinoid pesticide fail to learn how to create the greatest buzz and collect less pollen as a result.

Continue reading...

Waltham Brooks, West Sussex I count at least four separate birds’ voices. They seem more eerie in the cold and dark

It feels less cold, but the grass is still hard, smooth and slippery underfoot. The channels and small pools of water are almost completely frozen over, their surfaces patterned like frosted glass where the water has thawed and frozen again. A grey mist is starting to rise from the ground. In the distance, the red sun is sinking behind the South Downs and the sky glows with ember streaks of orange and red.

From the reeds along the river’s edge, water rails are calling. Familiar but always unnerving, their grunts and cries – often compared to the squeals of piglets – are known as “sharming”. I count at least four separate birds’ voices. They seem more eerie in the cold and dark. As I walk along the river bank, a moorhen and three water rail fly, one by one, across the river to the other side and into cover. The squealing sounds become a cacophony.

Continue reading...

Report shows network of governments, funds, organisations, philanthropies and individuals representing $5.2trn in assets divesting from fossil fuel companies.

Modelling from government's preferred advisor actually shows that a high renewables target could deliver lower costs to consumers than an EIS. That's not what the public was told last week, but predictions that an EIS is cheaper were based on some ridiculous price assumptions.

Firefighters rescue a freezing 500lb (225kg) female moose in Canada, using axes to make a path through the ice on Saturday to help it reach the shore. Rescuers spent 90 minutes on the Shediac river in New Brunswick helping the animal which, after an initial fright, calmly watched them work. The animal mounted the bank and ran off.

Continue reading...

TrinaBEST announced today that it has signed an agreement to provide 1st shipment of 2MW/2MWh TrinaMega to EU.

Australia needs to spend millions of dollars more to eradicate one of the nation’s worst invasive species, the fire ant, according to recent reports.

Fire ants, first detected in Brisbane in 2001, pose a major health and agricultural risk. A recent independent review of the eradication program recommended that A$380 million be spent over 10 years to eradicate the ants, on top of the A$330 million already spent since 2001.

Improvements in knowledge and control methods mean that eradicating the Australian invasion is challenging, but still potentially feasible. We now face a stark choice.

Lessons from previous attempts

The fire ant eradication program began in September 2001 after the species was detected at two locations in Brisbane. By that time, it may have been present for at least five years or perhaps even longer, and large areas were already infested. Fire ants had never been eradicated from areas this large.

However, improved eradication methods mean we have increased the chances of eradicating larger invasions.

Most of the original funds were spent on pesticides and monitoring areas with likely infestations. Monitoring information was used to estimate how far the invasion had spread (“delimitation”) and management efforts were focused on the delimited area.

The early years of the program showed that large infestations, such as those at the Port of Brisbane and Yarwun, can be eradicated when the geographic range of the infestations is known.

However, when this is not the case, undetected nests beyond the known infested area can spread unchecked. In a published reconstruction of the invasion we estimated that undetected nests existed a relatively short distance beyond the delimited area.

Had those nests been detected by monitoring a larger area over the first few years of the program, the ants may already have been eradicated. However, the initial focus on intensively treating known infestations rather than expanding the monitored area reflected the best available scientific advice at the time.

It also reflected an urgent need to protect people from the potentially serious health consequences of coming into contact with fire ants in areas known to be infested.

Is eradication still possible?

Although the invasion now occupies a larger area than it did when the program began, fire ant numbers have effectively been suppressed and some individual infestations have been eradicated. These facts, and the availability of a cheaper monitoring method involving remote sensing with airborne cameras, have kept alive eradication hopes.

A recent meeting of agricultural ministers agreed with the finding of the independent review that eradication remains technically feasible.

The review’s recommendation that eradication program funding be increased is a logical response to the invasion’s expansion. The expansion not only increased the area that requires management, thus increasing costs, but also showed that the areas previously searched and treated each year were too small to achieve eradication, implying there was insufficient annual funding.

Geographic expansion of the invasion cannot continue much longer without the invasion becoming too large to eradicate. The review panel’s finding that increased funding should be made available soon is therefore timely.

A lack of monitoring during the early years of the program led to the erroneous conclusion in 2004 that eradication was imminent, when in fact the invasion was expanding in area. To avoid this mistake being repeated, substantial monitoring will be required beyond known infestations and monitoring data will need to be assessed with reliable statistical methods.

In a recent report we wrote to help the eradication program, we showed that the invasion boundary can be estimated with a high degree of confidence if adequate monitoring data are available.

Pesticide treatment and monitoring will underpin eradication efforts. We need highly sensitive monitoring methods, including sniffer dogs and trained spotters, to confirm absence of fire ants in and near treated locations.

A large enough area should be monitored to ensure all fire ant colonies are found and removed. We need continued support for community members to report fire ants, particularly in urban areas. Remote sensing will be needed in less developed areas where contact between people and fire ants is less likely.

A stark choice

The choice is to continue eradication efforts or live with fire ants forever. Living with fire ants will incur large costs for agricultural producers and households.

The most recent cost-benefit analysis of the program estimated that if these costs were added up over each of the next 70 years they would exceed A$25 billion in today’s dollars.

Over half these estimated costs arise from damage to agricultural activities, with household losses being of a similar magnitude.

Large numbers of people are likely to come into contact with fire ants if the species is left unchecked. Environmental damages could also be substantial. These losses far exceed estimated eradication costs.

The review panel’s report makes it clear that we face an urgent choice between increased eradication funding or living with fire ants. There is not much time left to make this choice.

Daniel Spring previously received funding from Biosecurity Queensland and conducted analysis for the Independent Review of the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program.

Jonathan Keith has previously received funding from Biosecurity Queensland to model the spread of fire ants.

Tom Kompas was part of a team that received research funding from ABARES for work on RIFA.

What’s happening in New Zealand mimics what happened in Australia 5 or so years ago. The question is, will they learn from our mistakes?

Carnegie Wave to develop, demonstrate commercial applications of vanadium redox flow battery storage in Australia, along with Japan giant Sumitomo.

Most people agree with the concept of climate change. For those of us that think it’s a relatively urgent issue the challenge is how to make it front of mind for voters.

Pick of Exxon CEO for Secretary of State clarifies why Putin wanted Trump elected: a $500 billion oil deal killed by sanctions.

The size of the world's largest wild reindeer herd has fallen by 40% since 2000, scientists warn.

British researchers are using social media to track the spread of norovirus.

Environ secures contract on NSW's largest wind farm.

ACCC says customers have been misled to believe products could be safely flushed down the toilet

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched legal action against the manufacturers of “flushable” wet wipes over allegations that they falsely claimed the products would break down in the sewerage system.

The ACCC filed separate actions against Kimberly-Clark Australia and Pental Products in the federal court on Monday on the grounds that the label “flushable” had misled customers to believe that thewipes could be safely flushed down the toilet, just like toilet paper.

Continue reading...

Watch David Attenborough's epic sign off as the acclaimed Planet Earth II came to its conclusion on Sunday night on BBC One.