Feed aggregator

Vague ambitions, such as banning new petrol cars by 2040, must be turned into solid plans, says the Committee on Climate Change

The UK will miss its legally binding carbon targets without urgent government action, official advisers have warned.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said vague ambitions, such as banning new petrol and diesel cars by 2040, must be turned into solid plans and new policies, such as planting more trees, are needed.

Continue reading...

Carbon neutral certification provides credibility to carbon neutral claims made by organisations, or claims made relating to products, services, events, precincts and buildings. New certification fees are available starting 1 January 2018.

Cadson Bury, Lynher Valley: Early farmers and their animals were protected from marauders and wild creatures lurking in the dense woodland below

Just below the summit a shaggy-coated cow with long, curving horns gazes into the greyness of this dull afternoon. The sound of rushing water carries up from the river, now swollen with run-off from Redmoor and Tresellern Marshes, the Withey Brook and other boggy headstreams on the eastern side of Bodmin Moor, as well as little tributaries from intermediate waterlogged land.

Up here, on this precipitous hill, topped with defensive earthworks of ditch and rampart, a dozen or so highland cattle of varying age (owned by the Crago family of the nearby Cadson Farm) mooch about, graze and thrive on heather and the coarser vegetation that would otherwise smother this iron age hill-fort and the adjoining hillside. Yellow gorse flowers and the silver bark of birch gleam in the murk and, below, in the Lynher Valley and on the Newton Ferrers estate, the leafless tree canopy (dominated by lichen-encrusted alder and oak) is tinged pale green and purple. Inside the eastern entrance, the encampment of some six acres is a spongy oval space of trampled bracken and mossy turf. This enclave was once a secure area for early farmers, where they and their animals were relatively protected from marauders and wild creatures lurking in the dense woodland below.

Continue reading...

The Threatened Species Scientific Committee is seeking comments on the proposals for ten frog species. Consultation closes 2 March 2018

Everywhere humans go, we take our pets. Fleas are along for the ride, spreading everything from typhus to bubonic plague. Nicholas Clark, Postdoctoral Fellow in Disease Ecology, The University of Queensland Jan Slapeta, Professor of Veterinary and Molecular Parasitology, University of Sydney Konstans Wells, Research Fellow in Ecology, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Indra today announced it has been chosen by Monash University as a key technology partner in a project to establish a sustainable electricity Microgrid at its Clayton campus.

Only the wilfully ignorant or blind could pretend Australia will achieve its emissions target under the Paris Agreement with no more than a pro rata reduction in electricity emissions.

The race to meet Australia's large-scale renewable energy target has helped drive record investment in 2017, says BNEF. But the RET's fulfilment could also see investment go off a cliff, with only the Coalition's proposed National Energy Guarantee to cushion the fall.

Three-fifths of new cars must be electric by 2030 to meet climate change targets, ministers are told.

A partnership between Imperial College London and a major French agency will keep access to European research funding.

While hackers wreak havoc on the climate, blockchain, the bleeding-edge technology behind Bitcoin, could help clean up the mess.

South Australia's first completed utility-scale PV project officially opens next week, marking the start of a big solar construction boom in the state.

As the New South Wales government embarks on a hugely expensive rebuild of major stadiums across Sydney, now is a good time to ask whether major Australian sports venues are adequately “climate-proofed” for a warming future.

Wild dolphins burn up to 33,000 calories a day, say researchers - equivalent to about 60 salmon portions.

Asian food chain says it will hand out biodegradable paper alternative on request from 22 April

Wagamama has become the latest restaurant chain to commit to end the use of plastic straws.

From Earth Day on 22 April, the Asian food chain will switch to a biodegradable paper alternative, which will be available on request.

Continue reading...

SA water utility to install 6MW of rooftop PV in effort to cut annual electricity costs from around $55m to $0 by 2020.

Australian CleanTech Index outperforms ASX200 again in December and Q2 FY18, as companies become mainstream, mature, profitable – and less reliant on government policy.

Volcanologists say a "hazardous explosion" could be imminent, as thousands flee the area around Mount Mayon in the Philippines.

The Australian Open tennis and the recent Ashes Test cricket series show why our sporting stadiums need to be "climate-proofed" to deal with extreme heat. Paul J Govind, Lecturer in Enviromental Law, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

40% of UK primary energy was derived from natural gas in 2016, a 50% increase from 1990, writes Ken Cronin

Your editorial (Fracking’s day may have passed, 10 January) was keen to downplay the role of onshore gas in the UK’s future energy mix, and was deeply concerning. Natural gas has a role to play for many decades, and this is backed up by the National Grid, the government and other forecasters. 40% of UK primary energy was derived from natural gas in 2016, a 50% increase from 1990. In the UK, a projected annual gas demand of 68bcm in 2030, which is 90% of 2015 economy-wide consumption, is in keeping with the Committee on Climate Change’s fifth carbon budget. Natural gas is the largest energy source for UK homes and businesses, providing us with heat, power and vital feedstocks needed for our industries.

The site at Balcombe is not a site that will use hydraulic fracturing as there is not a need to – that was made clear by the company. You also refer to Ineos wanting to access gas in sensitive areas – this is despite the company confirming they have no plans to access site of special scientific interest (SSSI) areas for the purposes of the survey being carried out in the East Midlands, and this being confirmed by the governing authority, the local council.

Continue reading...