Feed aggregator
Clean-air plan, Goldman prize and whale whispering – green news roundup
The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox
Continue reading...Power plants will have to cut toxic emmisions under new EU rules
New rules to limit air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and mercury could save more than 20,000 lives a year, say NGOs
Power plants in the EU will have to cut the amount of toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides they emit under new rules approved by member states and widely applauded by environmental groups.
Friday’s decision imposes stricter limits on emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, mercury and particulate matter from large combustion plants in Europe.
Continue reading...DNA of extinct humans found in caves
The week in wildlife – in pictures
A hellbender salamander, a red kite in flight and a hawksbill turtle are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world
Continue reading...Temperature-boosting El Niño set for early return this year
The climate event that helped supercharge global warming to record levels in 2015 and 2016 is 50-60% likely in 2017, says World Meteorological Organization
The El Niño climate event that helped supercharge global warming to record levels in 2015 and 2016 is set for an early return, according to a forecast from the World Meteorological Organization.
Related: What is El Niño?
Continue reading...Slathering on sunscreen at the beach? It may be destroying coral reefs
Studies show that oxybenzone, a common chemical found particularly in spray-on sunscreens, contributes to coral bleaching and leaves reefs deformed
For years we’ve been told to slap on sunscreen to protect against the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays. But eco-conscious beachgoers may want to take care with their sunscreen this summer, as studies show that many contemporary sunscreens pose a threat to the ocean environment.
Oxybenzone is a common chemical found in all types of sunscreen, but particularly in the spray-on variety, that researchers have found harms coral, and is in high concentrations at some of the most world’s most popular reefs.
Continue reading...East coast readies for fresh climate fight as Trump eyes more offshore drilling
President expected to sign executive order to review areas potentially rich in fossil fuels that were put out of reach of drilling by the Obama administration
Communities along the east coast are steeling themselves for a fresh round of angst and protest over offshore drilling, with Donald Trump set to throw open vast swathes of the Atlantic seaboard to oil and gas companies.
Related: The climate change battle dividing Trump’s America
Continue reading...Australia's first rescued-food supermarket opens in Sydney
OzHarvest Market in Kensington offers donated or surplus grocery products that would otherwise be thrown out
Australia’s first rescued-food supermarket has opened in Sydney, providing donated or surplus produce to customers on a pay-what-they-can basis, in an effort to reduce the estimated $8bn to $10bn of food discarded each year.
The OzHarvest Market provides food, from blemished apples to frozen sausage rolls, as well as other items such as sanitary products and toothpaste, which would otherwise be thrown out, sourced from the excess of major supermarket chains, caterers and cafes.
Continue reading...Seeds of doubt: the fight for Paraguay's farmlands – in pictures
Spanish photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera documents the fallout from Paraguay’s booming agriculture sector, where families are forced from their homes and rivers are filled with pesticides
Continue reading...How to celebrate World Tapir Day – video
Here’s the one minute of pure enjoyment that you didn’t know you needed to see. Keeper Jess Stockton gives Melbourne zoo’s Brazilian tapir a good raking over for World Tapir Day (27 April)
Continue reading...Shifting ground has suited the colonies
Merry’s Meadows, Leicestershire Ancient disturbance created ridges and troughs, letting a wide range of plants colonise the meadow grassland
There is no better way to mark the land’s springtime rejuvenation than a sunny morning whiled away botanising in a floristically diverse meadow.
Merry’s Meadows – there are three fairly large fields – huddle together surrounded by a sea of bright yellow oilseed rape. The shallow corrugation of ridges and furrows indicate that a good proportion of the nature reserve was ploughed and cropped in mediaeval times.
Continue reading...Greens delight in inserting more wind turbines into Barnaby’s seat
Regulator blames AEMO errors for South Australia blackout
Video: Tom Gleeson on rooftop solar, and ridiculous retailer business models
Gas shortfall may be short-lived, thanks to growing renewables
How much storage and back-up do high renewable grids need?
Economists split over Turnbull's plan to reserve gas for Australian customers
The federal government has pledged to bring in legislation that would allow it to restrict gas exports and force Australian producers to reserve supplies for domestic consumers, amid continuing fears of an east coast supply crisis.
The move comes after the apparent failure of crisis talks earlier this month, aimed at easing the forecast price squeeze.
But experts are split on whether domestic gas reservations are a wise move. In a survey of 32 economists by Monash Business School and the Economic Society of Australia, 38% agreed with the following statement, whereas 47% disagreed.
In response to energy shortages around Australia, government policies requiring gas producers to reserve some production for domestic consumption are a good way to ensure that Australian consumers have access to sufficient gas supplies while still allowing for gas exports.
Weighting the scores by confidence pushed the balance even further towards a negative verdict, as shown below.
David Prentice, principal economic adviser at Infrastructure Victoria, who summarised the results, said the forthcoming gas supply problems had “raised a lot of concern” as Australia heads into winter.
Lucrative export contracts have sent huge amounts of Australian gas overseas, meaning it is now cheaper to buy Australian gas in Japan than in Australia.
Western Australia already has a domestic gas reservation policy aimed at holding local prices in check amid a boom in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. But Prentice said many of the economists arguing against a similar policy for the eastern states feared that it would distort the market, pushing gas prices artificially low.
“A common theme in many of the arguments of those that disagree with the policy is that the appropriate response to rising gas prices overseas is to let the domestic price rise and firms and households work out the best way to adjust to higher prices – that is, let the ‘invisible hand’ work,” he said.
In contrast, several of those who favoured the policy argued that higher prices could pose a risk for many consumers, such as businesses that may struggle to compete internationally if their gas bills are too high.
Read the panel’s full responses below.
The ESA Monash Forum is a joint initiative between Monash Business School and the Economic Society of Australia.
Big four banks distance themselves from Adani coalmine as Westpac rules out loan
Coalition frontbencher calls for Queenslanders to boycott Australia’s second-largest bank after it says it will now only lend to mines in established coalfields
All of Australia’s big four banks have ruled out funding or withdrawn from Adani’s Queensland coal project, after Westpac said it would not back opening up new coalmining regions.
Westpac, the country’s second-largest bank, released a new climate policy on Friday, saying it would limit lending for new thermal coal projects to “only existing coal producing basins”.
Continue reading...Battery storage: What am I buying, apples or oranges?
Trump’s 100 days of trashing climate and clean energy policies
Pages
