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Final testing being done in project to give North Yorkshire site new life as source of geothermal energy

A former fracking site in the North Yorkshire village of Kirby Misperton, once a lightning rod for environmental protests, may soon be a new frontier in Britain’s clean energy revolution. For the first time in the UK, an abandoned gas well could begin a second life as a source of geothermal energy.

It is a far cry from its beginnings as a highly contested site where frackers hoped to tap fresh reservoirs of gas trapped in layers of shale beneath the earth’s surface. In 2016, Third Energy was granted permission to carry out fracking at an existing well but its plans were ultimately thwarted by a government moratorium on using the technology in the UK.

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I may be in denial about my computer being on the blink, but after another hot and muggy Halloween, one thing is frighteningly clear

I fear the Apple Store. It’s a disorienting cross between a Los Angeles hotel lobby, the place where everyone over 30 gets killed in Logan’s Run and the headquarters of Hydra ™ ®. The protocols for attracting a staff member seem inexplicably opaque, like the rules for bidding in an auction, or initiating a new friendship. They induce mild panic attacks and my heart flutters as groomed twentysomethings, who could be customers or staff, waft by me, geishas for Steve Jobs’s ghost. Why aren’t there any queues? Can I just sit in here quietly and eat the things from my bag? Is there a duty free section?

In the Apple Store, I never know if a commercial transaction is taking place, or if I am just involved in a continuing discussion about my “needs”, a situation I admittedly find replicated in my dealings with my therapist and people generally. And there is now a raised area at the rear of the Regent Street branch in London that suggests a ziggurat. Here, ancient Aztecs tore out people’s hearts to appease Quetzalcoatl, a sacrifice still less demanding than the financial one required buy a new Apple laptop. When I mentioned, to the charming young man attending me, that the shop design made me think of the death rituals of the winged serpent worshippers, he just smiled, as if I were complimenting Apple’s bold aesthetics. But I will have to go to the Apple Store again. Soon.

Basic Lee tour dates are here; a six-week London run begins 9 December at Leicester Square theatre

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk

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National officials agreed recommendations on the design of the new climate loss and damage fund late on Saturday, though US objections could tee up problems when governments consider the plans at the year-end COP28 UN climate summit.

Sun Cable may built a multi-billion dollar facility in Tasmania to make high voltage sub-sea cables for its ambitious renewable energy export plans.

The post Sun Cable may make sub-sea cables in Tasmania for huge green energy export plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Developer Wildlife Works Carbon (WWC) has suspended three male employees after an internal investigation into sexual abuse, harassment, and exploitation of women at its Kasigau Corridor REDD project in Kenya, it said in a statement late Friday.

Most liners rely on marine gas oil when docked, despite claims they reduce emissions by plugging into low-carbon electricity

Cruise ships visiting Britain are frequently failing to plug into “zero emission” onshore power and instead running their engines and polluting the local environment with fumes.

The industry is under scrutiny over air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gases, with some European cities banning vessels from central ports. Cruise firms say ships can reduce emissions by switching off engines and plugging into low-carbon electricity when moored. But an investigation by openDemocracy has found that cruise ships regularly fail to use shore power at Southampton, Britain’s largest cruise port.

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ARENA receives applications request for $1.3 billion of community battery proposals, more than 10 times the $120 million available under its funding program.

The post ARENA reports “unprecedented” interest in community batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Agency had strong limits on TCE use until the Trump administration reversed them; now the agency wants to ban it

The Biden administration is proposing a ban on TCE, a highly toxic chemical commonly used in stain removers, adhesives and degreasers, and which had been found to be contaminating drinking water on a wide scale across the US.

The move comes after years of mounting scientific evidence showing TCE is “extremely toxic” at low levels of exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote in a statement.

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Charity to bring its gardens to urban areas to allow nature-deprived communities access to green spaces

Bringing glorious gardens and green space to nature-deprived people in cities is one of the National Trust’s most important roles, its head has said.

Maintaining some of the most famous country houses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has long been thought of as the trust’s central purpose, but the charity is aiming to bring its gardens to urban areas to increase access to nature, with an urban garden planned for Chelsea flower show that will model a pocket park that can be copied and rolled out across towns and cities.

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The James Webb observatory records the giant jets and shocks created by a birthing star in Orion.

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A marketplace for trading environmental assets has opened in South Africa to tap into the expected boom in carbon credit demand in the country where the units can put towards the national carbon tax.

Compliance players shed California Carbon Allowance (CCA) holdings as speculators did the opposite, while both entities reduced their RGGI Allowance (RGA) and Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) net length, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed Friday.

A monthly report by a carbon market analysis firm revealed lower expectations for California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices, with Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) values also expected to slide, while the outlook for RGGI Allowances (RGAs) remained the same.

Standards body and registry Verra on Friday halted issuances for both Kasigau Corridor REDD projects in Kenya, initiating an investigation into the activities after it was made aware of what it said were serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

A major US veterinary pharmaceutical company and an Indianapolis-headquartered startup announced on Thursday the verification of credits for sale through the latter's cloud-based platform.

The Brazilian federal government has submitted stronger Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets to the UNFCCC, increasing the country's ambition to reduce emissions - the first official change to its national emissions plan since President Inacio Lula da Silva was elected in Oct. 2022.

Just over half of Europe's single family homes could technically be fully energy self-sufficient with a combination of solar energy and storage systems.

The post Half of Europe’s family homes could be energy self-sufficient with solar and storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Council of EU member states is firming up its largely favourable position on whether to obligate oil and gas firms to fund the bloc’s CCS infrastructure as part of the bloc’s Net Zero Industry Act, with Denmark and the Netherlands wanting to include provisions that would also safeguard non-oil and gas ‘front-runner’ companies.

US tech giant Microsoft has stressed the need for other buyers to join its effort to scale up emerging technologies such as direct air capture and enhanced rock weathering through the purchase of carbon removal credits, with the company's removals portfolio executive stating that a group effort is required to scale up the industry and bring down costs.