Feed aggregator

Generative AI models used to create novel materials or assist people in various tasks can advance climate and sustainability goals, according to a report by a venture capital house on Thursday.

Asian equivalents to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will inevitably emerge as a way to ensure cash stays in their respective countries that would otherwise go to Europe, experts told a conference Thursday.

Increasing tree cover in urban areas could reduce heat-related deaths – but a fight has ensued between corporate interests and residents

It’s 9pm on a blistering July night in Plaza de Santa Ana, a square at the heart of Madrid’s literary district. The thermometer has barely dropped below 39C, but despite the heat a 78-year-old woman climbs on to a bench to give an impassioned speech to a 200-strong crowd.

“Did you think we weren’t going to be here, Señor Almeida?” She scans the crowd, searching for José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Madrid’s mayor, while anguished cries of “Arboricida!” (tree murder) punctuate the silence. Her face is immediately recognisable. She is movie star Marisa Paredes, an actor immortalised in Almodóvar classics such as High Heels – just one of many activists trying to stop what seems like a concerted campaign to strip central Madrid of its trees.

Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fish farms in Macquarie Harbour are the greatest threat to survival of ancient ray-like species, scientists advising Australian government find

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Scientists advising the Australian government on how to save the threatened Maugean skate from extinction have recommended the salmon industry be either scaled back dramatically or removed from Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour after finding fish farms are the greatest threat to its survival.

The advice is included in a report by the government’s threatened species scientific committee that says the skate – an ancient ray-like species found only in the harbour in the state’s west – should be considered critically endangered.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Finances secured for development of first stage of massive solar and battery project that will total 4.1GWh once all five phases are completed.

The post World’s biggest battery storage project gets underway in Chile appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar farms aren't necessarily just about low carbon electricity. They can also help reverse biodiversity decline and could deliver benefits for nature and climate.

The post Solar farms can benefit nature and boost biodiversity. Here’s how appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rentokil to use the wasps as a sustainable alternative to sprays in museums and homes

The newest recruits for the battle against moths will be the smallest pest control team in town.

Rentokil plans to release entosite parasitoid wasps into the nooks and crannies of museums, heritage sites and homes to stop moth infestations.

Continue reading...

Australia's 20th century energy system needs to transform to handle the rapidly changing demands being made of it. "There is no silver bullet. What we need is silver buckshot."

The post Radical change needed to upgrade system to handle tidal effect of renewables, EVs and rooftop solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New deal promises to safeguard the future of the state’s struggling Boyne aluminium smelters as they transition from coal to renewables.

The post Rio gets state support to shift Boyne smelters to renewables, says federal help needed too appeared first on RenewEconomy.

This small coastal town’s efforts to reclaim the night skies for people and nature is truly inspirational. Here’s how you can help reduce light pollution and claim your own Dark Sky Place title. Sharolyn Anderson, Research scientist and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Origin trebles profits from electricity markets and joins other big utilities in promising more investment in green energy. But the focus is less on renewables, and more on storage and market control.

The post Origin makes clean sweep of big utilities cashing in on high prices. Will they now go green? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program (OCFP) revisions will include an insurance mechanism for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, validation mandates, and changes to third party verification provisions, in addition to carbon intensity (CI) model updates, the regulator confirmed Wednesday.

Rewilding is helping to save species from the brink of extinction. But reintroducing species to islands or fenced havens have limitations. What if we could use flat topped mesas as well? Patrick Finnerty, Postdoctoral research fellow in conservation, University of Sydney Thomas Newsome, Senior lecturer in ecology, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A 285MW wind farm once blocked by the federal environment minister is now heading into construction as a 100% publicly owned asset – bought with the help of Queensland coal royalties.

The post Queensland coal giant buys construction-ready wind farm once rejected by federal Coalition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Origin Energy says the Eraring coal generator, which will stay open to address "reliability concerns", is prone to trips when needed most.

The post Is Eraring reliable? Origin says biggest coal plant prone to trips when needed most appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Mexican state of Queretaro and a Mexico City-based environmental markets platform launched Wednesday a national carbon credit registry tailored to local conditions, seeking to help facilitate the development of the nation's carbon market.

California regulator ARB has doubled offset issuance over the latest three-week period compared to its prior biweekly distribution, yet is 30% behind year-to-date (YtD) levels at the same time in 2023.

In regulating sulphur emissions from ships, the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 2020 regulations may have inadvertently contributed to global warming, according to research released this week.

Big business in the UK plans to buy much higher volumes of carbon credits than current levels to meet sustainability targets, finds a new survey.

District councils in low-lying areas say they have cut day-to-day services such as bin collections to fund pumping stations

The costs of preventing major floods caused by extreme weather and excessive rainfall have fuelled a growing financial crisis among district councils in low-lying areas of England, ministers have been warned.

Districts in the east of the country say they are having to cut day-to-day services such as bin collections to meet dramatic and unsustainable rises in payments levied to fund pumping stations used to protect communities from flooding.

Continue reading...