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Western Australia is tearing up environmental protections – and taking a bet the rest of the country won’t notice | Carmen Lawrence
The state Labor government is steering Australia’s climate policy, letting emissions soar unbridled as it paves the way for massive fossil fuel projects
Western Australia sometimes feels more than three hours behind the rest of the country.
The tyranny of our distance has always meant it’s been hard to get the attention of the east coast.
Continue reading...Mickey the cockatoo rescued after four weeks 'living on brioche' in Sydney supermarket – video
A sulphur-crested cockatoo named Mickey that had been 'living on brioche' inside a Sydney supermarket for four weeks has been captured by wildlife services and is expected to be set free soon. On Tuesday morning, another cockatoo, Old Lady Doris, was taken into the supermarket by the Feathered Friends bird rescue director Ravi Wasan to comfort the lost bird, allowing Wasan to successfully capture him. Wasan said Mickey looked 'physically fine' and was not hungry because he was eating 'really well' in the supermarket. The NSW environment minister announced on Tuesday evening the bird had 'been safely captured by wildlife rescuers after spending way too long in Macarthur Square' shopping centre
Continue reading...California’s LCFS to likely push retail fuel prices higher over the years, intensify environmental concerns -research
Let’s tax carbon: Ross Garnaut on why the time is right for a second shot at carbon pricing
Union slams “false hope” in nuclear push, warns energy jobs at risk
The post Union slams “false hope” in nuclear push, warns energy jobs at risk appeared first on RenewEconomy.
BRIEFING: IMF falls short on climate finance and needs reforms, world leaders say
Goulburn solar hybrid to include side hustle as testing site for semi solid state battery
The post Goulburn solar hybrid to include side hustle as testing site for semi solid state battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Rogue gamekeepers killing birds of prey, says RSPB
FEATURE: Clean cooking sector on tenterhooks after alleged fraud slips past VCM quality checks
Environmental groups urge EPA to halt CO2 injection permits following Illinois leak
Financial GHG emissions accounting protocol steps up efforts in MENA region
Urban green spaces have vital role in cutting heat-related deaths, study finds
Comprehensive review suggests that adding more parks, trees and greenery could improve public health
Green spaces in cities play a vital role in reducing illness and deaths caused by climate breakdown, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind.
The findings of the review suggest that adding more parks, trees and greenery to urban areas could help countries tackle heat-related harms and improve public health.
Continue reading...Cost of ACT’s 100 per cent renewable energy scheme goes negative – again!
The post Cost of ACT’s 100 per cent renewable energy scheme goes negative – again! appeared first on RenewEconomy.
US onboard shipping CCS developer closes $9.5 mln additional funding
New commission may ban English water companies from making a profit
Defra body, created to overhaul system amid public fury, may force firms to be run for public good rather than shareholder returns
Water companies in England could be banned from making a profit under plans for a complete overhaul of the system.
The idea is one of the options being considered by a new commission set up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) amid public fury over the way firms have prioritised profit over the environment.
Continue reading...New Water Commission must create an environmental enforcer that is feared
The division of responsibilities between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate hasn’t worked
An independent commission into the English and Welsh water sector would have been an excellent idea about 20 years ago. It is hard to pinpoint precisely when the industry went seriously off the rails but Ofwat’s infamous price review of 2004 is one starting point. That is when the undoubted gains from higher investment in the decade after privatisation in 1989 started to evaporate and the story turned into one of financial engineering and grossly inadequate regulation.
The 2004 settlement was wildly generous to the companies and kickstarted the disastrous take-private buyout boom by private equity and global infrastructure funds. Dividend extraction and “whole business securitisations” followed, tolerated by an economic regulator that, absurdly, took the view that sky-high debt levels and Cayman Islands financing vehicles were not its job to worry about.
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