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There have been moments of modest progress, but the Albanese government has not lived up to its early rhetoric

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It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Back in the heady new government days of July 2022, Tanya Plibersek told the National Press Club that change was coming for environmental protection in Australia after a decade of disaster and neglect.

Releasing the five-yearly state of the environment report, which the previous Coalition government had received months earlier but put in a drawer until it was turfed from office, the new environment minister said it told a “story of crisis and decline in Australia’s environment”.

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The EU and US are on track to miss their 2030 UN climate targets, and achieving net zero by the middle of the century is now a “vast challenge”, according to a new energy transition outlook published Monday.

The Moroccan finance ministry has presented a bill to launch a carbon tax in 2025 and lay the groundwork for an increase in value-added tax (VAT) on fossil fuels, following up on international promises to reform its system of environmental levies.

CEFC announces “landmark” investment to help decarbonise maritime ports in South Australia, focusing on the electrification of vehicles and equipment.

The post CEFC invests $70m to help electrify and decarbonise maritime ports appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Reaching climate neutrality will require additional investments worth at least 2.7% of the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – or €462 billion at today’s rate – every year throughout this decade, according to new research published on Monday, which warns against a looming EU “climate funding cliff”.

Protected areas (PAs) contribute to preventing, on average, just 30% of forest loss, with the lowest levels of protection observed in some of the world's most biodiversity-rich countries, a paper has said.

An Australian cattle industry lobby group has released its definition of deforestation, in an attempt to seek exemptions for agricultural lands from upcoming EU rules.

EU carbon permit prices dropped to a seven-month low on Monday morning before rallying briefly after the daily auction cleared at a record premium amid reported demand from options hedging, while gas dropped to a seven-week low and German year-ahead power tumbled to its lowest since April.

Storm Boris has caused several deaths, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes across Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

• Europe floods – latest updates

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Soaring sea temperatures have made the celebrated gastropod lethargic and infertile, so scientists are helping the threatened species to reproduce

Of the many novel initiatives dreamed up by scientists to protect threatened species from the ravages of record ocean temperatures, Florida’s new “speed dating for shellfish” programme might be about the most extraordinary.

Researchers are acting as matchmakers for the queen conch, a mollusc with iconic status in the Florida Keys, by removing them from the heat of their nearshore habitat and relocating them to deeper, cooler waters where a plethora of potential new partners awaits.

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China has revamped the emissions accounting guidelines for domestic cement and aluminium sectors, as the country is set to include the two industries in its emissions trading scheme this year.

River wildlife is on the up and there’s little evidence that storm overflows are being used more often. But protest is still vital

Public outrage over river pollution has been heartening to see. Over the past few years, stories about sewage contamination in rivers have captured public attention, and prompted campaigns and protests, such as the forthcoming River Action UK march for clean water on 26 October in London. It is important to protect our rivers because they are biodiversity hotspots and essential for human health. However, as a freshwater ecologist, I know there is more nuance to the story than you may have been led to believe. From my perspective, there is some good news when it comes to our rivers. I would even say that some rivers in England are in the best state they have been in for hundreds of years.

Many rivers in England are polluted, but we need to recognise that this is not an emerging issue but a much longer-standing one that has been largely ignored by the media and politicians for decades. Much of the recent furore over pollution has to do with increased awareness, rather than a sudden increase in pollution itself. It’s only by understanding how these ecosystems have changed over time and reflecting on previous successes that we can make real progress.

Michelle Jackson is associate professor of freshwater/marine ecology at the University of Oxford. Prof Jackson previously conducted one study that received funding from a wastewater treatment company, and currently has no industry funding.

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The federal government Monday published an exposure draft for consultation on transparency changes to the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme.

Australia is producing 6x more gas than the regulator's predicted shortfall, says the Australia Institute in response to the latest scare campaign from the fossil fuel lobby.

The post What gas shortage? Fossil lobby warns of blackouts, but Australia has 6x more gas than it needs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia needs more longer duration energy storage to fix a forecast winter demand peak when renewable supply can be low.

The post Australia must start valuing storage duration to solve winter demand peaks and renewable droughts appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An audit of the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has found weak governance practices regarding internal conflicts of interest (COI) within the organisation, according to documents published Monday, issues that critics continue to say are indicative of much broader problems with Australia's carbon market. 

Is there anything climate change cannot do?!

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Albanese slammed by Greens and cross bench after refusing climate trigger at behest of mining lobby.

The post “Bulldozer:” Albanese slammed after bowing to mining lobby and refusing climate trigger appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Brendan Lang is an electrician from Melbourne who swapped his diesel guzzling tradie ute for a Tesla. He calls his business Get off Gas and this week he provides answers to household electrification questions.

The post SwitchedOn Podcast: A Q&A on household electrification with Tesla-driving sparkie appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We must make protected areas more effective, to conserve what’s left of Earth’s plants and animals. Timothy Neal, Senior lecturer in Economics / Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.