Feed aggregator

Forester Peter Wohlleben thinks trees talk to each other through their roots and fungal networks.

August continued the remarkable streak of record hot months in 2016, equalling July as the hottest month on record

In what has become a common refrain this year, last month ranked as the hottest August on record, according to NASA data released Monday. Not only that, but the month tied July as the hottest month the world has seen in the last 136 years.

August came in at 1.76˚F (0.98˚C) above the average from 1951-1980, 0.16C above August 2014, the previous record holder. The record keeps 2016 on track to be the hottest year in the books by a fair margin.

Continue reading...

在非洲大陆盗猎活动愈发猖獗，各类保护行动已经在进行，但拯救这一陆地上最大动物的战役离胜利还很遥远。(翻译：子明/chinadialogue)

在肯尼亚北部的桑布鲁国家保护区，当炙热的阳光已经软化成轻柔的夜光时，我跟着大卫·达巴伦钻进一辆吉普车，去寻找大象。

Related: Why the Guardian is publishing its elephant reporting in Chinese

Continue reading...

Formal response rejects measures urged by MPs to tackle dangerously high levels of air pollution in British cities

Campaigners have attacked the government for rejecting calls by MPs for greater action on air pollution, as severe pollution episodes were predicted for parts of the UK this week.

MPs warned in April that dangerously high pollution in British cities was a “public health emergency”, and told ministers to take further measures, including more clean air zones and a diesel scrappage scheme.

Continue reading...

The gravitational forces responsible for high tides may also play a role in triggering major earthquakes, a study suggests.

A project led by adventurer David Hempleman-Adams that aimed to sail the Arctic’s North East and North West passages in a single season has completed its quest.

San Francisco startup says its products taste identical but tackle guilty conscience of consumers concerned about large environmental footprint

After lab-grown meat, get ready for animal-free cow’s milk. A San-Francisco startup believes it has found a solution for the guilty conscience of consumers who love eating dairy ice-cream, cheese and yoghurt, but oppose factory-style farming and its environmental footprint.

Through a combination of yeast, cow DNA and plant nutrients, Perfect Day claims to have created a product identical in taste and nutritional value to cow’s milk, but without any udders involved.

Continue reading...

Emails released under FoI suggest the company is in advanced preparations to introduce the chargers on its forecourts from next year

Electric car charging points could appear alongside petrol pumps at Shell’s UK service stations as soon as next year, the oil giant confirmed after emails between the company and government officials revealed discussions on introducing them.

The company also asked the government how serious it is about wireless charging roads which could top up an electric car without the need to plug in, as mooted by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin.

Continue reading...

Move by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases is further boost to climate deal after ratification by US and China

The Brazilian government has ratified its participation in the Paris agreement on climate change, a significant step by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that could spur other countries to follow suit.

With a landmass larger than the continental US, Brazil emits about 2.5% of the world’s carbon dioxide and other polluting gases, according to United Nations data.

Continue reading...

A new app has been developed to save oysters from disease in Tasmania.

TS Sudhir explains why violence has broken out in India's technology hub Bangalore over a long-running dispute about water.

Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten have reached a compromise on the Renewable Energy Agency: it will see survive, but with reduced funding. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has been granted a funding lifeline of A$800 million over the next five years, after the federal government and opposition came to an agreement that will save the agency.

ARENA had faced being wound down as a result of the government’s earlier proposal to strip A$1.3 billion from the agency. This was part of a wider package of measures designed to save the federal budget more than A$6 billion.

Renewable energy researchers had reacted with dismay to that proposal. An open letter to the government in defence of the agency attracted 190 signatures.

Below, our experts react to the news.

Nicky Ison, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

Today the Coalition government and the Labor Party struck a deal to:

• slash half-a-billion dollars from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency; and

• save the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

These statements seem like a contradiction, but both are true. However, it is also true that the need to save ARENA exists because of the Coalition government’s efforts over the past three years to dismantle Australia’s renewable energy policy.

If the benchmark is that we keep our existing renewable energy institutions, today was a win. However, if the benchmark is that we have institutions and policies that have sufficient funding and scope to tackle the policy challenges of climate change, our changing energy system and driving innovation, then today was a loss.

Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University

The Australian research community is pleased that the government’s proposal to debilitate ARENA by removing A$1.3 billion and ending its granting function will not go ahead. At the same time, we are disappointed that yet again ARENA is subject to huge funding cuts.

The fastest and surest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to accelerate the introduction of renewable energy into the electricity system. ARENA has focused heavily in this area (among others), covering the full gamut from support for early-stage research, through grants to young renewable energy companies, to acceleration of deployment of large-scale solar photovoltaic systems.

ARENA will need to heavily prune its activities to cope with a A$500 million budget cut. We look forward to restoration of ARENA funding, and to a concerted effort at the national level to move rapidly to 50-100% renewable electricity.

Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute

The silver lining amid the cloud of the political compromise on ARENA funding represents a welcome return to the art of the possible. Of course it is a pity that ARENA has been cut again, given that among Kevin Rudd’s climate change children this one had bipartisan support, at least until the 2014 budget.

Grant funding to drive down the costs of renewable technologies with real potential has been ARENA’s model and the funds now secured will allow this to continue. The next challenge is to create an integrated model that connects grant funding with the recently announced Clean Energy Innovation Fund, which will provide debt and equity funding to emerging renewable technologies, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s role of developing innovative financial models to commercialise clean energy.

Living for another day is never a bad outcome.

Companies are weighing up whether investment in a coal mine is worth the risk. from www.shutterstock.com

The divestment movement is gaining momentum – and is just one of the emerging risks from climate change that businesses face. The Paris climate agreement not only signalled social change but also sent the market a strong signal to move away from carbon-intensive investment.

The divestment movement may be seen by some businesses invested in fossil fuels as a risk. But it is not the only force shaping how companies address climate change. So, what are some of the other factors in rethinking climate risk?

Evolving social norms

The Paris Agreement recently gained more steam with ratification by the United States and China. This signalled the intent of these leading global economies to commit to helping to limit global warming to 2℃. Achieving this will require a transition to a low-carbon or decarbonised economy. China, for example, has been aware of how important this is since 2008.

Since the launch of the Low Carbon Economy Index by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2009, companies have been better equipped to understand and measure private sector climate risk. This has flow-on effects to just about all human behaviours, and has had a particularly significant impact on private equity investments.

In particular, pension funds and the insurance sector are among the leading sectors in considering future climate risk within and across their portfolios. This is facilitating evolving social norms around climate change. These changes have long been recognised as critical for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The role of law

Liability risk remains at the forefront in current trends. The acceptance of legal responsibility demonstrated by global leaders' ratification of the Paris Agreement is all the more interesting when we consider recent developments in climate litigation.

Some argue that, in future, there will be parallels between tobacco and asbestos tort litigation and climate litigation, given that the consequences of a changing climate have been well known for decades, and widely cited by scholars and practitioners alike. It is therefore difficult for a legal entity to claim ignorance of climate risks.

Internationally, a decision in 2015 held Dutch public officials legally accountable in reducing emissions. In the United States, instances of litigation have increasingly focused on companies' disclosure of known future climate risk. Pressure has also been building on Exxon Mobil as evidence emerges that the company may have lied to shareholders about this known risk.

In Australia, some recent interesting developments in coastal planning law are contributing to a more coherent body of climate law.

Fiduciary duties are an important aspect of rethinking climate risk. In law, they can require companies to disclose future risk. A failure to disclose on “the business strategies, and prospects for future financial years” under the Corporations Act may be considered a breach of the law and subject to ASIC enquiry.

While some regulatory guides exist for how to achieve general compliance, recent submissions to the Senate inquiry into carbon risk disclosure have argued that specific regulatory guidance for future climate risk is needed. Arguably, disclosing future risks includes future climate risks to assets and company investments.

The courts are moving where regulation and policy may be slower to act. In April 2016, the New South Wales Supreme Court relaxed the hurdles for shareholders to bring action against a company in a case where an insurer, HIH, led the market to believe it was trading more profitably and had greater net assets than was the case. This artificially inflated the HIH share price, resulting in shareholders suffering a loss because they bought overpriced shares. This case is important for shareholder class actions because it is the first time the court has accepted the principle of indirect market based causation.

In a similar way, a failure to disclose known future climate risk in required disclosure documents could potentially amount to misleading and deceptive conduct. This is particularly the case where companies may fail to disclose their asset exposure to climate change impacts.

Technological risk

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2016 noted that the number-one risk to the global economy was a failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Some argue that technological responses, including carbon capture and storage, continue to require research and development input. Others suggest that investing in renewable energy, particularly for developing countries, will lead to more sustainable global outcomes including, importantly, social equity.

While mitigation technologies continue to compete for long-term success, investors need to be increasingly aware of where and how they prioritise their mitigation efforts.

Where to now for Australian companies?

The 2016 carbon risk disclosure inquiry was due to publish its report in June 2016 but lapsed due to the federal election. This Senate inquiry ought to recommence as a matter of priority.

Additional legal mechanisms that will have flow-on effects for evolving social norms and for rethinking climate risk could include legislative change to require the inclusion of reporting asset exposure risks, under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act.

Climate risk, the transition to a low-carbon economy, evolving social norms and the continued growth of climate law evidence a need to ensure coherence across economic, social and governance frameworks.

Tayanah O'Donnell receives funding from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility and the ACT Government. She is the principal of PlaceAdapt Consulting.

Over the last week, we have seen tiresome name calling return after the CCA report that suggested a fresh approach to these decisions and actions.

NASA data released on Monday means August marks the 11th record-setting month in a row.

Waltham Brooks, West Sussex I’ve seen hobbies hunt smaller birds in fast, level flight, but not attack as a peregrine would

Golden grass heads nod up and down in flowing waves at the insistence of the breeze. Lapwing are collecting around the edges of the pools in greater numbers than before, and there are also more gadwall and mallard paddling on the water as autumn draws in.

Clouds of soft brown and cream sand martins and black and white swallows – hirundines – dance low over the water. They turn and turn, wings flickering, then suddenly still, as they stall, float, and snatch at the midges rising into the air among them.

Continue reading...

ARENA to have its funding slashed by $500m after Labor and the Coalition agree to compromise on government's omnibus budget repair package.

Sydney artist Marina DeBris transforms garbage found in the ocean or washed up on the beach into intricately constructed garments. She is a campaigner against ocean pollution and hopes through her art she can show how ‘the waste we create keeps coming back to haunt us’. DeBris’s photographs and collection of wearables, Beach Couture: A Haute Mess, is exhibiting at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery at Sydney’s Bondi beach until 17 September

Continue reading...

EPA to scrutinise Engie plan to burn more coal at Loy Yang B, while BHP Billiton is reported to be considering re-opening the closed coal generator in Port Augusta.

Enphase have announced that its smart grid ready S-Series Microinverters and AC Battery have been certified as compliant to the AS/NZS 4777.2:2015 grid connection standard.