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Angela Rayner says a Labour government would make it a core element at primary school

Labour has pledged to make the global climate emergency a core element of the school curriculum from primary school onwards, in response to demands by young people taking part in a series of school climate strikes.

As young activists around the world prepare for another day of strike action on Friday, Labour’s shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said a Labour government would ensure that the climate crisis was an educational priority and that all young people were taught about its ecological and social impact.

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GB Auto GM Bill Dunlop tells The Driven how the NSW auto electrical group got involved with Landcruiser conversions, and where it is going from here.

The post Electric Landcruiser conversion – made for Australian mining – goes viral appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Parents across Europe take action as air pollution found to restrict children’s lung growth

Almost every week our newspapers report new studies on the damage that air pollution does to our health and especially to children. For example, last November, researchers revealed reduced lung growth in children who lived in the most polluted parts of east London.

In March 2018, a group of Belgian parents took action. Instead of going for coffee on a Friday morning, they closed the road outside their children’s school. They named their movement Filter-Café-Filtre. Over the next two weeks, another 42 schools joined in. Now parents and teachers in 21 cities meet each Friday morning. With hazard tape from DIY shops, banners and musical instruments, they close about 76 schools. Children play in the street and the parents drink coffee together to demand traffic-free zones, better walking and cycling routes and public transport so children do not have to be driven to school.

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Water in Sydney is far cheaper than in Melbourne, and residents take full advantage of it. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

EUAs fell on Thursday to give back some of the week’s big gains as oil led the energy complex lower amid China-US trade concerns, while a weaker auction also helped quiet down bulls.

Mainstream media outlets have been congratulating themselves of late for becoming just 20 years too late on climate change, and now the same institutions that have consistently failed to cover the enormity of the challenge are failing to cover the myriad interlocking solutions. This week, ProPublica became the latest outlet to blow it

Alberta’s newly-elected United Conservative Party (UCP) government introduced a bill Wednesday to eliminate the previous administration’s C$30 carbon tax by next week, adding that legislation to overhaul the Canadian province’s large emitter trading programme would not follow until the fall.

A general strike globally on 20 September could be a ‘turning point in our history’, say young activists

• Read the call to action by Greta Thunberg and other youth climate strikers

Greta Thunberg and leading youth strikers for climate action from across the world have called for all adults to join a global general strike on 20 September.

They are asking citizens to walk out of work just ahead of a crucial UN summit at which nations are being urged to declare much stronger ambition to tackle the climate emergency.

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Biodiversity is the diversity of life – from elephants to bacteria, writes John Bolton

Congratulations for making serious and important decisions about your use of climate crisis terminology (18 May). With one big exception: the use of “wildlife” rather than “biodiversity”. “Wildlife” used to mean “animals” (far from all living diversity), and has morphed into some sort of general term for things in nature reserves. It is those cute things Sir David watches from behind trees. In contrast, biodiversity is straightforward. It is the diversity of life – all the things we need to look after, from elephants to bacteria, and from ecosystems to molecular DNA diversity.
Emeritus Professor John Bolton
University of Cape Town

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

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The British Museum, which will store the shield, described it as a "absolutely phenomenal object".

We asked children around the world to tell us why they will be taking part in Friday’s climate strikes. Here’s what they said

I’m taking part on Friday because adults, and especially politicians, have not done enough to save our future. We have to get them to listen to us and believe what scientists have to say. I’m participating in a strike located in Tampere. We will get together on Sori Square (Sorin Aukio) and march to the central marketplace (Keskustori). I think the earth needs this climate strike movement. And we need it too, because it’s our future that is in danger. I’m so happy to see the youth rise and demand back a planet where we can live. Elina, 14, Finland

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South Korea has delayed the annual compliance deadline in its emissions trading scheme by two months to allow all market participants to acquire the CO2 allowances they need, with the government opting to allow emitters more time amid a supply squeeze caused by permit hoarding.

Central Labor party officials on Thursday questioned the wisdom of backing market-based approaches to cutting emissions after last weekend’s election defeat, dimming the prospects for an Australian carbon market beyond government-funded offset buying.

Queensland premier under more pressure as union fears the promise of jobs and prosperity is a myth

The CFMEU has warned the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, against rushing to have Adani’s Carmichael coalmine approved, saying it “risks selling out local jobs” and threatens water security in central Queensland.

The state’s environment department and coordinator general met Adani representatives on Thursday for talks about the outstanding environmental approvals required for the project to proceed.

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Average size of wild animals predicted to fall by a quarter in 100 years through extinctions

Humanity’s ongoing destruction of wildlife will lead to a shrinking of nature, with the average body size of animals falling by a quarter, a study predicts.

The researchers estimate that more than 1,000 larger species of mammals and birds will go extinct in the next century, from rhinos to eagles. They say this could lead to the collapse of ecosystems that humans rely on for food and clean water.

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100kg fish lands in brothers’ five-metre vessel north of Coffs Harbour, slicing man’s arm open

A large marlin weighing up to 100kg jumped into a small boat off the New South Wales coast, seriously injuring two brothers, with one of them suffering a fracture when his arm was sliced open.

The marlin breached and landed in the brothers’ boat off Wooli, north of Coffs Harbour, at midday on Thursday.

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What are some of the practical things the returned Morrison government could do to make Australia better?

Scientists' letter urges wealthy to help fight “ecological catastrophe”.

A new movie highlights the importance of radical hope and courageous action in responding to the climate crisis John Wiseman, Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Alinta wins regulatory approval for Yandin wind farm, which will be biggest in Western Australia.

The post Alinta gets regulatory approval for W.A.’s biggest wind farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.