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Readers respond to articles about schoolchildren on climate strikes and the hottest February day ever

When I see young people all over the world standing up for what they believe in, for the future of the planet and for themselves, it moves me deeply (School pupils call for radical climate action in UK-wide strike, 15 February). The empowerment of young people, particularly in regard to climate change and civic engagement, is at the heart of the YMCA’s raison d’etre. So while it’s a grave topic, the only consoling factor for me is the clear demonstration of these young people’s passion, courage and tenacity. The greatest hope for a better future lies in this kind of attitude from our youth – when they fully engage in civic issues that affect them and their communities we will start to see real change.

I hope the success they have already achieved in gaining the world’s attention will motivate them to stick with these issues and work towards their goals. I feel uplifted because they are realising their power and potential to make a difference. This is how the leaders of tomorrow will be shaped, and they will do better than the leaders of today.

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Staff are pulled out once again amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the stability of nearby ice.

French utility Engie scaled back on its near-term power hedging for 2018, it said in financial results on Thursday, in a move that could be bullish for EUAs if the company attempts to catch up to its historic levels this year.

Green finance experts say Australia is out of step with World Bank, Europe and the US, which are using funding to combat global warming

Australia is the only developed country that allows climate change funding to be used to upgrade coal-fired power plants, green finance experts say.

Experts say allowing Vales Point coal-fired power station to register with the Morrison government’s emissions reduction fund, rebadged this week as a “climate solutions” policy, puts Australia out of step with the World Bank, Europe and the US, which have all rejected using climate financing for coal power retrofits.

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Opponents say noise and pollution will be disastrous for wildlife and local residents

For hundreds of years, Richmond Park has been known for its rich wildlife and tranquil landscape. But the controversial expansion of Heathrow airport will see hundreds of aircraft flying at low altitude over the royal park, according to consultation documents issued by the airport.

Maps of the new flight paths released as part of the consultation process for a third runway reveal the alarming extent of proposed air traffic over the parkland. Aircraft, some at 1,000ft, will be flying over for the first time. Current flight paths to Heathrow do not fly directly over the park.

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EU nations are rightly awarding free carbon allowances to power plants linked to industrial sites, a legal advisor to EU’s highest court said Thursday, going against the European Commission’s view and potentially preventing higher ETS compliance costs for hundreds of installations across the bloc.

Japan’s Nippon Paper Industries on Thursday became the latest firm in the country to drop plans for constructing a new coal-fired plant amid profitability concerns.

South Korea will shut down four units at two ageing coal-fired power plants in the March-June to reduce air pollution levels, a move that will also reduce CO2 output regulated by the country’s emissions trading scheme.

You thought cane toads were bad. Well a new pest is infesting our tropical north – and this one’s 4 metres tall.

The New Zealand government could opt to rush through ETS changes in its budget on May 30 depending on how many companies pay the NZ$25 fixed price option ahead of the 2018 compliance deadline a day later, according to brokers OM Financial.

Increasing oil, gas, and coal production is pushing up greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s biggest-emitting companies despite sizeable emission cuts from the power sector, government data showed Thursday.

China’s energy consumption rose 3.3% last year, the government announced Thursday, in what analysts said likely meant a 3% increase in CO2 emissions fuelled by surging power demand from sectors linked to the nation’s construction boom.

Windlab says connection delays, floods and EPC problems causes "force majeure" on world-first wind, solar, battery park, and warns new connection rules are pushing up costs of renewables.

The post Windlab declares “force majeure” on Kennedy wind, solar battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US President Donald Trump says the talks were positive but "sometimes you have to walk".

Our selection of winning and shortlisted photographs from the 2018 competition

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In his new series Metamorphosis, photographer Jake Mosher composes artworks using hundreds of exposures of highly magnified butterflies’ and moths’ wings

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Emissions for the year to September 2018 up 0.9% as Morrison government attempts a policy pivot on climate

Emissions in Australia are continuing to rise, with the latest increases driven predominantly by an increase in liquefied natural gas production in Western Australia.

Emissions for the year to September 2018 went up 0.9% on the previous year, according to the latest inventory, primarily due to a 19.7% increase in LNG exports, but there were also increases in stationary energy, transport, fugitives, industrial processes and waste sectors.

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60% of the world's meteorites have been found in Antarctica. But what's it like for those who have to look for them?

Single-Column Responsive Email Template Vic-Tas Chapter Newsletter March 2019 Upcoming Seminars Climate and Carbon Challenges Level 31, 600 Bourke Street Melbourne 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm Thursday 11th April REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT This event will examine the opportunities and challenges for Australia and especially, the engineering profession, to reshape its industries and society to meet the global challenge of emissions reductions required to meet the safe climate goals set at the 2015 Paris climate conference and reviewed at COP24 2018 in Poland. The topic will be addressed from perspectives of (a) latest scientific assessments on climate and emissions trends; and (b) challenges for the engineering profession in responding to industry transformations necessitated by a carbon constrained future. The science basis for determining policy and engineering responses Policy actions by government and contributions from the engineering profession need to be based on an understanding of the latest scientific assessments by the international climate science community. This presentation will address important aspects including: the global carbon budget and Australia’s fair share in contributing to the global abatement effort latest thinking on climate risk e.g as analyses by the IPCC 1.5 degree Warming Assessment greater emission reduction ambition in light of COP 24 and recent scientific reviews such as the UNEP Emissions gap Report A/Prof Malte Meinshausen is Co-Director of the Energy Transition Hub (www.energy-transition-hub.org) and was founding Director of the Climate & Energy College (climatecollege.unimelb.edu.au) at The University of Melbourne. Before coming to Melbourne in 2011, he did research at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany. He holds a PhD in "Climate Science & Policy", a Diploma in "Environmental Sciences" from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and an MSc in "Environmental Change and Management" from the University of Oxford, UK. His research focuses on emission scenarios, carbon budgets, reduced complexity climate modelling (www.magicc.org) and the Paris Agreement negotiations. He was the scientific adviser to the German Government from 2005 to 2016 in the UNFCCC negotiations. How should society generally and the engineering profession in particular, respond? Policy responses by government has been a fraught issue over the last decade. The engineering profession has a key role in developing technical solutions to support both international obligations and to enable the transformations demanded by a carbon constrained future. This presentation will look at: What policy tools and regulations are required to support an orderly, cost efficient transition to net zero carbon emissions across all sectors Australia by 2050. How adequate are our current collective government sectoral settings towards achieving a net zero 2050 CO2e target? What typical specific strategies and adjustments will be required across different key CO2e emissions sectors within Australia, particularly in Engineering related sectors. (transport, built infrastructure, industrial processes, mining, energy). Tom Yankos plays a central role in providing research and analysis for a range of ClimateWorks’ projects. Since joining ClimateWorks Australia in late 2014, Tom has undertaken analysis for a range of projects, including the quantitation of the potential emissions reduction contribution from Sustainability Victoria’s TAKE2 pledge program, state-based economy-wide emissions projections and potential impacts of switching from gas to electric appliances on the electricity grid (in collaboration with CSIRO). He also completed analysis for the ‘Energy Productivity Index for Companies’ project and contributed to the development of ClimateWorks’ ‘2050 Pathways Calculator’, an online tool which allows users to explore scenarios leading to deep decarbonisation by mid-century. During a secondment to CSIRO, Tom helped prepare the 'Low Emissions Technology Roadmap' report which highlights areas of potential growth in Australia's clean technology sector, contributing ClimateWorks' perspective and expertise. Prior to joining ClimateWorks, Tom provided data analysis and modelling activities for energy efficiency and cost reduction for the Toyota Motor Corporation Australia. He also has experience in advanced simulation and computational methods. Tom holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Business (Distinction) from RMIT University. The Sustainable Hydrogen/Ammonia Economy Level 31, 600 Bourke Street Melbourne 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm Thursday 9th May Clean hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier and feedstock that can enable deep decarbonisation across the energy and industrial sectors. Australia has the resources and skills to build an economically sustainable domestic and export hydrogen industry which can help meet emissions targets by replacing fossil fuels in transport, mining and power generation, and address concerns around energy security. The seminar will provide an appreciation of Government, Industry and the Engineering profession’s role in ensuring rapid development of an economically sustainable domestic and export Hydrogen and Ammonia production using renewable electricity. Read more... Past SENG Events Want to look back at past SENG events? Presentations from most of our events are available on our website LinkedIn SENG is on LinkedIn. Visit the group here Other useful links Alternative Technology Association Environment Victoria The Conversation Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. Melbourne Energy Institute Climate Council Beyond Zero Emissions Future Melbourne Network If you can't view this email click here to view online Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter S

Biologist Rob Dunn is the David Attenborough of the domestic sphere, uncovering everything from microbes in the shower to spiders in the basement. He goes on safari in the satisfyingly dusty corners of one Copenhagen home

The good news is that I will never be home alone again. The bad news – well, it’s not in fact bad news, but it is slightly unsettling – is that I share my home with at least 5,000 other species: wasps, flies, spiders, silverfish and an exotic bunch of wild bacteria.

All that information is apparently contained in a patch of grey dust I have just swabbed with my right index finger from a door frame in my living room. It’s like a DNA test of my house, says Rob Dunn, a 43-year-old American biologist who has come to my house in Copenhagen to hunt microbial life. He carries no lab gear and his blue crewneck jumper and striped Oxford shirt are hardly the combat suit of an exterminator. But with every discovery we make, with every spider we find lurking in the corner or each swab of dust, he displays an almost childlike sense of excitement. He swears and smiles, even whoops with delight: “This dust sample contains bacteria, your body microbes, your wife’s body microbes, your child’s body microbes. If you smoke weed we would find marijuana DNA in there. Everything is visible, but it’s also present in every breath. Every time you inhale, you inhale that story of your home.”

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