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Seal colony in Norfolk expects more than 2,700 pups
Australian populations of threatened bird species halves in 30 years
Migratory shorebirds populations down by average of 70% from 1985 to 2015
Populations of threatened bird species in Australia halved in the past 30 years, according to a new national Threatened Bird Index.
The index is the first part of a large data consolidation project being undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, along with the University of Queensland and Birdlife Australia.
Continue reading...One in six pints of milk thrown away each year, study shows
Analysis suggests 116m tonnes of dairy products are wasted globally, with almost half lost before they even reach a store
One in six pints of milk produced around the world is lost or wasted, according to research conducted at Edinburgh University for the Guardian.
Sixteen percent of dairy products – 116m tonnes – is lost or discarded globally each year, according to Prof Peter Alexander, a member of the newly formed Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security. He calculated that retailers, distributors and consumers are responsible for half of this waste, throwing away roughly 60m tonnes of dairy a year.
Continue reading...Carbon capture and storage gets £20m 'sensible reboot'
Government scrapped £1bn plan in 2015 but now aims to build project within a decade
The UK wants to build its first project to capture and store carbon emissions from industry within the next decade, as part of a rebooted push by ministers to support the technology.
The government scrapped a £1bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) competition in 2015, with the then-chancellor George Osborne saying it was too costly. Earlier efforts had also collapsed.
Continue reading...Coal power on way out, sooner rather than later, says AEMO
Top of the to-do list of AEMO's Integrated System Plan is to replace Australia's ageing coal fleet – a task, says Audrey Zibelman, that "absolutely needs to get done under any circumstance," and with least regrets.
The post Coal power on way out, sooner rather than later, says AEMO appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Transparency lost as Snowy Hydro fights for its future
Snowy Hydro refuses to identify the winning bids for the "game changing" wind and solar tender, and argues that the transmission costs of its proposed pumped hydro plan should not be subject to normal regulatory review.
The post Transparency lost as Snowy Hydro fights for its future appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Sydney storms could be making the Queensland fires worse
From burping cows and food miles to greenhouse gasses
Tesla teams up with Energy Locals for S.A. virtual power plant
Energy Locals partners with Tesla for virtual power plant, lifting hopes that original 250MW plan can be achieved. But local solar manufacturer Tindo left out, and not happy.
The post Tesla teams up with Energy Locals for S.A. virtual power plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Climate change: The world is 6% warmer already, it’s time to act
Latest climate data shows the magnitude of human-caused emissions this century significantly affects projections for the second half of the century and beyond.
The post Climate change: The world is 6% warmer already, it’s time to act appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia isn't on track to meet its 2030 emissions target, UN report says
About half of the G20 countries will fall short of their Paris agreement pledges, scientists warn
• Hundreds of students striking over climate change descend on parliament
Australia is not on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction targets and global greenhouse gas emissions are showing no signs of peaking, a new UN report has warned.
In its annual emissions gap report, which looks at the gap between carbon reduction policies countries have in place and what is required to keep global warming to well below 2C, the UN says global emissions have reached record highs.
Continue reading...New energy networks Australia chair appointed
Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon has welcomed Tim Rourke, CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy Chief Executive Officer, as the new Chair of the Energy Networks Australia Board.
The post New energy networks Australia chair appointed appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Energy Insiders Podcast: Victoria’s poll win and Labor’s energy plan
What does Victoria poll result mean for renewables, and has Labor got it right with its new energy plan?
The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Victoria’s poll win and Labor’s energy plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The two Swedish mums who want people to give up flying for a year
Australia shamed – again – on climate, as UNEP report calls for urgent action
Australia's weak climate action highlighted in latest UNEP report that says countries should be tripling their pledges to limit warming to 2°C, and increase them 5-fold to meet 1.5°C target.
The post Australia shamed – again – on climate, as UNEP report calls for urgent action appeared first on RenewEconomy.
France turns to wind and solar as it plans to exit coal, and phase down nuclear
Macron plans to exit coal by 2022, and delay closure of 14 nuclear reactors while it completes a massive investment in wind and solar.
The post France turns to wind and solar as it plans to exit coal, and phase down nuclear appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Tassie devils' decline has left a feast of carrion for feral cats
UK's first carbon capture and storage project 'operational by mid 2020s'
Microplastic toxins leave shellfish at mercy of predators - research
Chemical cocktail suppresses periwinkles’ ability to avoid crabs and disrupts food chain
Toxins leaching from microplastics leave shellfish at the mercy of predators, research has found. The chemicals completely suppress the ability of the periwinkles to detect and avoid the crabs that eat them.
Microplastics plague the world’s rivers and oceans and absorb poisonous chemicals from the water. Previous work has shown mussels are harmed by these toxins when they eat microplastics, but the latest study is the first to show disruption of the relationship between predator and prey. This is likely to disrupt the entire food chain, researchers say.
Continue reading...Report urges Network Rail to rethink scale of line-side tree felling
Management of UK rail lines fails to take environmental best practice into account
An independent review into the scale of tree felling by Network Rail is calling for a complete cultural change by the company to focus on valuing nature and the environment.
The review, published on Wednesday, was sparked after Guardian articles highlighted a threat to millions of line-side trees from Network Rail’s approach to managing the environment around its tracks and the scale of tree felling taking place in nesting season.
Continue reading...