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Australian Marine Conservation Society calls on Ian Poiner to take ‘aggressive’ stance on reef’s behalf

The Australian government has appointed marine scientist Ian Poiner as the new chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, days after a dire new forecast for coral bleaching was issued.

The appointment to the authority, which manages the reef and advises the government on its care, also comes months after the government granted $443m in reef funding to the private Great Barrier Reef Foundation instead of key agencies including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

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Which Australian companies will go 100 per cent renewable? We talk to the head of RE100, who has been to Australia, while David Leitch let’s fly against the “fair dinkum bullshit” of the latest government energy intervention.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Which Australian companies will go 100 per cent renewable? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The chancellor says councils in England will get an extra £420m in his Budget to fix potholes.

Origin Energy’s bid to nearly double capacity of Shoalhaven Pumped Hydro Storage Scheme in NSW has won $2m in federal government funding.

The post Origin Energy’s pumped hydro expansion plan wins ARENA backing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As part of a commitment to taking local action on climate change, Enova is dedicated to developing innovative models which enable Australian communities to take the electricity supply into their own hands and make the transition to renewable energy.

The post Renewable community energy model expanding through new partnership plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Australia opens country's biggest support scheme for household battery storage - with $200 million in the form of grants and loans.

The post South Australia opens biggest household battery storage support scheme appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new government is reversing outdated policies in Europe’s sunniest country.

The post Spain scraps solar tax in energy market shakeup that threatens coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A bill put forth last week by leading Puerto Rico senators pushing for major energy policy reform for the island makes some noteworthy commitments to renewable energy.

The post Cyclone struck Puerto Rico aims for 100% renewables, but new rules favour gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Bees are at the heart of Australia’s multibillion-dollar agriculture industry, as 75% of our food crops rely on animal pollination. However, native bees face serious threats. Habitat loss, exotic species, climate change and pesticides are all affecting bee populations. The author and photographer James Dorey has created the book Bees of Australia, showcasing the species unique to Australia using macro photography

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Geometric icebergs can form around Antarctica, although such a perfect rectangle is unusual. Sue Cook, Ice Shelf Glaciologist, Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Conservative MP says drilling and pollution are ‘alarming prospect’ for communities

Zac Goldsmith has warned ministers that their plans to fast-track fracking risk turning whole regions of the country against the Conservatives and igniting a political backlash.

The Tory MP for Richmond said people had legitimate concerns about fracking and that government proposals to bypass local planning decisions on shale gas wells were a mistake.

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Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association and BMJ among those calling for shake-up to tackle toxic air crisis

The UK’s leading health professionals are calling on the government to implement the biggest shake-up of air quality legislation for 60 years in an effort to tackle the country’s growing air pollution crisis.

The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) – representing major medical bodies including the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association and the BMJ – is demanding ministers introduce a new clean air act amid growing concern about the devastating health impacts of the country’s toxic air.

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Crucial role of Britain’s shelf seas in absorbing carbon dioxide is under threat, says report

The shallow seas around Britain absorb tens of million of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, scientists have discovered. This plays a critical role in stabilising the country’s ecology and in lessening the impact of carbon emissions.

But researchers warn that shelf seas are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and the impact is likely to worsen. In particular, rising temperatures and increased numbers of intense storms threaten to disrupt the coastal regions’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide. This could accelerate climate change, they state in Shelf Seas: The Engine of Productivity, published this week.

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As air pollution fears rise, Cheltenham ‘put people before traffic’ and banned cars from part of its centre. But not everyone is happy

In the Regency spa town of Cheltenham, famous for its mineral springs and horse racing festival, an angry rebellion is gathering steam.

At its centre is a stone fountain supported by three cherubs. The landmark used to be on a roundabout, with cars, buses and trucks swirling around both it and pedestrians trying to cross the high street. Several decades ago the road layout changed to create a tiny plaza around the fountain, which became known as Boots Corner. But heavy traffic still rumbled by.

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Tremor at Cuadrilla site in Little Plumpton is 18th since fracking restarted 12 days ago

A second tremor in a 24-hour period has been recorded at the UK’s only active fracking site near Blackpool.

Cuadrilla was forced to halt operations for 18 hours on Friday after a 0.8-magnitude tremor. Fracking restarted on Saturday morning before a second tremor was detected.

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Exclusive: Simple act of breathing is killing 7 million people a year and harming billions more, but ‘a smog of complacency pervades the planet’, says Dr Tedros Adhanom

• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Air pollution is the new tobacco. Time to tackle this epidemic

Air pollution is the “new tobacco”, the head of the World Health Organization has warned, saying the simple act of breathing is killing 7 million people a year and harming billions more.

Over 90% of the world’s population suffers toxic air and research is increasingly revealing the profound impacts on the health of people, especially children.

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Native to North America, it was an extraordinary string of luck including a gold rush, cyclones, the rise of ornamental gardening that led to the naturalisation of the monarch butterfly in Australia.

Len Fisher offers ideas for getting politicians to see beyond the electoral cycle.

The transport secretary says the government will back major development on the Oxford-Cambridge arc.

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