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Australian Heritage Council welcomes Darwin Statement
Networks, grid operators seek more consultation on solar “orchestration” plan
Double standards on climate risks – Government protects sophisticated investors, not taxpayers
Sir David Attenborough urges British public to join butterfly count
Veteran broadcaster encourages people to take part in Big Butterfly Count and highlights mental health benefits of wildlife
Watching nature provides “precious breathing space” from the stress of modern life, Sir David Attenborough has said, as he urges people to take part in the world’s biggest butterfly count.
While the UK’s butterflies are basking in the best summer conditions in more than a decade, if the hot weather becomes a drought it could be catastrophic for the insects as plants wither and caterpillars starve.
Continue reading...Has AEMO downplayed speed of clean energy transition?
Is the 'Zero Hour' youth climate march a turning point, or more of the same?
Country diary: when a crab spider executes plan bee
Langstone, Hampshire: Crab spiders are ambush predators rather than web-spinners, and bees can often be their unsuspecting victims
I was cutting a bunch of antirrhinums when I noticed a dark shadow inside one of the nose-like flower capsules. When I pinched open the lobed petals, I was surprised to discover an entombed common carder bee. Honeybees often struggle to enter and exit these snap-jawed blooms, as they don’t have enough heft to cause the flower lip to open, but portly bumblebees have no trouble thrusting their bodies into the gullet of the flower and wriggling out backwards, so this pollinator’s demise was something of a mystery.
Continue reading...Minerals Council still dangerously wrong on coal and climate
NEG would drive electricity prices up, not down, says report
AEMO’s ‘cohesive’ energy plan falls short because it omits two key economic facts
CP Daily: Thursday July 19, 2018
Nairobi National Park railway 'threatens Kenyan wildlife'
Ontario to join Saskatchewan in lawsuit against Canadian federal carbon price
Steel giant BlueScope turns to solar with major PPA deal
NA Markets: Markets stall amid summer lull
Pollutionwatch: hitting home, the everyday chemicals that boost the smogs
Households as well as factories in the UK are pushing volatile chemicals into the air, helping to create those long-lasting hazes
The recent hot weather has allowed us to enjoy life outdoors – afternoons in the park, evenings in the garden – but it comes with a downside. Summer smog has enveloped the UK, with southern England the worst affected. In south-east England air pollution was moderate or high on the government’s information system for 17 consecutive days. This was the longest run of summer smog for seven years.
Across Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside, smoke from moorland fires added to the air pollution cocktail.
Continue reading...Plastic bags that biodegrade to nothing?
AEMO's 'cohesive' energy plan falls short because it omits two key economic facts
Life after coal: the South Australian city leading the way
It was a coal town, predicted to be wiped out by the closure of two ageing power plants. Now Port Augusta has 13 renewable projects in train
The largest solar farm in the southern hemisphere lies on arid land at the foot of the Flinders Ranges, more than 300km north of Adelaide. If that sounds remote, it doesn’t do justice to how removed local residents feel from what currently qualifies as debate in Canberra.
As government MPs and national newspapers thundered over whether taxpayers should underwrite new coal-fired power, mauling advice from government agencies as they went, residents of South Australia’s Upper Spencer Gulf region have been left to ponder why decision-makers weren’t paying attention to what is happening in their backyard.
Continue reading...Rising global meat consumption 'will devastate environment'
Analysis suggests eating of meat will climb steeply and play significant role in increasing carbon emissions and reducing biodiversity
Rising global meat consumption is likely to have a devastating environmental impact, scientists have warned.
A new major analysis suggests meat consumption is set to climb steeply as the world population increases along with average individual income, and could play a significant role in increasing carbon emissions and reducing biodiversity.
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