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Atmospheric river brings wind, heavy rain and up to 1.8 metres of snow in mountainous areas

An atmospheric river has been under way through the weekend, pummelling northern and central parts of California with spells of wind and heavy rain and hill snow, and is forecast to continue into Wednesday.

The weather system, locally called the Pineapple Express, is set up by low pressure situated to the north-east of Hawaii, which propels moist tropical air from Hawaii and across the Pacific Ocean on blustery westerly winds. The result is a stream of heavy precipitation piling into parts of the west coast of the US, falling as snow down to about 1,200 metres (4,000ft) with rain at lower levels. A cumulative total of up to 500mm (20in) of rain is expected to have fallen by Wednesday, while up to 1.8 metres (6ft) of snow will be possible in mountainous areas. Subsequently, there has been a risk of flooding.

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The cacophony around me seemed to drown out my daily worries until a writing retreat showed me there was a better way

I’ve lived in South Korea for more than a decade, but it’s only recently that I discovered just how loud it is here. The bing-bong when someone presses the “stop” button on the city bus, and the accompanying sing-songy announcements in Korean, the beeps of riders scanning their transit cards to board or depart; soju-drunk office workers loudly singing off-tune through neighbourhood alleyways; obnoxiously loud K-pop music blaring out of storefronts; and songs that seem to change key at record rates as delivery motorbikes speed out of range.

In reality, I have relied on there being near-constant cacophony around me for the whole of my adult life. Without realising it, background noise became a kind of comfort to me, making me feel less alone. It started after university when I was barely scraping together a living, working jobs I didn’t want to be doing. I would soothe my loneliness and isolation in the evenings by playing endless hours of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit just for the ambient sound – the comfort of Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler bringing criminals of the worst kind to justice.

Krissi Driver is a writer based in South Korea

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Another three big renewable and storage projects enter EPBC planning pipeline, with two of them branding themselves as "energy hubs".

The post Another three big wind and battery projects sucked into EPBC process appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Lessons from Australia teach us that going all-in on fossil fuel exports is a recipe for volatile energy supplies and higher prices. Trump’s "drill baby, drill" will leave Americans vulnerable.

The post Trump’s “drill baby, drill” plan is a disaster for energy security, and prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Hopes for environmental law reform during the current term of federal government have been dashed, so what lies ahead for ‘nature positive’ next term? Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow in Biodiversity, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Greenpeace co-director responds to report finding fewer than one in 20 working in sector identifies as non-white

Environmental organisations “are still very white, especially at the top”, the co-director of Greenpeace has said as research showed little to no improvement in the ethnic diversity of their workforces.

Areeba Hamid’s comments came as the third annual racial action on the climate emergency (Race) report into diversity among environmental charities found fewer than one in 20 of those working in the sector identified as people of colour or as other racial or ethnic minority groups.

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The leader of one of New Zealand’s coalition government parties says the country should consider pulling out of the Paris Agreement.

Less than two months after it was finalised, issues are being raised with Australia's environmental plantings carbon credit method, with one developer saying its technical requirements have led to them cancelling projects.  

Authorities say there is 'more significant rain to come' in north Queensland, amid warnings to residents not to return to flooded homes. Dams and river catchments from Mackay to Cairns remain swollen from a week of heavy rain, which has dumped more than 1.2 metres at some locations. More than 400 people – mostly in Townsville, Ingham and Cardwell – are in evacuation shelters after being advised on Sunday to flee

• North Queensland floods: hundreds evacuated, dozens rescued as 1.2m of rain dumped in some areas

• Queensland floods: authorities ready for ‘likelihood of more flooding’ – video

• Heatwave warning as ‘intensely hot’ weather continues in south-eastern Australia

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WA awarded more than $20 million to create "Australia's first live DER marketplace," in race to integrate the state's huge rooftop solar resource before the end of the decade.

The post “Huge moment:” Major push to harness home PV, batteries and EVs on world’s biggest isolated grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

German region received 440,000 complaints against wind projects. Most came from a single group, with one person writing 565.

The post Wind farm objections: In Germany, one group of protesters averaged 64 complaints per person appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Feral cats, foxes and dingoes are routinely baited to protect wildlife and livestock. But does it matter what kind of bait is used? Do cats ignore it? Pat Taggart, Adjunct Fellow in Ecology, University of Adelaide Daniel Noble, Associate Professor in Evolutionary Ecology, Australian National University Yong Zhi Foo, DECRA Research Fellow in Biological Science, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Community consultation has begin on the creation of the Hunter-Central Coast renewable energy zone, which is featuring an upgrade of existing network capacity rather than new transmission lines, and which could emerge as a model for future plans. The state government has said the Hunter-Central Coast REZ will be the first in Australia to focus […]

The post “Putting fatter lines on poles:” Consultation begins on renewable zone for nation’s coal hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Brookfield, with $1.5 trillion in assets and now in control of Neoen, says demand and prospects for low cost wind, solar and battery storage has never been better.

The post Customers will take as much wind and solar as they can “because they are the cheapest,” says Brookfield appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Dutton's latest claim that the Coalition's nuclear policy will cut electricity bills by 44% has been slammed as "either dangerously ill-informed" or a lie – and new modelling shows why.

The post Lies, damned lies and Coalition energy economics: Dutton’s latest nuclear claim slammed appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wind and solar are not far from overtaking coal and gas in Australia's main grid. But market volatility is affecting prices. Are they being manipulated?

The post Know your NEM: The jaw tightens as wind and solar gets ready to overtake coal and gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

BoM forecasts high of 39C in Melbourne and 41C in Adelaide with cool change not expected until Tuesday or Wednesday

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South-eastern states sweltering in a heatwave may be waiting until late Tuesday or Wednesday for a cool change to bring some relief.

Melbourne and Adelaide were in for another very hot day on Monday, after highs of 38C and 39C on Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting Adelaide to reach 41C and Melbourne 39C on Monday, followed by another hot day on Tuesday for both cities.

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Bird protection will be front of mind for Goldwind after four key species found at its proposed Bashan wind farm site in Tasmania.

The post Goldwind promises improved eagle detection at new Tasmania wind project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Some tropical lows are stalling, dumping huge volumes of rain – and climate change is playing a role

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Record-breaking floods across north Queensland have turned deadly, with one woman drowning while being rescued on Sunday. And the flood waters were still rising, with rain set to continue.

With reports of up to one metre of rainfall in parts of north-east Queensland, the heaviest rain has fallen between Lucinda to Townsville in northern Queensland as the Bureau of Meteorology warns the big wet will continue for days.

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This article originally appeared in the Conversation. Steve Turton is an adjunct professor of environmental geography at CQUniversity Australia

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One of Scotland's biggest plastic problems, the Arrochar litter sink, sits at the head of the scenic loch.