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It’s that time of year when homes fill with hairy eight-legged monsters. At least they keep the flies under control …

It is giant spider season and I am delighted. As someone who is ravaged by flying insects all summer, I welcome these eight-legged death machines into my home with open arms. Speckle-backed Tegeneria? Be my guest! I would far rather something that looks like an animated tomato stalk occasionally scuttled across my curtain than be beset by a swarm of fruit flies, bluebottles or midges. I have even heard that spiders might eat clothes moths, although I think for them to have a significant impact on numbers I would have to lean even further into my Miss Havisham alter ego and stroll around bedecked by webs.

I wasn’t always this way. As a child, I was as terrified of spiders as I am today by droughts and unfiled tax returns. I would watch in amazed horror as my country-born mother picked up arachnids the size and heft of dogs and calmly threw them out the window. There were whole cupboards I refused to open for fear of spiders. Once, after accidentally walking into a web during a game of hide and seek, I actually vomited at the thought of a spider being close to my skin (they found me quite quickly after that).

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On my return to the UK from Brazil I’ve seen how northern latitudes are behaving like the equatorial margins

Returning to British suburbia from the Brazilian Amazon is always disconcerting, but it has been doubly weird in the past few days because the London commuter belt has been inundated with volumes of rain that normally belong in the tropics.

Mini-tornadoes, flash floods and the dumping of a month’s worth of rain in a single day have flooded transport hubs, high street pubs, and the shrubs of semidetached homes.

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!

It isn’t fit for humans now,

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A South Africa-based conservation NGO has announced a $1-billion plan to scale nature preservation efforts across Africa, including through strengthening the network of protected areas (PAs).

The UK ETS Authority has proposed moving the start of the second allocation period from 2026 to 2027, extending the current period to include 2026, it said Thursday.

The EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme for road transport and heating fuels (ETS2) is turning into a “political minefield” as EU countries accuse Brussels of imposing higher fuel costs on households, said a senior EU lawmaker who warned against “a populist situation” taking root.

The next phase for an international bioeconomy that sustainably uses natural resources needs to be countries delivering more national strategies on the topic, a NatureFinance executive has said.

Norway has extended its multimillion-dollar rainforest protection initiative to 2035, according to a government statement.

Industry insiders are angry that Victorians will have to pay networks' costs of complying with the new solar switch off mechanism.

The post Solar industry irate as Victorians to bear cost of technology to switch off rooftop PV appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We take a drive in the new Polestar 3, and talk to the company's Australia boss Scott Maynard about the EV industry and the rollout of the company's new models.

The post The Driven Podcast: Polestar’s big play on electric SUVs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Korea should implement more proactive measures, such as accelerating the shift towards greener fuels, to reach its emissions reduction targets for the shipping sector, an environmental group has urged. 

Loved-up brown bears and whispering raccoons feature in this light-hearted look at a selection of finalists from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards. A winner will be announced on 10 December

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Carbon Brief says more than £800m will need to be spent in each of the next two years

The UK government has been failing to meet its commitments to fund nature protection in the developing world, and will need to double current spending to meet the targets, new data has shown.

Underspending on overseas climate aid by the previous Conservative government has meant spending averaged £450m a year for the three full years since 2021 – less than half the £3bn that was pledged for nature projects in poor countries.

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The electricity workforce will need to double in five years to achieve Australia’s 2030 renewable energy target. Jobs in energy storage alone will overtake domestic coal and gas jobs.

The post Energy storage jobs will soon overtake those in coal and gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Alinta and Parkwind awarded first feasibility licence in Southern Ocean offshore wind zone for 1.2 GW project that could help power the local smelter.

The post Alinta, Parkwind snag first offshore wind licence in Southern Ocean zone that could power smelter appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Māori used all parts of raupō for weaving and food, but the plant also kept lakes healthy. This connection between cultural and ecological roles means its fate is closely linked with people. Rewi Newnham, Professor in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More than 200 farms are inspected amid concerns an animal welfare certification scheme is failing.

Efforts to decarbonise the world economy are falling dangerously behind as the required rate of decarbonisation has surged to 20.4% annually to limit global warming to 1.5 C, according to a global consultancy.

The US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sought to embed some of the private sector's principles and standardisation for the voluntary carbon market (VCM) into its newly released guidance for trading carbon credit derivative contracts, the commission's chair said in New York on Wednesday.

A bipartisan pair of US senators introduced legislation Wednesday to make mine methane capture efforts eligible under 45Q tax credits for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Andrew Forrest unveils detailed plans to eliminate gas and diesel at his giant iron ore operations by 2030. "When will companies stop burning fossil fuels," he said.

The post “Net zero is a con:” Forrest outlines how Fortescue mines will eliminate fossil fuels by end of decade appeared first on RenewEconomy.