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Scientists race to discover new species before destruction of natural world drives them to extinction

From a toadstool with teeth to a vine smelling of marzipan and a flower that has cheated its way out of having to photosynthesise, a weird and wonderful host of new plant and fungus species have been discovered in 2024.

Other plants given scientific names for the first time include beautiful new orchids, a ghostly palm and a hairy plant that appears to have stolen a gene from an unrelated family. The species are among the 172 new plants and fungi named by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and their partners.

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Chris Bowen describes Peter Dutton's nuclear plan as a political "con job", and says while Labor's policies are starting to deliver there is more to do.

The post Dutton’s nuclear plan a “con job” and a recipe for blackouts, says Bowen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California’s carbon market watchdog postponed its draft 2024 annual report to early January to integrate committee input, as a Wednesday meeting heard divergent views on laguage related to offsets and carbon management.

How would Freud diagnose the pro-nuclear and anti-renewable lobbies? Do not be surprised if it involves phallic symbols and nostalgic idealisation. Plus, a musical assessment.

The post Power, control and symbolic masculinity: How Freud might diagnose the pro nuclear lobby appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Victorian power distributors say they want to be among the first in the world to own and operate kerbside electric vehicle chargers that would be installed on their network of power poles. The idea of kerbside charging is not new, with Ausgrid running a program in New South Wales to help boost public charging infrastructure, and some […]

The post Victoria networks want to be the first to own and install EV kerbside chargers on their power poles appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has proposed simplifying the transparency regime for EU Allowances under its final report on amendments to MiFIR Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS 2).

Australia’s carbon market oversight body has launched a consultation on whether the coal mine waste gas method still meets its offset integrity standards (OIS) and whether it should be remade when it is due to expire in March next year.

Transgrid’s massive HumeLink transmission line, considered crucial to unlocking capacity of Snowy Hydro 2.0, has been given the federal green tick.

The post Contested HumeLink transmission line gets federal green tick to connect Snowy 2.0 to the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US Department of Energy has eroded the fossil fuel industry's arguements for ramping up fossil gas exports, with direct relevance for Australia.

The post US DoE report busts LNG myth, says fossil gas exports are bad for consumers and the planet appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Poland, Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria have the potential to at least triple clean technology exports, strengthening the EU’s economy at a time of mounting worries over the bloc’s deteriorating competitiveness, the World Bank said on Thursday.

A UN tender to build a centralised registry system for carbon trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement has been cancelled, Carbon Pulse has learned, though an interim solution is expected to be operational by year’s end.

The international carbon standard released Wednesday provisional versions of allocated deforestation risks maps for three Brazilian states within recently revamped REDD methodologies under its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

Fewer cows on the farm and a broader range of farming practices, including involvement in the emerging alternative proteins industry, could help New Zealand’s dairy sector remain viable. Milena Bojovic, PhD Candidate, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Biden administration released guidance Tuesday to encourage policies that reduce imports of commodities and products driving illegal deforestation.

The US EPA granted California authority on Wednesday to adopt the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations for light-duty vehicles, effectively banning the sale of new gasoline vehicles by 2035, amid threats of repeal under the forthcoming Trump administration.

New rule change is progress for Australian consumers seeking to get the most out of investments in rooftop solar, batteries and efficient electric appliances. But experts warn that the devil is in the detail.

The post “Eye glasses for the grid:” New rules pave way for consumer energy to compete with coal and gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Under a federal mandate to acquire 100% zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035, 11 US government agencies have not met their interim targets, a watchdog study published Tuesday said, with future prospects largely outside of the agencies' control.

Genome analysis of New Zealand’s forest parrot kākā has so far found no genetic differences between its two subspecies. This could allow for more relocations of birds between populations. Michael Knapp, Associate Professor in Biological Anthropology, University of Otago Denise Martini, Postdoctoral Researcher in Bioinformatics, University of Verona Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our bodies have hard limits as to how much heat and humidity we can tolerate. Lethal humid heat is a growing threat Emma Ramsay, Research Affiliate in Climate Adaptation, Monash University Shanta Barley, Adjunct Lecturer in Ecology, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The US DOE's loan office should suspend all loan and loan guarantee packages until it can ensure that its contracts are in compliance with conflict-of-interest regulations, a report published Tuesday by the agency's watchdog said.