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Almost a million tonnes of cotton grown on deforested mega estates in Brazil’s biodiverse Cerrado region have been linked to the production of clothing and homeware for two of the world’s largest retailers, finds an investigation by an environmental NGO.

Proper biodiversity conservation requires long-term commitments to protect areas of land and water, as laid down in international guidelines. James Fitzsimons, Adjunct Professor in Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The latest prototype shows energy beams can be directed from Earth, the latest step towards shooting electricity via microwaves from space.

The post Solar farms in space may get real after tests on wireless energy beam appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Concern that the Great Barrier Reef may be suffering the most severe mass coral bleaching event on record has escalated after a conservation group released footage showing damage to the reef deep below the surface.

Dr Selina Ward, a marine biologist and former academic director of the University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station, says it is the worst bleaching she had seen in 30 years working on the reef. 'It's absolutely heartbreaking,' she says.

Ward says Australia can't expect to save the reef while opening new fossil fuel developments. 'We really are running out of time. We need to reduce our emissions immediately.'

• Great Barrier Reef suffering ‘most severe’ coral bleaching on record as footage shows damage 18 metres down

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Increase of 2% last year driven by plant expansion in China and slowdown in US and Europe closures

The world’s coal power capacity grew for the first time since 2019 last year, despite warnings that coal plants need to close at a rate of at least 6% each year to avoid a climate emergency.

A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown of plant closures in Europe and the US.

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Construction is underway on first stage of one of Australia's biggest batteries, designed to support a major data centre and help usher coal off the grid.

The post Quinbrook starts construction of 2GWh Supernode battery, backed by Origin offtake deal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Anthony Albanese wants us to look into his crystal ball of innovation

• See more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here

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Stakeholders voiced support for an increased step-down in the 2025 carbon intensity (CI) reduction benchmark, and expressed an array of enthusiasm, concern, and confusion regarding the role of biofuels in California's transportation system, at an informal workshop on Wednesday to discuss proposed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS).

Marine researcher ‘devastated’ by widespread event that is affecting coral species usually resistant to bleaching

Concern that the Great Barrier Reef may be suffering the most severe mass coral bleaching event on record has escalated after a conservation group released footage showing damage up to 18 metres below the surface.

Dr Selina Ward, a marine biologist and former academic director of the University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station, said it was the worst bleaching she had seen in 30 years working on the reef, and that some coral was starting to die.

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Pacific Energy lands new $350 million debt facility as it seeks to accelerate rollout of remote and off-grid renewable energy systems.

The post Pacific Energy boosts debt facility to fund roll out of remote and off-grid renewable systems appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Neoen, Tesla and Iberdrola want a change to a rule they say stop batteries acting like batteries, and will prevent them from offering critical grid services.

The post Tesla and Neoen say big batteries are hamstrung by new rules, and that’s bad for grid security appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A global investor intends to vote against Woodside Energy’s climate strategy at its upcoming annual general meeting, in part over its reliance on carbon credits to meet the company’s Scope 1 and 2 emission reduction targets, it announced Wednesday.

Two Brazilian states expect the issuance of their first batch of carbon credits in the next week and within the next few months, and also anticipate volumes in the hundreds of millions more in the future, as both continue their efforts to develop the carbon market in their jurisdictions.

California regulator ARB issued the highest number of compliance-grade offsets thus far this year and all with direct environmental benefits (DEBs) to the state, raising year-to-date totals above 2023 levels for the first time, data published Wednesday showed.

Prime minister to unveil plans for a Future Made in Australia Act, proposing taxpayer-funded incentives to advance the manufacturing and clean energy industries.

The post Future made in Australia: Albanese’s plan for green manufacturing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Concerns have been raised over how the EU allocates revenue from its carbon pricing mechanisms, specifically the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the EU Emission Trading System (ETS).

Upcoming negotiations at the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) meeting in Canada on a ‘global plastics treaty’ must set targets to reduce plastics production, a policy officer at Ocean Conservancy told Carbon Pulse, though the private sector favours recycling.

Commercially viable biodiversity-related investments in developing economies for climate adaptation have been identified in a guide by Standard Chartered, KPMG, and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

VisitAHeatPump service allows householders to look and ask questions about low-carbon system

UK householders considering swapping their gas boiler for an electric heat pump could see how they work by visiting an early adopter in their area.

A new service aims to help would-be heat pump owners to book a visit with households that already have one installed, through a website launched by the innovation charity Nesta.

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Garnaut-led Zen Energy plans 1GW, 8 GWh pumped hydro project in old coal pit west of Sydney to soak up rooftop solar.

The post Zen plans giant 1GW pumped hydro project at former coal pit to address solar duck appeared first on RenewEconomy.