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Government accused of ‘shocking’ choice to dilute protection standards in first animal welfare policy

Labour is using its first animal welfare policy since entering government to dilute standards by legalising the harmful practice of carrying chickens by their legs, charities have said.

European transport regulation 1/2005, which still applies in the UK, prohibits lifting chickens by their legs on farms and during loading and unloading, but the government is going to change the law to permit the widespread but illegal method, according to the Animal Law Foundation.

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Ed Miliband seems happy to see the landscape blighted. We value townscape – everywhere else has to fend for itself

Does Labour believe in beauty? The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, celebrated his arrival in office this summer by permitting three of the largest solar panel arrays in Britain. One, a Suffolk array covering nearly 2,800 acres, was described by a county councillor as “the poorest infrastructure application that I have ever dealt with”.

Now Miliband is demanding a procession of pylons filling the glorious Amber Valley in the Derbyshire uplands. Another parade of 420 pylons, each nearly as tall as Nelson’s column, will run down the east of England from Grimsby to Walpole, near King’s Lynn in Norfolk. The government also wants to allow the return of onshore wind turbines, overriding local objections.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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EU Allowance prices extended their weakness for a fourth session as the week neared its end, falling in line with weakening natural gas prices as geopolitical tensions appeared to be easing, while bearish positioned traders continued to pressure the carbon market.

Prices in China's national emissions market hit a record high over the past week, as the market continued to gain momentum amid growing compliance demand. 

The biodiversity credit space in Africa could evolve from a small-scale market to a 'nature economy superpower' if clear regulations and fair prices are implemented, as progress in monitoring and transparency are proving the continent's potential, a Swiss-headquartered non-profit said.

High blood concentrations of ‘forever chemical’ compound PFOS linked to problems falling asleep and waking up

Some of the most common types of PFAS may cause sleep disorders in young adults, new research finds, and the study’s authors for the first time identified how the chemicals probably impact the brain to cause disruptions.

The peer-reviewed University of Southern California (USC) study looked at PFAS levels in the blood of adults between 19 and 24 years old, and found those in the highest one-third slept an average of about 80 fewer minutes nightly than those in the lowest third.

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Exclusive: Data on number and nature of wildfires at odds with claims of landowner seeking to ban wild camping

Wild camping is not a significant fire risk on Dartmoor, data shows, despite claims by a wealthy landowner who has been trying to ban the practice.

The supreme court is deciding on a case brought by the hedge fund manager Alexander Darwall, who is seeking to remove the right to camp on Dartmoor without landowner permission.

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Hail swath estimated at 120 miles damages crops in western Victoria as winds break windows and rip tiles from roofs

On Wednesday, the Australian state of Victoria was hit by thunderstorms. The town of Casterton was particularly badly affected, receiving 21mm of rain in just 30 minutes, followed by large hailstones.

Vehicles and properties were severely damaged, with reports of broken windows and tiles blown off roofs due to strong winds.

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Biomethane could seriously help decarbonise energy and the world’s gas supply, given it is considered a low-carbon source on a net lifecycle basis, but policy, incentives, and pricing need to improve, an energy consultancy said this week.

China saw annual growth in thermal power production outpace total power output in September, while hydro posted a double-digit annual decline, according to government data released Friday.

The Indian government has approved a list of sectors to participate in the domestic voluntary market under the country's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), based on the recommendations of the market's steering committee.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

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Australia’s Nature Repair Market (NRM) rules need greater transparency and additionality assurances to increase investor confidence, while the government must lead investment in order help support its fundamentals, stakeholders have urged.

Ric Brazzale from Green Energy Markets discusses what’s happening in key markets for renewables, emissions, efficiency and electrification. Plus, news of the week.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: The trouble with markets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Low-income households are attracted to more affordable housing in areas at higher risk of floods and other extreme events. But many then find they cannot afford soaring insurance premiums. Jens O. Zinn, T.R. Ashworth Associate Professor in Sociology, The University of Melbourne Julia Plass, Scientific Assistant, Bayreuth University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Thinktank says government should set up arm’s-length company to buy Harland & Wolff site, which is in administration

The UK government should set up an arm’s-length company to buy the Harland & Wolff naval shipyard in Belfast as part of a drive to repurpose arms manufacturing towards producing green infrastructure, according to a report.

The study from the thinktank Common Wealth is launching what it describes as a “Lucas Plan for the 21st century” setting out how the UK’s military industrial capacity can be transformed into a supply pipeline for green energy, benefiting workers, communities and the environment.

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Australian off-grid power specialist to deliver its biggest solar farm yet, as part of plans to power a remote Western Australia gold mine with more than 70% renewables.

The post Gold giant orders biggest off grid solar farm yet as it combines renewables to slash remote mine diesel costs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A new company offering solar and battery storage "as a service" for commercial and industrial customers has launched under the leadership of former SwitchDin CEO Andrew Mears.

The post New venture promises to slash power costs using solar, battery storage and “radical transparency” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Labor has a whole list of great energy policy achievements, but it doesn't appear capable of selling them. We look at what they have done, and what they should do.

The post Federal Labor has great energy policy achievements, but they can’t sell them appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Big generation companies seize on unplanned baseload and network outages to cause a spike in wholesale electricity prices in September, and reverse the long-term downward trend in some states.

The post Rapacious utilities send power prices soaring as they seize on coal and network faults, and low wind output appeared first on RenewEconomy.