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The pursuit of ‘vanity height’ in skyscrapers is driven by aesthetic appeal and the status of being ‘the tallest’. Redefining how we measure building heights can help cut the environmental cost. James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dario Trabucco, Associate Professor, Building Technology, Università Iuav di Venezia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Concrete is poured and ready for delivery of 444 Tesla Megapack modules to make up one of the biggest grid-scale batteries in Australia.

The post Concrete slab awaits 444 Tesla Megapacks at Melbourne’s giant battery project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A sustainable rice platform has raised $14 million in Series A funding for improvement of its measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) technology and its expansion into Southeast Asia, with a focus on Vietnam and Indonesia.

A fifth of female climate scientists who responded to Guardian survey said they had opted to have no or fewer children

“I had the hormonal urges,” said Prof Camille Parmesan, a leading climate scientist based in France. “Oh my gosh, it was very strong. But it was: ‘Do I really want to bring a child into this world that we’re creating?’ Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket. I’m 62 now and I’m actually really glad I did not have children.”

Parmesan is not alone. An exclusive Guardian survey has found that almost a fifth of the female climate experts who responded have chosen to have no children, or fewer children, due to the environmental crises afflicting the world.

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Traded volumes for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) on spot and forward markets reached a 15-month high in April, according to observers, but the monthly unit issuance has fallen considerably, as the market keeps an eye on the raft of methodology work underway by the government.

Battery storage smashes output records in biggest oil and gas state in US, while milestones continue to tumble in California.

The post Big batteries smash records in biggest oil and gas state in US appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Victoria and Tasmania gets allocations in big renewable tender, NSW is capped, and projects will have to manage own negative price risk.

The post Victoria and Tasmania get allocations as details released for Australia’s biggest renewable tender appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Brisbane-based Redback Technologies is back in the battery and smart inverter business under the control of new owners, Australia Ebon Group.

The post Australian home battery maker out of administration and “here to stay” under new owners appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Every year there are fewer African penguins and soon there may be none at all, scientists warn.

A CO2 pipeline developer announced an agreement on Thursday to market carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits from its multi-billion-dollar carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure project that has yet to receive permitting approvals through several US Midwestern states.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices showed signs of retreat heading into the Q2 auction despite amassing weekly gains, while Washington Carbon Allowances (WCAs) fetched higher prices on limited market activity.

The US-based tech giant and a Rio de Janeiro-headquartered carbon offset developer announced Thursday an offtake agreement for 3 million tonnes worth of CO2 removal (CDR) credits from reforestation efforts focusing on Brazil's Atlantic biome.

The voluntary market is set to boost the UK’s heat pump target with the largest decarbonization homes project in the country under validation by Verra following a public consultation period, data from the standard body registry shows Thursday.

Fossil fuels generated less than a quarter of EU electricity for the first month ever in April amid a surge in renewable demand, according to new data.

One of the most common types of mosquito has been identified for the first time in locations across Scotland.

When it comes to storing carbon, alpine peatlands are powerhouses. But feral horse grazing and trampling tips the carbon balance in the other direction. We need to protect and restore our peatlands. Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University Samantha Grover, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Soil Science, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fresh warnings about polluted rivers from the environment watchdog are shocking but not surprising

A steady stream of stories about the shockingly poor state of Britain’s waterways has turned into a flood. In March, news that competitors in the Boat Race had been warned to stay out of the Thames due to sewage pollution travelled round the world. That the water industry is dysfunctional, and for years has enriched shareholders and executives at the expense of customers, is broadly recognised by the public. Anglers, surfers and swimmers have joined with environmentalists and the former pop star Feargal Sharkey to demand improvements. Polling last year suggested more than half of voters would take the government’s handling of sewage into account when deciding how to vote.

The latest warnings about the situation from Dame Glenys Stacey, the environment watchdog, are thus not surprising. But her data and analysis still have the power to shock. Under the worst-case assessment from the Office for Environmental Protection, just 21% of England’s rivers and other bodies of water will be in a good ecological state by the target date of 2027 – in contravention of the Environment Act.

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Farmers ‘on the brink’ after record rains, phasing out of EU subsidies and price volatility

British farmers are considering walking away from their farms as the recent record run of wet weather has left the sector “on the brink”, rural bodies have warned.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Soil Association raised concerns over the perilous situations facing many in their industry, with profits being squeezed and extreme weather driven by the climate crisis putting financial and mental strain on farm owners.

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Experts issue warning after finding global average concentration in March was 4.7ppm higher than same period last year

The largest ever recorded leap in the amount of carbon dioxide laden in the world’s atmosphere has just occurred, according to researchers who monitor the relentless accumulation of the primary gas that is heating the planet.

The global average concentration of carbon dioxide in March this year was 4.7 parts per million (or ppm) higher than it it was in March last year, which is a record-breaking increase in CO2 levels over a 12-month period.

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Move suggests homes will rely on electricity for low-carbon heating well into the future

A third pilot project to test the use of hydrogen heating in homes has been shelved by the UK government in the clearest sign to date that households will rely on electricity for low-carbon heating in the coming decades.

The government said it would shelve plans to develop a “hydrogen town” to test whether hydrogen could help to heat homes at scale before taking a final decision after 2026.

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