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New wind and solar remain stalled at the gate, but battery starts are charging to new records
The post New wind and solar remain stalled at the gate, but battery starts are charging to new records appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Yes, five years in jail is too harsh, but the Just Stop Oil Five shouldn’t have done it | Sonia Sodha
The urgent needs of the road users they held up were ignored during this climate crusade
It was “a dark day”, according to a UN special rapporteur. Others lamented “a gross miscarriage of justice” and “a farce” marking “a low point in British justice”. Such language would not have been hyperbolic had they been talking about the review highlighting the failings that left Andrew Malkinson jailed for 17 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Or a recent travesty of the single justice procedure, the expedited closed-door process that saw a woman dying from stage 4 breast cancer convicted for non-payment of a TV licence. But it was actually referring to the handing down of five- and four-year prison sentences to five Just Stop Oil activists for their role in masterminding four days of serious motorway disruption: if we are to believe them, a grave affront to the right to protest.
There are certainly questions about whether the sentences for their offences are proportionate or appropriate in the context of the wider criminal justice system. But to suggest that freedom of conscience creates an unlimited right to cause other citizens harm is to fail to engage with the nature of their offence. And, more broadly, to misunderstand what it means to live in a democracy where we enjoy a right to noisy protest, but are also bound by obligations to each other that are framed by the rule of law that applies to us all equally.
Continue reading...Where are all the bats? – alarm as numbers fall in England
Decline blamed on washout summer driving down population of insects, butterflies and moths they feed on
Conservation groups across England are seeing more malnourished bats, as wildlife experts warn the washout summer is driving down the insects, butterflies and moths they feed on.
Groups across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Worcestershire, Essex and South Lancashire said they are seeing an increase in the number of “starving” or “underweight” bats, often juveniles, who need to be rescued and cared for by volunteers. In some places, they are seeing fewer bats than they usually do in the summer.
Continue reading...Czech nuclear deal shows CSIRO GenCost is too optimistic, and new nukes are hopelessly uneconomic
The post Czech nuclear deal shows CSIRO GenCost is too optimistic, and new nukes are hopelessly uneconomic appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Former Tilt boss to head newly emerging Australian renewables player
Australian renewable energy developer names former head of Tilt Renewables as executive chairman.
The post Former Tilt boss to head newly emerging Australian renewables player appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Colorado proposes rules to facilitate trading between industrial, EITE facilities under in-state carbon market
The great pylon pile-on: can councils’ opposition scupper Labour’s ‘clean power’ revolution?
The energy secretary’s plans to install thousands of pylons in unspoiled rural areas is facing a huge backlash
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has been warned he faces battlegrounds across the country over plans to install thousands of pylons in unspoiled rural areas to deliver a “clean power” revolution. Council leaders and communities oppose proposals for a vast new network of pylons across large parts of several counties, including Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
There are calls for community compensation of “hundreds of millions of pounds” if the schemes are pushed through.
Continue reading...NY Governor announces $100 mln to decarbonise the Empire State Plaza
US appeals court dismisses request to pause US EPA power plant rule
COT report shows CCA traders reposition to 2025, RGA compliance demand remains robust
Iowa lawmakers, local governments, landowners ask state to reconsider CO2 pipeline approval
Canada pours another C$71 mln into 2 Billion Trees programme despite past shortfalls
Algeria sets sights on CCS to lower national carbon footprint -media
DATA DIVE: Why the steel industry may have turned a corner on net zero
‘Not acceptable in a democracy’: UN expert condemns lengthy Just Stop Oil sentences
Michel Forst, UN special rapporteur, joins growing chorus of voices criticising jail terms handed to five defendants
The lengthy multi-year sentences handed to Just Stop Oil activists are “not acceptable in a democracy”, a UN special rapporteur has said, as the government faced growing pressure to reverse the previous administration’s “hardline anti-protest” approach.
Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur for environmental defenders, joined a growing chorus of voices condemning the sentences handed down to the five defendants for planning non-violent protests on the M25.
Continue reading...Azerbaijan launches Climate Finance Action Fund with initial target of $1 bln
Turkish parliament approves law to start taxing ship emissions
You may find Just Stop Oil annoying. You may dislike their tactics. But they do not belong in prison | Chris Packham and Dale Vince
These protesters are shouting ‘fire’ while the world burns. A society that locks them up cannot be called democratic
There’s a crisis in our prisons. Keir Starmer says it is “shocking”. Our jails are so full, police chiefs are warning it may soon be impossible to maintain even the most basic law and order. So here’s a radical proposal. Let’s stop locking up our truth tellers. The people who are shouting “fire” because there’s a fire. When they see we’re not moving fast enough and that the flames are getting higher, they know their responsibility is to shout out the message louder. Because they care. You probably know who we mean.
These people might be annoying. They might give you an earache. We might wish they would tone it down. But in a democratic society, they do not belong in prison. We need to be listening to them, not locking them up.
Chris Packham is a naturalist, environmental and animal welfare campaigner, author and television presenter on BBC Two’s Springwatch
Dale Vince is a green energy industrialist and campaigner and a Labour party donor
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Continue reading...Ten effective habits to adopt if you’re an eco-enthusiast | Abigail Austin
Regenerative farmers, philosophers, scientists and more offer their insights, from feeding your dog to finding your ‘enough’
- Change by Degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
- Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com
“What is one habit all eco-enthusiasts should adopt?” After a year of asking this on my podcast, The Eco Enthusiast, I’ve gathered 10 memorable and effective habits from regenerative farmers, philosophers, scientists, CEOs, and sustainability directors.
Here are the best insights I’ve learned so far.
Continue reading...‘Cutest animal in Australia’: keeping watch over greater gliders in a forest targeted for logging
Den trees used by the endangered species are off-limits to loggers so campaigners – among them former Treasury head Ken Henry and MP Sophie Scamps – register them to save them
Greater glider spotting is a meditative thing, says Bulga local Steve Fredericks.
“A bad night of glider spotting is better than a good night of television.
Continue reading...