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Humpback whale tangled in 800kg of fishing equipment rescued off Gippsland coast
Rescue operation run by specialised whale disentanglement crews cut off ropes and buoys to let it to swim freely again
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A humpback whale which became tangled in 800kg of fishing equipment has been rescued off the Gippsland coast, almost a week after it was first seen to be in trouble.
The whale was spotted near Loch Sport in Central Gippsland on Sunday 23 June by a commercial helicopter, but then disappeared until Friday when it was seen near Lake Tyers off the south-east coast.
Continue reading...Rescue team cuts 800kg of tangled ropes and buoy from humpback whale off Gippsland coast – video
The full-size adult whale was first spotted a week earlier with approximately 200 metres of rope and fishing buoys wrapped around it. In a multi-agency operation, rescuers were able to free the animal of 800kg ropes and buoys. However, because of how the rope was wrapped around the whale and safety concerns for rescuers, the crew were not able to disentangle all of the rope. Ellen Dwyer, an incident controller in the rescue team, says they are 'pleased' they have been able to 'successfully remove a significant amount of weight and rope from the whale'
Humpback whale tangled in rope rescued off New South Wales coast – video
Low-flying drones could disrupt whale migration off Australia’s east coast, experts warn
‘Weird and cool’: bilby genome sequence could help to save the species
Bilbies have the biggest genome of any marsupial, which could be down to how it evolved its incredible sense of smell
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Genetic research has revealed the threatened Australian native bilby – with its ridiculously oversized ears and stretched snout – does not only look odd from the outside.
“Bilbies are weird and cool. The genome has been fascinating,” said Prof Carolyn Hogg, of the University of Sydney, who led research that sequenced the greater bilby’s genome for the first time.
Continue reading...Turbine fire at Victoria wind farm under investigation
The post Turbine fire at Victoria wind farm under investigation appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Arctic 'dirty fuel' ban for ships comes into force
EU firms thrive under higher ETS carbon costs, IMF-backed study finds
Baby it’s cold inside: here’s how to warm up your chilly old Australian home
Retrofitting for better energy efficiency often doesn’t require dramatic structural change. Some simple steps can make a big difference
If you own or rent one of Australia’s 6 million-plus homes built 30 years ago or more, the words “coldest start to winter” can be especially depressing.
These older dwellings are leaky, rely heavily on heating and cooling, and emit more carbon than modern homes. This exacerbates health issues, spikes bills and notches up emissions. “Before time” houses, built prior to the National Construction Code’s introduction of energy standards in 2003, typically score just 1.8 stars on the 10-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. New builds are generally rated between 6 and 7 stars.
Continue reading...Toxic PFAS absorbed through skin at levels higher than previously thought
Absorption through skin could be ‘significant source of exposure’ to toxic forever chemicals, study shows
New research “for the first time proves” toxic PFAS forever chemicals are absorbed through human skin, and at levels much higher than previously thought.
Though modeling and research has suggested the dangerous chemicals are absorbed through skin, University of Birmingham researchers say they used lab-grown tissue that mimics human skin to determine how much of a dose of PFAS compounds can be absorbed.
Continue reading...UK haulage industry calls for investment in electric truck infrastructure
There are just 300 electric HGVs in the 500,000-strong lorry fleet – and only one public charging point, says RHA
The road haulage industry is calling on the new government to urgently tackle investment in infrastructure for electric trucks, after pointing out there is just one public charging point for HGVs in the whole of the UK.
Takeup of electric cars is soaring, with about 1.1m fully battery-powered cars on British roads and about 63,000 charging units in 33,000 locations, according to Zapmap data.
Continue reading...I saw firsthand just how much fracking destroys the earth | Rebecca Solnit
We’ve been making short-term decisions about our planet for a long time. The consequences are horrific to behold
The slashing rain turned the dirt roads into muddy creeks, the bus’s wipers shoved the torrent back and forth across the windshield, and Don Schreiber handled the wheel like Sandra Bullock in Speed as he wisecracked from under a big gray moustache. The vehicle swerved and slid in the storm, lightning flashed on the horizon, thunder shook the air. Whether the old yellow bus would make it back to the ranch house, get stuck or slide and flip depended on his driving.
Don, in his white Stetson and a blue and white checked western shirt, was our tour guide on this land in northwestern New Mexico that he knew intimately and had dedicated his retirement to protecting. When he and his wife Jane Schreiber bought the ranchland about 200 miles north-west of Santa Fe in 1999 to retire to, they – like many westerners – found that they owned the land, but not the subsurface rights. The fracking boom came, and gas companies began gouging holes for gas wells, laying pipelines and cutting roads across the fragile desert soil. Big trucks rolled across the land night and day to service the wells that studded the landscape. At the well we stopped at, the pressure gauge was broken.
Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist. She is the author of Orwell’s Roses and co-editor with Thelma Young Lutunatabua of the climate anthology Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility
Continue reading...More than 420 neighbourhood batteries approved to boost rooftop solar and storage capacity
The post More than 420 neighbourhood batteries approved to boost rooftop solar and storage capacity appeared first on RenewEconomy.
If you’re cold and miserable this winter in your freezing Australian home, try this fun game | Deirdre Fidge
Cold or Wet? You think, squishing a sock betwixt red, swollen fingers. Cold or Wet? You wonder as you slide into icy sheets
Complaining is a universal language that creates social bonds quicker than chatting about positive topics. In these economic times it is a cheap way to treat yourself. When was the last time you had a little whinge? I indulged mere moments ago. Some call it negativity, I call it self-care, and there’s no better time than winter to complain because it is so cold.
My daily winter outfit in our sunburnt country is leggings, thermals, hoodie, flannelette shirt, beanie and slippers, and I’m considering buying gloves and a balaclava due to chilblains. Along with draping myself in blankets this has been a staple winter outfit for years in Melbourne and Sydney houses prone to mould, crumbling foundations and draftiness that could be attributed to poor insulation or ghosts. I like to imagine ghosts because they’re less spooky than landlords.
Continue reading...More than 100 dolphins stranded in shallow water around Cape Cod
Volunteers work to herd Atlantic white-sided dolphins found Friday in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, into deeper water
More than 100 dolphins have become stranded in the shallow waters around Cape Cod on Friday in what an animal welfare group is calling “the largest single mass stranding event” in the organization’s 25-year history.
A group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were found Friday in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, about 100 miles south-east of Boston, in an area called the Gut – or Great Island at the Herring River – which experts have said is the site of frequent strandings, due in part to its hook-like shape and extreme tidal fluctuations.
Continue reading...Tory deputy chair dismissed sewage crisis as ‘political football’
Angela Richardson accuses campaigners against polluted water of putting Conservative MPs in danger
The Conservative party deputy chair Angela Richardson called the sewage crisis a “political football” and claimed opposition parties and activists had put Tory MPs in physical danger by campaigning on the issue.
Richardson, who is standing for re-election in Guildford, where the River Wey was recently found to have 10 times the safe limit of E coli, also suggested the only reason people were talking about the problem was “because the Conservatives let everyone know it was happening”.
Continue reading...“They just fit in with what we do:” Farmers reap rewards as they play host to wind and solar
The post “They just fit in with what we do:” Farmers reap rewards as they play host to wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.
SwitchedOn podcast: The fully electric home that makes money and cuts emissions
The post SwitchedOn podcast: The fully electric home that makes money and cuts emissions appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 accelerates net zero efforts with carbon removal credit purchases
Canada clean fuels supply triples from rising imports, weighing on credit prices
Canada modifies carbon intensity values of several feedstocks for Fuel Life Cycle Assessment Model
Speculators book profits as RGAs peak, add V25 CCA length
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