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Sweden to kill 20% of its brown bears in annual hunt

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-08-21 14:00

Conservationists say the number of hunting licences granted is too high and condemn it as ‘pure trophy hunting’

Sweden has issued licences to kill 20% of its brown bear population in the country’s annual bear hunt, which begins today, despite concerns from conservationists.

Officials have granted licences for just under 500 brown bears to be culled by hunters. That equates to about 20% of the total population, according to official figures, and would bring the number of bears in Sweden down to approximately 2,000 – a drop of almost 40% since 2008.

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Huge NT solar farm backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes gets environmental approval

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-08-21 13:07

Go-ahead given for first stage of $30bn SunCable project, which minister says will be ‘transformational’ for Northern Territory

The Australian government has given the green light to the first stages of what it describes as the country’s “biggest renewable energy project ever” – an ambitious proposal to send energy from a solar farm in the Northern Territory outback to Singapore via subsea cables.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said the approval under conservation law of SunCable’s $30bn-plus Australia-Asia Power Link was a “massive step towards making Australia a renewable energy superpower” and that the project would be “economically and socially transformational” for the NT.

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Placing agriculture into NZ ETS would have “torpedoed the economy”, minister says

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 12:28
The New Zealand economy would have been torpedoed had agriculture been folded into the emissions trading scheme next year, the country’s climate minister told a conference Tuesday, despite a senior Nestle executive warning the sector is not doing enough to reduce emissions to remain internationally competitive.
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Poor compliance and broad exemptions mean land clearing continues apace in northern Australia – despite our laws and pledges

The Conversation - Wed, 2024-08-21 11:04
Three years ago, Australia pledged to end deforestation by decade’s end. But land clearing continues due to legal exemptions and a lack of enforcement Hannah Thomas, PhD student in ecology, The University of Queensland Martine Maron, Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland Martin Taylor, Adjunct senior lecturer, The University of Queensland Michelle Ward, Lecturer, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Researchers urge US industrial carbon utilisation to reach net zero goals

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:57
CO2 utilisation can produce goods such as aviation fuels, pharmaceuticals, and concrete, but US federal agencies must develop systems that drive commercialisation and market demand, according to a report mandated by Congress and the Department of Energy (DOE).
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RGGI compliance entities expand allowance holdings in Q2, secondary market activity jumps -report

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:52
RGGI compliance entities expanded their allowance holdings during the April-June period even as their surplus shrank, while futures and options trading also grew substantially as credit prices rose to new records, according to a report published Tuesday.
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Sweden, Zambia sign Article 6 MoU

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:45
Sweden and Zambia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for bilateral climate cooperation under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, according to a statement by the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) on Tuesday.
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Brazilian carbon credit alliance defends REDD+ following Amazonas controversy

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:43
A Brazil-based nature-based solutions (NBS) industry group defended REDD+ projects on Monday in wake of recent recommendations by the public prosecutor of Amazonas state to halt all related activities affecting Indigenous and traditional communities.
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Compliance frameworks using offsets and CDR may steer VCM evolution, but quality concerns persist

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:31
Compliance-focused schemes that allow the use of offsets could shape the future of the voluntary carbon market (VCM) along with an increase in the usage of CO2 removal (CDR) credits, but quality concerns must be addressed to ensure growth, panellists told a webinar Tuesday.
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US carves out nearly $300 mln from IRA for SAF

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 10:23
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced $291 million in grants from Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds to projects that facilitate development and implementation of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
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Badger cull may have increased bovine TB risk in neighbouring herds – study

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-08-21 09:01

England’s controversial eradication scheme may have caused higher rates of disease in surrounding areas, research shows

England’s controversial badger cull may have increased the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) among herds in neighbouring areas, according to new research.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that although badger culling reduced incidences of tuberculosis in the areas where it took place, in neighbouring areas the risk of the disease in cattle increased by almost a third.

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Updated NDCs could see Australia’s big emitters reach net zero early, says consultancy

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-08-21 08:01
Australia’s heavy emitters could reach net zero before 2050, a date adopted by the country as well as many large companies, should baseline emissions reductions covered under the Safeguard Mechanism bump up.
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Yes, it’s difficult for governments to pick green industry winners – but it’s essential Australia tries

The Conversation - Wed, 2024-08-21 06:29
Governments around the world are intervening in the market to boost green industries. Picking winners like this comes with a chance of failure – but it’s not a reason to stop Llewelyn Hughes, Professor of Public Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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NZ’s electricity market is a mess. Rolling out rooftop solar would change the game

The Conversation - Wed, 2024-08-21 04:55
Energy Minister Simeon Brown wants to explore importing gas to prop up electricity generation – but subsidising the expansion of rooftop solar would be quicker, cheaper and more popular. Stephen Poletti, Associate Professor Energy Economics, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Bruce Mountain, Professor and Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Geoff Bertram, Visiting Scholar, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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‘We basically live in the jungle’: how one couple cooled their home naturally

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-08-21 04:11

John Boland and Chris Bryant use their garden to shade their house from Australia’s hot summers – and it helps feed them as well

As soon as John Boland moved into his house in inner-city Adelaide he got rid of the concrete and sheds and planted fruit trees. In the thirty years since, those trees have provided him with a third of his food and cooled his home so well that he doesn’t need air conditioning.

Deciduous trees on the western side of the house bathe the house in shade in the hot South Australian summer while letting in afternoon sun during winter. They also block hot breezes in summer and cold winds in winter.

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