Feed aggregator

Uniper became the latest major European utility on Thursday to report in financial results a significant drop in power generation covered by the EU's carbon market over the first quarter of the year.

As consumers turn to renewable and recyclable products, protests over industry’s use of misleading terms have proliferated

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking aim at greenwashing by big business with an update to its “Green Guides”, which would give the agency stronger legal cases against polluters by clarifying when companies’ deceptive marketing around sustainability and environmental responsibility violates federal law.

The move follows years of formal complaints filed with the FTC about often highly questionable claims made by fossil fuel companies, big agriculture, major food producers and other polluting industries.

Continue reading...

Vaulta's first international investor has joined its effort to make the battery industry more sustainable.

The post Brisbane recyclable battery start-up signs up first international investor appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Green group WWF and environmental impact firm Finance Earth have teamed up to launch a fund that seeks to catalyse over $100 million in investments in sustainable fisheries by the end of the decade.

Letter from panel member of fracking inquiry says key recommendations have not been fully implemented

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

A letter from one of the panel members of the Northern Territory’s fracking inquiry says the Fyles government has not fully implemented key recommendations, including those aimed at reducing the risk new gas developments pose for the climate.

Environment groups say it shows “serious outstanding issues” remain with plans to expand the gas industry in the Beetaloo Basin a day after the NT government cleared the way for a move from exploration to production.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia’s renewable energy transformation will require a huge amount of energy storage. We need Snowy 2.0 to succeed. Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand carbon allowances hit a 20-month low on Wednesday amid weak demand and ongoing market uncertainty, though observers believe recent policy movements by government could signal future improvements in market conditions.

Most wildlife is trafficked openly, while dark web markets sell animals, plants and fungi as drugs. But this could change if there’s a clampdown on open trade. Phill Cassey, Head, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Adelaide Adam Toomes, Ph.D. student at the Invasion Science & Wildlife Ecology Group, University of Adelaide Charlotte Lassaline, PhD Student, University of Adelaide Freyja Watters, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Jacob Maher, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide Oliver C. Stringham, Researcher, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Federal Labor must make crucial decisions on role of gas – and powerful fossil fuel lobby – or miss the opportunity to electrify Australia, Greens say.

The post Bandt says Australia is “petrol state” dealing with “last gasp” of gas lobby appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Gigawatt-scale solar projects planned for China’s Gobi Desert and other arid regions could have significant positive climate impacts, scientists find.

The post Giga-scale desert region solar plants may have positive climate impact appeared first on RenewEconomy.

World’s biggest grain trader accused of ‘shoddy due diligence’ on deforestation and alleged rights violations

The world’s largest grain trader, Cargill, is facing a first-ever legal challenge in the United States over its failure to remove deforestation and human rights abuses from its soya supply chain in Brazil.

ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, filed the formal complaint on Thursday, accusing Cargill of inadequate monitoring and a laggard response to the decline of the Amazon rainforest and other globally important biomes, such as the Cerrado savannah and the Atlantic Forest.

Soya beans bought from third-party traders, which make up 42% of all Brazilian soya Cargill purchases.

Soya beans owned by other companies that passes through Cargill ports.

Indirect land use change.

Soya sourced from the Cerrado savannah.

Soya sourced from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Continue reading...

Researchers were particularly excited by the discovery of dunnarts on Kangaroo Island, where fires ravaged up to 90% of their habitat

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

New photos of Australian wildlife in bushfire recovery areas, captured and analysed using artificial intelligence, have given new insights into the journey of vulnerable species back from natural disaster.

Researchers from WWF and Conservation International teamed up with local land managers to collect more than 7m photos from about 1,100 sensor-activated cameras in eight parts of Australia affected by bushfires in recent years.

Continue reading...

CEC and Acciona call for extension to federal Renewable Energy Target as Australia struggles to compete in the global clean energy race.

The post Extend the RET: Wind industry giants call for reboot of federal renewables incentive appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sundrive, a solar innovator backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes, says Australia can become a solar manufacturing powerhouse as it maps out plans for 5GW of PV capacity.

The post Solar innovator Sundrive maps out plan for 5GW of Australian PV manufacturing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Replacing 10 freight vehicles with EVs would have same impact as putting 56 electric cars on road, study shows

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Putting more electric trucks on Australian roads would cut transport pollution faster than electric cars could and governments should introduce grants and zero-emission zones to accelerate their adoption, a new report recommends.

The study, from the logistics firm Adiona Tech, also found that replacing 10 delivery trucks with electric models would have the same impact as putting 56 electric cars on the road.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Change will only come when protecting our unique wilderness comes over other considerations. There are concerning signs the Albanese government is not on board

The catastrophic environmental damage from Australia’s bushfires of 2019-20 is still playing out, but scientists now have a clear picture of what was been lost in that unprecedented summer and lessons that can be learned. It is set out in a recent book, Australian Megafires, which brings together the research and analysis of more than 200 experts in their field.

The scale of the impact is so vast that it is hard to get your head around. Fire burned the entire known habitat – every part of it – of more than 500 plant and animal species. At least 100 species that were already threatened with extinction before black summer had more than 50% of their habitat burnt. About 350 species and ecosystems either became threatened for the first time or were pushed closer to extinction.

Continue reading...

New energy minister Penny Sharpe praises work of Matt Kean and says she is looking to accelerate the state's renewable and storage roadmap.

The post Sharpe says she wants to accelerate NSW renewable and storage roadmap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Germany will increase its financing to climate action in developing countries, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced as the two-day Petersberg dialogue concluded in Berlin on Wednesday, pledging fresh funding to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

As the energy revolution gains pace, huge numbers of PV panels are already going to landfill. Many are still usable and even those that aren’t contain valuable materials that shouldn’t be discarded. Archie Chapman, Senior Lecturer, School of IT and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.