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Regional Carbon Specialist Asia-Pacific, One Tree Planted – Remote
Leaders meet to try to pass a UN treaty to protect oceans
Relief as ministers reset energy future and bury Coalition’s “technology neutral” sham
Ministers and the clean energy industry have celebrated Friday's key decisions that clear path for switch to renewables, but still many details to resolve.
The post Relief as ministers reset energy future and bury Coalition’s “technology neutral” sham appeared first on RenewEconomy.
“World’s biggest” solar and storage project on track for state approval
Plans to build a 300MW solar plant with 3.6GWh of storage capacity get Crown Sponsorship from the SA government for development approval.
The post “World’s biggest” solar and storage project on track for state approval appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Queensland needs an ambitious 10 year energy plan to catch the green wave
If Queensland acts strongly now, it can become a dominant player renewable energy exports and secure its future energy independence.
The post Queensland needs an ambitious 10 year energy plan to catch the green wave appeared first on RenewEconomy.
England ‘failing to invest in water networks to avoid future droughts’
Government policy amounts to ‘keeping fingers crossed’ rather than acting to adapt to changing climate, says infrastructure chief
England is failing to invest in the water networks needed to avoid a future of recurrent serious droughts, with current policies amounting to the government “keeping [its] fingers crossed”, the UK’s infrastructure chief has warned.
The current drought was a warning that water systems could not cope with the changing climate, with more hot dry spells interspersed with heavier rainfall, said Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission.
Continue reading...Tall timber buildings are exciting, but to shrink construction's carbon footprint we need to focus on the less sexy 'middle'
The Guardian view on Biden’s green deal: leadership after Trump’s denialism | Editorial
The first major climate law passed in the US comes not a moment too soon for a burning planet
When the House of Representatives passed landmark climate legislation on Friday, Joe Biden chalked up one of the surprise successes of his presidency. Only last month his ambitious agenda appeared sunk after a conservative Democrat and coal baron, Joe Manchin, refused to back it. His vote is crucial in an evenly divided Senate. However, the climate proposals were largely resurrected in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), co-authored by Mr Manchin, which Congress approved.
The first major US climate law comes not a moment too soon. It is the country’s best and last opportunity to meet its goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and, with it, a world where net zero by mid-century is possible. After Donald Trump, Mr Biden can reclaim the mantle of global climate leadership for the US. But the act reveals the limits of his power.
Continue reading...Australia has a steep hill to climb on electric cars – but if ever there was a time, it’s now | Adam Morton
Consumers say yes, the numbers add up, industry is largely on board and Labor has no policy hang-ups. This week could be the turning point
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Last week an acquaintance who owns a secondhand Japanese electric car, brought to Australia as part of a bulk purchase by the Good Car Company, posted a quiet boast. His wife had put their Nissan Leaf in for its annual service. No major problems were found – just an underinflated tyre. The total bill? $120.
Reading that sent me to the mess of my glovebox to work out how much I had paid mechanics to keep my Subaru Outback running over the past year. It added up to more than $700.
Continue reading...Thames Water accused of ignoring warnings after hundreds in Surrey endure days without water
Lib Dem councillor calls for company to be fined over the incident
Thames Water has been accused of repeatedly ignoring warnings about cuts to supplies and burst pipes in Surrey where hundreds of households had to endure three days without tap water at the height of this weekend’s heatwave.
Residents, including some that were vulnerable, had to queue for bottled water on Saturday in temperatures of well over 30C (86F) after a pump failure at Netley Mill treatment works.
Continue reading...Freya the walrus euthanised after troubling crowds in Oslo fjord
Young 600kg female had been basking in waters of Norway’s capital and attracting crowds who disturbed her rest
A walrus nicknamed Freya that attracted crowds while basking in the sun in the Oslo fjord has been euthanised.
“The decision to euthanise was taken on the basis of a global evaluation of the persistent threat to human security,” the head of Norway’s fisheries directorate, Frank Bakke-Jensen, said in a statement.
Continue reading...Drought in England could carry on into new year, experts warn
Without lots of heavy rain in autumn and winter, water restrictions could be tightened even further
South-east England could be tipped into severe and devastating drought without above-average rainfall this winter, while current water use restrictions in London and surrounding areas are expected to last until the new year even if rainfall returns, ministers have been told. Severe drought would mean even tighter restrictions, such as bans on non-essential uses of water including cleaning windows and filling and maintaining swimming pools.
Though it is too soon to forecast weather for this winter, anything less than substantial rainfall could lead to London being placed under much stricter measures next year, experts have told the Observer. One Whitehall source said officials were being told to prepare for a potential severe drought throughout the south-east.
Continue reading...‘There’s a nagging fear’: the village that can’t rely on running water
Residents of Everton, Bedfordshire, have learned to live with an on-off supply, and are always prepared for the worst
Yvonne Hinde opens her fridge to reveal three big bottles of water. There are two buckets full in her garden. “We have to be prepared,” she says. She isn’t being dramatic. Like other residents of Everton in Bedfordshire, Hinde, 59, a childminder, can no longer take running water for granted.
Since the start of July the supply has been severely interrupted or cut off five times. Often the taps run dry for hours at a time. The problems have forced the pub to close and the village school to tell children to stay at home. “It makes life really difficult,” says Hinde, who is forced to close her business when the water isn’t running.
Continue reading...EU firefighters rally as wildfire burns in south of France – video
France’s biggest wildfire, which has been burning since Tuesday, spread by high temperatures and dry conditions, has destroyed more than 7,400 hectares of forest in Gironde.
Firefighters from across the EU rallied, most stationed along a 26-mile (40km) active fire-front in the south-west, where the blaze that some have described as 'monstrous' continued to devastate pine forests. The aid rushed to France to help battle wildfires is an unprecedented show of international solidarity
Europe’s rivers run dry as scientists warn drought could be worst in 500 years
Crops, power plants, barge traffic, industry and fish populations devastated by parched waterways
In places, the Loire can now be crossed on foot; France’s longest river has never flowed so slowly. The Rhine is fast becoming impassable to barge traffic. In Italy, the Po is 2 metres lower than normal, crippling crops. Serbia is dredging the Danube.
Across Europe, drought is reducing once-mighty rivers to trickles, with potentially dramatic consequences for industry, freight, energy and food production – just as supply shortages and price rises due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bite.
Continue reading...Dorset blaze probably caused by disposable barbecue – firefighters
Dorset and Wiltshire fire service reports 492% increase in number of August wildfires compared with 2021
A large blaze at a Dorset nature reserve was most likely caused by a barbecue, firefighters have said.
Firefighters battled through the night to bring the fire at Studland Heath under control on Friday.
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