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The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced the $160m plan on Monday afternoon

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The federal and Queensland governments will phase out commercial gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area by mid-2027 and create new net-free zones to better protect endangered marine species.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced the $160m plan Monday afternoon and said it would significantly reduce net fishing and high-risk fishing on the reef that injure and kill threatened dugongs, turtles, dolphins and protected shark species.

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The Clean Energy Regulator has published carbon estimation areas (CEAs) for Australian carbon credit projects, but secrecy laws still prevent it from releasing data that would allow third-parties to judge their effectiveness.

The Asia-Pacific Network of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) climate finance coalition has begun seeking public consultation on its proposed set of voluntary guidance on financing the managed phase-out of coal power plants in the region, with the final report set to be published later this year.

We get it, nature really wants to kill us (fair enough too) but can’t we just go to the beach? Is that too much to ask?

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Australia's biggest coal generator and polluter is facing a class action – led by a South Australian pub owner – alleging abuse of market power in SA.

The post AGL sued for “abuse of market power” in class action led by pub owners appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Proposal from Abel Energy with the backing of Iberdrola has led to an in-principle agreement with the state government to buy the site of an old gas plant.

The post Green light for Southern Hemisphere’s biggest green methanol plant, backed by Iberdrola appeared first on RenewEconomy.

It would be cheaper and more socially acceptable for land managers to implement a variety of operational changes to cut GHG emissions rather than purchasing carbon offsets, a new study has found, but adaptation remains a key challenge.

After hitting a 12-month low in April, installations of rooftop solar systems have rebounded in May, jumping by around 30%.

The post Rooftop solar sales rebound as households brace for another power price shock appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Big renewable energy and storage developers fret about new Queensland mandate that requires at least half of new projects to be state owned.

The post Renewable investors seek clarity over Queensland’s new state ownership mandate appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We detected 180 contaminants in treated and untreated water. None of those found in treated water breached human health guidelines, but we should not forget about potential impacts on the environment. Mark Patrick Taylor, Victoria's Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We want good news on climate change. But whales storing enough carbon needs more evidence. Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow in Marine Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The rich world's failure so far to provide evidence it has met the $100 bln pledge for developing nations will hinder negotiations at upcoming UN summits, according to a report by a development charity published Monday, as climate finance tensions come into focus at talks that begin in Bonn this week.

Vast Solar names engineers for what will be Australia's first large scale solar thermal facility that could begin construction next year.

The post Australia’s first solar thermal plant edges closer to reality as engineers named appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Snowy Hydro given stable outlook on basis that government will have no choice but to back it, despite delays and cost blowouts. Without such backing, its debt would be junk.

The post Too big to fail: Why Canberra will back Snowy despite delays and cost blowouts appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Find out how the world's major economies are doing on cutting their emissions and what lies ahead.

Black-veined whites, thought to have died out in 1920s, have seemingly returned due to warmer climate

When they last roamed England in 1925, they counted Winston Churchill as a fan. Now, black-veined whites – an extremely rare species of British butterfly – have been spotted fluttering once again.

Small numbers of the black and white insects have been spotted in fields and hedgerows in south-east London, nearly a century after the species was thought to have become extinct in the UK.

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Oxfam report says only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance in 2020 devoted to helping vulnerable states

Rich nations are undermining work to protect poor and vulnerable countries from the impacts of the climate crisis, by providing loans instead of grants, siphoning off money from other aid projects or mislabelling cash, new research suggests.

Only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance from rich countries in 2020 was devoted to helping poor countries adapt to extreme weather, despite increasing incidences of climate-related disaster, according to a report from the charity Oxfam.

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New study finds "smart" electric water heaters can store as much energy as more than 2 million batteries and save households billions a year on energy bills.

The post Electric water heaters could do work of 2 million home batteries – and save billions appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Now begins a long and difficult process to recover vast areas of forest after more than 50 years of destructive logging. David Lindenmayer, Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Chris Taylor, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A heater with a 300-litre tank can store as much energy as a home battery at a fraction of the cost. Being able to store surplus solar energy at the right times helps grid stability and cuts emissions. David Roche, Research Director - Strategic Energy Collaborations, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.