Feed aggregator
Price of solar modules and battery storage have jumped by one third in US
Developers needing to buy solar modules and battery storage units in US over the next 12 months are facing a one third escalation in costs.
The post Price of solar modules and battery storage have jumped by one third in US appeared first on RenewEconomy.
What can smug Australians teach the UK about surviving a heatwave? | First Dog on the Moon
British buildings are not designed for heat, if you have time knock them down and start again
- Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published
- Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints
It is us we are waiting for! Africa needs to shape its own conservation and climate agenda
The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress offers a chance to find a way to balance economic growth with conserving wilderness
Africa’s more than 8,500 protected areas of land and sea cover more than 30% of the continent – an expanse almost the size of Australia and 28 times the size of the UK. These ecosystems play a critical role in climate mitigation and adaptation, as global heating wreaks havoc on all fronts.
Today, Africa is embarking on an ambitious trajectory, with significant technological advancements, radical agricultural techniques, groundbreaking approaches to alleviating poverty and unprecedented rates of economic growth. Our natural resources, especially those in protected areas, play a critical role in development models we pursue. However, only about 1,000 of these protected areas have sound management strategies.
Continue reading...Carbon Program Manager, Australian Agricultural Co. – Brisbane
Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years
The gentle giants released in Kent should transform a commercial pine forest into a vibrant natural woodland
Early on Monday morning, three gentle giants wandered out of a corral in the Kent countryside to become the first wild bison to roam in Britain for thousands of years.
The aim is for the animals’ natural behaviour to transform a dense commercial pine forest into a vibrant natural woodland. Their taste for bark will kill some trees and their bulk will open up trails, letting light spill on to the forest floor, while their love of rolling around in dust baths will create more open ground. All this should allow new plants, insects, lizards, birds and bats to thrive.
Continue reading...There's a smart way to push Labor harder on emissions cuts – without reigniting the climate wars
Beetaloo Basin: More government subsidies proposed for a failing and risky industry
There is much to disagree with in the proposed federal government “ramping up” of funding for the Beetaloo Basin gas expansion.
The post Beetaloo Basin: More government subsidies proposed for a failing and risky industry appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The terrifying truth: Britain’s a hothouse, but one day 40C will seem cool | Bill McGuire
This extreme heat is just the beginning. We should be scared – and channel this emotion into action
- Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and a climate activist.
There’s no getting around it, the UK’s once equitable climate is falling apart. We are now firmly on course for hothouse Britain and the signs are all around us. Just three years ago, the mercury hit 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge – then an all-time record. A year later, meteorologists at the UK Met Office mocked-up a weather forecast for 2050, showing 40C-plus temperatures across much of the UK.
But the speed of climate breakdown is such that this future is already upon us. On Monday, the Met Office’s first ever red extreme heat warning comes into force for much of England, as ferocious 40C-plus temperatures threaten to overwhelm ambulance services and A&E departments, and potentially bring about thousands of deaths.
Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and a climate activist. His latest book, Hothouse Earth: an Inhabitant’s Guide is published on 4 August
Continue reading...POLL: Analysts raise EU carbon price forecasts despite more immediate rangebound outlook
Hawaii says goodbye to coal, aloha to big batteries
Hawaii prepares to shut down its last coal burning power plant on its most populous island, to be partially replaced with a Tesla big battery.
The post Hawaii says goodbye to coal, aloha to big batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Vegetarian diets may be better for the planet – but the Mediterranean diet is the one omnivores will actually adopt
Pacific Islands are back on the map, and climate action is non-negotiable for would-be allies
“Nothing can beat it:” The rise and rise of solar and battery storage
Quinbrook's David Scaysbrook says the combination of solar and big battery storage is unbeatable for daytime power and evening peaks.
The post “Nothing can beat it:” The rise and rise of solar and battery storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Energy Insiders Podcast: Big solar and even bigger batteries
David Scaysbrook from Quinbrook on why battery storage is such a big thing, Coalition failures, and capacity markets.
The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Big solar and even bigger batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Five reasons why Australia can lead the world in switch from fossils to renewables
Australia is a world leader in the development of a largely renewable energy system. We have the resources, a plan, and the need.
The post Five reasons why Australia can lead the world in switch from fossils to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Climate change: Heat deaths could triple by 2050
Academics discrediting Australia’s carbon credit system ‘serious people’, says former chief scientist
Prof Ian Chubb, who is leading a review of the controversial scheme, says there are also credible voices defending it
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcast
The former Australian chief scientist charged with investigating the country’s divisive carbon credit system says academics who have described it as a fraud and a sham are “serious people”.
In an interview with Guardian Australia, Prof Ian Chubb said there were also credible voices defending the scheme and he would need to carefully weigh the evidence.
Continue reading...Hydrogen fuel stations to be built between Sydney and Melbourne under $20m plan
NSW and Victorian governments say at least four refuelling stations will be built along Hume Highway
- Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcast
The New South Wales and Victorian governments will spend $20m on hydrogen refuelling stations along Australia’s busiest freight highway in a push to see more zero-emissions technology used in the heavy-vehicle industry.
In a joint announcement the two governments say they will each spend $10m on grants to manufacture about 25 hydrogen-fuelled trucks and at least four refuelling stations along the 840km Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on controlling grey squirrels: a question of balance | Editorial
New methods for tackling their spread hold out hope for more humane management of habitats
As anyone in mainland Britain who has ever attempted to grow berries or nuts – or indeed feed the birds – will know, doing so is tantamount to an opening move in a game of chess with local grey squirrels, a game the squirrels tend to win. Grey squirrels are also partial to the occasional bird’s egg or fledgling, and enjoy stripping and eating the bark of young broadleaf trees, which can either kill the trees or leave them open to infection. This, quite apart from affecting biodiversity and landscape, harms the timber industry. The loss – in damaged timber, lost carbon revenue and tree replacements – is not insignificant: £37m a year in England and Wales.
Greys (Sciurus carolinensis), introduced from North America in 1876, have almost replaced native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) by outcompeting their British counterparts for food and habitat. They are larger and more robust, and immune to squirrelpox, while reds are not. About 3 million grey squirrels now live in the UK; the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the grey squirrel among the top 100 most harmful invasive species in the world.
Continue reading...M&S to remove ‘best before’ labels from 300 fruit and veg items to cut food waste
The change, to be rolled out this week, will leave customers to judge whether goods are still fine to eat
Marks & Spencer is planning to remove “best before” labels from 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables in its stores to cut food waste.
The change, to be rolled out this week, will rely on customers using their judgment to determine whether goods are still fine to eat. The measure will affect 85% of the supermarket’s fresh produce offering.
Continue reading...