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Once-extinct, bitterns make booming ‘foghorn’ noise to attract mates with 228 calling males counted in last breeding period

The UK’s loudest bird has had a bumper breeding year after previously being driven to extinction in the country.

Bitterns became locally extinct in the 1870s due to persecution and draining of their wetland habitat for agriculture. Now the RSPB has revealed that thanks to conservation work, the bird, which has a distinctive “booming” call, has had one of its most successful breeding seasons.

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Campaigners aiming to clean up waterways lodge complaint after government rejects FoI requests for details why applications failed

Local communities fighting to clean up their rivers by creating protected bathing areas have been refused access to the reasons their applications were rejected by the government.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) turned down a series of freedom of information (FoI) requests submitted by campaigners in Kent, Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, Cornwall, Suffolk and Lancashire to obtain more information on why the applications were unsuccessful. The campaigners have lodged a complaint against the refusals.

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After the European Commission released partial verified data this week that showed emissions falling by 1.4% in 2022, stakeholders are left wondering whether the increase in coal-fired power generation last year was as significant as had been anticipated, and data from early 2023 suggests that fossil generation may be on the wane, raising the prospect of reduced demand for EUAs.

Lithium silicon sulfur battery pioneer Gelion urges federal government to focus on Australian tech as it develops national battery strategy.

The post Gelion calls for national battery strategy to focus on Australian tech appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia’s plan to create the world’s first nature repair market is a bold move, but it could be a big part of a zero extinction Australia. So there’s every reason to give biodiversity markets a go. Hugh Possingham, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Energy Efficiency Council's Rob Murray-Leach on landmark report on new ways of thinking about the grid. Meanwhile, new NSW energy minister worries about lights going out.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Smarter grid means a cleaner grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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A San Francisco-based startup focused on carbon removals through collectible non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has raised $3.5 million in funding.

Paris plans to use 2024 Olympics as a showcase for urban climate adaptation, including proposals to deal with 4°C of warming.

The post Rethinking Paris: France braces for 4°C warming in “turning point” strategy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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There is a signal beneath the noise, and it is bigger than just the safeguard mechanism

Climate scientists sometimes talk about moments when the “signal emerges from the noise” – when the human influence on heatwaves and downpours becomes greater than what could have been caused by natural changes alone.

The same might be said for Australia’s reborn attempts to formulate a climate policy. Sometimes the noise that surrounds the debate is so great that it can make the underlying signal about where we’re going hard to find. But the signal is there.

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NSW plays host to half of the top ten performing wind farms, all of whom performed better than the Liddell coal generator about to close down.

The post NSW hosts best performing wind farms as market keeps eye on Liddell coal closure appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Shadow minister submits bill to curb spills as Environment Agency reveals sewage was dumped for almost 1m hours last year

Ministers have treated coastal communities as if they are “open sewers”, Labour has said, after a damaging analysis of Environment Agency (EA) data revealed sewage was dumped for almost a million hours last year.

In total, the data – which was analysed by the party – shows 141,777 sewage-dumping events occurred across 137 constituencies on the coasts of England and Wales in 2022.

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Leaders of Drax, Siemens and others call for green growth to be a priority and ‘regional disparities’ to be closed

Business leaders in the north of England have written to the prime minister, chancellor and energy secretary asking for help to reach net zero.

Big names including Drax, Siemens, Peel, Manchester airport, the CBI and all 11 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) in the north signed a letter urging the government to prioritise green growth in the north.

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Research links pollution to increased risk of dementia, even at levels below UK, US and EU air quality standards

Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of dementia, even at levels below UK, US and EU air quality standards, according to research. Experts say the findings add to the need for urgent action to reduce exposure to pollution globally.

More than 57 million people worldwide are living with dementia and the global burden continues to increase. But interventions to delay or prevent the onset of dementia are scarce.

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The WCI compliance instrument surplus bank expanded only slightly in the first quarter as offset issuances outweighed allowance retirements, according to programme data published Wednesday.

California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credit values this week increased towards levels not seen since late February to the bewilderment of some traders, as federal data showed financial players have steadily increased their presence in the futures market in recent months.

Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) proceeded with distributing free compliance instruments to covered entities as part of the state’s market-based emissions reductions scheme, after the agency prevailed in one of the legal challenges facing the programme.

Australia’s environmental movement is not united. The reasons for that go deep. Rebecca Pearse, Lecturer, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Flow Power says "smart" solar farm on old racecourse is Australia’s first fully operational utility-scale DC-coupled solar and battery system. 

The post Flow Power switches on “smart” solar farm with battery storage built on old racecourse appeared first on RenewEconomy.