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BC LCFS ekes out credit surplus in 2020 amid pandemic, renewable diesel flow
South Pole buys Swedish consultancy to add to its European acquisitions
Australia boasts $830bn pipeline of wind, solar, hydrogen and storage projects
Australia boasts enormous pipeline of wind, solar PV, hydrogen and storage projects, according to new analysis.
The post Australia boasts $830bn pipeline of wind, solar, hydrogen and storage projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.
World-first research confirms Australia's forests became catastrophic fire risk after British invasion
Microchips, 3D printers, augmented reality: the high-tech tools helping scientists save our wildlife
EU business groups warn against ‘hurried’ carbon market intervention
Eucalypt of the Year: 25 species from tall to small vie for top tree
Each year a shortlist is chosen from more than 900 species of the iconic Australian plants
As a teenager, Dean Nicolle dreamed of planting one of every eucalypt species in Australia. He took his parents to nurseries and requested that they buy “any eucalypt with a different name on it”. Nicolle, a self-described “gum nut” who is now a botanist and ecologist, has been fascinated by plants since he was eight.
On a plot of land at Currency Creek, an hour’s drive south of Adelaide, he set about creating his own arboretum. “The first plantings went in in 1992,” he recalls.
Continue reading...Lethal ‘blackwater’ in Barwon-Darling river prompts fears of another mass fish kill
Tainted flows begin arriving in upper Menindee lakes in New South Wales as expert says problem ‘accelerated by poor management’
Floodwaters carrying “blackwater” lethal to aquatic life are moving south in the Barwon-Darling river towards the Menindee Lakes, raising fears the situation may cause a repeat of events in 2019 where over a million native fish were killed.
Blackwater events are caused when heavy rains wash leaf litter that has collected on a floodplain into a major river such as the Barwon-Darling, turning it the colour of dark tea.
Continue reading...FOI documents reveal plan to skip federal environmental approvals for some projects
Exclusive: conservationists urge caution as documents show government considering decision-making workaround after bill blocked in Senate
The Morrison government is considering whether a little-known section of national environmental laws could be used to allow developments in some parts of the country to proceed without the need for federal approval.
The move, revealed in documents released to Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws, could allow the commonwealth to reduce its role in environmental decision-making without needing support for a bill to transfer power to the states and territories which has been blocked by the Senate since last year.
Continue reading...Britain’s sea eagles are a magnificent sight – so why are people poisoning them? | Helena Horton
Unless estate owners are held responsible for what happens on their land, our largest bird of prey will be driven to extinction
The sight of a magnificent white-tailed eagle has once again become common for those lucky enough to live in the flight path of those recently introduced to the Isle of Wight. Thousands of Britons have seen and heard the giant two-metre wings beating overhead, and seen the cruel-beaked birds dramatically dive for fish. For us, living in a nature-depleted country, seeing such a large predator in the wild takes the breath away.
White-tailed eagles were driven to extinction in Britain in the early 20th century, and persecution by landowners was the leading cause. Shot at and poisoned by those hoping to protect their game birds, Britain’s largest bird of prey didn’t stand a chance.
Helena Horton is an environment reporter for the Guardian
Continue reading...Wolves shot in Norway after court overturns stay of execution
Nine endangered animals killed after injunction lifted on cull of 25 wolves living in conservation zone
Nine endangered wolves were shot in one day in Norway after a court ruled that a controversial hunt could go ahead.
Fifty-one wolves were originally due to be slaughtered – a significant proportion of the 80 animals thought to live in Norway. But last month, activists secured a stay of execution when they got an injunction halting the hunt until an appeal over its validity could go ahead. They claimed that allowing hunters to kill wolves in a conservation zone would be against EU nature protection laws.
Continue reading...Engie reports 8% drop in EU fossil generation for 2021, as renewables output jumps 50%
MP who said eagles not welcome in constituency received funds from shooting estate
West Dorset MP Chris Loder caused outrage when he seemed to imply police should not prioritise eagle death
A Conservative MP who said eagles are not welcome in his constituency had his election campaign funded by a shooting estate, the Guardian can reveal.
The West Dorset MP, Chris Loder, caused outrage when he seemed to imply police should not be prioritising the investigation of the recent death of an endangered white-tailed eagle, found dead on an estate in his constituency.
Continue reading...NSW flooded with $100bn in renewable and storage projects for Hunter renewable zone
NSW receives $100 billion worth of project proposals seeking role in Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, including offshore wind and 35 big batteries.
The post NSW flooded with $100bn in renewable and storage projects for Hunter renewable zone appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Euro Markets: Midday Update
US west ‘megadrought’ is worst in at least 1,200 years, new study says
Human-caused climate change significant driver of destructive conditions as even drier decades lay ahead, researchers say
The American west has spent the last two decades in what scientists are now saying is the most extreme megadrought in at least 1,200 years. In a new study, published on Monday, researchers also noted that human-caused climate change is a significant driver of the destructive conditions and offered a grim prognosis: even drier decades lay ahead.
“Anyone who has been paying attention knows that the west has been dry for most of the last couple decades,” says Park Williams, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and the study’s lead author. “We now know from these studies that is dry not only from the context of recent memory but in the context of the last millennium.”
Continue reading...Wood burners emit more particle pollution than traffic, UK data shows
Revised government data estimates a lower proportion of pollution comes from wood stoves but they remain a ‘major contributor’
Wood burning in homes produces more small particle pollution than all road traffic in the UK, according to revised government data.
The new data significantly cuts the estimated proportion of small particle pollution that comes from wood burners from 38% to 17%. But wood burning pollution remains a “major contributor” to particle pollution, another government report said. Road transport is responsible for 13% of particle pollution.
Continue reading...New North Sea oil and gas licences ‘incompatible with UK climate goals’
Warning from experts comes as government is under pressure to approve new works amid energy crisis
New oil and gas licences for the North Sea are incompatible with the UK’s international climate commitments and the Paris climate agreement, analysts have said.
The government is considering licences for new oil and gas fields in the North Sea, under pressure from backbench MPs and media commentators, who claim new fossil fuel development is needed to reduce energy bills.
Continue reading...Tesla says new gas generators “no longer rational”, batteries are smarter and cheaper
Tesla says building new gas plants is not rational, because batteries are faster, smarter and cheaper, and can deliver long duration storage.
The post Tesla says new gas generators “no longer rational”, batteries are smarter and cheaper appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Fortescue backs “hydrogen superpower” plan that models end of coal within decade
Fortescue says hydrogen superpower scenario is most likely in Australia, resulting in complete exit of coal within a decade. The coal companies don't agree.
The post Fortescue backs “hydrogen superpower” plan that models end of coal within decade appeared first on RenewEconomy.