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A spacecraft is set to launch on a mission to nudge an asteroid off course.

Victorian government allocates $40 million to kick start three major offshore wind projects by the Star of the South, Macquarie Group and Flotation Energy.

The post Three offshore wind projects get $40m boost from Victorian government appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The CubeSat began as an educational tool but is now helping out humanity

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Grattan Institute analysis shows it’s possible to achieve a vastly lower-emissions electricity system in less than two decades – if governments can muster the courage. James Ha, Associate, Grattan Institute Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The 23 generators regulated under Massachusetts’ Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) programme will have sufficient permits to cover their emissions this year, though prices in the power sector programme have trended up this year, according to a report published Friday.

Voluntary emissions reduction (VER) values on the over-the-counter and exchange-traded markets extended their year-long bull run this week, with voluntary carbon market (VCM) participants citing optimistic outlooks following the COP26 UN climate summit and blockchain ventures in driving up prices.

Several countries attempted to block efforts to raise the shipping sector’s emissions target to a 2050 net zero goal on Monday, as week-long talks begin at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Study shows reduced reproduction and other negative impacts on performance of species

It may take bees multiple generations to recover from being exposed to insecticides even just once, research shows.

Although studies have long shown the damaging effects of pesticides for the biodiverse environment, little is known about how much they affect insects in the long term.

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EU gas suppliers may soon have to disclose the share of renewable and low carbon gas they sell within each member state and in total, as well as the carbon footprint for gas sold over the previous year, according to a leaked draft circulated on Monday. 

A new $100 million funding round will support the rollout of grid forming battery inverters that could fill one of the last technical gaps to 100 pct renewables.

The post New ARENA funding round to help plug one of last gaps to 100 pct renewables grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

If Australia plans to sell as much of its fossil fuels as possible, the least it can do is help us in Kiribati survive the rising seas. Akka Rimon, PhD Student, Australian National University Anote Tong, Distinguished Global Leader-in-Residence, University of Pennsylvania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Introduced species that become invasive are clearly destructive, but many exotic species are not detrimental to the existing ecosystem – some become complementary or take on lost ecological roles. Sebastian Leuzinger, Professor, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Too many farmers reasonably believed that the proposals left them at the mercy of a government in hock to big business

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, announced last week that his controversial farm laws would be withdrawn. With five state elections looming, and his ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) vulnerable in several contests, Mr Modi told the country how important farming had been to him and did something out of character: he ate humble pie in public, apologised and dropped his plans. This was the right thing to do.

Mr Modi had proposed the major changes, which threatened the livelihoods of two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion people, during the country’s Covid lockdown in 2020. The measures had been drafted in secret and then whipped through both houses of the Indian parliament without debate. Agriculture in India does need reform, but not of the kind Mr Modi envisaged – which many farmers reasonably believed would leave them at the mercy of a government in hock to big business.

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A senior employee at CME Group has taken on a carbon markets role at Xpansiv, marking the latest recent hire to depart the US-based exchange for the ESG commodities trading platform.

Portugal became the fourth EU nation to shut down its last remaining coal power plant over the weekend, with the Pego facility closing down on schedule amid record-high carbon prices.

Research shows introduced pest plants and animals are costing the country $25bn a year

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Australia could face a wave of plant and animal extinctions by 2050 unless it takes urgent action to address the threat of invasive species, according to a new report that finds the problem is already costing at least $25bn a year.

The research, by Australia’s national science agency the CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, takes a once-a-decade look at the scale of the threat caused by rabbits, feral cats, toxic toads, weeds, diseases such as myrtle rust and other invasive pests.

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EUAs rose to a new record for an unprecedented sixth consecutive day on Monday, ignoring weaker energy markets that reacted to growing concern over rising Covid-19 infection numbers and growing social unrest over renewed public restrictions in a number of countries.

Australian energy outfit Woodside completed its merger with mining giant BHP’s oil and gas portfolio on Monday, as it also announced a final investment decision on the $A16.5 bln ($12 bln) offshore gas Scarborough and Pluto Train 2 LNG projects in Western Australia.

London-listed firm says it will ‘vigorously defend’ plan to continue mining gold and silver

The UK metals company Hochschild Mining is to fight plans by Peru’s government to hasten the closure of four mines in the southern Ayacucho region because of concerns over their environmental impact.

The London-listed mining company has promised to “vigorously defend” its plan to continue mining gold and silver from two mines – Pallancata and Inmaculada – which it claims operate under the “highest environmental standards”.

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