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British buildings are not designed for heat, if you have time knock them down and start again

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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.

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The role of Carbon Program Manager will contribute significantly to the delivery of the “Climate Action” theme of the AACo Sustainability Strategy including the development of carbon sequestration programs as well as emissions reduction and renewable energy transition initiatives.

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.

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There’s been very little media or political discussion of what Australia should be aiming for in 2035. This is baffling. Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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.

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

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Analysts have raised their EU carbon price forecasts across the board after the futures recovered from a Q1 plunge triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, but a number of experts have warned that conflicting fundamental drivers could keep the market rangebound through the rest of this year.

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 and vegan diets are the best for the planet. But most omivores simply won’t switch to them. It’s realistic to promote the Mediterranean diet instead. Nicole Allenden, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, University of New England Amy Lykins, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, University of New England Annette Cowie, Principal Research Scientist, Climate Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For Pacific Islands, climate change trumps all other threats to their security. While they welcome Australia’s new emission targets, this is an issue of survival that demands greater ambition. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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.

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.

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.

The government's advisors on climate change warn that Britain's homes are not fit for hotter summers.

Prof Ian Chubb, who is leading a review of the controversial scheme, says there are also credible voices defending it

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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.

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NSW and Victorian governments say at least four refuelling stations will be built along Hume Highway

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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.

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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.

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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.

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First continent-wide meeting aims to set out plans to halt and reverse habitat and species loss in protected areas on land and sea

African leaders will gather in the Rwandan capital this week for the first continent-wide meeting to set out plans for the conservation of nature across Africa.

The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (Apac) in Kigali will attract close to 3,000 delegates, including protected area directors from the continent’s 54 countries, youth leaders and Indigenous and community representatives, to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, promoting sustainable development, and safeguarding the continent’s wildlife.

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