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Graph of the Day: Kidston leads again as best performing solar asset in Australia
Kidston solar farm tops the ranking of best performing Australian solar farms for the fourth month in a row.
The post Graph of the Day: Kidston leads again as best performing solar asset in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Climate change: Tears of joy as US bill clears Senate hurdle
Facts must rise above the gas if Australia is to deal with the climate crisis | Adam Morton
In a political system long captured by fossil fuel interests, there is a disconnect between the arguments and the evidence
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One of the most striking voices for aggressive climate action right now is the secretary general of the United Nations. Speaking at the Major Economies Forum hosted by Joe Biden last month, António Guterres held little back as he compared the culpability of coal, oil and gas companies in causing climate breakdown to the damage caused by the tobacco industry.
“We seem trapped in a world where fossil fuel producers and financiers have humanity by the throat. For decades, the fossil fuel industry has invested heavily in pseudoscience and public relations, with a false narrative to minimise their responsibility for climate change and undermine ambitious climate policies,” Guterres said.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on the UK car industry: facing a green moment of truth | Editorial
If a rudderless government continues to stand back, other countries will dominate the electric vehicle revolution
Over recent decades, Britain’s economy has become steadily more service-based. But as the opening ceremony of Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games powerfully illustrated, industry still occupies pride of place in the imagination of regions such as the West Midlands. At the Alexander stadium, Jaguars, Minis and Rovers of various vintages were showcased to the world – the past and present of a car manufacturing sector that provides well-paid, skilled jobs, and defines a local sense of identity.
The future, though, has never looked more insecure. In the short term, a combination of the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine has created a supply chain crisis that has led to an output slump and drop in sales. In July, car sales in the UK fell by 9%. Falling living standards, prolonged recession and high inflation will add to the industry’s problems by hitting demand. This perfect storm is challenging enough. But the longer-term question facing the UK car industry is existential: as the world leaves the internal combustion engine behind and moves to battery electric vehicles, is Britain going to remain a mass car producer or not?
Continue reading...‘What else can we do?’: trespassers demand right to roam minister’s 12,000-acre estate
Campaigners visit Berkshire estate belonging to Richard Benyon, minister in charge of access to nature
It’s hard to know what access to nature minister Richard Benyon normally finds in his gigantic Berkshire estate when he strolls out on a Sunday afternoon. It is unlikely, however, to be a loudly singing group of activist trespassers, dressed up as psychedelic animals and accompanied by an all-female morris-dancing troupe.
But that’s what wandered up his drive on Sunday, when protesters visited the Englefield estate, calling on Benyon to open it up to the public and extend access for everyone to green space across England.
Continue reading...Carbon tax on wheels? The overwhelming case for Australia to go electric
Australia is paying a high price - in terms of fuel bills, health impact and energy security - because of the scare campaigns against fuel efficiency standards.
The post Carbon tax on wheels? The overwhelming case for Australia to go electric appeared first on RenewEconomy.
The Tories have failed to ‘get climate done’ – so I’ve launched a new centre-right party | Ed Gemmell
My Climate party will take on 110 Conservatives in the next election: Britain can win when it comes to the environment
- Ed Gemmell is leader of the Climate party
Conservative members – and by default the whole country – have been let down by the current leadership race. Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have almost completely ignored the climate and biodiversity crisis in their pitches to party members, effectively jeopardising the future of millions.
The Conservative party as a whole, along with the other mainstream parties, has miserably failed Britain on climate, displaying a nonchalant attitude to the danger and a lack of commitment to action. Leadership has been so lacking on this issue that my co-founders and I felt compelled to create a new single-issue, centre-right party to champion these concerns: the Climate party.
Ed Gemmell is leader of the Climate party, a Buckinghamshire councillor, and managing director of Scientists Warning Europe
Continue reading...Indo-Pacific can be major hub for global renewable energy supply chain
The needle is moving in the Indo-Pacific region towards collaboration, multi-lateral support and action that can provide multiple pathways to decarbonisation.
The post Indo-Pacific can be major hub for global renewable energy supply chain appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Chaos after heat crashes computers at leading London hospitals
Patient safety compromised during IT failure at Guy’s and St Thomas’
Two of the UK’s leading hospitals have had to cancel operations, postpone appointments and divert seriously ill patients to other centres for the past three weeks after their computers crashed at the height of last month’s heatwave.
The IT breakdowns at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London have caused misery for doctors and patients and have also raised fears about the impact of climate change on data centres that store medical, financial and public sector information.
Continue reading...World’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farm starts to produce power
The world’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farm, located off the coast of the Netherlands, has begun generating electricity.
The post World’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farm starts to produce power appeared first on RenewEconomy.
France whale: Lost mammal stuck in River Seine to get vitamin boost
Wind energy delivers one third of electricity of Australia’s main grid for first time
Wind energy reaches one third of total output in Australia's main grid for first time, up from a maximum 12 per cent just four years ago.
The post Wind energy delivers one third of electricity of Australia’s main grid for first time appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Is there anything green about plastic grass?
First CATL batteries installed in WA’s biggest utility scale storage project
The first batteries in WA's biggest storage installation to date installed, using CATL technology.
The post First CATL batteries installed in WA’s biggest utility scale storage project appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Macro photography: The hidden world of garden insects
‘Silent extinction’: myrtle rust fungus spreads to WA’s Kimberley
Researchers fear spread of invasive disease could be disastrous for Australia’s diverse plant life and are calling for urgent national response
An invasive fungus attacking some of Australia’s most ecologically important tree species has spread to Western Australia while also flourishing in damp conditions along the country’s east, driving a “silent extinction” and prompting urgent calls for a national response.
Experts warn if the myrtle rust fungus detected in the east Kimberley reaches the state’s biodiversity-rich south-west, the consequences could be disastrous for those ecosystems.
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Continue reading...Spider crabs swarm in shallow waters on Cornish beach
Rising sea temperatures caused by climate crisis create unusual phenomenon in St Ives
Thousands of venomous crabs converged on the beaches of Cornwall due to rising sea temperatures caused by the climate crisis. The migratory creatures swarmed in the shallow water in St Ives, shedding their shells before returning to depths of up to 300ft.
The crustaceans are instantly recognisable for their long legs and pincers and have a venomous bite that is poisonous to their prey but harmless to humans.
Continue reading...CP Daily: Friday August 5, 2022
Beluga whale stranded in Seine to be given vitamins
Apparently underweight whale swimming towards Paris is refusing food and seems skittish, say French authorities
French authorities were planning on Saturday to give vitamins to a beluga whale that swam way up the Seine, as they raced to save the malnourished cetacean that is refusing food.
The apparently underweight whale was first spotted Tuesday in the river that flows through Paris to the Channel. On Saturday it had made its way to about 70km (44 miles) north of the French capital.
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