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Global study calls for urgent action to prevent ecosystem collapse, with farming the biggest cause of die-off

Between a third and half of the world’s wild tree species are threatened with extinction, posing a risk of wider ecosystem collapse, the most comprehensive global stocktake to date warns.

Forest clearance for farming is by far the biggest cause of the die-off, according to the State of the World’s Trees report, which was released on Wednesday along with a call for urgent action to reverse the decline.

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Wild cockatoos have been observed using three types of tools as 'cutlery' to extract seeds from tropical fruit. Researchers made the discovery while studying Goffin’s cockatoos on the Tanimbar Islands, a remote archipelago in Indonesia.

• Wild cockatoos observed using tools as ‘cutlery’ to extract seeds from tropical fruit
• Cockatoos in Sydney learning from each other to bin-dive for food, study finds
  
• Australian bird of the year 2021: nominate your favourite for the shortlist

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California gasoline usage edged closer to pre-pandemic levels in May, as total consumption rose slightly from the previous month despite some state-level COVID-19 restrictions remaining in place across the Golden State, according to state data released Tuesday.

The last emissions data before COP26 is out, adding to the long list of failures Morrison will be taking to Glasgow's climate meeting in November.

The post Morrison will take catastrophic climate policy failure to COP26 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Infrastructure Australia revises climate guidance in hope of driving greater adoption of risk management by major project developers.

The post Infrastructure fail: None of 30 projects proposed since 2018 adopted climate risk guidelines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Foundations For Tomorrow study gives insight into young people’s concerns for environment and government response

Young Australians overwhelmingly want to see immediate action on climate change but have little faith their leaders will do anything significant, a new survey suggests.

The survey from Foundations For Tomorrow, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and supported by AwareSuper, received 10,000 responses from Australians aged under 30.

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Adopt, neuter and return, or kill? There’s no easy way to deal with Australia’s stray cat problem, and we compare the main options. Trish Fleming, Professor, Murdoch University Heather M. Crawford, Assistant researcher, Murdoch University Mike Calver, Associate Professor in Biological Sciences, Murdoch University Tida Nou, Project officer, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We are looking for an analyst to join our Australian energy and carbon market research team. Based in Melbourne, the role will be focused on maintaining and enhancing RepuTex’s existing electricity and environmental price forecasting services, with a particular focus on the analysis of wholesale electricity price dynamics within the National Electricity Market (NEM), and price interactions with large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) and Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). 

Move on ninth day of latest protest campaign appears to mark change in use of force against the group

Police in London wielded batons and threw punches against Extinction Rebellion protesters as they battled to gain control of an open-top bus blocking London Bridge on Tuesday, in a step-change in their use of force against the group.

On the ninth day of XR’s latest protest campaign, the Guardian witnessed officers from the Metropolitan police climb the sides of the bus parked across the junction at the south of the bridge, striking and wrestling with protesters.

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Dominion Energy’s RGGI rate adjustment has been suspended ahead of its Sep. 1 implementation until the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) can hear a petition from an environmental group that says the utility should be required to examine low-cost alternatives.

EU carbon consolidated its latest gains in early Tuesday trade amid mixed signals, as weekly auction supply dropped to the lowest for the year while European natural gas prices declined.

Today’s challenges demand radical action. The old orthodoxy of free markets and hands-off government won’t cut it

As western economies emerge from the pandemic, their governments face a choice: do they seek to address the profound problems that Covid exposed, or try to return to “business as usual” as quickly as possible? Their problem is that many of the issues exacerbated by the pandemic, such as wage stagnation, precarious work and rising inequality are not bugs in an otherwise well-functioning system, but inevitable outcomes of the way that western economies are now organised. So a business-as-usual approach simply won’t work. Much more fundamental change is needed.

The US government seems to recognise this. Joe Biden’s economic plans are a radical departure from the era that stretches from Reagan to Obama, when governments sought to keep taxes and public spending low and focused principally on globalised trade and the education and training of the workforce. Unlike his predecessors, Biden is pursuing large-scale public spending and taking advantage of ultra-low interest rates to borrow for infrastructure investment. His stimulus plans target the climate crisis while creating green jobs and expanding health, education and childcare – the “social infrastructure” that is essential to the economy but has often been ignored by mainstream economists.

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Animal Rebellion activists demand that Arla become plant-based by 2025

Vegan environmental activists have blockaded a dairy distribution centre in Buckinghamshire, which they say handles a tenth of the milk supply in the UK, while a dozen other activists have sought to occupy the headquarters of WWF.

About 50 activists from Animal Rebellion, a sister group to Extinction Rebellion, blocked the gates to the Arla distribution centre near Aylesbury, locking on to bamboo structures and concrete barricades to stop lorries from gaining access.

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Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator plans to offer small-scale projects an opportunity to sell their offsets to the government outside the regular ERF auctions, starting with a pilot for environmental plantings programmes.

A firm wins a court order amid claims protesters are conducting a "vicious" intimidation campaign.

Australian solar investor New Energy Solar warns that global factors could see solar project costs rise for the first time in a decade.

The post “Era of record low solar bids may be over”: Solar investor warns market appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Angus Taylor says Australia on track to meet Paris agreement climate commitments but analysts say data largely reflects impact of pandemic

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Australia’s national greenhouse gas emissions increased fractionally in the first quarter of 2021 but dropped about 5% across the previous year as the pandemic dramatically slowed transport and some heavy industry, official data says.

The latest official quarterly greenhouse gas inventory released by federal energy department officials is the first to cover a full year in which Covid-19 was affecting the country.

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The flows of December 2020, January 2021 and the flooding of March 2021 finally broke the driest four years on record in the Gwydir.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg says she does not think Glasgow's COP26 summit will lead to "much results".

CleanCo signs contract for new 180MW wind farm in Queensland, only the second wind farm to reach financial close in last 18 months.

The post CleanCo signs up to new 180MW Queensland wind project as Octopus extends reach appeared first on RenewEconomy.