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W.A. allocates $324 million to transmission infrastructure for the state's main electricity grid to connect more renewable energy.

The post W.A. to spend big on new transmission to connect more wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Researchers say reducing emissions and biodiversity loss and preventing invasive species could control disease

Biodiversity loss is the biggest environmental driver of infectious disease outbreaks, making them more dangerous and widespread, a study has found.

New infectious diseases are on the rise and they often originate in wildlife. In meta-analysis published in the journal Nature, researchers found that of all the “global change drivers” that are destroying ecosystems, loss of species was the greatest in increasing the risk of outbreaks. Biodiversity loss was followed by climate change and introduction of non-native species.

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The island nation is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, as changing weather patterns bring more dry spells and unpredictable rainy seasons. Sean Smith travelled to the south to meet those affected and to report on the ways they are trying to prepare for an altered future

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Voluntary carbon certification body Gold Standard and the Indonesia Carbon Trade Association (IDCTA) have set up a taskforce to develop carbon market regulation and infrastructure in the Southeast Asian nation, aligned with domestic and international markets, the body announced Wednesday.

Peter Steele from Goodbye Gas on how his company is helping households to go all-electric. Plus: Mixed messages from the top.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: How to get off gas and electrify appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Official data shows NSW is expected to miss its recently legislated emissions-reduction targets, prompting calls to scale back coal mine expansions.

The post NSW predicted to miss legislated emissions targets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

On the same day that scientists warned of a deepening climate catastrophe, Labor declares gas is good and announces a plan to "lock it in" beyond 2050.

The post Labor caves in to fossil fuel cartel as it locks in gas beyond 2050 amid deepening climate crisis appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Experts say approaches that allow local communities to be involved in renewable energy projects, and share benefits of household resources, will accelerate the transition.

The post More than just panels on rooftops: How to make the most out of household PV and batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy utilities push NSW prices to the market limit after more than 3GW of unplanned coal outages, even though there was no risk of a shortfall.

The post Energy giants burst market limits as 3GW of coal goes missing, and consumers pay the price appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Korea sold none of the CO2 allowances on offer at Wednesday’s monthly auction, as demand remains weak amid oversupply and regulatory uncertainty.

Government’s failure to match EU measures to improve condition of rivers, lakes and oceans called ‘deeply concerning’

England’s rivers are likely to remain in a poor state for years to come because the government is failing to put in place EU clean water laws post-Brexit, the watchdog has found.

When Britain was a member of the EU, the government was required to follow the water framework directive (WFD), standards for waterways that have been credited with cleaning up Europe’s dirty water.

Under their worst-case assessment, just 21% of surface waters will be in a good ecological state by 2027, representing only a 5% improvement on the current situation. This would break the Environment Act, which aims to improve air and water quality, protect wildlife, increase recycling and reduce plastic waste.

There is insufficient funding to meet the targets, meaning that under the WFD ministers are being compelled by the OEP to write a new, properly funded plan to protect the country’s waters. The Environment Agency has calculated a cost of £51bn to clean up England’s waters, which would provide £64bn in monetisable benefits. However, confirmed funding of only £6.2bn is just 12% of that required.

There is not enough monitoring taking place to find out the state of England’s waterways, making it nigh on impossible to clean them up.

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The policy comes despite global calls to drastically phase out fossil fuels to reach climate targets.

Earth’s greatest living structure is dying. But the humanity of reef scientists is as beautiful as any coral I’ve ever seen

From the dry lab on One Tree Island research station – about 100km off the coast from Gladstone and in the southern region of the Great Barrier Reef – I watch a steady procession of scientists walk to their next encounter with what has become the biggest palliative care unit on the planet.

These scientists head out to the reef like doctors heading to a hospital with no control over saving their patients. They head to a hospital where there is no medicine they can administer to alleviate the pain or to make death easier.

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The Australian government has asked the EU to delay regulation that would prevent commodities linked to deforestation from being imported into the bloc.

California must significantly ramp up the proposed carbon intensity (CI) target under its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to rid the market of its surplus, according to submissions to the market regulator's ongoing stakeholder consultation process.

Malawi’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change has authorised a private firm to auction the country’s carbon credits on the international market, according to local media reports.

Why have we seen so many extreme floods in recent years? Climate change is supercharging thunderstorms, adding moisture and heat. Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Conrad Wasko, ARC DECRA Fellow in Hydrology, University of Sydney Jennifer Catto, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter Seth Westra, Hydrologist, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The mining company insists the storage hub is safe but many are unconvinced about injecting carbon dioxide into a major Australian water resource

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Swiss mining company Glencore has been on the offensive over its controversial plans to try to inject carbon dioxide into a section of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) – one of the world’s biggest underground water sources and a lifeblood for farmers and regional towns.

Later this month, the Queensland government is expected to decide if it will allow Glencore’s pilot carbon storage project to go ahead.

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Washington’s Department of Ecology (ECY) staff received pushback from stakeholders for choosing not to make changes to its GREET model during the latest round of Clean Fuels Standard (CFS) rulemaking, after the federal government recently updated their carbon intensity (CI) standard calculations for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credits.

Targets to improve England's rivers, lakes and coastal water will fall well short, a key watchdog finds.