Renewable energy spike led to sharp drop in emissions in Australia, study shows
Surge in October last year helped greenhouse gas emissions fall by 3.57m tonnes in December quarter A sharp drop in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions at the end of last year came courtesy of a spike in renewable energy generation in a single month, according to a new study. Australia’s emissions fell by 3.57m tonnes in […]
Energy shortages in 2018-19 without national reform, market operator warns
Australian Energy Market Operator predicts shortfalls in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia ‘if we do nothing’ The Australian Energy Market Operator has warned that Australia is facing energy shortages if governments do not carry out national planning as exports continue to dominate the country’s gas supply. The Aemo report predicts New South Wales, […]
'Clean' coal won't be commercially viable before 2030, energy analysis says
Renewables now the cheapest source of reliable power generation in Australia, RepuTex says “Clean” coal technologies won’t be commercially viable before 2030 without government subsidy and are fundamentally out of sync with the move towards more flexible power generation, according to the energy market analysis firm RepuTex. In a new analysis released on Thursday, RepuTex […]
Climate change battles are increasingly being fought, and won, in court | Tessa Kahn
Around the world courts are stepping in when politicians fail to act, with South Africa’s government the latest to lose a groundbreaking climate lawsuit with judges ruling against its plans for a new coal-fired power station The South African government has lost the country’s first climate change lawsuit after the hight court ruled against its […]
Stop stalling on bike plans, Sadiq. Political timidity gets you nowhere
Cycle schemes have stagnated for 10 months, writes the former cycling commissioner. Will new cycling delegate Will Norman get London up to speed? Under its first two mayors, London became important for the whole country as a leader in cycling. But Will Norman, Sadiq Khan’s new walking and cycling commissioner, starts work with the capital’s […]
Why the world needs zoos
The ongoing extinction crises shows that zoos are needed – even for common species I have written before about the importance of zoos and the role they have to play in the world for conservation and education. They are in particularly important for endangered species – many animals are critically endangered in the wild and […]
Climate change impacts are already hitting us, say Europeans
New polling study also shows support for financial penalties for nations that refuse to be part of Paris climate deal, as Donald Trump has threatened The citizens of four major European countries think the impacts of climate change such as severe floods and storms are already affecting them, according to a major new polling study. […]
WA Labor on defensive as consumer watchdog backs electricity privatisation
Mark McGowan says he disagrees with competition watchdog assessment that electricity bills will fall if 51% of Western Power is sold under Liberals Western Australia Labor’s aggressive campaign against the Barnett government’s planned privatisation of Western Power is on shaky ground five days out from the election after the competition tsar said it would lead […]
First Dog on the Moon goes to south-west Tasmania (and totally freaks out)
A happy confluence of things has meant this part of the world is just crap enough to keep people away. Just kidding, it’s actually unspeakably beautiful I went to south-west Tasmania and totally freaked out. Oh my goodness – simply one of the most beautiful, haunting, weirdy landscapes I have ever had the good fortune […]
How decking drove wildlife from the city | Letters
Patrick Barkham’s remarks on garden decking and wildlife loss (Notebook, 7 March) chime with research we undertook on the changes to garden vegetation in London over an eight-year period. We found that between 1998-99 and 2006-07, 3,000 hectares of vegetation disappeared from gardens, replaced by hard standing and decking. This loss, equivalent to 2.5 Hyde […]