Renewables roadshow – Daylesford: 'The windfarm is a symbol of our community'
Kicking off our six-part series highlighting innovative community renewable energy projects across Australia, we visit the town of Daylesford in Hepburn Shire in rural Victoria. Despite early local opposition, residents have tackled the electricity crisis by building their own renewable energy projects, starting with a cooperative-owned windfarm and moving into the hydro power that was […]
Is the digital economy in danger of becoming the taking economy?
Sharing economy firms like Uber and Airbnb may be leveraging their access to information, gained by facilitating trusted transactions between strangers on a digital platform, to disadvantage their participants and avoid regulation according to a new research paper co-published by a law professor and technology ethnographer at the University of Washington.. Sharing economy platforms and other […]
Groundwater supplies low after dry winter
Underground aquifers are usually replenished from October through to March, but hydrographs reveal progress was slow until January In the UK, about one third of the water that comes out of our taps is sourced from groundwater. The south of the country is particularly dependent on this underground store of water, with Cambridge Water and […]
World's spiders devour 400-800m metric tons of insects yearly – experts
‘We hope that these estimates and their significant magnitude raise public awareness and increase the level of appreciation for spiders,’ study authors say The world’s spiders eat 400-800m tonnes of insects every year – as much meat and fish as humans consume over the same period, a study said Tuesday. In the first analysis of […]
Trump and climate chaos: a letter to my daughter
Jeremy Hance writes a letter to his young daughter as a part of the Letters to the Revolution initiative. First published on January 2nd, 2017 at Letters to the Revolution. Continue reading… Source: Guardian Climate Change
'Spinning sail' rebooted to cut fuel and make ocean tankers greener
Invented a century ago, rotating columns fixed to ship’s deck interact with wind to provide forward thrust and could make 10% fuel saving An ocean-going tanker is to be fitted with a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago in a step that could lead to more environmentally friendly tankers worldwide. The unusual […]
Cold catch: the ice fishermen of Astana – in pictures
Outside the Kazakh capital, Astana, the river snowscape is populated by strange figures. Detroit-based photographer Aleksey Kondratyev investigated and discovered they were ice fishermen, who brave -40C temperatures waiting patiently for their catch Continue reading… Source: Guardian Climate Change
Culls aren't the way to balance the needs of sharks and surfers
Following the shark bite death of a body boarder in February, there have been calls for a cull of bull sharks. But it isn’t the answer – and it won’t work I’m a shark biologist and I also love to surf. One of my favourite surfing memories isn’t one of my rides, however, but of […]
SA to spend $500m on Australia's largest battery storage and gas-fired power plant – as it happened
The South Australian government will spend $500m on energy plan, which includes building the nation’s largest battery storage and a state-owned gas-fired power plant. As it happened 3.24am GMT The main points of Jay Weatherill’s energy plan: 3.08am GMT And on the SA energy security target, South Australian energy retailers will have to get electricity […]
Gulf of Carpentaria's record mangrove dieback is a case study of extremes
Our investigation shows a combination of extreme temperatures, drought and lower sea levels caused the 2015-16 event One of the worst instances of mangrove forest dieback recorded globally struck Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria in the summer of 2015-16. A combination of extreme temperatures, drought and lowered sea levels likely caused this dieback, according to our […]