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Scientists discover new giant water lily species

BBC - Mon, 2022-07-04 14:00
Scientists discover the first new species of giant water lily in more than a century.
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Germany stops landmark mechanism that funded renewables expansion via power bills

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2022-07-04 13:39

Germany ends landmark renewables levy on consumer power prices. The surcharge helped to spur the growth of wind and solar power capacity for more than two decades.

The post Germany stops landmark mechanism that funded renewables expansion via power bills appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Small retailers issue plea for help as fossil fuel price surge claims another victim

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2022-07-04 13:17

Australia transmission network infrastructure - canva - optimisedSmaller electricity retailers issue joint plea to market regulators to stop "chain reaction" of failures as yet another energy retailer calls in administrators.

The post Small retailers issue plea for help as fossil fuel price surge claims another victim appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Angus Taylor lines up against huge solar and battery project in Hume

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2022-07-04 12:58

Minister for Energy Angus Taylor during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas).Community group says former federal energy minister is quietly supporting opponents of a 400MW solar farm and big battery in his electorate.

The post Angus Taylor lines up against huge solar and battery project in Hume appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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German wind giant buys into three big Australian offshore wind projects

RenewEconomy - Mon, 2022-07-04 12:48

German wind giant teams up with UK based developer to advance three offshore wind projects in Australia.

The post German wind giant buys into three big Australian offshore wind projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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To stop risky developments in floodplains, we have to tackle the profit motive - and our false sense of security

The Conversation - Mon, 2022-07-04 11:39
People feel more secure knowing there’s a levee nearby - but this can backfire, leading to more development on floodplains. Australia needs to tackle the incentives behind these risky developments. Brian Robert Cook, Associate professor, The University of Melbourne Tim Werner, ARC DECRA Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Using human hair to fight oil spills

BBC - Mon, 2022-07-04 09:29
A hairdresser in Wales is collecting her customers' hair and turning it into something useful.
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Finding the Higgs: ‘Incredible’ moment in science

BBC - Mon, 2022-07-04 09:02
Cern physicist Dr Andre David describes the moment scientists found the ‘God particle’
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Research reveals fire is pushing 88% of Australia's threatened land mammals closer to extinction

The Conversation - Mon, 2022-07-04 05:54
The new paper also found some mammals are suffering due to a lack of fire. Julianna Santos, PhD candidate, The University of Melbourne Holly Sitters, Senior Ecologist, The University of Melbourne Luke Kelly, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Recognising Indigenous knowledges is not just culturally sound, it's good science

The Conversation - Mon, 2022-07-04 05:52
This NAIDOC Week, with the effects of climate change affecting Australia, It’s beyond time to listen to First Nations people who have extensive knowledge of caring for Country. Maryanne Macdonald, Lecturer, Indigenous Education, Edith Cowan University Darren Garvey, Senior Lecturer at Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University Eyal Gringart, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology and Social Science, Edith Cowan University Ken Hayward, Lecturer at Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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‘It’s hot’: UK interest in solar power heats up as energy bills soar

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 22:11

Boom clouded by supply chain disruption, a fragmented industry as well as ethical issues

“It’s hot,” says Steve Springett, a director of the renewable energy brand Egg, cheerily assessing the solar market. “There’s two key factors: people are understanding the environmental benefits of it better, and energy is really, really expensive at the moment.”

Consumer interest has increased in recent months as Britons hunt for ways to cut huge energy bills. A reduction in VAT on energy efficient systems from 5% to nothing this spring has added to the appeal of solar power.

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Australian govt heavy industry initiatives lack net zero focus -report

Carbon Pulse - Sun, 2022-07-03 21:00
Australia’s funding and policy initiatives for the industrial sector lack coherency and focus, and urgently need to be aligned with the country’s net zero emissions goals in mind if it is to succeed in meeting its decarbonisation goals, according to research released on Monday.
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What's causing Sydney's monster flood crisis – and 3 ways to stop it from happening again

The Conversation - Sun, 2022-07-03 20:49
Again, thousands of residents in Western Sydney face a life-threatening flood disaster. Obviously, nature is a major culprit – but other drivers are also at play. Dale Dominey-Howes, Honorary Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Victoria starts momentous shift from dirty and expensive gas, but is it quick enough?

RenewEconomy - Sun, 2022-07-03 12:23

Victoria begins momentous shift from gas in a landmark roadmap to embrace electrification and energy efficiency.

The post Victoria starts momentous shift from dirty and expensive gas, but is it quick enough? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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How much of our plastic 'recycling' is actually recycled?

BBC - Sun, 2022-07-03 09:09
About 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flows into the ocean each year, the UN says.
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Labour pledges to create 30,000 jobs at electric car battery gigafactories

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 07:30

Party makes promise amid reports UK is falling behind European rivals in production capacity for EVs

Labour has pledged to create at least 30,000 jobs by promising to build three gigafactories for electric car battery production in Britain by 2025, as it warned the country was falling behind its European competitors in the race to ditch petrol power.

Amid recent reports that Britain faces a battle to hold on to the production of electric vehicles (EVs) made by manufacturers already in the UK, the party has committed itself to a major expansion of the part-financing of gigafactories. It follows research suggesting countries such as Germany, which already has a huge car industry, are significantly ahead in establishing the plants.

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Taking the plunge: on your first cold-water swim, it’s OK to swear

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 06:00

In the depths of a Melbourne winter, when it’s 4.6C on the bank and 6C in the Yarra, the true believers gather

I asked my friend if she wanted to come swimming in the Yarra/Birrarung – near the city – as dawn broke last week.

“It’s safe, they test!” I said. She paused, and for a second I thought she would join me in this foolhardiness. Then she replied: “That’s like saying drinking your own piss is safe.”

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Australasia’s remarkable reptiles and amphibians – in pictures

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 06:00

A new book showcases spectacular photos of frogs, crocodiles, tuataras, turtles, lizards and snakes of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea

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Home tweet home: birdhouses designed by artists – in pictures

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 02:00

One of the few positives from lockdown is the number of city dwellers who connected with urban wildlife during the long days at home. New York-based music supervisor Randall Poster is one of them. He loved listening to birdsong in the quiet city so much that he decided to highlight the birds’ plight as their habitats vanish. With producer Rebecca Reagan, he created For the Birds, a multidisciplinary initiative that includes The Birdsong Project, a 20-LP box set of music and poems to enjoy. If you head to Brooklyn Botanic Garden between now and October, there’s also an installation of 33 artist-built birdhouses. Some are species specific, such as Jessica Maffia’s A Home for Flickers and Nina Cooke John’s Oh Robin!, but all reflect the complex, fragile, migratory lives of the birds. “We hope that visitors will feel the joy of creativity and the inspiration of birds and birdsong,” says Poster.

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Living in a tree is the only way to save it from pointless destruction | Tim Adams

The Guardian - Sun, 2022-07-03 00:00

A man in a hammock is determined to stop Haringey council felling the 120-year-old plane in a row over subsidence

On Wednesday evening, as the light was fading, I stood chatting under a London plane tree to Marcus Carambola, who was about to spend his 50th consecutive night sleeping in a hammock among the tree’s branches, 10m above the pavement. Carambola, barefoot, 33, spoke of the tree as an old friend: “We have got to know each other pretty well,” he said, looking up.

The 120-year-old tree, in Oakfield Road, in Haringey, north London, has become the emblem of a battle between residents, insurers and the local council that has implications for leafy streets across the country.

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