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Researchers say device can generate sustainable power from gentle breeze

Scientists have developed a “tiny wind turbine” that can scavenge energy from the breeze made while walking.

Imagine rubbing a balloon on your hair for a few seconds – can you hear the crackle of static electricity, see your hair stand on end? That energy, powered by the contact and separation of two materials, can be bottled up and stored for use, according to researchers working on the device.

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Scientists have developed a 'tiny wind turbine' that can take energy from a gentle breeze, such as that made as you walk.

The device comprises two plastic strips in a tube that flutter or clap together in the presence of airflow. That energy, powered by the contact and separation of two materials, can be bottled up and stored for use, according to researchers.

Scientists in China hope the device can generate sustainable power in a low-cost, efficient manner while 'overcoming the issues that the traditional wind turbines can’t solve'

• Full story: 'Tiny wind turbine' can collect energy from a walker's swinging arm
  

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The UN’s CORSIA international aviation offsetting mechanism will add just 17 euro cents to ticket prices for long-haul flights from the EU, according to an NGO-commissioned study published Tuesday.

Poland’s largest utility PGE must discuss the future of its Belchatow lignite power plant with environmental NGOs that want the facility shut down, a regional district court ruled on Wednesday.

We have a unique opportunity for a head of sales to join a young and progressive company based in Greenwich, London.

Scientists trace a wobble in the brightness around M87* - the first black hole ever to be imaged.

European carbon prices fell back on Wednesday, handing back much of the previous day’s gains as the market saw a heavy inflow of supply and technical signals remained bearish to maintain the wild volatility seen over the past month.

US planning $3tn in spending with few environmental safeguards attached

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Few countries are living up to their promises of a “green recovery” from the coronavirus crisis, with hundreds of billions of dollars likely to be spent on economic rescue packages that increase greenhouse gas emissions, research has found.

The US is planning nearly $3tn in spending with few environmental safeguards attached, and little money going to low-carbon efforts, while rolling back regulations that protect nature and the environment. Of the total US stimulus of about $2.98tn, only about $39bn is going towards green projects, according to the analysis.

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The proposed inclusion of carbon sinks under the EU's 2030 climate plans is unlikely to give emitters much wriggle room as the effect of Brexit and other shifts make the bloc's overall reduction goal harder to reach.

In the wake of Covid-19, the fossil fuel lobby has ramped up its anti-climate campaigns, and their ties to Australia's companies and the Morrison government are stronger than ever.

The post Australia’s mining giants still tied to lobby groups blocking climate action appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We are looking for someone to support business and public engagement focused on a long-term strategy for how the Government, working with other partners, can both communicate the Net Zero policy and drive meaningful behaviour change needed to meet our target.

Hundreds of whales have died in what is suspected to be Australia's largest mass stranding on record.

More than 450 long-finned pilot whales were caught on sandbanks and beaches on the Australian island state of Tasmania.

Rescuers have managed to save about 50 whales so far, with efforts to save any whales that are still alive ongoing

• 380 whales dead in worst mass stranding in Australia's history

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The findings come after the discovery of 1,200 dinosaur teeth in an ancient river bed in Morocco.

Australia has announced plans to use its offset market to cut a staggering 35-90 MtCO2e worth of emissions every year through soil carbon projects, but even if the technological challenges are overcome, who will buy all those carbon credits?

The long-finned pilot whales have perished after becoming beached on Tasmania's coast.

All vehicles create carbon emissions and cause congestion. The coronavirus crisis should help us break our dependence on them

Could it be true? That this government will bring all sales of petrol and diesel cars to an end by 2030? That it will cancel all rail franchises and replace them with a system that might actually work? Could the UK, for the first time since the internal combustion engine was invented, really be contemplating a rational transport policy? Hold your horses.

Before deconstructing it, let’s mark this moment. Both announcements might be a decade or two overdue, but we should bank them as they’re essential steps towards a habitable nation.

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Leaded petrol hasn't been used since 2002, but new research found traces of it end up back in the air after bushfires. Cynthia Faye Isley, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Science, Macquarie University Mark Patrick Taylor, Professor of Environmental Science, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Culture wars, lies about targets and baselines, support for fossil fuels and naked hostility to renewables: What has changed for the Coalition since 2004?

The post How to escape the Groundhog Day of Australian climate politics appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More than 450 long-finned pilot whales are stranded in Tasmania. Saving them is a race against time. Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow in Marine Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A second pod was sighted by helicopter on Wednesday morning, likely making it the worst whale stranding in Australia’s history

Rescuers fighting to save a pod of 270 whales stranded in Tasmania’s west have discovered a further 200 whales about 10km away in the same harbour, which all appear to be dead. The stranding is likely one of the largest on record globally and the worst in Australia’s history.

The sighting was made by helicopter over Macquarie Harbour on Wednesday morning and brings the total number of dead long-finned pilot whales in the stranding to about 290.

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