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Unesco urged to oppose 'alarming' changes to Australian environment laws
Conservation groups warn Australia’s natural world heritage sites are ‘under more pressure than ever before’
Australian conservation groups have written to the UN’s peak environmental heritage body urging it to oppose the Coalition’s bid to devolve the approval process for projects to state and territory governments.
In a letter to the director general of Unesco, the 13 groups warn of the “alarming moves … to weaken legal protection for Australia’s 20 world heritage listed properties” through changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Continue reading...Prominent scientist slams forestry association for dismissing logging links to bushfire risk
Exclusive: John Dargavel says his professional body ‘damaged and demeaned’ all foresters by dismissing links between logging and bushfire risks
A veteran Australian forestry scientist has launched a blistering attack on his professional association after it used the retraction of a scientific paper to dismiss links between logging and increased bushfire risks.
In an open letter to the Institute of Foresters Australia seen by Guardian Australia, Dr John Dargavel said the institute’s reaction “damages our standing” and “demeans all foresters in the public eye”.
Continue reading...Extinction Rebellion calls move to class it as organised crime group 'ridiculous'
Climate group criticises move by UK government as Labour condemns newspaper protest
Extinction Rebellion has described government moves to treat the climate crisis protest movement as an organised crime group as “ridiculous.”
The group said associating it with the state’s definition of a crime gang as “characterised by violence or the threat of violence and by the use of bribery and corruption” was an insult to the thousands of ordinary citizens who supported its cause.
Continue reading...ESB puts “coal exit strategy” at centre of energy market shakeup
ESB releases discussion paper on energy market reforms, designed to smooth the exit of coal generators, and the transition to wind, solar and storage.
The post ESB puts “coal exit strategy” at centre of energy market shakeup appeared first on RenewEconomy.
'The whole place was a toilet': Dartmoor reels from camping boom
Hundreds of campers descended on the Devon national park this summer as the UK’s Covid lockdown eased
The scene could hardly be more idyllic. A broad grassy bank next to a clear, burbling river. Downstream from the stone bridge, herons patrol the shallows, while deer, wild ponies and cattle trot down the hillside in the early autumn sunshine for a drink.
This spot at Bellever in the heart of Dartmoor was very different at the height of the summer, when hundreds of “fly-campers” descended from across the UK with tents, gazebos, music systems, fairy lights and generators to grab a taste of post-lockdown freedom.
Continue reading...Enough with 'local' and 'organic'. We'll begin to eat well when we farm well | James Rebanks
Our diet should be shaped by what works for the land, argues the farmer-author
As a farmer, I’m supposed to hate vegans and environmental activists, but that’s nonsense. Even when I don’t agree with everything they say, I share their wish to make the world a better place and their concern about the state it’s in today. In an age of increasingly apocalyptic news about the natural world, we are frequently warned that the things we are buying and eating are driving ecological collapse. Sensible and thoughtful people everywhere are asking the same question: what should I eat?
It is a good question and an important one that speaks of a growing public awareness of our footprint on Earth and our wish to do less harm, individually and collectively. But as a farmer I know that that question masks another, far deeper one, that we must all ask ourselves: how should we farm?
Continue reading...Why a lack of squished bugs on the windscreen is a worrying sign | Tim Adams
The dramatic drop in insect populations is to be highlighted by David Attenborough
We were in Cornwall for a fortnight at the end of last month, driving back to London on the bank holiday. Unpacking the car, I found myself crouching to peer at the front numberplate with my phone torch. I’m old enough to remember when long summer journeys left windscreens and headlights stippled with insects. Looking at the car last week, though, there was no evidence of that one-time carnage, hardly a squished bug to be seen.
Continue reading...Approved inverters and agents named for strict new rooftop solar controls
South Australia names first batch of inverters and "agents" that will ensure new rooftop solar systems can ride through faults and be remotely switched off if needed.
The post Approved inverters and agents named for strict new rooftop solar controls appeared first on RenewEconomy.
'Super bacteria' survives for three years outside space station
10 of the best... Ethical earrings – in pictures
Whether they are recycled, upcycled or sold with a charity donation, here is our top pick of ethical earrings for those with style – and a clear conscience
Continue reading...As our former lives dissolve into uncertainty, facts are something solid to cling to | Lenore Taylor
Misinformation and dangerous conspiracy theories thrive when people are stressed and alone. At this moment democratic society desperately needs strong journalism
- This is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020
I have always worked with facts. I have sifted them for relevance, assembled them to make sense of things, and used them to construct an argument or to disagree with another point of view. Facts are, for journalists, the essential ingredient, like flour for bakers or clay for sculptors. So I recall very clearly how disconcerted I felt when I first sensed they were turning to liquid and sliding through my hands.
It was during Tony Abbott’s campaign against the Labor government’s carbon pricing scheme – the policy he dubbed a “great big tax on everything”. There were, for sure, some factual arguments that could have been deployed against that policy, or alternative ideas that could have been raised. The then opposition leader opted for neither of these methods. Instead, he travelled the country saying things that were patently nonsensical. But most news outlets reported them uncritically, and this firehose of nonsense proved impossible to mop up.
Continue reading...More than 600 arrests made at Extinction Rebellion protests in London
Climate campaigners stage a range of public events over five days despite Covid restrictions
More than 600 people have been arrested during five days of climate crisis protests in central London, police have said.
Environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion (XR) reignited its efforts to highlight the dangers of climate crisis this month after they were largely placed on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.
Continue reading...'World’s loneliest elephant' allowed to leave zoo for better life
Kaavan, who lives in a Pakistani zoo, lost his partner in 2012 and is now medically clear to travel
An elephant who has become a cause célèbre for animal rights activists around the world will be allowed to leave his Pakistani zoo and be transferred to better conditions, the animal welfare group helping with the case has said.
Dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” by his supporters, Kaavan has languished at a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for more than 35 years.
Continue reading...Greta Thunberg says Venice documentary shows her real self
Global climate activist pleased with film’s portrayal of her as a ‘shy nerd’
A documentary following Greta Thunberg and her journey from Swedish schoolgirl to global climate activist accurately portrays her as a “shy nerd”, the teenager said as the film premiered at the Venice film festival.
Director Nathan Grossman recorded Thunberg’s everyday life for a year, chronicling her rise to fame from the beginning of her school strike outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 to her trips around the world demanding that political leaders take action to fight the climate crisis.
Continue reading...Climate activists accused of ‘attacking free press’ by blockading print works
Extinction Rebellion protests at News Corp sites condemned by Society of Editors as ‘attempt to silence other voices’
Ministers and MPs from all parts of the political spectrum have condemned Extinction Rebellion for blocking the delivery of newspapers across the UK on Saturday.
Four national newspapers, including the Sun and the Daily Mail, were missing from some newsagents’ shelves on Saturday morning after more than 100 environmental protesters targeted printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp on Friday evening.
Continue reading...Extinction Rebellion protesters blockade Murdoch printing sites – video report
The distribution of several major newspapers was disrupted early on Saturday after Extinction Rebellion climate emergency activists blockaded printing presses used by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp papers, such as the Sun and the Times, as well as the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph. The protesters blocked roads leading to two printworks, at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, near Liverpool. Extinction Rebellion said it took the action to highlight what it regards as the newspapers' failure to report accurately on the climate crisis. The home secretary, Priti Patel, accused the protesters of attacking the free press.
Continue reading...Quiz: New rules for cyclists and drivers
Earth's 'lost species' only the tip of the iceberg
Goulburn community solar farm cuts ties with Siemens over Adani coal connection
NSW 1.8MW community solar and battery project will not use Siemens inverters due to the German multi-national's connection with Queensland's Adani coal mine.
The post Goulburn community solar farm cuts ties with Siemens over Adani coal connection appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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