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Ibex population thrives in French Pyrenees a century after being wiped out
A bumper litter of kids has helped the distinctive, long-horned wild goats to prosper after being introduced from Spain
The population of ibex recently introduced to the French Pyrenees is thriving more than a century after the native species was wiped out in France.
Officials have counted 70 newborn ibex this year at the Pyrenees national park and nearby Ariege regional park in the craggy mountains that separate France and Spain.
Continue reading...Solar River solar and battery project still confident, despite loss of Alinta contract
Delayed Solar River solar and battery project looking to lock in new contracts and finance soon following the withdrawal of Alinta Power from PPA.
The post Solar River solar and battery project still confident, despite loss of Alinta contract appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Higher price of electric cars a concern for more than half of UK consumers
Cost deterrent ‘risks UK being in slow lane’ in transition from fossil fuel vehicles, says car industry body
Expensive prices for electric cars could hold back the UK’s transition from fossil fuel vehicles, the industry has warned, amid signs that demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is waning.
Related: Electric cars: five best buys, from new models to used bargains
Continue reading...Spilled energy: Mining giant looks to take next step to 100% renewables
Oz Minerals has drawn up plans to power a $1 billion mining project with 80 per cent renewables, but wants to take the next step to 100 per cent wind, solar and storage.
The post Spilled energy: Mining giant looks to take next step to 100% renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Covid-19 hasn’t fixed Australia’s emissions tug-of-war
Covid has barely made a dent into the tug of war between the things that are pulling Australia's emissions down - mainly, renewables - and things pulling them up - mainly transport and fossil gas.
The post Covid-19 hasn’t fixed Australia’s emissions tug-of-war appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Policy Analyst, EU and International Climate Policy, ERCST – Brussels
US lawmaker plans tradable output-based standard for power generation
NA Markets: California allowances climb toward 2021 floor, RGGI prices drop before Q3 sale
EU Market: EUAs rise in auction-free session amid US equity sell-off
Predators, prey and moonlight singing: how phases of the Moon affect native wildlife
Don’t pollute the Clean Energy Finance Corporation with loss-making gas
Angus Taylor seeks to destroy the culture of the CEFC and its staff by trying to force them to give loss-making loans to gas projects that it cannot legally make.
The post Don’t pollute the Clean Energy Finance Corporation with loss-making gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Burning bush, melting Arctic, a deadly virus: nobody said the end times would be boring | John Birmingham
For one brief shining moment it seemed humanity’s inability to imagine much beyond our lived experience was irrelevant. Covid was coming for us all
- This is part of a series of essays by Australian writers responding to the challenges of 2020
The chicken shack was nearly an hour’s walk through Seoul in the subzero night, but they served up damn good chicken, and dangerously cheap beer, and we agreed the risk of becoming lost and freezing to death on the street was worth it. My son, Thomas, spent his early years in Canberra, and he does not feel the cold like I do, routinely sleeping with his bedroom windows wide open through the winter. But on this night even he swaddled up with multiple layers of hoodies, scarves and so much Korean puffer-wear that we were less men than giant, shambling marshmallows in search of the dirty bird.
There was, as well, a quiet pleasure to be had from the killing cold. When we had flown out of Australia a few days earlier the whole of the sky was smeared a smoky orange ochre, and the familiar steam press humidity of summer in the subtropics had evaporated under a furnace blast of dry heat from the heart of the continent. It felt good to shiver and contemplate the lot of everyone we’d left behind, especially as we drummed greasy fingertips on painfully distended tummies full of spicy chicken meat. But enjoyment would pass.
Continue reading...Unsustainable fishing worsens threats to Great Barrier Reef
Marine park authority cites excessive and illegal fishing that can hit resilience of reef’s ecosystem
Under-regulated fishing along the Great Barrier Reef is putting the world’s biggest coral reef system at further risk as it deals with repeated mass bleaching events, the Australia government’s marine park authority has found.
Conservationists and recreational fishing groups have told Guardian Australia the Queensland government’s rollout of major fisheries reforms, designed to tackle the issues along the reef, has stalled.
Continue reading...Australia's environment minister orders investigation into export of hundreds of endangered parrots
Sussan Ley announces audit after Guardian Australia revealed her department allowed the birds to be exported to Germany
The environment minister, Sussan Ley, has appointed an auditor to investigate her own department over the export of hundreds of native and endangered parrots to Germany over a three-year period.
Guardian Australia revealed in 2018 that the Australian government permitted the export of hundreds of birds to a German organisation despite concerns they were being offered for sale rather than exhibited.
Continue reading...Trump seeks to fast-track dozens of fossil fuel projects during pandemic
List comes after Trump order in June directed agencies to use emergency authority to speed projects amid economic downturn
The Trump administration has identified dozens of major fossil fuel, energy and water projects that could be fast-tracked by expediting environmental reviews amid the pandemic, according to internal government documents.
At least 19 of the projects are from companies that have spent a total of $16m lobbying the interior department since early 2017, according to an analysis by the conservation group the Center for Western Priorities. ConocoPhillips spent $11.2m of that amount lobbying the department, including on plans to drill for oil and gas within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, the group said.
Continue reading...EU budget would be 'disastrous' for research
Secrets of male elephant society revealed in the wild
New Zealand suspends live animal exports after ship sinks
Gulf Livestock 1, carrying more than 40 crew members and nearly 6,000 cattle, foundered off coast of Japan
New Zealand has suspended live cattle exports after a ship carrying almost 6,000 animals sank off the Japanese coast on Wednesday. There are growing fears for the fate of the more than 40 crew members on the Gulf Livestock 1, with reports of just one survivor so far.
The vessel was on its way to China when it reportedly developed engine problems and sank in rough seas caused by Typhoon Maysak, the survivor said.
The rescued Filipino crew member was recovered after a Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted him wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing in the water.
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