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Australia's smallest fish among 22 at risk of extinction within two decades
Dire outlook for native freshwater fish with 22 species given less than 50% chance of survival
Biggest threat is non-native fish, but study was conducted before summer bushfires impacted Australia’s rivers
Some 22 native freshwater fish have a 50/50 chance or worse of becoming extinct within two decades unless targeted action is taken to save them, according to new research.
The most threatened fish is Victoria’s tiger-striped shaw galaxias which, experts concluded, had an 80% chance of being gone in 20 years time.
Continue reading...EU Market: EUAs lose further ground below €26 as autumn auction hike stokes concern
Marine food webs could be radically altered by heating of oceans, scientists warn
Temperature and CO2 changes reduce the numbers of some species and promote the growth of algae, University of Adelaide study finds
Heating of the world’s oceans could radically reorganise marine food webs across the globe causing the numbers of some species to collapse while promoting the growth of algae, new research has warned.
Healthy marine food webs that look like a pyramid, with smaller numbers of larger predatory species at the top and more abundant smaller organisms at the bottom, could become “bottom heavy”.
Continue reading...Spain confirms closure of additional 1.2 GW of coal capacity through 2022
Trump rolls back methane climate standards for oil and gas industry
Methane is a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than CO2 and addressing it is critical to slowing global heating
The Trump administration is revoking rules that require oil and gas drillers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than carbon dioxide.
Methane has a much more potent short-term warming effect than CO2 and addressing it is critical to slowing global heating as the world is already on track to become more than 3C hotter than before industrialization.
Continue reading...Utility RWE reports 30% drop in H1 thermal power output while advancing hedging
North-facing rooftop solar panels rarely best for consumers – or for the grid
University of South Australia study finds that when it comes to solar self-consumption, optimal panel placement is rarely towards the equator.
The post North-facing rooftop solar panels rarely best for consumers – or for the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Big batteries are getting huge: California plan for 1500MW/6000MWh battery
Vistra Corp looks to expand battery system in California to a world-leading 1,500MW with four hours of energy storage.
The post Big batteries are getting huge: California plan for 1500MW/6000MWh battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Shanghai opens annual CO2 auction to non-ETS participants
Data shows big drop in NZ emitters using fixed price option for ETS compliance
Great Barrier Reef envoy Warren Entsch urges fellow Liberal MPs to do more on climate change
Queensland MP writes report urging Coalition to increase efforts to reduce emissions, especially in Covid-19 recovery response
The Morrison government’s Great Barrier Reef envoy, Warren Entsch, has urged fellow Liberal MPs to do more on climate change policy, including pushing for greater global action, after the world heritage site suffered a third mass bleaching event in five years.
In a report to the environment minister, Sussan Ley, Entsch said climate change was having a growing impact on the reef and was unequivocally its greatest long-term threat. He said he feared that programs to address greenhouse gas emissions might be dropped as the government rationalised spending in response to the Covid recession, and called for it to take another path.
Continue reading...Satellite photographs of the Mauritius oil spill - in pictures
Satellite images of the MV Wakashio shipwreck off the south-east coast of Mauritius reveal the damage as the Japanese bulk carrier leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil. The ship, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a coral reef on 25 July and began leaking oil last week, raising fears of a major ecological crisis
Continue reading...Handmade nest lures golden eagles back to Highlands estate
Pair fledge first chick in Dundreggan for 40 years in eyrie built by conservationist
A nest of arm-sized sticks built on a precipitous crag by an octogenarian conservationist dangling from a rope has enticed a pair of golden eagles back to the Highlands of Scotland.
The eyrie handmade by Roy Dennis, a renowned conservationist who has masterminded the revival of endangered species across Britain, helped the eagles successfully fledge the first chick on Trees for Life’s Dundreggan estate in 40 years.
Continue reading...Supertrawlers ramp up activity in UK protected waters during lockdown
Fishing time in first half of 2020 almost double that in whole of last year, Greenpeace says
Supertrawlers vastly stepped up their fishing in the UK’s protected waters during the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, while most of the UK’s smaller vessels were confined to port.
The amount of time supertrawlers spent fishing in marine protected areas in the first half of this year was nearly double that spent in the waters in the whole of last year, according to a Greenpeace investigation. There were 23 supertrawlers catching fish in UK protected areas in the period, none of them UK-owned.
Continue reading...Brazil experiences worst start to Amazon fire season for 10 years
Over 10,000 blazes seen so far in August, with response of President Bolsonaro condemned as ineffective
The Amazon has seen the worst start to the fire season in a decade, with 10,136 fires spotted in the first 10 days of August, a 17% rise on last year.
Analysis of Brazilian government figures by Greenpeace showed fires increasing by 81% in federal reserves compared with the same period last year. Coming a year after soaring Amazon fires caused an international crisis, the new figures raised fears this year’s fire season could be even worse than last year’s.
Continue reading...Wind giant Vestas reports $A139 million loss in “challenging environment”
Vestas reports net loss of €85 million for first six months of 2020 as it negotiates the ups and downs of the Covid crisis and economic downturn.
The post Wind giant Vestas reports $A139 million loss in “challenging environment” appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Large blue butterfly flutters in Cotswolds for first time in 150 years
Painstaking conservation effort to accommodate insect’s complex lifecycle pays off
The biggest reintroduction to date of the large blue has led to the rare butterfly flying on a Cotswold hillside where it has not been seen for 150 years.
About 750 butterflies emerged on to Rodborough Common in Gloucestershire this summer after 1,100 larvae were released last autumn following five years of innovative grassland management to create optimum habitat.
Continue reading...Moderate Tories join greens to call for fossil fuel car ban by 2030
Centrists draw up report aimed at bringing the UK in line with official climate advice
A group of moderate Conservative MPs has joined green groups in calling for the government’s ban on new fossil fuel vehicles to be brought forward by five years to 2030 as part of a plan to ignite a green economic recovery.
The recently reformed caucus of centrist Conservatives has called on ministers to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive green policy report aimed at bringing the UK in line with the official advice of the government’s climate tsars.
Continue reading...Graph of the Day: How wind and solar has changed shape of NSW energy prices
The changing shape of energy prices in NSW is presenting more opportunities for hybrid wind and solar projects, with or without storage.
The post Graph of the Day: How wind and solar has changed shape of NSW energy prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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