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Queensland environment minister Meaghan Scanlon says ‘the world is watching’ and more needs to be done to protect the reef from climate change

• Great Barrier Reef should be listed as ‘in danger’

Queensland’s environment minister says UN officials recommending the Great Barrier Reef be placed on the world heritage “in danger” list shows the Morrison government must do more to deal with the climate crisis.

Meaghan Scanlon’s comments put the state government at odds with the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, who has accused the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) of a “complete subversion of normal process”.

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EnergyAustralia says it hopes to seal cracks in coal mine embankment this week, but the really big decision – where to divert the river – has not been taken.

The post Yallourn stuck on quarter capacity as scramble continues to save coal mine appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exclusive: Environment Agency chair warned minister of ‘real-world impacts’, FOI request reveals

Vital work on river pollution and flood defences is being stopped or cut back because the Environment Agency has been underfunded for years, freedom of information documents reveal.

A shortfall in funding of tens of millions of pounds is having real world consequences for our rivers, according to a letter from Emma Howard Boyd, the chair of the EA, to George Eustice, the environment secretary. The letter was obtained by River Action, a campaigning body, under FOI laws.

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New billion-dollar charity partnership to unlock finance and resources to provide reliable renewable electricity to the over three billion people globally who currently go without.

The post IKEA & Rockefeller foundations pledge $US1 billion renewable energy catalyst appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Morrison government has called for feedback on new "guarantee of origin" certification scheme to track hydrogen production.

The post Federal government seeks input on proposed hydrogen “guarantee of origin” scheme appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Sussan Ley's bizarre decision to block a major renewable hydrogen project is now also ironical, as the environment minister cries foul over lack of consultation on UNESCO's Great Barrier Reef call.

The post “Blindsided,” says Ley, as developers reel from shock renewable hydrogen decision appeared first on RenewEconomy.

While Morrison focuses on his noisy right flank, the ALP can establish its credentials as part of the global consensus

While the prime minister is holed up at the Lodge in quarantine, his Coalition partners have been infecting the body politic with a new Delta strain of climate denial by restoring Barnaby Joyce to the second-highest office in the land.

After barely surviving the “G7 plus besties” event in Cornwall with a combination of anti-China bellicose and embarrassed deflection on Australia’s dogged resistance to global action on climate, Scott Morrison returned home to find his country cousins in turmoil. Rediscovering this particular branch of the family was the last thing the PM was banking on as he was fossicking for his roots in his downtime.

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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Is Matt Kean's ambitious new EV policy enough to make NSW the Norway of Australia? Is that even the right baseline to be using?

The post Will Matt Kean’s EV policy really make NSW the Norway of Australia? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Having realised it's a "bit on the nose," the gas industry's new marketing strategy plays into the Morrison government's big lie that we need gas for future prosperity.

The post Gas industry mirrors Morrison, pivots to message of energy security appeared first on RenewEconomy.

By manipulating genes scientists say they can create better-tasting produce, but is it necessary?

Despite appearances, this is not a problem about rooftop solar exports. The real problem lies in how network sunk costs are recovered from consumers.

The post Solar tax debate futile unless we tackle the “original sin” of price regulation appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian government ‘stunned’ by recommendation and will strongly oppose draft decision, environment minister Sussan Ley says

The Great Barrier Reef should be placed on to a list of world heritage sites that are “in danger”, according to a recommendation from UN officials that urges Australia to take “accelerated action at all possible levels” on climate change.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says the world’s biggest coral reef system should be placed on the list at the world heritage committee meeting next month.

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Prices for CORSIA-eligible voluntary emissions reductions (VERs) ticked up once again this week, while US-based exchange CME Group announced it will launch a nature-based carbon offset futures contract this summer.

Speculators’ California Carbon Allowance (CCA) positions inched closer to 100 million over the prior week, as allowance prices under the linked WCI programme peaked at a fresh all-time high amid new financial interest, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Monday.

Science is never settled. But contrary to the claims of a new book, there is enough confidence in the science to justify significant climate action. Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most cities likely to be affected by the pollutant, which is particularly harmful to children’s brains

Toxic lead from petrol that was banned 20 years ago still lingers in the air in London, a study has shown, with researchers saying the legacy of leaded fuels is likely to hang over most cities.

While levels are much lower than at their peak in the 1980s, they remain far above natural background levels. Lead is extremely poisonous and there is no safe amount of exposure. It is of particular concern for children, as it damages their developing brains and ability to learn.

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The system would also have very little impact on the environment, in contrast to livestock farming, scientists say

Combining solar power and microbes could produce 10 times more protein than crops such as soya beans, according to a new study.

The system would also have very little impact on the environment, the researchers said, in stark contrast to livestock farming which results in huge amounts of climate-heating gases as well as water pollution.

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JP Morgan Asset Management announced the purchase of a forest management and timberland investing company on Monday, with the New York-headquartered financial services firm seeking to become an “active participant” in growing carbon credit markets.

California fuel usage continued to edge back towards pre-pandemic levels in April, as monthly gasoline demand rose to its highest in 14 months, according to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released Monday.