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New York approves biggest battery in the state, and a combined solar-battery car park project at JFK airport.

The post New York planning two new ground-breaking battery storage projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

US President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet and executive office nominees are likely to initially focus on undoing environmental rollbacks from the prior administration, along with advancing ambitious climate policies through regulatory or executive actions in the face of resistance from Republicans, experts told Carbon Pulse.

A person who exercises, attends sporting events as a spectator and takes their kids to the oval or swimming pool will create 935 kg of CO₂ per year if using their car. Tim Breitbarth, Senior Academic, Swinburne University of Technology Adam Karg, Associate professor, Swinburne University of Technology Kasey Symons, Postdoctoral research fellow, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Government will allow 30,000 EU and non-EU workers to help pick and pack fruit and vegetables

The government is to allow farmers to bring in 30,000 seasonal workers from overseas in 2021 – three times more than this year – to help pick and pack fruit and vegetables.

The extension of the seasonal agricultural workers’ scheme, which will apply to EU and non-EU workers after the end of freedom of movement from Europe in January, comes after a difficult harvest in 2020 during which farmers feared fruit and vegetables would rot in the fields as they struggled to attract enough workers.

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From bushfires to the Paris agreement, 2020 was the year the federal government started learning the dangers of treading water while others swim hard.

The post The top 4 climate and energy points of 2020 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

EUAs climbed back above €31 on Tuesday as colder weather prospects dragged up power and fuel prices, with the announcement of a date for the resumption of auctions in 2021 lending support.

Emitters in the Northeast US RGGI cap-and-trade programme markedly increased their allowance holdings in the third quarter of the year as prices climbed, according to a report published Tuesday.

Covid lockdowns initially saw greenhouse gas emissions from road transport plummet but by September it was back to business as usual

Greenhouse gas emissions from road transport in Australia have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, exposing the country’s lack of policies to decarbonise the sector, new analysis shows.

But the amount of electricity being generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind continues to break records, with October seeing almost one-third of electricity being generated by clean sources.

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The giant iceberg that's been drifting through the South Atlantic experiences a major break-up.

Renewables hit record highs, while coal slumps to record lows and a rebound in transport emissions underlines need for EV strategy, a new report shows.

The post Rebound in transport emissions, record renewables, shows need for EV plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Ukraine should have an ETS set up by 2023 to address EU pressure to act on climate change, according to the head of the country’s biggest private energy producer, reflecting government plans that will see emissions auditing start next year.

China’s biggest grid operator expects the country's electricity consumption will rise next year, a move likely to result in CO2 output from coal power plants rising by some 100 Mt, according to analysts.

Scientists say the cub, which died about 56,000 years ago, is "the most complete wolf mummy known".

Health impact is unknown but scientists say particles may cause long-term damage to foetuses

Microplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”.

The health impact of microplastics in the body is as yet unknown. But the scientists said they could carry chemicals that could cause long-term damage or upset the foetus’s developing immune system. The particles are likely to have been consumed or breathed in by the mothers.

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GE Renewables to supply world-leading 14MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbines for final phase of the world's biggest offshore wind project.

The post GE to deliver 14MW wind turbine for world’s biggest offshore wind farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists are rushing to find out more about mutations in a variant of coronavirus causing concern.

Governments have committed $1.37 billion towards international emissions trading pilot programmes to help meet Paris Agreement goals, according to a report that charts a fourfold rise in finance inside 18 months.

The Guardian’s biodiversity editor looks back on a year that put the state of the planet on the agenda in ways no one could have foreseen

• Read more in our series Biodiversity: what happened next?

The year 2020 was always destined to be a crucial one for biodiversity, with the Cop15 conference in Kunming, China scheduled for October, at which the international community was expected to agree a Paris-style agreement for nature. But the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic across the world forced biodiversity on to the agenda in a way previously unseen.

Despite the postponement of Cop15, there was a flurry of activity among the world’s leading figures on the environment as it became clear that the state of our planet has never been more urgent. In March, John Vidal was among the first to report on the link between our destruction of nature and Covid-19 – and the warnings continued.

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Campaigners in Ilkley hope River Wharfe designation will ‘trigger a clean-up’ of local sewage system

A stretch of river in Yorkshire will become the first in the UK to be given bathing water status in a major success for campaigners trying to stop releases of untreated sewage into inland waters.

Part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, which is a popular swimming and paddling spot, is to be added to the list of bathing waters next year, after months of campaigning.

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