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What kind of person opposes initiatives designed to protect the future of our planet so his enfeebled party can retain power?

I view human nature through the Techniscope ™® lens of 1960s Italian cowboy films. In Spaghetti Western World, the men we most despise are those who, when the chips are down, snatch an innocent peasant child and put a pistol to their temple, to use as a human shield until their demands are met. Our cowardly prime minister, cornered by the possibility of a catastrophic election defeat, has just done the same thing, but instead of merely manhandling an infant peon on the steps of a saloon, he is holding a gun to the head of the whole world and threatening the future of all life on Earth. See him now in His Name Is Sunak, Our Angel of Death, and You Must Prepare Your Coffin, Amigo (Gianfranco Parolini, 1968).

For Sunak has, in the face of all credible scientific evidence, and in naked contempt for the international court of civilised opinion, decided to grant hundreds of new licences for drilling for North Sea oil. Why? Is Sunak perhaps sexually aroused by the idea of being held in contempt on a global scale? Does he retire to his North Yorkshire mansion priapic and alone under a cloud of assumed loathing, wondering in the dark what he can do to make himself ever-more despised? Did Sunak choose his job as an investment banker because he enjoyed the rhyming slang connotations?

Basic Lee tour dates are here. A fun-size ™ ® version of the show is at the Stand’s New Town theatre, Edinburgh, from 11 to 20 August

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Australia wants to lead the world in the race to renewables, but it is in the bottom half for projected growth in the capability to make complex items.

The post Australia gets wake up call on materials manufacturing in surge to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Human-caused climate disruption and El Niño push temperature in mountains to 37C

Exceptional winter heat in the Andean mountains of South America has surged to 37C, prompting local scientists to warn the worst may be yet to come as human-caused climate disruption and El Niño cause havoc across the region.

The heatwave in the central Chilean Andes is melting the snow below 3,000 metres (9,840ft), which will have knock-on effects for people living in downstream valleys who depend on meltwater during the spring and summer.

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Lowering pollution produced by houses, offices and factories is just as crucial as tackling vehicle emissions

Imposing strict controls on car exhausts will only partially improve the quality of air people breathe in the UK, scientists have said. New measures to counter emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants will also be needed for buildings, heating plants and many other domestic and industrial sources in future.

The warning follows the controversy that has surrounded London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in which drivers are charged for their vehicles’ polluting impact. This month the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the zone from inner London so it covers all boroughs in the city. The decision has provoked opposition from some drivers and was blamed by various Labour party figures for the Conservatives surprise byelection win in Uxbridge and South Ruislip last month.

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The celebrated science broadcaster and environmental activist says we have to stop elevating the economy and politics over the state of our world

David Suzuki is in an office, shirt unbuttoned, sunglasses on, a bookshelf over his left shoulder overflowing with a mess of boxes, bottles and binders, some barely hanging on to the top shelf. We’re speaking via video between his family cabin on an island off the Canadian west coast and my barely-more-organised home office in southern Tasmania. But the celebrated science broadcaster and environmental activist is considering something else.

“Maybe I can just give you an idea of what I’m looking out at,” he says, turning his laptop so I can see what he sees: a beautiful bay in late afternoon sun. My response is involuntary: “Oh, wow.”

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Athletes competing on stretch of UK coastline where reduced water quality at centre of dispute over sewage discharges

At least 57 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after competing in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, health officials confirmed this weekend.

About 2,000 people participated in the events last weekend, which included a swim off Sunderland’s blue flag Roker beach. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it would be testing samples from those who were ill to establish the cause of the illness and any common pathogens.

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People scoffed at the idea of electric vehicles for the masses. But now a Tesla hatchback has outsold the Toyota Corolla

An intriguing news item dropped into my inbox this week. It said that in the first quarter of this year, an electric vehicle (EV) had become the biggest-selling car in the world, outselling the Toyota Corolla. I know, I know, dear reader: you think this is non-news of the “Small earthquake in Chile, not many dead” variety. But to those of us condemned to follow the tech industry, three things are significant about it: the vanquished car was a Corolla, the EV was a Tesla (the Model Y hatchback), and the runner-up is made by Toyota.

The poor Corolla gets a lot of disdainful looks from petrolheads, who tell rude jokes about it and view the vehicle as bland, unimaginative and boring. Normal people, however, have consistently regarded it as one of the best compact cars available, with good fuel economy, impressive reliability and excellent luggage capacity. And they have backed that judgment with their wallets for many years. So on the sales front, the Corolla was no pushover.

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Industry figures warn climate crisis goals cannot be met unless government pumps more money into renewables

Britain faces being left with no hope of meeting its crucial climate crisis goals and losing its status as a world leader in offshore wind energy without an urgent overhaul of government support, ministers are being warned.

The sudden halting of one of the country’s biggest offshore windfarm projects last month could signal a “tipping point” in the construction of new sites unless ministers intervene, a number of senior energy industry figures told the Observer.

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Australia confirms it is seeking 24 gigawatt hours of storage through its capacity investment scheme, with batteries looking best placed.

The post Australia seeks 24 gigawatt hours of storage, and batteries have the front seat appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Emitters continued to favour this year's California Carbon Allowance (CCA) vintage contract as prices went on a wild ride this week, while both speculators and producers reduced their RGGI Allowance (RGA) holdings, data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed Friday.

Voyager 2 has restored its communication with Earth months earlier than expected.

A pair of investors in the California Carbon Allowance (CCA) market in recent weeks have departed for firms primarily focused on the voluntary credit space, Carbon Pulse has learned.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) on Friday withheld a siting permit for an ethanol carbon capture and storage (CCS) project that is part of a diversified carbon removal forward credit purchase agreement announced earlier this year.

A software aviation firm announced Friday the upcoming launch of its carbon offset platform for commercial and private jet fleet operators, and will source the credits from biochar projects.

EU industrial companies should set out climate plans featuring emissions intensity goals and planned measures for every five-year period through 2050 to ensure they can continue to receive their full free allocation of carbon allowances, the European Commission said on Friday.

Germany’s plan to tender 24 GW of hydrogen and fossil gas units from 2024 could lead to the release of almost 5 MtCO2 emissions per year as industry is expected to take time to build a low-carbon hydrogen supply chain, analysts told Carbon Pulse.

US tech giant Amazon is among more than 60 companies identified by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) late on Thursday for falling to meet a deadline in submitting their emissions reduction goals for validation.

A small Oregon carbon services provider has introduced a new independent GHG programme for the validation and monitoring of community and nature-based projects, the company announced this week.

Experts have mostly reacted positively to the British government's publication of pricing tiers for statutory biodiversity credits, underlining that the high costs for this 'last resort' option mean that developers will be forced to consider their nature impact before undertaking projects, while also incentivising a local supply of units to emerge.