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Up to 120,000 new homes halted in areas including Eden Valley and Norfolk Broads due to ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules

A legal requirement that new houses do not pollute nearby wetlands, rivers and nature reserves has halted development across a swath of England.

Forty-two local authorities in England were last month told they must ensure that new homes are “nutrient neutral” and do not add damaging nitrates or phosphates to river catchments and protected areas including the Eden Valley in Cumbria, the River Camel in Cornwall and the Norfolk Broads.

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Mike Cannon-Brookes makes dramatic market raid to become biggest shareholder in AGL, vowing to stop demerger and fast-track exit from coal.

The post Cannon-Brookes steps in to stop AGL demerger, fast-track coal exit appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The New Zealand government should update its domestic ETS settings to ensure they align with the country’s NDC under the Paris Agreement to avoid a massive over-auctioning of NZUs in the coming years, an analyst said.

A Hong Kong-listed company has issued two non-fungible tokens (NFTs) backed by VCS credits generated by a China-based biomass project, but is finding interested buyers hard to come by at an asking price more than four times higher than regular voluntary offsets.

The Ukraine war has focused minds on win-win policies from ending coal and oil subsidies to raising petrol taxes on petrol

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has amplified the importance of national-security considerations in western countries’ energy policies. At the same time, governments must continue to focus on reducing environmental damage – in particular, on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Both goals, geopolitical and environmental, are urgent and should be evaluated together.

These two objectives are not necessarily in conflict, as some believe. There are plenty of energy measures the west can adopt that would benefit the environment and further its geopolitical aims. The most obvious steps, especially for the European Union, are sanctions that reduce demand for imports of fossil fuels from Russia.

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South Korea on Monday announced it will reduce the amount of CO2 allowances available at its monthly KAU auctions for May and June amid low secondary market prices and sluggish demand.

Liberal Democrats condemn ‘environment scandal’ as party releases figures compiled from Environment Agency data

Untreated sewage was discharged into England’s coastal bathing waters for more than 160,000 hours last year, according to figures collated by the Liberal Democrats to mark the start of the summer sea-swimming season.

Data compiled by the party using Environment Agency figures on 2021 discharges shows that water companies released raw sewage 25,000 times into designated bathing waters off the English coast.

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Albanese pitches vision of a green resources sector and revitalised manufacturing to contrast Morrison's embrace of fossil fuels.

The post Albo finds his mojo in push for green metals and EV batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California grid reaches 100% renewables for a short period over weekend in major milestone for one of world's biggest economies.

The post California runs on 100 per cent renewables, briefly, for first time ever appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Greens and Labor have a mixed record of working together, but can learn from past experience. Kate Crowley, Adjunct Associate Professor, Public and Environmental Policy, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

AGL says it will take a big hit to profits due to latest Loy Yang A coal outage, while market grapples with failing reliability and higher costs.

The post Loy Yang A coal plant outage expected to cost AGL at least $73 million appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian renewables developer Maoneng unveils plans for a massive four-hour battery and solar farm in the New South Wales Upper Hunter region.

The post Massive big battery and solar farm proposed for NSW coal country appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Researchers say natural spaces are worth £25.6bn a year and warn against cuts to councils’ green space budgets

The nation’s green spaces are worth £25.6bn in “welfare value” a year, according to a new study.

Scientists have said this flies in the face of decisions by councils to cut nature areas.

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RSPB reports 183 pairs at reserves including in Arne in Dorset and Minsmere in Suffolk

The distinctive sight and sound of a Dartford warbler singing from the top of a sprig of gorse in the May sunshine is making a welcome comeback after the bird almost became extinct half a century ago.

Dartford warblers suffered a population crash and were at risk of vanishing from the UK in the 1960s, largely because of loss of the lowland heathland they thrive in.

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Fortescue Future Industries hints at joining forces with other parties to create a single vision for giga-scale renewable energy projects.

The post Fortescue urges joint “Green Pilbara” vision of giga-scale wind, solar and hydrogen appeared first on RenewEconomy.

This goes against the general understanding of how climate change impacts the coast. So what’s going on? Daniel Harris, Senior Lecturer in Geography, The University of Queensland Dylan Cowley, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Yongjing Mao, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The heritage listed and critically endangered Cumberland plain woodland was cleared for a new defence department facility

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An area of heritage-listed bushland that formed part of the environmental offset for the western Sydney airport has been bulldozed for a car park at a new defence facility.

The clearing was revealed in an independent audit of the federal government’s progress in delivering the offsets required to compensate for the destruction of endangered habitat for the new travel hub in Badgerys Creek.

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Clean energy investors say ongoing frustrations with Australian policy compounded by impacts of Russia invasion of Ukraine.

The post Morrison inaction, Ukraine conflict weigh on clean energy investment appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng believed to be open to extension in response to leap in gas prices and energy security concerns

Nuclear power advocates believe energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng is open to extending the life of the Hinkley Point B plant to help wean the UK off gas imports and prevent a faster-than-expected decline in Britain’s fleet of atomic reactors.

Soaring gas prices and the war in Ukraine have already spurred the government to ask coal power plant owners to stay open longer, while ministers also revisited their staunch opposition to fracking in the light of energy supply concerns.

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Whether you are waiting at the bus stop or outside Lidl, the spring scent hangs heavy in the air. A walk in the park is like squelching through a bordello

Britain right now smells like sex. As you stand outside the post office, looking through your bag for a mask, you are bathed in the smell of fornication. As you take your aunt Elsie for a quick stroll to the hairdressers, the air drips with coitus. While lining up outside nursery to pick up your child, your nose is full of the smell of bonking. The sweet, vaguely piscine, sometimes acrid smell of shagging is hanging heavy everywhere – and we seem determined to ignore it.

At least, most of us. While poems are written about the nodding heads of daffodils, and Instagram stories are awash with swaying oceans of bluebells, most people seem rather less inclined to admit that – to paraphrase that famous Mitchell and Webb sketch – every park in England smells like semen. That walking your dog is, for a few weeks in May, the nasal equivalent of squelching through a bordello. It is quite an impressive act of dissociation to be standing beside, say, a hawthorn bush at the No 3 bus stop, as a sexually active adult, and not immediately turn to the person beside you to say, “Wow, this pavement really smells like fucking!” And yet we do. You might notice the odd quivering nostril, catch a conspiratorial smile, but you’re unlikely to meet a stranger who acknowledges that the air beyond their chin smells like nookie.

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