Feed aggregator

Extreme weather conditions trigger fires in several states and thunderstorm asthma warning and dust storm in Victoria. Follow all the latest updates

4.52am GMT

The fire situation over the last 72 hours.

Australia in the last 72 hours. #nswfires #qldfires #SAfires #vicfires #WAfires pic.twitter.com/aTCGPTl2aN

4.52am GMT

Here’s the latest from Victorian emergency management commissioner, Andrew Crisp:

Continue reading...

Temperatures top 40C in state’s north as up to 11 properties hit by fire in South Australia, while NSW and Tasmania face worsening conditions

Out-of-control bushfires are raging in central parts of Victoria as strong winds pick up, causing a regional town to turn orange in a haze of dust. Meanwhile, more than 30 people have been treated for minor injuries, and homes and sheds have been destroyed as authorities continue to battle a dangerous bushfire on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.

Victoria’s highest bushfire warning – code red – was issued for central and north-western parts of the state on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Under the level-two water restrictions, people will need to use a bucket or watering can to water gardens at approved times

Parts of New South Wales will face tougher water restrictions in an attempt to stem falling dam levels as the state grapples with drought.

The premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and the water minister, Melinda Pavey, on Thursday announced Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra would be subject to level-two water restrictions from 10 December.

Continue reading...

Party wants UK workers to take advantage of opportunities in a global green economy worth £3tn

Labour is promising to create 1m green jobs in the energy sector and through nationwide home refurbishments in a bid to tackle the climate crisis.

Environmental protection is expected to be a central theme of Jeremy Corbyn’s general election manifesto, launched in Birmingham today, with new jobs promised through insulation upgrades, offshore wind and carbon capture developments.

Continue reading...

Researchers linked nine causes of death with a certain type pollution when reviewing medical records of deceased veterans

US air pollution rules could be hugely insufficient in preventing deaths, experts are concluding from a new study of the likely causes of death of 4.5 million veterans.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Jama, the research finds that 99% of deaths from illnesses linked to a certain type of air pollution occur in people who are exposed to lower levels than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently deems acceptable.

Continue reading...

Capacity rose by 42.9GW in 18 months, far outpacing global efforts to cut use of fossil fuel

China’s growing appetite for new coal-fired power stations has outstripped plant closures in the rest of the world since the start of last year, data shows.

Elsewhere countries reduced their capacity by 8GW in the 18 months to June because old plants were retired faster than new ones were built. But over the same period China increased its capacity by 42.9GW despite a global move towards cleaner energy sources and a pledge to limit the use of coal.

Continue reading...

Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest joins Mike Cannon-Brookes to raise tens of millions of dollars for Sun Cable

The mining magnate and philanthropist Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has joined fellow billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes in raising tens of millions of dollars to build a giant solar farm in the Northern Territory to supply electricity to Singapore.

The company behind the project, Sun Cable, said Forrest’s Squadron Energy and Grok Ventures, the investment firm of Cannon-Brookes and his wife, Annie, had become co-lead investors in the $20bn-plus development.

Continue reading...

Offshore infrastructure in place to store carbon emissions under seabed, new report heralds

North Sea oil executives believe the ageing fossil fuel basin may still lead a global climate revolution by providing a testbed for clean energy breakthroughs.

An industry report has revealed that the North Sea could emerge as an unlikely climate hero by becoming a global showcase for the energy transition after decades producing fossil fuels.

Continue reading...

‘We’re in a deep hole over the climate crisis and we need to stop digging,’ warn experts

The world’s nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas as can be burned in 2030 while restricting rise in the global temperature to 1.5C, analysis shows.

The report is the first to compare countries’ stated plans for fossil fuel extraction with the goals of the Paris climate agreement, which is to keep global heating well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5C. It exposes a huge gap, with fossil fuel production in 2030 heading for 50% more than is consistent with 2C, and 120% more than that for 1.5C.

Continue reading...

Company has told shareholders rail line will be completed by May, but needs more investment from Adani family

The Adani Group company financing the Carmichael mine in north Queensland has told shareholders to expect a first coal shipment in August 2021, but the project’s rail plans will still require unspecified additional investment from “the family”.

In a conference call to discuss its financial-year earnings, executives from Adani Enterprises Limited – the ultimate parent company of the Carmichael mine – indicated the company may use “additional lines to fundraise”.

Continue reading...

Researchers examined more than 100 studies on the impact of human-produced noise

Noise produced by human activities should be better regulated to protect wildlife, say the authors of a study exposing how sound pollution affects myriad creatures from fish to birds.

Related: Seals are deafened in noisy shipping lanes, say scientists

Continue reading...

Southeast Asia's biggest lake is in serious trouble. Drought, dam building and overfishing have brought the Tonle Sap to a tipping point. And as the lake goes, so goes the greater Mekong ecosystem.

New batteries and busbars hooked up and charging.  Put down one section of the final bathroom floor first.  I don't ever want to have to move those batteries again...they weigh 100 lbs. each.  70,82,41,0,B

Long delayed meeting of federal and state energy ministers to discuss the $2.55bn ERF, now rebadged the Climate Solutions Fund

Angus Taylor has scheduled a discussion with state and territory energy ministers about the planned overhaul of the Morrison government’s emissions reduction fund, a move following the government’s decision to quietly appoint an expert panel to come up with new ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the draft agenda for Friday’s Coag energy council meeting, obtained by Guardian Australia, the commonwealth has scheduled a discussion about the $2.55bn ERF, now rebadged the Climate Solutions Fund, at the long delayed meeting of federal and state energy ministers.

Continue reading...

Heliogen uses mirrors to concentrate solar energy that can power heavy industry

Bill Gates is backing a new venture which aims to turn sunlight into a source of heat exceeding 1,000C that could help replace fossil fuels.

The world’s richest man is joining investors behind Heliogen, the first company to concentrate sunlight to reach temperatures that are high enough to power heavy industry without carbon emissions.

Continue reading...

All but one of 459 species have traits making them vulnerable to rising temperatures, study finds

The climate crisis is poised to deliver a severe blow to America’s most threatened animals, with a new study finding that almost every species considered endangered is vulnerable in some way to global heating.

Of the 459 animal species listed as endangered by the US government, researchers found that all but one, or 99.8%, have characteristics that will make it difficult for them to adapt to rising temperatures.

Continue reading...

The Italian city is reeling from a week in which floodwaters damaged the city's cultural legacy, as well as homes and businesses. Volunteers are helping salvage precious books, among other items.

(Image credit: Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images)

The Arctic Ocean is a stunning place that not many get the chance to see. But if you're a scientist there to do field work, that beauty comes with some pretty unique challenges.

Activists occupy speaker’s office to mark start of hunger strike and to demand that she meet with them for an hour on camera

Young activists frustrated and frightened by Democrats’ inaction on the climate crisis occupied the office of the top Democrat in Congress on Monday to mark the beginning of a hunger strike.

Roughly a dozen strikers with Extinction Rebellion are taking part in a global climate hunger strike that nearly 300 people have pledged to join.

Continue reading...

Windfarms could be able to generate more energy due to phenomenon, says report

The global climate crisis could lead to more renewable electricity being generated by spurring faster wind speeds for the world’s growing number of windfarms, according to research.

Scientists have discovered that the world’s shifting ocean circulation patterns may have triggered a rapid increase in wind speeds over the last 10 years.

Continue reading...