Changing state guidelines to lift wind speed turbines start spinning won’t notably affect energy generated, government consultants say
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Victoria will consider changing windfarm guidelines after government research found lifting the wind speed at which turbines start spinning could significantly reduce bat deaths without notably affecting the energy generated.
Ecologist Emma Bennett has estimated between 25,000 and 50,000 bats die annually from collisions with the more than 1,400 wind turbines operating in Victoria.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
12/12/2024 - 09:00
12/12/2024 - 07:00
Average user generates greenhouse gases equal to driving an extra 123 miles in gas-powered car a year, data shows
TikTok’s annual carbon footprint is probably larger than that of Greece, according to a new analysis of the social media platform’s environmental impact, with the average user generating greenhouse gases equivalent to driving an extra 123 miles in a gas-powered car each year.
Estimates from Greenly, a carbon accounting consultancy based in Paris, place TikTok’s 2023 emissions in the US, UK and France at about 7.6m metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) – higher than those associated with Twitter/X and Snapchat in the same region.
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12/12/2024 - 07:00
Contamination thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, a type of PFAS
Mineral water from several European nations has been found for the first time to be contaminated with TFA, a type of PFAS “forever chemical” that is a reproductive toxicant accumulating at alarming levels across the globe.
The finding is startling because mineral water should be pristine and insulated from manmade chemicals. The contamination is thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, or compounds that turn into it in the environment, which are used throughout the world.
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12/12/2024 - 06:00
Climate researchers presented potential reasons – clouds, shipping, volcanic eruption – for the apparent surge
Scientists are still puzzling over the reasons behind a streak of unexpected, record heat that scorched 2023 and into this year, sparking fears that the climate crisis could be moving faster than previously thought.
Is it the clouds? Or shipping? Or maybe a huge volcanic eruption?
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12/12/2024 - 00:00
Our natural soundscapes are falling silent as bird populations decline. To improve our lives, we must invest in conservation
Imagine you’re walking across rolling hills that stretch for miles, with warm sunshine and the chirping of birds all around.
This peaceful and serene scene is an increasingly rare one in the modern world.
It goes to show how important nature is for humanity on so many levels and hopefully a study like this supports more investment and help in retaining as well as improving our natural soundscapes.
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12/11/2024 - 19:01
UK Energy Research Centre says there is ‘very little room for error’ to avoid delays and protect vulnerable people
Labour’s plan to switch to a clean power system by 2030 faces “significant challenges” to avoid delays and prevent vulnerable households paying higher bills, experts have warned.
The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) has said there is “very little room for error” in meeting the government’s plan to create a 95% low-carbon electricity grid by the end of the decade.
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12/11/2024 - 19:01
Developers in England deliver 53% of features such as trees and bird boxes demanded in planning permissions, study says
Nearly half of the nature-friendly enhancements promised by developers building new homes have failed to materialise, according to a study of almost 6,000 new houses.
Developers are failing to keep legally binding pledges to boost wildlife when building new homes, according to the survey by University of Sheffield academics for Wild Justice.
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12/11/2024 - 17:59
A dozen marine scientists, film-makers, musicians and conservationists, including Tim Winton, John Butler and Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, have made an epic voyage to Scott Reef, one of Australia’s wildest and most remote coral reefs, to document the threats posed by Woodside’s Browse gas proposal. Woodside’s Burrup Hub is the biggest new fossil fuel project in the southern hemisphere and, if approved, would emit more than 6bn tonnes of CO2 by 2070
Australia’s north-west reefs teem with life – but they are also at the centre of a massive fossil fuel expansion
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12/11/2024 - 14:53
This blog is now closed
John Pesutto defies calls to resign after being ordered to pay $300,000 for defaming Moira Deeming
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News bargaining code announcement expected today
The youth minister, Anne Aly, spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier ahead of the news bargaining code announcement, expected today.
What I can say is that the government believes that journalists should be fairly compensated for the work that they do, that there is a current regime in place but that’s not working. And so that’s why the government has turned its attention to updating this code and ensuring that social media companies pay for the news that they use as content on their platforms.
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12/11/2024 - 12:00
From farm workers in Brazil to India and the US midwest, shifting to a schedule where it’s dark out could mean dangerous conditions and less food
This story was produced by Grist and co-published with the Guardian.
For years, Josana Pinto da Costa ventured out every morning on to the waterways lining Óbidos, Brazil, in a small fishing boat. Gliding over the murky, churning currents of the Amazon River basin, her flat nets brought in writhing hauls.
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