VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
How to address wealth concentration to meet cost of living and productivity crises.
‘Neoliberalism lite’ is no solution to Australia’s cost-of-living and productivity crises. We must curb wealth concentration Jo-An Occhipinti, Ante Prodan, John Buchanan The upcoming productivity roundtable must accept this as a systemic risk, and confront it directly. Tue 15 Jul 2025 in The Guardian With a national productivity roundtable on the horizon, Anthony Albanese is seeking answers…
Read MoreAs CO2 rises trees can ‘rewire’ to increase absorption
Root intelligence: How old trees learn to suck more CO2 from the air. New research finds that centuries-old oaks can dynamically rewire how they absorb nutrients—suggesting forests may be more resilient allies in the climate fight than once believed. By Warren Cornwall July 16, 2025 in Anthropocene While greenhouse gas pollution has lots of down sides,…
Read More‘Nano’ fertilizers will reduce problem of excess fertilizer and run-off in farming.
Tiny invention, big solution. Nano fertilizers prove as effective as conventional ones Not only did nano fertilizers grow equally healthy crops as conventional fertilizers, researchers found they also released nutrients more slowly—and more efficiently. By Emma Bryce July 11, 2025 in Anthropocene magazine Nano fertilizers can be just as good at growing crops as regular fertilizers—and…
Read MoreHow can governments be held to account on climate? It’s time for the law to change.
Torres Strait leaders lost their landmark case. Experts and advocates say it’s time for the law to change after judge says matters based on climate policy cannot be decided by courts Lisa Cox Environment and climate correspondent 17 Jul 2025 in the Guardian In the hours after the federal court delivered its judgment in a landmark…
Read MoreBESS (Battery energy storage systems) capacity worldwide has more than doubled every year since 2020
Battery Storage Is Unlocking the True Power of Renewable Energy Written by Weston Wilson for We Don’t Have Time 19 July 2025 For years, solar and wind have been hailed as the cheapest and cleanest sources of electricity on the planet. But there’s always been a catch: they don’t work all the time. The sun sets, the wind…
Read MoreCORPORATE CLIMATE RESPONSIBILITY MONITOR 2025: TECH SECTOR
PUBLICATIONS Publication date 26 Jun 2025 Related materials: DOWNLOAD REPORT Authors: THOMAS DAY t.day@newclimate.org SILKE MOOLDIJK s.mooldijk@newclimate.org SYBRIG SMIT s.smit@newclimate.org Related links: View CCRM 2025 methodology As global emissions from data centres continue to rise – expected to triple by 2030 – major tech companies are facing growing questions about the credibility of their climate strategies.…
Read MoreGreens and independents to push Labor for tougher regulation of political lobbying
Greens leader Larissa Waters and independents Allegra Spender and David Pocock vow to use balance of power to strengthen rules on influence industry Tom McIlroyChief political correspondent Mon 9 Jun 2025 in The Guardian The Greens and prominent crossbenchers will push Labor to toughen regulation of political lobbying, promising to use their balance of power…
Read MoreGrowing viability of ‘adaptation finance’ as a new asset class
From WeDontHaveTime: By operationalizing the principles in its own “Guide for Adaptation and Resilience Finance,” Standard Chartered Bank is turning climate theory into impactful action. Standard Chartered has taken a major step in addressing the economic fallout from extreme weather events by completing its first labelled adaptation finance deal for a corporate client. The milestone…
Read MoreFrom crop waste to clothing: new research takes a first step
Testing wheat straw, oat husks, potatoes and sugar beet, scientists identify promising candidates to make future fibres from farm waste. By Emma Bryce June 20, 2025 Anthropocene magazine One group of researchers have chanced upon a creative solution for agricultural waste: turning it into fabric. In a new study, they explain that agricultural waste streams can…
Read MoreNot all AI prompts are equal. Some emit 50x more carbon than others. Here’s why.
When researchers delved into the tradeoff between AI sustainability and accuracy, they uncovered strategies for greener chatbots. By Sarah DeWeerdt June 24, 2025 in Anthropocene magazine Some AI prompts result in 50 times more carbon emissions than others, according to a new study. The findings suggest that large language models (LLMs)—the technology behind advanced chatbots and…
Read MoreThis paint sweats to cool off buildings. No energy required.
The paint replenishes its water supply by absorbing rain and water vapor. Its porous structure holds the water and then slowly releases it much like sweat. By Anthropocene Team June 19, 2025 Ultra-bright white paints are the go-to when it comes to cooling buildings. Those paints work by reflecting as much of the sun as they can. An…
Read MoreWhy using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment – a cheat sheet
The numbers clearly show that discouraging individual people from using chatbots is a pointless distraction for the climate movement ANDY MASLEY on substack.com APR 28, 2025 My post on why ChatGPT is not bad for the environment got a lot of readers. It’s 9,000 words and written to be read from beginning to end, which is…
Read MoreBeyond the words: What happens after a climate emergency is declared?
29 May 2025 Mik Aidt Educational, World affairs A major new study published by Nature has shed important light on the climate emergency declaration movement – and, for the first time in peer-reviewed research, has turned its focus squarely on what happens next. Titled “Climate emergency declarations by local governments – what comes next?”, the study examines the real-world…
Read MoreMore biodiversity = climate resilience.Where marine biodiversity thrives, less fish feeds more people
In regions with a greater array of fish species, not only are fish are more nutritious, they’re also more resilient to climate change. By Emma Bryce June 13, 2025 Anthropocene Protecting fish biodiversity is a win-win solution for human nutrition and sustainable fisheries, finds a new study. The research, published in Nature Sustainability, unearthed some interesting findings…
Read MoreCOURT: IF YOU DIG IT UP, YOU OWN THE DAMAGE
A stark warning to Australia’s fossil fuel investors: Europe is raising the bar. Climate impact now counts in full. 11 June 2025 Mik Aidt Australian matters, Educational Leave a comment Australia’s federal and state governments continue to approve new gas terminals and coal mines without fully counting the damage they will do to the planet. But Europe…
Read MoreDo solar farms make good neighbors? New study challenges NIMBY assumptions.
Most neighbors of large solar farms support new projects, researchers found. But they also uncovered a twist: Familiarity can breed resistance. By Sarah DeWeerdt June 17, 2025 in Anthropocene The majority of people living near large solar plants wouldn’t mind if another one were built nearby, an analysis of U.S. survey data suggests. The findings challenge…
Read MoreAffordable CO2 capture: How common clay could revolutionize the industry
A tablespoon of clay has about the same surface area as a football field; With a little tweaking, it can soak up as much CO2 as more expensive sorbents, researchers show. By Anthropocene Team June 12, 2025 Large-scale facilities that capture carbon dioxide from the air are already operating around the world. But the high-tech materials…
Read MoreDoctors’ Woodside challenge greenlit
By Emma Young in WA Today Environmentalists have won a court order enabling them to challenge the offshore energy regulator NOPSEMA’s environmental approval of Woodside’s major Scarborough gas project in WA’s north. Doctors for the Environment Australia won a Federal Court maximum costs order, which limits the amount NOPSEMA and Woodside could seek in legal costs…
Read MoreScientists challenge the idea that we should leave forests untouched to maximize climate benefits
Humans as forest stewards Humans living in and around forests have been supporting forest health for 1000s of years, they say—and we should protect those practices. By Emma Bryce June 6, 2025 in Anthropocene magazine It might seem counterintuitive, but farming directly in forests can deliver wins for biodiversity, people, and climate change. That is the…
Read MoreAI just found the best ingredients for green concrete
After sorting through 1 million material samples, an AI tool has found 19 ideal materials to reduce concrete’s emissions and lower its environmental impact. By Anthropocene Team June 5, 2025 We use around 30 billion tonnes of concrete every year. That gigantic number bears an equally gigantic carbon footprint. Producing cement, the glue that holds concrete together, is…
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