VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
Heat pumps: potential adjunct to air-conditioners when coping with extreme temperatures
Image: Heat Pumps get their name from how they work, not what they do. So they heat OR cool based on the desired temperature you want to achieve on your thermostat. Sierra Club Erica Smithwick: A practical, financially helpful way to fight climate change ERICA SMITHWICK Special to the Post-Gazette AUG 2, 2023 This summer,…
Read MoreBatteries for grid to store rooftop solar to give communities 2 hours of night-time energy.
First sod turned in plan to build networks of dozens of small batteries on regional grids Sophie Vorrath Jun 28, 2024 Renew Economy Developers have broken ground on plans to build, own, and operate dozens of 5MW, two-hour batteries on distribution networks in regional Australia, in a bid to fill a “crucial gap” between home…
Read MoreNew fabric cools people in sweltering cities
The thin, three-layer material not only reflects heat from the sun, but also heat radiating from buildings and pavements By Anthropocene Team June 20, 2024 As record-high temperatures rack the globe, rethinking how we stay cool is increasingly important. Energy-hungry air-conditioning is already contributing to global warming, and its use will only go up as…
Read MoreOpportunity: The 12 actions to power First Nations jobs in clean energy
In National Indigenous Times by David Prestipino – June 26, 2024 A new report released Tuesday has found the transition to clean energy will require the development of a skilled workforce – creating new career opportunities for Indigenous people. The First Nations Clean Energy Network report ‘Powering First Nations Jobs in Clean Energy’ launched with…
Read MoreAustralians have been forced to leave their homes 240,828 times in recent years due to worsening climate change fuelled disasters
from Climate Council DOWNLOAD THE ‘TOO CLOSE TO HOME’ REPORT HERE Key Findings 1. Communities and first responders are struggling to cope with increasingly frequent climate-fuelled disasters, with assistance from the Australian Government sought by states and territories 226 times since 2019/20. Financial assistance has been called for and provided by the Australian Government in…
Read MoreThe issue nearly 80 per cent of the world wants government action on
A majority of survey respondents said they support a quick transition away from fossil fuels. Published 20 June 2024 5:27pm Source: AFP sbs news Four in every five people want their country to strengthen its commitments to addressing climate change, according to a global poll of 75,000 participants. The background: The survey by the United…
Read MoreLegal cases hot up against fossil fuel companies
Climate victims file criminal case against bosses of oil firm Total Case alleges French company’s exploitation of fossil fuel contributed to deaths of victims in extreme weather disasters Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor The Guardian Tues 21 May A criminal case has been filed against the CEO and directors of the French oil company TotalEnergies, alleging its…
Read MoreWhy scientists fear a second Trump term, and what they are doing about it
In the Washington Post Democracy Dies in Darkness Several federal agencies are working to safeguard research, including climate science, from future political meddling. By Maxine Joselow and Scott Dance Updated June 12, 2024 When the union representing nearly half of Environmental Protection Agency employees approved a new contract with the federal government this month, it…
Read MoreResearchers are reinventing glass for a warmer world
Fig. 1: Schematic illustration of the polymer-based micro-photonic multi-function metamaterials (PMMM) for integrated light, thermal and wettability management. From: Radiative cooling and indoor light management enabled by a transparent and self-cleaning polymer-based metamaterial Scientists have devised a window coating that looks like frosted glass but is brighter, provides cooling to reduce reliance on air-conditioning, and…
Read MoreCan China save the world?
in Pearls and Irritations By Mark Beeson Jun 14, 2024 As the climate crisis accelerates and intensifies, it’s easy to despair about the possibility of any country taking the lead in ‘saving the planet’. And yet Xi Jinping at least says encouraging things. Should we take China seriously? A decade or so ago I wrote…
Read MoreGreenhouse gas emissions accounting for conflicts
Russia’s war with Ukraine accelerating global climate emergency, report shows Most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts shows emissions greater than those generated by 175 countries in a year Nina Lakhani Climate justice reporter Thu 13 Jun 2024 in The Guardian The climate cost of the first two years of Russia’s war on Ukraine…
Read MoreLegal: is Plibersek failing duty of care when approving coalmines
Environmental groups apply to take Tanya Plibersek to high court over coalmine approvals Minister should have assessed climate damage that would be caused by two large developments, advocates say Lisa Cox in The Guardian Fri 14 Jun 2024 01.00 AEST Conservationists will ask the high court to examine whether the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, should…
Read MoreSwiss parliament rejects court ruling on insufficient climate action
Swiss lawmakers reject climate ruling in favour of female climate elders Co-president of the KlimaSeniorinnen says declaration is betrayal of older women Ajit Niranjan Thu 13 Jun 2024 in the Guardian Switzerland Swiss politicians have rejected a landmark climate ruling from the European court of human rights, raising fears that other polluting countries may follow…
Read MoreBioaerosols: actors in the co-evolution of life and climate
Figure 5: Schematic of the aerosol sources of and the processes of Arctic climate. Showcased are the interaction of clouds with both short-wave (SW) and long-wave (LW) radiation in the Arctic and the various sources of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles (PBAP) such as Sea Spray Aerosol(SSA), blowing snow, tundra emissions and Long-Range Transport (LRT). from:…
Read MoreClimate 200 names nine new Coalition seats where it hopes to replicate teal wave at next election
Exclusive: After months of speculation the fundraising giant has identified more electorates where independent campaigns meet its criteria for support Amy Remeikis Mon 17 Jun 2024 in The Guardian Climate 200, the fundraising giant that bankrolled the teal independent wave at the last election, has thrown its support behind independent campaigns in nine more Coalition-held…
Read MoreEcosystem carbon capture: plankton the potential star
Image: In the ocean carbon cycle, the biological pump begins with the capture of atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis by phytoplankton. If the phytoplankton die, the carbon in their bodies is stored deep in the ocean. However, zooplankton grazing will release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.IAEA Marine CO₂ removal technologies could depend on the…
Read MoreTiny sea creatures are making clouds over the Southern Ocean
Phytoplankton make aerosols that become the seeds of clouds over the Southern Ocean 17 JUL 2015 in Science BYCAROLYN GRAMLING The Southern Ocean is the cloudiest region on Earth, almost completely blanketed yearround. But the cause might be surprising: tiny marine organisms called phytoplankton, which live in the ocean’s stormy waters. A new study has…
Read MoreGuardian Australia Editor: Our world has no time for any more faux policies of Australia’s climate wars
Lenore Taylor, Guardian Australia editor Peter Dutton’s climate policy is slowly emerging as another sham; the latest and most blatant instalment in the Coalition’s decades-long climate policy pretence. For much of our recent political history, the Liberal and National parties have claimed to have a policy to address global heating while actually having a policy…
Read MoreMining companies taking advantage of cheap off grid renewable power
Plunging solar module prices drive massive boom in off-grid renewable projects in Renew Economy by Rachel Williamson The off-grid renewable energy market is booming, particularly for large mining operations, as customers look to switch out of expensive fossil fuels and tap into the falling costs of solar modules. David Griffin, the CEO of Australian solar…
Read MoreWildfires will likely worsen global warming unless we cut back methane and geo-engineer the upper atmosphere
Coming to grips with a climate paradox: Less air pollution spurs more wildfires Getting rid of aerosols, such as sulfur dioxide, could let more sunlight reach boreal forests, helping turn them into tinderboxes. But the solution clearly isn’t more pollution. By Warren Cornwall in Anthropocene June 5, 2024 It’s hard to fathom that there’s an…
Read More