By rebranding coal as ‘dispatchable’, the government’s National Energy Guarantee looks set to preserve demand for coal-fired power by giving it a new role – one it’s not well equipped to fulfil.
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The federal government has announced a new National Energy Guarantee focused on electricity reliability, after deciding not to implement a clean energy target.
Animals that evolved in cold parts of the world usually have lighter skin. If a light-skinned animal has blood vessels close to the surface of their ear skin, this will make the ears look pink.
The outgoing Threatened Species Commissioner has downplayed the importance of land clearing as a threat to Australia’s plants and animals. But it’s the biggest threat, and magnifies the others too.
The National Energy Guarantee promises to make electricity supply more reliable, cheaper and less polluting.
The new policy will put the onus on electricity retailers to cut emissions while guaranteeing reliability. And while the scheme isn’t perfect, it offers a rare opportunity for bipartisanship.
The amount of atmospheric energy available to thunderstorms will increase in response to climate change, putting the tropics and subtropics at risk of being lashed with more intense storms.
Is Australia undervaluing its most valuable natural asset by only charging $6.50 a day to visit the Great Barrier Reef? And would it help if tourists were asked to pay more?
Increased sightings of endangered species doesn’t mean it’s recovering – but that’s the argument being made by the native forest logging industry.
While Tony Abbott’s London climate speech has been widely criticised, research suggests his views have long had a sympathetic ear in Australia’s coal heartland.
New data from a NASA satellite show in unprecedented detail the flow of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Future satellites should even be able to detect the signatures of individual power stations.
Australia’s species, like this green python, are remarkable and need far better protection.
How do you determine the financial benefit of cutting a tree down, versus leaving it standing? Environmental accounting offers some insight.
Talk of the government preparing to ‘walk away’ from the Clean Energy Target proposal is unnecessarily cynical.
The law says that newly built houses should have a six-star energy rating, to help residents afford their heating and cooling bills. But some builders seem to be findings ways around this requirement.
Aged-care units can be a lottery of comfortable versus uncomfortable temperatures, depending on the building’s construction and where you live within it. That needs to improve.
Notes unearthed from the British Library suggest that Captain Scott’s Antarctic expedition may have been fatally undermined by Lieutenant Teddy Evans, furious after being sent back to base.
Future extreme heat is worse and coming sooner than you might think. Unless we mitigate and adapt we face increasing death rates.
By signing an agreement with the big three producers, the government has effectively made the east coast gas shortage evaporate. But there’s no guarantee the price pain will go away too.
A new CSIRO roadmap outlines the options for oil and gas companies to keep pace with the clean energy transition, including solar-powered hydrogen fuel production.
The proposed loan of Commonwealth money to Adani is on shaky constitutional ground, potentially paving the way for High Court challenge which could change the dynamics of federal-state funding.
Following the ABC’s Four Corners program ‘Digging into Adani’, the question that remains is: why is the project still being pursued at all?
Officially, Australia’s average electricity prices are the 11th highest in the OECD. But a look at the numbers suggests this is a significant underestimate.
For the first time, researchers have estimated the toll taken by feral and pet cats on Australia’s bird life - and the numbers are high enough to push several species towards extinction.
Magpies have long memories, and human behaviour towards them largely determines how they respond