Mercury is a nasty toxin that harms humans and ecosystems. The gold and sugar-cane industries have tackled the problem, and it’s time for coal to follow suit.
The blocks can be used to run steam turbines at power stations as a clean alternative to burning coal, and at a fraction of the price of storing energy in batteries.
In some areas of human activity such as farming, we are exhausting our capacity to adapt to climate change.
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Australian winemakers have lost smoke-tainted crops and political leaders apparently cannot solve the Murray Darling crisis. Perhaps climate change is getting the better of us.
South Africa’s agriculture and food production industries are exempt from the carbon tax - for now.
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South Africa’s recently introduced carbon tax may lead to financial losses in the short term, but it’s necessary and will be beneficial in the long term.
Steam rises from Neurath coal-fired power plant near Cologne, Germany. May 2 2019.
EPA-EFE/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
Questions about supplies of rare-earth elements, crucial in high-tech devices, pushed researchers to look to industrial waste for new sources of the key materials.
The closure of the Hazelwood mine has lessons for the future of coal in Australia.
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The French president said he would eliminate all coal-fired plants in his country by 2021, while his US counterpart is pushing policies intended to make them more profitable. Either way, the laws of economics will win.
Labor mentioned Scott Morrison’s ‘pet rock’ during Question Time on Tuesday.
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As coal has muscled its way to the centre of the stage, we’ve seen the showdown between the government and AGL over the future of its Liddell coal-fired power station.
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg accused AGL of wanting to have its cake and eat it too.
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If anyone thinks the government isn’t behaving in a extraordinary manner in its onslaught against AGL over the future of the Liddell power station, just consider what the Coalition would say if a Labor…
As he grapples with the power issue, Malcolm Turnbull has swung increasing emphasis onto coal.
Malcolm Turnbull told parliament on Tuesday he and Josh Frydenberg are in discussions with AGL about keeping Liddell operating beyond 2022.
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AGL has delivered an initial sharp rebuff to Malcolm Turnbull’s plea to extend the life of the Liddell coal-fired power station by at least five years.
Coal-fired power stations, metal smelting and vehicle emissions all pump mercury into the atmosphere.
REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
Australia is the 16th-largest emitter of mercury in the world. A huge amount comes from coal power stations – and a new report argues our pollution guidelines are hopelessly lax.
Protests at the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, against the US withdrawal from the Paris climate change deal.
Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters