States ranked in race for green transport

Australia's capital is winning the clean transport race in the country, with the ACT a clear frontrunner in a new study by the Climate Council, followed by New South Wales. But three regions have been issued warnings to improve their policies, with Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory all recording rising transport emissions and finishing at the end of the list. The Clean Transport Race report, released on Thursday, judged Australian states and territories on transport use and policies, including their transition to electric vehicles, plans for public transport, and cycling and walking infrastructure.

"By 2030, we will be 70,000 welders short," said Weld Australia chief executive Geoff Crittenden. "This is not an exclusively Australian problem. In America, they will be short half a million welders and the Japanese will be 250,000 short. Renewable energy products such as solar panels, wind turbines and hydropower all require welding labourers for building and maintenance.

Next month's UN biodiversity summit is the "best and last chance" to halt and reverse the decline of nature, the head of Natural England has said. In December nearly 200 countries will meet in Montreal.

States ranked in race for green transport
Australia's capital is winning the clean transport race in the country, with the ACT a clear frontrunner in a new study by the Climate Council, followed by New South Wales. But three regions have been issued warnings to improve their policies, with Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory all recording rising transport emissions and finishing at the end of the list. The Clean Transport Race report, released on Thursday, judged Australian states and territories on transport use and policies, including their transition to electric vehicles, plans for public transport, and cycling and walking infrastructure. Climate Council advocacy head Dr Jennifer Rayner said making changes to the way Australians travelled was vital as transport accounted for 18.7 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia needs 70,000 more welders by 2030 to help power renewable energy shift, Weld Australia says
There aren't enough welders to create the infrastructure for green energy in Australia, according to industry body Weld Australia. The country must double the capacity of its fabrication industry to meet demand from the renewables sector, but not enough apprentices are taking up trade careers, the peak body suggests. In the realm of welding, the forecast worker shortage is dire. "By 2030, we will be 70,000 welders short," Weld Australia chief executive Geoff Crittenden said.

Global summit is 'last chance' for nature
Next month's UN biodiversity summit is the "best and last chance" to halt and reverse the decline of nature, the head of Natural England has said. In December nearly 200 countries will meet in Montreal, Canada, to agree on a landmark deal to safeguard nature. Biodiversity refers to all the different living things on Earth and how they fit together in a delicate web of life. And the new Global Biodiversity Framework is seen as the "nature equivalent" of the Paris climate agreement, an international treaty in which nations committed to limit global temperature rise.

New York pauses permits for the most polluting crypto mining
Efforts to crack down on crypto’s pollution notched a big win yesterday when New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that presses pause on a particularly dirty form of crypto mining. The law imposes a two-year moratorium on any new permits for certain fossil fuel power plants seeking to mine crypto.

IMAS researchers working to restore Tasmania's giant kelp forests with new large-scale project
They've had success with growing individual plants, but now a team of scientists is taking on a new, far more ambitious underwater project — starting with spreading baby kelp across 7,000 square metres off the Tasmanian coast.

Japanese ambassador takes ‘highly unusual’ campaign against Queensland coal royalty hike to mining forum
The Japanese ambassador’s continued presence in a campaign by the mining lobby against the Queensland government has been labeled as “highly unusual” by a former Australian diplomat. The Queensland Resource Council launched a $40m marketing campaign targeting the state government’s new coal royalty regime as part of its annual forum in Brisbane on Wednesday. The forum was snubbed by the premier and her ministers, with Annastacia Palaszczuk saying she was “extremely disappointed” and “angry” at the QRC chief executive, Ian Macfarlane, and his ongoing “attacks on the government”. Japanese firms such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi have major coal investments in Queensland.