Wireless charging room powers your devices without plugs or cables Imagine boarding a train or ducking into a cafe where your mobile phone will automatically charge itself without plugs, leads or wires. Key points: An experiment at the University of Tokyo turned a whole room into a wireless chargerPhones, fans and lights were powered simultaneously without cablesThe electromagnetic exposure did not exceed human safety guidelines, initial studies showed Researchers from the University of Tokyo have built a room that is able to wirelessly and simultaneously power multiple devices, such as phones, fans and lights. They published their work today in Nature Electronics.
Australia is at risk of taking the wrong tack at the Glasgow climate talks, and slamming China is only part of it Buried within the Prime Minister's response to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is just about everything we're at risk of getting wrong at the Glasgow climate talks in October. After slamming China — where emissions per person are half of Australia's — for not doing more to cut emissions, Scott Morrison said the Glasgow talks were the "biggest multilateral global negotiation the world has ever known". If he treats the talks as just another (big) negotiation, we're in trouble. The way the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade usually treats negotiations is hold something back, hold out the prospect of "giving it up", and then only make the concession if the other side gives something in return. Even if holding back damages Australia. Cars are a case in point.
Climate change solution could come from 'electrifying everything', Australian inventor Saul Griffith says Speaking from San Francisco, Sydney-born inventor Saul Griffith explains how Australia can rapidly get most of the way to net zero emissions using existing technology. Key points: "Electrify everything" is the cheapest, fastest route to emissions cuts, experts sayHouseholds would replace petrol cars, gas heaters and other items with electric alternativesThese changes would be minimally disruptive, but provide large emission reductions Also an entrepreneur and adviser to US presidential campaigns, Dr Griffith is one of the most prominent global advocates for an approach best summed up as "electrify everything". Woodside's BHP oil and gas deal promises short-term gain, but is it signing up for long-term pain? Humans have a fundamental problem dealing with climate change. While the climate deals in decades, centuries and millennia, people are generally dead well within a century and make decisions on far shorter timeframes still. Take politicians. Their decisions are typically based on the next election, at most three or four years away. Business leaders are generally not that different, especially those employed by a company rather than those who own it. A recent study of the ASX 200 by recruitment firm Robert Half showed the average chief executive amongst Australia's top companies had been in their job for six years.
The world is hungry for solar panels. Why did we stop making them? Every day of the year, Australia installs about 1,000 rooftop solar systems; those black rectangles appearing on rooftops everywhere represent billions of dollars spent on silicon, glass and a little bit of metal. Given we have the highest uptake of solar in the world, you might expect that some of these panels would be made here. But with a few exceptions, that's never the case. Twenty years ago it was different: Australia appeared set to be a global player in the small but promising industry of manufacturing panels that could extract energy from the sun. And then everything changed. The world started wanting solar panels and Australia stopped making them.
Research confirms there is not enough water to meet the requirements of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan Climate change since the 1990s has drastically reduced the amount of water available in the southern part of the Murray-Darling Basin, according to new research. Key points: UTS research shows a big decline in the amount of water in the rivers in the southern basinThe federal government is still committed to meeting environmental water targets through efficiency programsIrrigators say the target won't be met and fear more water buybacks instead According to the University of Technology Sydney, the height of the Murrumbidgee River has dropped by about 30 per cent during the growing season of April to May. Report author Milton Speer said there was approximately 300 million litres less water flowing past the regional town of Wagga Wagga each day. "Our research shows rainfall in April to May has significantly decreased, which, in turn, has caused the net inflows to the Murrumbidgee River catchment in the southern basin to decrease," Dr Speer said.
Why solar feed-in tariff cuts are driving a spike in household battery uptake Australians with rooftop solar are growing increasingly frustrated as energy retailers slash financial incentives and some households are hitting back by dropping their reliance on these companies and installing batteries. Key points: Energy retailers are dropping the subsidies they give solar households for excess powerEnergyAustralia is the latest to do this, with feed-in tariffs declining on October 1 in four statesSome of the company's solar customers are responding by installing household batteries
Greenland rainfall has scientists worried about melting ice caps Scientists say rain falling on Greenland's highest point for the first time on record is another worrying sign of warming for the ice sheet, which is melting at an increasing rate. Greenland's highest point recorded several hours of rain and temperatures above freezing last weekMelting on the ice sheet was seven times greater last week than the mid-August averageEnough ice melted from Greenland in July to cover an area 2.5 times the size of Tasmania in 5cm of water The world's second-largest ice sheet, behind Antarctica, had several hours of rainfall on August 14 at its 3,216-metre summit. In total, 7 billion tonnes of rain fell across Greenland over three days, from August 14-16 — the largest amount since records began in 1950.
India could run out of coal soon. So why is a country with such big reserves facing shortages? India is on the verge of mass power shortages, with the country's power plants running dangerously low on coal. According to Reuters and The Financial Times, which cited government sources, more than half of India's coal plants will run out of energy by the end of the week. So, how has the world's second-most populous country reached this point? Here is a summary of the factors that have led to India's coal shortage. What are the current stock levels? As of September 29, 16 of India's 135 coal-fired power plants had zero coal stocks, according to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
Climate change means more floods, fires and heatwaves. Some communities are already adapting Climate scientists have warned Australia that it must pick up the pace on its climate adaptation efforts. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, described as a "code red" for humanity, has forecast global warming will likely hit 1.5 degrees Celsius by about 2035 if nothing changes. However, Australia's land areas have already warmed by about 1.4C since 1910, according to the report. IPCC vice chairman and director of the Australian National University Climate Change Institute Mark Howden says adaptation needs a greater focus. "We are actually heading towards this very, very quickly and we do really need to start thinking and considering ... action, not just in terms of emission reduction but also in terms of adaptation for those futures we can't avoid at this point."
Australia becoming a 'dumping ground' for polluting cars as government delays signing on to international standards Australia is becoming a "dumping ground" for more dangerous and polluting cars, one transport minister warns, as the federal government has not adopted international emissions standards. Key points: Australia has resisted signing on to vehicle emissions standards now commonplace around the worldAdvanced modern cars cannot accept the lower quality fuels Australia still usesExperts warn Australia will be supplied with less safe and less efficient cars if it does not change More than 80 per cent of the global car market now follows 'Euro 6' vehicle emission standards, including Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea, China, India and Mexico. But Australia has resisted signing up to the standards, which would require more stringent restrictions on pollutants in petrol, and require new cars to emit far less particulate matter than currently allowed.
The councils leading the charge on climate change to reach net zero emissions by 2030 As the climate wars drag on at a federal level, local councils across the country are taking the initiative and doing it for themselves. Key points: Local councils have taken the fight against climate change into their own handsBut they want financial help to prevent passing the cost on to ratepayersAustralia's peak local government body is lobbying for a $200 million war chest to help lower emissions Local governments, best known for the three "Rs" of roads, rates and rubbish, are adding a fourth "R" to the list – risk from climate change. More than 100 councils across the country have declared a climate emergency, while dozens more are investing in renewables and setting ambitious targets for cutting emissions. "Our community has been telling us this for a long time, they want to take action on climate change," said Karen Vernon, the mayor of Victoria Park, a small local authority bordering Perth's Swan River.
What is green hydrogen, how does green ammonia fit in, and could they pave Australia's way to a renewable future? Green hydrogen — it might sound like something out of a Superman comic but one of Australia's richest men is betting on the substance to make Australia a world leader in renewable energy while creating jobs in the process. Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forest this week announced a major investment in the gas, which includes establishing a Queensland factory to manufacture electrolyser equipment — the machines used to create hydrogen from water. He also revealed that his company Fortescue Future Industries would be conducting a feasibility study looking into making green ammonia from hydrogen at an existing ammonia production facility near Brisbane. The investments are aimed at producing a fuel source from green energy – in this case hydrogen of the green variety. "Green hydrogen is an energy carrier – but unlike fossil fuels, it's becoming cheaper, it will never run out – and we won't cook the planet,'' Mr Forrest said in an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday.