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Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads

BBC - Fri, 2021-02-26 10:04
Protected land reserved for Brazil's indigenous communities is being traded on the social network.
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SUVs and extra traffic cancelling out electric car gains in Britain

The Guardian - Fri, 2021-02-26 10:01

Auditors say emissions down just 1% since 2011 and target of zero emissions by 2050 is a long way off

Carbon emissions from passenger cars across Britain have fallen by just 1% since 2011, despite a steep rise in the sale of electric and hybrid vehicles, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said.

The National Audit Office said the popularity of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and an increase in road traffic were among factors that have cancelled out expected reductions from low-emission car sales.

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NA Markets: CCA prices rise on Q1 auction sell out, RGGI drops ahead of quarterly sale

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 08:58
California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices rose on the secondary market this week on the heels of the second consecutive WCI auction selling out, as RGGI allowance (RGA) values slipped ahead of the programme’s own quarterly sale next week.
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Washington cap-and-trade bill passes first committee, though transportation ties loom

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 08:41
A WCI-modelled carbon market bill passed its first committee in the Washington state legislature on Thursday, but a key senator signalled that he will tether the act’s ultimate implementation to lawmakers also enacting a transportation funding package this session.
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WA’s “go slow” and “go fast” energy transition plans need proper modelling

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2021-02-26 07:56

Alinta Wind Farm from Infigen Energy - optimisedIt's an exciting time for energy policy in Western Australia, but neither side has given clear answers to some crucial questions.

The post WA’s “go slow” and “go fast” energy transition plans need proper modelling appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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AusNet pushes case for route through Victoria to unlock wind and solar

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2021-02-26 07:47

AusNet releases its preferred route for major new transmission link through Victoria to address "Rhombus of Regret" and unlock new wind and solar projects.

The post AusNet pushes case for route through Victoria to unlock wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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Major UK gas exit spells more bad news for Taylor’s gas-fired recovery

RenewEconomy - Fri, 2021-02-26 07:41

gas flare fracking victoria moratorium 2 - optimisedEurope's largest planned gas station has been scrapped, and a new report shows that clean is cheaper. It's bad news for Angus Taylor.

The post Major UK gas exit spells more bad news for Taylor’s gas-fired recovery appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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EU Market: EUAs sink back to near €38 as bullish momentum wavers

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 05:15
EUAs slipped 2.3% on Thursday after an early drive higher floundered and wider markets fell, halting this week's run of late upward moves towards EU carbon's all-time high above €40.
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'Existential threat to our survival': see the 19 Australian ecosystems already collapsing

The Conversation - Fri, 2021-02-26 05:04
Iconic ecosystems, from coral reefs to Tasmania's ancient forests, are collapsing across the continent and into Antarctica. It's not too late to act — in fact, our lives depend on it. Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Lesley Hughes, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Michael Depledge, Professor and Chair, Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Texas was a warning. Australia needs to rethink the design of its electricity market

The Conversation - Fri, 2021-02-26 05:03
During the Texas cold snap prices jumped 30,000%. We can't allow it to happen here. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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RFS Market: RIN rally settles down, while future-year D3 credits transact

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 04:32
US biofuel credit (RINs) values rose during the first half of the week as the widening bean oil-heating oil spread propelled prices higher under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), while next-year D3 credits traded on Thursday as entities potentially looked to hedge renewable natural gas project development.
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EU “can’t afford to backslide” on bloc’s aviation carbon market reform -senior official

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 04:06
The EU cannot backslide on ambition when reforming the bloc’s carbon market rules for intra-EU aviation as a result of a weakened global aviation offsetting system, a senior official said Thursday.
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Exchange ICE to relocate EU carbon trading to Netherlands’ Endex on June 7

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 03:45
Exchange operator ICE will relocate its EU carbon allowance trading from its London-based hub to the Netherlands on June 7 due to Brexit-related limitations, it announced Thursday.
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AI conquers challenge of 1980s platform games

BBC - Fri, 2021-02-26 03:00
A computer program that can solve 1980s exploration games could help improve robot intelligence.
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Brussels launches research project on certification system for carbon removals

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:49
The European Commission has launched a year-long project assessing options to introduce an EU system for certifying carbon removals, inspired by existing carbon standards.
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California offset task force hits back at conflict of interest claims from former members

Carbon Pulse - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:30
The California Compliance Offset Protocol Task Force (OPTF) pushed back Wednesday against criticism from two environmental and environmental justice (EJ) members who resigned this month, arguing the former appointees misrepresented the group’s charter and provided little input on behalf of their stakeholder constituencies in shaping the body’s final report.
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Australian scientists warn urgent action needed to save 19 'collapsing' ecosystems

The Guardian - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:30

A ‘confronting and sobering’ report details degradation of coral reefs, outback deserts, tropical savanna, Murray-Darling waterways, mangroves and forests

Leading scientists working across Australia and Antarctica have described 19 ecosystems that are collapsing due to the impact of humans and warned urgent action is required to prevent their complete loss.

A groundbreaking report – the result of work by 38 scientists from 29 universities and government agencies – details the degradation of coral reefs, arid outback deserts, tropical savanna, the waterways of the Murray-Darling Basin, mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and forests stretching from the rainforests of the far north to Gondwana-era conifers in Tasmania.

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Male lyrebirds resort to artful deception in the pursuit of procreation

The Guardian - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:30

Males use vocal trickery to fool females into thinking a threat is lurking, giving them time to sow their genetic seeds

Male lyrebirds in the throes of sexual union will mimic the sound of a distressed mob of other birds to fool their mate and stop her from escaping, new research from Australia has found.

The remarkable discovery was made after analysing audio and video of superb lyrebirds – a species known for extravagant dance routines and an ability to imitate the calls of more than 20 other species.

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Fiercer, more frequent fires may reduce carbon capture by forests

The Guardian - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:00

Global study shows blazes diminish forest density and tree size, making woods likely to sequester less carbon

More fierce and frequent fires are reducing forest density and tree size and may damage forests’ ability to capture carbon in the future, according to a global study.

Although forest fires are naturally occurring phenomena and natural forests regenerate, global heating and human activity have caused the frequency and intensity of fires to rise. Wildfires burn 5% of the planet’s surface every year, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere equivalent to a fifth of our annual fossil fuel emissions.

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Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists

The Guardian - Fri, 2021-02-26 02:00

Decline in system underpinning Gulf Stream could lead to more extreme weather in Europe and higher sea levels on US east coast

The Atlantic Ocean circulation that underpins the Gulf Stream, the weather system that brings warm and mild weather to Europe, is at its weakest in more than a millennium, and climate breakdown is the probable cause, according to new data.

Further weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could result in more storms battering the UK, more intense winters and an increase in damaging heatwaves and droughts across Europe.

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