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The New South Wales government in Australia introduced a bill to reform the biodiversity offsets scheme to its Parliament on Thursday, requiring developers take measures to prioritise avoiding environmental harm.

Sentiment in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) is weak with buyers staying away, scared off by the multiple scandals that have plagued the sector, but participants are hopeful the integrity initiatives underway will lead to better times, despite demand-side challenges remaining.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) should recognise the value of voluntary carbon credits as a stopgap measure for corproate investment while they wait for the cost of some internal emissions reduction levers, such as electrification, to decline, said an environmental consultancy.

Retirement patterns of voluntary carbon credits this quarter will test whether corporate buyers are paying heed to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) Core Carbon Principle (CCP) stamp of integrity, according to analysts.

Two Canadian companies are collaborating to determine whether a proprietary graphite processing method could generate voluntary carbon credits.

The UK could reasonably expect to remove around 6 million tonnes a year of CO2 using enhanced rock weathering, although it would require an expansion of rock crushing operations and could pose new risks around emissions and environmental and public health.

European carbon prices eased slightly on Thursday morning even while energy markets were marginally firmer, as trading activity picked up again after Wednesday's lull despite a public holiday across much of the region.

A New Zealand-based verifier on Thursday announced its verification standard for long-term forestry CO2 capture and storage had been validated by a global certification firm, the first time such a standard will be made available for the voluntary carbon market, it said.

News follows scrapping of two other Atlantic windfarms and axing of hundreds of jobs as costs surge

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The Danish company developing the world’s largest offshore windfarm in the North Sea has been forced to delay a major project off the north-east coast of the US, months after cancelling two nearby developments and cutting hundreds of jobs.

Ørsted has pushed back the start of commercial operations at its 704 megawatt Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut by a year, to 2026.

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Gold Standard has added a new “Managed Pasture Activity Module” to its Soil Organic Carbon methodology, the carbon offset standard announced on Thursday.

Two investors on Wednesday announced an Australian partnership focused on ecosystem services and regenerative agriculture.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator (CER), which oversees Australia’s carbon market, has made the process around gateway checks for human-induced regeneration projects a key priority for the ACCU Scheme over the next year.

Singapore and the Philippines are due to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on carbon credits Thursday night, reinforcing their Article 6.2 collaboration.

China saw strong annual growth in hydro and solar power production in July, while domestic thermal power generation continued to fall amid underwhelming economic recovery, according to government data.

Generative AI models used to create novel materials or assist people in various tasks can advance climate and sustainability goals, according to a report by a venture capital house on Thursday.

Asian equivalents to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will inevitably emerge as a way to ensure cash stays in their respective countries that would otherwise go to Europe, experts told a conference Thursday.

Increasing tree cover in urban areas could reduce heat-related deaths – but a fight has ensued between corporate interests and residents

It’s 9pm on a blistering July night in Plaza de Santa Ana, a square at the heart of Madrid’s literary district. The thermometer has barely dropped below 39C, but despite the heat a 78-year-old woman climbs on to a bench to give an impassioned speech to a 200-strong crowd.

“Did you think we weren’t going to be here, Señor Almeida?” She scans the crowd, searching for José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Madrid’s mayor, while anguished cries of “Arboricida!” (tree murder) punctuate the silence. Her face is immediately recognisable. She is movie star Marisa Paredes, an actor immortalised in Almodóvar classics such as High Heels – just one of many activists trying to stop what seems like a concerted campaign to strip central Madrid of its trees.

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Exclusive: Fish farms in Macquarie Harbour are the greatest threat to survival of ancient ray-like species, scientists advising Australian government find

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Scientists advising the Australian government on how to save the threatened Maugean skate from extinction have recommended the salmon industry be either scaled back dramatically or removed from Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour after finding fish farms are the greatest threat to its survival.

The advice is included in a report by the government’s threatened species scientific committee that says the skate – an ancient ray-like species found only in the harbour in the state’s west – should be considered critically endangered.

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Finances secured for development of first stage of massive solar and battery project that will total 4.1GWh once all five phases are completed.

The post World’s biggest battery storage project gets underway in Chile appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar farms aren't necessarily just about low carbon electricity. They can also help reverse biodiversity decline and could deliver benefits for nature and climate.

The post Solar farms can benefit nature and boost biodiversity. Here’s how appeared first on RenewEconomy.