Around The Web

The best of the week’s wildlife pictures from around the world, including a Eurasian lynx and rescued caymans

Continue reading...

European Parliament negotiators are not giving up on their demands to set a post-2050 negative emissions goal and to create an EU carbon budget as part of Climate Law talks set to resume next week.

The RGGI cap-and-trade programme reported a fourth quarter year-on-year emissions drop due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while total 2020 output would set the upcoming five-year allowance bank adjustment slightly lower than the power sector scheme’s expectations, according to CO2 Allowance Tracking System (COATS) data updated Friday. 

Activists tell of oxygen shortage, five internal collapses and an influx of liquid mud at London site

Environmental protesters inside the tunnel close to Euston station in London say conditions are deteriorating with a shortage of oxygen, five internal tunnel collapses and an influx of liquid mud.

One activist issued an urgent appeal for help just after 4pm on Friday from inside the tunnel, saying things were getting worse very quickly.

Continue reading...

A US-based company has delivered its first CO2-neutral oil, bundling the fuel shipment with carbon offsets and saying the milestone was its first step in achieving net-zero oil.

Rules will prevent some burning and could help Britain reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Regulations are to be brought in to prevent the burning of heather and other vegetation in a move to better protect peatlands.

The protection for blanket bog habitats has been welcomed as vital for globally important land, but criticised by some environmental groups.

Continue reading...

Offset issuances in Australia fell back to a more pedestrian level this week after a busy period to end last year, while independent MP Zali Steggall’s climate bill is winning the backing of major business groups in an ongoing parliamentary hearing.

Incidents such as killing of 50 pregnant ewes caused by owners unaware of threat posed by pets

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

A series of horrific attacks by dogs on livestock is a consequence of lockdown and more people walking in the countryside who are oblivious to the threat posed by out-of-control pets, according to farmers.

Earlier this month, 50 pregnant ewes and their unborn lambs were killed in Monmouthshire when a dog forced them into a corner against a stone wall, where the panicking animals suffocated and died.

Continue reading...

Indigenous groups, businesses and activists condemn company’s effort to drill for gold at source of Skagit River

An international coalition of over 200 Indigenous groups, businesses and environmentalists have announced opposition to a Canadian mining plan that could have far-reaching impacts in the US.

Imperial Metals has applied to the British Columbia government for a five-year exploratory permit to drill for gold around the source waters of the Skagit River, near the US border.

Continue reading...

South Korea plans to adjust the benchmark settings and CO2 allowance auctioning rate in its emissions trading scheme as part of efforts to drive technology innovation to help bring the nation’s carbon output down to net zero by 2050, the environment ministry said Friday.

China’s northern city of Shenyang is expected to launch trading in its municipal carbon market this July, with the programme spanning around 500 companies initially, local media reported Friday.

‘Escalator to extinction’ means aggressive species will eventually take over, threatening the entire mountain ecosystem

Alpine flowers could go extinct after glaciers disappear as more competitive species colonise terrain higher up the mountain, new research has warned.

Glaciers are retreating at historically unprecedented rates, exposing new land for plants to grow, which benefits delicate alpine species in the short term. However, these early pioneers – some of which are endemic – soon become endangered as more aggressive species take over, driving them out of their remaining habitat and decreasing overall biodiversity, according to the paper published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Continue reading...

You could hardly imagine a worse report on the state of Australia's environment, and the law's capacity to protect it, than that released on Thursday. Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scott Morrison drives an electric truck. Did it ruin his weekend?

The post Scott Morrison test drives an electric truck, but can’t find EV policy button appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Morrison government has not modelled an Australian pathway to zero net emissions, according to information provided by department officials.

The post Morrison government hasn’t yet modelled zero emissions pathway appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The average “good” energy share in our random portfolio was up over 100% last year, and this performance has continued into January.

The post Owning “good” energy shares really paid off last year appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A fresh round of Spanish renewables auctions secures 3GW of new wind and solar projects, at record low prices for Europe.

The post Spain renewable energy auction achieves record low wind price appeared first on RenewEconomy.

First publicly available RTM75 electric car charger is put to the test by a Standard Range Plus Tesla Model 3.

The post Tesla Model 3 puts Tritium’s new 75kW fast charger to the test appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar and wind farms are becoming adept at dancing around negative pricing events. Even some brown coal generators are showing surprising flexibility.

The post Solar and wind farms – and even some coal units – learn to dodge negative prices appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.