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The Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) jurisdictions are evaluating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the cost-benefit analysis of the proposed fuel sector cap-and-trade scheme, but regulatory sources do not believe support for the regional US programme is wavering.

Firm says investment in low-carbon infrastructure will help UK emerge from Covid impact

SSE has set out plans to triple its renewable energy generation by 2030 as it prepares to build the world’s largest offshore windfarm off the north-east coast of England.

The energy firm told investors that it was days away from a final investment decision on the 3.2GW Dogger Bank offshore windfarm, which could generate enough clean electricity to power 4.5m homes by 2026.

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A huge amount of effort and planning will be required to fulfil Boris Johnson’s 10 pledges to tackle the climate emergency

• Rebecca Newsom is head of politics at Greenpeace UK

After many weeks of speculation, the prime minister has finally announced his “10-point plan” for a green industrial revolution. This is essential because the UK has a massive gap between its current actions to tackle the climate emergency compared with what is needed to meet its legally binding climate commitments. A recent analysis by Green Alliance showed that the UK is on course to reduce its emissions by less than a fifth of what’s required for its next round of climate targets.

Related: Is £12bn enough to get UK on track for net zero carbon emissions?

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Denmark has already launched a nationwide cull of its farmed mink herd after concerns for vaccine efficacy

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Seven countries are now reporting mink-related Sars-CoV-2 mutations in humans, according to new scientific analysis.

The mutations are identified as Covid-19 mink variants as they have repeatedly been found in mink and now in humans as well.

Uncertainty around the implications of the discovery of a Covid-19 mink variant in humans led Denmark, the world’s largest mink fur producer, to launch a nationwide cull earlier this month.

The cull was sparked by research from Denmark’s public health body, the Statens Serum Institut (SSI), which showed that a mink variant called C5 was harder for antibodies to neutralise and posed a potential threat to vaccine efficacy.

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• Photographers captured unusual event off California coast
• Sea otter non-profit reports that ‘they prey was not consumed’
  

A sea otter off the coast of California caused a splash when it was photographed apparently trying to eat a shark – though it appears it did not manage to complete its meal.

Related: Furry engineers: sea otters in California's estuaries surprise scientists

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As the UK government unveils new environmental targets, what about the previous ones?

We are now in the last four weeks of the Dec-20 EUAs' reign as the front-year futures contract. There are fewer than 25 daily auctions left this year, and yesterday (Nov. 17) we were told that the European Commission won’t be starting 2021 EUA auctions until the end of January or even early February.

The long-awaited emissions plan leave some policies untouched, says the BBC's Environment Analyst.

EUAs leapt more than 5% to a two-month high on Wednesday on news that the start of the 2021 auctions would be delayed.

The PM's plan will need to look heavily to Scotland for both the natural and the technical fixes.

Michael Visocchi's work memorialises the many animals killed by the whale hunters of South Georgia.

Switzerland has agreed a bilateral deal with Ghana to purchase carbon offsets under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6, in the second such agreement announced by the European nation in as many months.

Australian designed mini wind turbines set to deliver power to off-grid telecommunications systems, receives ARENA backing.

The post ARENA backs mini wind turbines to power off-grid communications appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We answer your top questions on electric cars - on charging, on range and on battery life.

McDonald’s sells 75 burgers every second. Its embrace of plant-based meat alternatives could make a real difference

When McDonald’s announced its plan to launch a plant-based burger earlier this month, Twitter users were quick to mock the product’s unimaginative name: the … McPlant.

But no matter what you think of the fast food chain’s marketing department, the McPlant actually represents a meaningful milestone for plant-based protein products. This is a real step toward a greener world. While other chains, such as Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts, have already launched plant-based meat items, the impact of the planet’s most popular fast food chain – which sells a dizzying 75 burgers every second – could be decisive in allowing plant-based meat alternatives to catch on in the mainstream.

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The EU is not planning to include carbon removals certificates in the EU ETS, a European Commission senior official clarified on Wednesday as its climate department works on designing its first system to certify removals.

Ahead of a UK plan to reach "net zero", we guide you through some of the key terms in climate change.

While overall US coral reefs are in fair condition, along the coast of Florida as little as 2% of original coral cover remains

The United States’ coral reefs are in fair condition, according to a recent reef condition status report, but vulnerable to decline. Scientists estimate that along the coast of Florida, where degradation is most severe, perhaps as little as 2% of original coral cover remains.

The report, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (Noaa) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science last week, assesses reefs along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, from the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to Guam, Hawaii and American Samoa. It is the first of its kind to do so using standardized monitoring data on a national scale. Analyzing records from 2012 to 2018, researchers identify ocean warming and acidification, coral disease and fishing as ongoing threats to coral reefs, indicating a “dire outlook” for these ecosystems.

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Delegates agree on guidelines to align the industry with the Paris climate change treaty.

Thinktank says deadline of 2026 is needed for government to meet its own carbon budget

The prime minister’s plan to bring forward a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 10 years to 2030 will still not go far enough to meet the government’s own legally binding climate targets, according to new research.

Boris Johnson is expected to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles by setting out a new deadline for the sales of polluting passenger cars as part of a 10-point plan to tackle the climate crisis due to be revealed this week.

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