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California Carbon Allowance (CCA) values dipped beneath the 2020 WCI floor price this week amid increased selling, while RGGI allowances (RGAs) rose toward the Emissions Containment Reserve (ECR) trigger price on bullish outlook.

There was an average decrease of 31% in nitrogen dioxide levels on London’s roads

The start of the UK lockdown brought news of reduced air pollution. Did it last?

Measurements from London show that initial improvements in nitrogen dioxide from traffic continued into April and May. Compared with the first 11 weeks of 2020 before lockdown, there was an average decrease of 31% on the capital’s roads. Greatest reductions were in central and inner London and followed improvements from the Ultra-Low Emission Zone.

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Renewable energy projects are often in direct competition with fossil fuels for the hearts and minds of communities. There's a way to win people over though, with ongoing local employment. Tom Morton, Associate Professor, Journalism, Stream Leader, Climate Justice Research Centre, University of Technology Sydney James Goodman, Professor in Political Sociology, University of Technology Sydney Jonathan Paul Marshall, Future Fellow, University of Technology Sydney Katja Müller, Postdoctoral Researcher in Anthropology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Riikka Heikkinen, PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most EU ETS-covered industries are likely to face the maximum possible tightening of their free allocation benchmarks over the next five years, a German government official said on Thursday.

EPA claims federal government, states and public water systems have already taken steps to reduce perchlorate levels

US environmental regulators have decided they will not put restrictions on perchlorate – a rocket fuel ingredient known to harm fetal brain development – in drinking water.

The Environmental Protection Agency argued that the federal government, states and public water systems have already taken proactive steps to reduce perchlorate levels.

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Obligated parties under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have submitted 52 compliance waiver applications in order to sidestep a federal court ruling this year that could otherwise pare back the EPA’s small refinery exemption (SRE) programme, agency data showed Thursday.

Pressure is mounting on the Danish government to introduce a carbon tax to help achieve the country’s emissions reduction targets, despite its climate minister ruling out the idea amid coronavirus concerns.

GreenLaw study finds public interest litigants are not abusing court processes to disrupt developments

Claims that major developments are being regularly held up because of legal challenges to environmental approvals have been dismissed in new research.

The research by GreenLaw, a research and policy group run by law students at the Australian National University, conducted an empirical review of public interest litigation in the federal court on environmental matters over the past decade.

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The UK is more likely to next year launch a standalone ETS rather than one linked to the EU scheme, and as such prices are expected to be far lower than in the continental market, a conference heard on Thursday.

The governor of Jalisco this week announced that the jurisdiction will apply a CO2 levy starting next year, becoming the latest Mexican state to forge ahead on carbon pricing.

• Air pollution and heat exposure linked to negative outcomes
• Researchers discover ‘pretty scary health burdens’

More than a decade of overwhelming evidence links air pollution and heat exposure with negative pregnancy outcomes in the US, according to a new review of dozens of studies.

The investigation, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, identified 57 studies since 2007 showing a significant association between the two factors and the risk of pre-term birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.

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The coronavirus pandemic is making it easier for the EU to raise its 2030 emissions target and tighten the EU ETS cap due to energy market dynamics and stronger political will, experts told the Carbon Fast Forward Online conference on Thursday. 

Coronavirus has emphasised health, social, economic and environmental inequalities facing BAME people

Tackling systemic racism is fundamental to achieving environmental and climate justice, according to leading activists, as Covid-19 disparities and the global uprising against police brutality lay bare the ramifications of racial inequalities in every sphere of life.

Related: One reason why people of color are dying at higher rates in the US? The air they breathe | Mustafa Santiago Ali

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The International Energy Agency on Thursday outlined a $3-trillion plan to recover from the coronavirus pandemic that it says would reduce global 2023 GHG emissions 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2e below BAU levels while adding to economic growth, and saving or creating millions of jobs.

European carbon prices spiked to a three-month high on Thursday, as positive coronavirus news out of China helped lifted wider markets and send EUAs above their 200-day moving average for the first time since late last year.

Stoves that produce pollutants known to make people sick can be donated to tribes and Appalachian communities

Wood heaters that US regulators have deemed too dirty to sell can now be donated to tribal nations and Appalachian communities, under a program organized by a trade group and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Public health experts warn the donations could force more pollution on already vulnerable populations amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Wood-burning devices emit pollutants known to make people sick, including fine particle pollution and chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

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Trina Solar "paves the way" to 600W PV modules with the launch of an ultra-high power "Mega" series with an output of more than 500W.

The post Trina pushes further into large-scale solar market with TrinaPro Mega appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Animals sold in markets and restaurants in Southeast Asia harbour multiple coronaviruses, study shows.

Scottish parliament votes to give mountain hares special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act

Gamekeepers and grouse moor managers will be banned from mass culling mountain hares after Scottish ministers bowed to intense pressure from conservationists.

The Scottish parliament voted on Wednesday night to give mountain hares special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which will make it an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill or injure the hare without a licence.

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Tesla big battery at Hornsdale gets regulatory green light for expansion of what is already the world's biggest lithium ion battery, and a crucial component of South Australia's net 100% renewables plan.

The post Tesla big battery expansion gets regulatory nod, testing to begin soon appeared first on RenewEconomy.