Around The Web

Cross-party group highlights new evidence on how dirty air may worsen infections

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Air pollution must be kept at low levels to help avoid a second peak of coronavirus infections, according to a cross-party report from MPs.

There is growing evidence from around the world linking exposure to dirty air and increased infections and deaths from Covid-19. Lockdowns cut air pollution levels in many places, but the MPs said measures were needed to ensure it remains low.

Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including tiny turtles and blossoming poppies.

Continue reading...

A European Parliament initiative to fast-track shipping into the EU ETS faces being blown off course after an influential committee rejected the idea this week.

A third-party submission to qualify RGGI ETS allowances and offsets for eligibility in the global aviation scheme CORSIA was not sanctioned by the Northeast US cap-and-trade programme and runs counter to existing regulations, the market administrator has told Carbon Pulse.

The Program Officer is a technical role within the American Carbon Registry (ACR), contributing to all aspects of ACR services, including, but not limited to ensuring the highest level of quality for all ACR-registered projects and related offset credits issued by ACR.

Scientists are learning just how fast the ice margin of Antarctica can retreat in a warming world.

Closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator issued just over 550,000 new carbon credits and registered 10 new offset projects this week, while researchers identified offset generating potential in a blue carbon site. 

After a successful phase one, Ausgrid launches second phase of household battery-based virtual power plant, with two new "aggregator" partners – ShineHub and Evergen.

The post Ausgrid seeks thousands of NSW homes to join expanded virtual power plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Intensified by climate change, the current 20-year arid period is one of the worst on record, with wide-ranging effects

When Ken Pimlott began fighting US wildfires at the age of 17, they seemed to him to be a brutal but manageable natural phenomenon.

Related: Dust bowl conditions of 1930s US now more than twice as likely to reoccur

Continue reading...

Chinese companies will no longer be allowed to use the green bond market to finance efficient coal power plants, according to a proposal published Friday by the central bank, but the bonds can be used to back service providers for carbon credit and renewable energy credit trading.

Renewables technology already exists, it's getting cheaper and we will never go to war over sunshine. If you need to be convinced of the potential of wind and solar, read this. Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Taylor criticises other countries for setting ambitious emissions targets, while Australia bets on unspecified technology improvements to meet its own targets.

The post Angus Taylor says higher emissions targets ‘not necessarily good policy’ appeared first on RenewEconomy.

America's tumbling coal power consumption was surpassed by renewable energy in 2019, and wind power overtook hydro as the US biggest renewable power source.

The post Graph of the Day: US renewables beat coal in 2019, for first time in 134 years appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Lancaster Wildlife Trust has brought the species back to peatlands following a local extinction in the 19th century

Large heath butterflies are returning to peatlands in greater Manchester 150 years after they went locally extinct.

The acidic peat bogs and mosslands around Manchester and Liverpool were home to the country’s biggest colonies of large heath butterflies – known as the “Manchester argus” – but numbers plummeted as land was drained for agricultural land and peat extraction. 

Continue reading...

Australia is in the process of reforming its carbon market, but the government will not put in place new policies to drive private-sector demand, hoping instead for an increase in voluntary buy interest, Energy and Emission Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said Friday.

A few tweaks to an old idea could stimulate investment in renewable energy zones and the electric "highways" needed to transport wind and solar.

The post Time to tweak an old idea to stimulate investment in wind and solar “highways” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Regional Queensland solar FiT gets marginal increase for 2020-21, driven by higher ancillary services fees and energy losses, which were mostly offset by a decline in wholesale energy costs.

The post Regional Queensland solar feed-in tariff raised by 0.2% for 2020–21 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Zinc refinery and solar farm owner Sun Metals pans "system strength" rules, saying they are slow, ad hoc, lack transparency, add costs and discourage investment in large scale wind and solar.

The post The regulatory fail on “system strength”, and how it nobbles wind and solar projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Oil price crisis and its impact on US shale oil production is revealing where China and the US stand with their very different energy strategies.

The post Oil price wars, Covid-19 havoc, green energy tip the scales in US-China trade war appeared first on RenewEconomy.