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South Korean negotiators play a far more active role than usual at this year’s UN climate negotiations in Madrid, hoping to push through rules that would allow Korean ETS firms to buy up to 55-60 million international carbon credits annually throughout the 2020s in a bid to avoid runaway domestic CO2 prices.

New Article 6 text dropped well behind schedule at the UN climate summit on Friday, with numerous contentious issues still remaining on agreeing the rulebook to international emissions trading under the Paris Agreement.

Former first lady told climate activist ‘don’t let anyone dim your light’ after Trump said teen had an ‘anger management problem’

Michelle Obama has sent a public message of support to the 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg after the teenager was mocked by Donald Trump.

“@GretaThunberg, Don’t let anyone dim your light,” the former first lady wrote following a visit to Vietnam. “Like the girls I’ve met in Vietnam and all over the world, you have so much to offer us all. Ignore the doubters and know that millions of people are cheering you on.”

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Volunteers find nests made by descendants of creatures released by student in 2004

As an idealistic PhD student, Wendy Fail’s ambition was to reintroduce harvest mice to Northumberland. She painstakingly bred 240 mice in captivity and in 2004 released the elusive mammals on to a coastal nature reserve with plenty of reedbeds for them to hide in.

When not a single harvest mouse – Britain’s smallest rodent – was recaptured in subsequent trap surveys, Fail concluded that her efforts to reintroduce them had been unsuccessful.

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Poland opts out of 2050 net-zero emissions after hours of wrangling over timetables and money

European Union leaders have vowed to press on with a major economic plan to confront the climate emergency, despite Poland’s opt-out from a net-zero emissions target by 2050.

The Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, told journalists he had secured an exemption for Poland on the 2050 target, which is meant to become the legally binding centrepiece of the “European Green Deal” , a plan to transform Europe’s economy announced two days ago.

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It captured the world’s imagination when it appeared in the middle of the ocean – but where did it come from, and where is it going?

It floated into the collective consciousness in August, twice the size of Manhattan and probably powerful enough to exfoliate the feet of the entire world. The giant Pacific Ocean pumice raft was as mysterious as it was vast.

The world only knew of its existence thanks to Michael Hoult and Larissa Brill, two Australians who sailed into it while travelling by catamaran to Fiji. Photographs they took showed a mass of grey stretching as far as the eye could see.

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Ilene Dondlinger of California says she does not want the big cat killed, despite its fatal attack on her miniature schnauzer

When Ilene Dondlinger jumped on the mountain lion attacking her miniature schnauzer in the early hours of 5 December, she reacted without thinking. The 54-year-old wrestled with the big cat in her backyard, desperately trying to open its jaws to save her beloved dog Pumba. But there was nothing she could do.

“I couldn’t prise its jaws open, no matter what I did,” Dondlinger said, detailing how she punched, kicked and jumped on the big cat, even putting her knee to its throat in desperation.

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We don't need to send in the army every time there's a natural disaster, or create a national fire fighting force. We need to think practically about working together in emergencies. Andrew Gissing, General Manager, Risk Frontiers, Adjunct Fellow, Macquarie University Michael Eburn, Associate Professor in Law, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Angus Taylor bids Madrid adios, leaving diplomats to fight for Australia's Kyoto accounting dodge, and as PM Morrison tells more untruths.

The post Taylor flies out of Madrid, leaving Kyoto carryover battle unresolved appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scott Morrison has thrown a bone to the conservative culture warriors pushing nuclear power, and now they'll be demanding a rump steak with tomato sauce.

The post Federal nuclear inquiry report: Lunatics in charge of the asylum appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Nuclear inquiry report calls on Australians to say "definite yes" to nuclear energy for Australia, despite the new SMR technology's enormous expense and as-yet unproven status.

The post Coalition pushes for nuclear ban to be lifted, Labor says it’s madness appeared first on RenewEconomy.

EVs are an obvious solution for Australia’s precarious fuel security and its dependence on fuel imports. Former RAAF deputy chief John Blackburn explains why.

The post The Driven Podcast: EVs, range anxiety and fuel security appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Regulator's report shows early signs of a dramatic fall in new large-scale renewables investment, to lowest level since mid-2016.

The post A tale of two markets: Rooftop PV smashes records as large-scale wind, solar slow down appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Morrison Government is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr Eric Groom PSM and Mr Justin Oliver as full-time Commonwealth members of the Australian Energy Regulator.

The post Appointment of Commonwealth members to the Australian Energy Regulator appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMC seems to view distributed energy as a problem rather than an opportunity when it comes to maintaining system resilience in the face of weather events or cyberattacks.

The post Energy rule-maker rues reality, rejects real reform in S.A. blackout response appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exclusive: forest regrowth can reabsorb emissions from fires but scientists fear natural carbon ‘sinks’ have been compromised

Bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland have emitted a massive pulse of CO2 into the atmosphere since August that is equivalent to almost half of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, Guardian Australia can reveal.

Analysis by Nasa shows the NSW fires have emitted about 195m tonnes of CO2 since 1 August, with Queensland’s fires adding a further 55m tonnes over the same period.

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EU leaders have failed to achieve consensus on targeting net zero emissions by 2050, declaring a deal had been reached but acknowledging that one member state was unable to commit to the goal at this point.

Australians spent $400 million on unwanted Christmas gifts last year. There must be a better way. Louise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Martin Grimmer, Professor of Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Snowy Hydro has claimed that its massive “Snowy 2.0” pumped hydro scheme will reduce emissions by storing renewable electricity. Is this correct?

The post Snowy 2.0 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: truth or lie? appeared first on RenewEconomy.