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Usage of the term increased 100-fold in the space of 12 months, dictionary says

Oxford Dictionaries has declared “climate emergency” the word of the year for 2019, following a hundred-fold increase in usage that it says demonstrated a “greater immediacy” in the way we talk about the climate.

Defined as “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it”, Oxford said the words soared from “relative obscurity” to “one of the most prominent – and prominently debated – terms of 2019.”

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

Three men die in little over a month in Romania, home to Europe's biggest brown bear population.

Tenia Lestari leads a network of volunteer divers who clear rubbish from the coral reefs and recycle what they find.

Air quality has reached hazardous levels in Sydney, the Illawarra and parts of northern NSW for the second time this week as smoke haze from the bushfires descends on the city.

Canadian MP Jonathan Wilkinson was appointed minister of environment and climate change as the minority Liberal government’s cabinet reconvened on Wednesday, with current agency head Catherine McKenna transitioned to a different department.

Virginia Democrats filed legislation on Tuesday to allow a linkage with the Northeast US RGGI programme and for the state to sell 100% of allowances under its proposed cap-and-trade rule.

After the woolly mammoth and other megafauna became extinct, surviving animals mingled less. This has big implications for modern conservation. Aniko Blanka Toth, Postdoctoral Fellow, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Experts say new approach to classify plants’ conservation status suggests 7,000 species at risk

A third of plant species in tropical Africa are threatened with extinction, a new study suggests. Plants are crucial to many ecosystems and life in general, providing food and oxygen, as well as being the source of myriad materials and medicines. However, human activities including logging, mining and agriculture pose a major threat.

While the extinction risk of animals around the world has been well studied, the risk facing many plants remains unclear: 86% of mammal species have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for its Red List, compared with only 8% of plant species. Now experts say they have come up with a rapid approach to give a preliminary classification.

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Alberta has suspended its engine fuel management and vent gas capture offset protocol under its CO2 pricing regime for unspecified issues, the Canadian province’s Environment and Parks department announced.

Foreign affairs staff say despite opposition from some countries, Australia will continue to use them

Australian officials have told major business groups there will have to be a diplomatic solution to a stand-off between the Morrison government and other nations about whether the government can use carryover credits from the Kyoto period to meet its Paris target.

Guardian Australia understands diplomats from the British high commission signalled their objection to Australia using carryover credits during a recent meeting of the Australian Greenhouse Industry Network, which includes major emitters such as BHP and Woodside, and industry associations.

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We are recruiting a Senior International Officer to develop and deliver our work leading up to the 2020 summit.

We are looking to recruit a new Analyst to help drive forward our analytical work as we move into a crucial period for decarbonisation in the UK.

German politicians accuse Roger Hallam of downplaying significance of genocide

Roger Hallam, the co-founder of the environmental campaign movement Extinction Rebellion, has sparked anger in Germany after referring to the Holocaust as “just another fuckery in human history”.

Hallam has been accused of downplaying the Nazis’ genocide of 6 million Jews – a crime in Germany – by arguing in an interview that the significance of the Holocaust had been overplayed.

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Researchers linked nine causes of death with a certain type pollution when reviewing medical records of deceased veterans

US air pollution rules could be hugely insufficient in preventing deaths, experts are concluding from a new study of the likely causes of death of 4.5 million veterans.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Jama, the research finds that 99% of deaths from illnesses linked to a certain type of air pollution occur in people who are exposed to lower levels than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently deems acceptable.

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Network for Police Monitoring collated reports by XR protesters who took part in ‘autumn rebellion’

Police carried out widespread abuses of power during Extinction Rebellion’s two weeks of protests in October, according to investigators who have collated dozens of reports from protesters.

The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) says it counted 521 reports by XR protesters of abuses of police power, including 200 accusations of rough handling and physical harm and 99 of intimidation or inappropriate behaviour.

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EUAs inched higher early on Wednesday as the market comfortably absorbed Poland's bumper auction and market watchers pointed out signals that could encourage bulls.

Critics say announcement of extra funding serves as ‘reminder of government’s delayed reaction’

People affected by flooding in Midlands and north of England have accused the government of a “belated response” after Boris Johnson announced a series of measures designed to prevent a repeat of this month’s disaster.

The prime minister announced that £5,000 grants would be made available through local authorities from the end of November, in the wake of severe flooding in parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands.

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From beef to cod to avocados to soya, many of our best-loved foods raise big ethical and environmental questions. What do the experts say?

Deforestation. Child labour. Pollution. Water shortages. The more we learn about the side-effects of food production, the more the act of feeding ourselves becomes fraught with anxiety. How can we be sure that certain foods are “good” or “bad” for society and the planet? As Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University of London and the co-author of Sustainable Diets, puts it: “When you come to ‘judge’ food, you end up with an enormous list of variables, from taste to health outcomes to biodiversity.” Here are some of today’s most controversial products – and some thoughts that may help you when shopping.

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China’s Hubei province will next week hold two CO2 permit auctions, with participation in the first one restricted to ETS compliance buyers and the second open to wider participation.