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The newly elected European Parliament is holding its first plenary session in Strasbourg next week, with a potential majority for Commission President-designate Ursula von der Leyen seemingly hanging on the future of climate policies, as she needs backing from the Greens to secure a second term.

EU member states have handed out more than three-quarters of their 2024 quotas of free carbon allowances under the ETS, according to data released by the European Commission.

EU climate and environment ministers are poised to call for expanding the pool of countries contributing to the new global climate finance goal, in draft conclusions preparing for the EU’s COP29 negotiating position, although the document did not to specify the amount the bloc itself should provide.

Reporter Emanuela Barbiroglio recaps key EU energy and climate developments from last month and the stories to watch out for in the weeks ahead, as part of a briefing produced in cooperation with Clean Energy Wire.

Donations grew dramatically after Australia’s black summer but animal carers say they didn’t receive enough

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Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation faces a landmark vote on Sunday, as members unhappy with the distribution of donations after the black summer bushfires attempt to change its constitution.

The income of the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (Wires), based in NSW, ballooned from $3m to more than $100m thanks to the success of its fundraising campaign after the catastrophic fires of 2019-20, which burned millions of hectares of land and reportedly killed or displaced 3 billion animals.

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The much-delayed auction for carbon credits, eligible for international trade under Article 6, from a Malawi clean cooking project has been confirmed for next week, organisers said Friday, after a clarification letter was published specifying that the initial transfer of the corresponding adjustment will occur upon issuance of the units.

A Colombian non-profit has launched a water crediting pilot programme in a 20,000-hectare area of a river basin in its country, planning to issue the first units by year-end, while preparing a separate biodiversity credit pilot.

Four animals released in Wallington estate in Northumberland last year have transformed the landscape

The first beavers in Northumberland for more than 400 years have been stupendously busy. There are new dam systems, as well as canals and burrows, new wildlife-rich wetlands and, thrillingly, a baby beaver.

Whether it is male or female remains to be seen. “Beavers don’t have external genitalia,” said Heather Devey, an expert. “They are really hard to sex. It’s really only through their anal glands that you can tell.”

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Europe's first hydrogen-ready combined heat and power plant (CHP) has been launched in northwest England that will supply power and steam to help decarbonise a refinery and other industrial users in the region.

Low yields combined with low prices for some crops also led to a 13% drop in farm output compared with 2022

Income from farming in England plummeted by 19% last year after floods meant harvesting many crops was impossible.

Farmers have called for more support from the government as the climate breaks down, meaning agricultural businesses are no longer able to count on mild UK weather and increasingly face drought and floods.

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The UK renewables arm of energy giant Electricite de France (EDF) has announced a project aimed at advancing research on the effects solar farms can have on biodiversity, including how they could generate benefits for nature.

European carbon prices rose for a second day, mimicking fluctuations in the natural gas market as trading activity fell away, while prices have held in an increasingly narrow band that has drawn various averages into the smallest range for a year.

Orlen, one of the largest oil refiners and retailers in Central and Eastern Europe, is looking at a range of technologies to hit net-zero emissions by 2050, including continued investments in wind power as well as clean hydrogen, small nuclear reactors, and carbon capture and storage (CCS), a company executive has said.

The release of a draft 2023-24 allowance allocation plan for the China ETS failed to ignite the world's largest compliance emissions market, which has seen prices remain rangebound with relatively low trading volume over the past week.

One of the leading renewable energy companies in Thailand has partnered with a local bank to issue fixed rate bonds linked with carbon credits in order to develop the country’s carbon market.

Lack of CO2 transport infrastructure is still regarded as the main obstacle for large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the EU, but potential business models are beginning to emerge as the European Commission prepares to regulate the nascent infrastructure industry.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

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Market infrastructure provider Xpansiv has teamed up with an environmental commodities exchange to provide Japanese companies with access to the global voluntary carbon market, it announced Friday.

Greek giant formerly known as Mytilineos puts Australia renewables assets up for sale, including eight solar farms and 2.8GW development pipeline with battery storage and hydrogen projects.

The post Greek developer puts gigawatt-scale Australian solar and battery portfolio up for sale appeared first on RenewEconomy.

With up to 80% of butterflies in decline, people are being asked to spend 15 minutes to record number and type witnessed

Scientists are calling on the public to help track how British butterflies are moving north as the climate heats up.

Examining 50 years of data, researchers from the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, which runs the annual Big Butterfly Count, have identified a clear northerly shift among many species, including the familiar garden favourites the comma, peacock and holly blue.

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