Around The Web

European carbon prices eased in another quiet session on Wednesday but remained within sight of €25, as the Jun-19 options expired to little fanfare.

Most of Britain's cities have had illegally polluted air for nearly a decade and the effect of air pollution is particularly bad on children. Ahead of Clean Air Day, we conducted an experiment to assess the air quality on a school run in central London, using new state-of-the art monitors that can measure air pollution in real time. 

Continue reading...

Students and tourists are being attacked by a swan on the River Cam where the legendary Mr Asbo – reportedly his forebear – once wreaked havoc

Name: Asbaby.

Age: Unknown, though he has been cropping up in reports of violence since 2015.

Continue reading...

• Administration to roll back Obama-era Clean Power Plan
• Trump’s EPA chief says he’s ‘leveling the playing field’

Donald Trump’s administration is finalizing plans to roll back the US government’s only direct efforts to curb coal-fired power plant pollution that is heating the planet.

Related: Trump rolls back key Obama climate rule that targeted coal pollution – live

Continue reading...

European low-cost airline Wizz Air has taken up rival Ryanair’s challenge to publish monthly CO2 emissions statistics, declaring itself to be the continent’s “greenest” carrier.

A vast European-owned mine is operating near Mayan villages, sparking a battle for survival

The road to Guatemala’s biggest nickel mine is barely visible through a cloud of red dust, churned up by the 25-tonne trucks that thunder past loaded with ore.

From the choking haze a cyclist emerges, weaving between the lorries. On his back he carries a bundle of firewood. Goggles protect his eyes, a bandana covers his nose and mouth.

Continue reading...

Carlos Choc had to go on the run after seeing the violent repression of a protest at the Fenix mine

It was when police arrested his colleague in October 2017 that Carlos Choc realised it was becoming too dangerous for him to keep reporting.

From the town of El Estor, and a member of the Maya Q’eqchi’ community, Choc, 36, has made his living documenting the lives of indigenous citizens.

Continue reading...

Swiss-based Solway group that runs Fenix nickel mine paid 1% on revenues from unrefined ore

• Guatemalans who pay price for west’s need for nickel

Guatemala’s largest nickel mine paid just £1.4m in compulsory royalty taxes during its first four years of production, according to its latest filings.

The opencast Fenix mine belongs to the Bronstein family and is run by their Swiss-based Solway group. Solway benefits from Guatemala’s low nickel royalty rate, which is calculated at just 1% of all the revenues made from selling the unrefined ore it digs out of the ground. Recent proposals to increase rates to 15% were not implemented.

Continue reading...

Are you an experienced Carbon Asset Manager? Would you like to work with a dedicated team of professionals to identify opportunities in the UK and overseas to develop carbon sequestration projects? If so, this role could be just up your street...

The Natural History Museum of Vienna is premiering MELTDOWN – A Visualization of Climate Change, an exhibition created by the climate crisis charity Project Pressure, which uses art to inspire action and behavioural change. The artworks in Meltdown relate to vanishing glaciers. Unlike wildfires, flooding and other weather events, glacier mass losses even out variations and can be attributed to global heating. To incite action, Project Pressure has created a carbon footprint calculator in collaboration with ClimateHero to learn how carbon-intense the users’ lifestyle is.

Continue reading...

Eastern EU nations will better finance their clean energy transitions by transferring ETS auction proceeds to the bloc’s Modernisation Fund as rigid rules for other options would stifle investment, a report found on Wednesday.

Companies regulated by Europe’s carbon market have exchanged almost 16 million Kyoto Protocol offsets for EU Allowances in the past six months, significantly ramping up the practice as EUA prices hit an 11-year high and as the usage deadline approaches.

The Western Australian government is considering options such as an industry-funded carbon abatement fund as alternatives to mandatory offsetting for major resources projects, which it considers would impose significant economic costs on the state’s fossil fuel industry.

A UK Parliamentary committee has recommended a "penny-per-garment" fee for fashion producers to raise funds for improved recycling and clothing collections.

Victoria outlines plan for rooftop solar and battery storage scheme, while the regulator cracks down on dodgy trading in certificates.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: Victoria’s big solar and storage plan appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD will offer two models of all-electric trucks to the Australian market through leasing arrangements signed with Macquarie Group.

The post China’s BYD teams with Macquarie to bring electric trucks to Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

United States experiences best first quarter ever for new solar installations over first three months of 2019, installing a record 2.7GW of new capacity.

The post US installs record 2.7GW of solar in first quarter of 2019 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Report led by CSIRO and backed by NAB says 100 per cent renewables in Australia is inevitable, and will likely slash bills by more than half under an ambitious policy.

The post CSIRO, NAB chair say shift to 100% renewables inevitable, and likely by 2050 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Research suggests support for urgent measures to tackle crisis is becoming mainstream

Nearly 70% of British people want urgent political action to tackle climate change and protect the natural environment, according to research by a coalition of green charities.

Theresa May, in one of her last acts as prime minister, has enshrined in law a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making Britain the first large economy to do so.

Continue reading...

New projections from BNEF show that significant cost cuts to wind, solar, and battery storage, will help push the share of renewables in the global grid to nearly 50% by 2050.

The post Solar, wind and batteries to deliver 50% of global power by 2050 appeared first on RenewEconomy.