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EUAs continued to slip on Friday to give back most of the week’s gains as prices crashed through technical supports, natural gas prices turned south, and auction demand continued to weaken.

A summary of legislative and regulatory action on carbon pricing and clean energy at the US subnational level taken this week, including New York adopting regulations to eliminate coal power next year, California’s governor proposing a study to limit fossil fuel supply, and Washington’s governor endorsing a suite of climate policies.

California Carbon Offset (CCO) prices are continuing to lag behind the recent bull run in the California Carbon Allowance (CCA) market, but some believe that trend could change if permit prices keep outpacing historic norms.

Farmers say the Landcare system was broken by successive Government cuts

Deal will improve handling of plastic waste and prevent it from getting washed or dumped into oceans and rivers, UN says

Almost all the world’s countries have agreed on a deal to improve the way they deal with plastic waste and prevent so much of it from getting washed or dumped into oceans and rivers – with the glaring exception of the United States, the United Nations announced on Friday afternoon.

A “legally binding framework” that affects thousands of types of plastic waste emerged at the end of a two-week meeting of UN-backed conventions on plastic waste and toxic, hazardous chemicals that threaten the planet’s seas and creatures.

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Does a second feel the same for a fly, a bird, or a swordfish, as it does for me? From the BBC World Service, immerse yourself in the world of animal senses.

German utility EnBW advanced its hedging rates over Q1 2019 to maintain its stance of having a larger share of its expected output hedged than a year earlier, giving a slightly bearish signal for EUAs.

Erin Priddle defends the record of the Marine Stewardship Council, Sam Laird attacks fishing subsidies, Keith Snell says we will suffocate if phytoplankton are wiped out, and Fiona Carnie says that we all have a duty to help save the planet

George Monbiot wants the world to stop eating fish (Journal, 9 May). However, considering over a billion people rely on fish as part of their diet, many of them in poorer parts of the world, simply cutting fish out – even if it were possible – would deprive millions of people of an essential protein source and vital source of income. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) provides an international benchmark for sustainable fishing that ensures certified fisheries safeguard fish stocks and our oceans.

Monbiot criticises the MSC for certifying unsustainable fisheries. But his examples include a tuna fishery that has nearly eradicated shark finning in its fishery. The steps taken by this certified fishery have helped to secure livelihoods for a suite of small-island developing nations, and they have contributed to the protection of important species, including sharks.

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

European nations should form a “coalition of the willing” to expand carbon pricing beyond EU ETS sectors, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, bolstering the prospects for intergovernmental emissions trade in sectors such as buildings and transport.

The killings wipe out half the vulture population in the Israeli-occupied territory.

We must take advantage of natural climate solutions if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Yet setbacks – such as an incomplete Paris Rulebook – have raised concerns amongst stakeholders, worried that without UN guidance on carbon markets, they cannot confidently scale up the required policies and programs. The Nature Conservancy has released a new guide that highlights why many are already taking action to make use of markets in funding NCS, and how businesses can thoughtfully take similar steps today amidst a developing regulatory landscape.

A buzzard, elephants and yellowbanded sweetlips

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The procedure is a world-first amid efforts to save the species, native to New Zealand.

Europeans are emitting too much carbon and using too much food and timber, a report says.

Greta Thunberg says Dublin decision to follow British MPs’ lead is ‘great news’

Ireland’s parliament has become the second after Britain’s to declare a climate emergency, a decision hailed by the Swedish teenage environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg as “great news”.

An amendment to a parliamentary report declaring a climate emergency and calling on the parliament “to examine how [the Irish government] can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss” was accepted without a vote late on Thursday.

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Australia’s opposition Labor party on Friday released its budget plan should it win the May 18 election, with numbers showing that the planned July auction for the Emissions Reduction Fund likely would be cancelled, but with funds set aside to develop new methodologies.

This small herb hadn't been seen on Macquarie Island since it was first recorded in 1983, despite several searches over the next 30 years. Nick Fitzgerald, PhD candidate, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's spot carbon price is lower than overseas markets, but future prices will depend on the level of ambition in emission reduction policies.

The post Australia already has carbon spot price, and it’s cheaper than overseas markets appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Australia’s coal-fired electricity industry will close its final chapter with the sale of the Port Augusta power station site. A big solar farm may be built there.

The post Port Augusta power station sale to mark final closure of South Australia’s coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.