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Ireland should quadruple its domestic carbon tax on fossil fuels to €80/tonne by 2030, a cross-party government committee has determined as part of its proposed strategy to help the country hits its climate targets and reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.

The UK government has formally extended the country’s 2018 EU ETS compliance deadline by a further two weeks after MPs delayed Britain’s scheduled exit from the bloc.

We are seeking a talented and experienced individual as Carbon/Environmental Products Market Analyst, to join our newly created Analytics Team, as part of Shell Energy Europe and Environmental Products Data Analysis and Systematic Trading unit.

A frog hopping onto a duck, bats hibernating in a fridge and a bee collecting nectar from a cherry blossom tree

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California Carbon Offset (CCO) prices have softened on the secondary market despite stronger California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices over the past month, numerous market participants told Carbon Pulse.

East Antarctica drilling project will give snapshot of Earth’s atmosphere and climate

Scientists are planning to extract ice samples from more than 1.5m years ago in a bid to discover more about our ancient climate – and hopefully learn more about our future climate.

The Beyond Epica project plans to extract samples from the bottom of a 2.75km-thick ice sheet in East Antarctica. The ice cores will be the oldest ever drilled for.

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China needs to move the operation of its national emissions trading scheme above  environment ministry level if the scheme is to succeed in helping curb emissions, a report said this week.

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

Japan’s environment ministry in principle will no longer back the building of coal-fired power capacity in the country because doing so would be incompatible with the Paris Agreement, it said this week.

Officials say chlorothalonil poses high risk to wildlife and may potentially harm humans

One of the world’s most common pesticides will soon be banned by the European Union after safety officials reported human health and environmental concerns.

Chlorothalonil, a fungicide that prevents mildew and mould on crops, is the most used pesticide in the UK, applied to millions of hectares of fields, and is the most popular fungicide in the US. Farmers called the ban “overly precautionary”.

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German utility EnBW advanced its hedging rates over Q4 2018 to leave a larger share of its output hedged compared to a year earlier, it said in financial results that could add to the slightly bearish signal for EUAs indicated by utilities.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator issued 330,000 carbon credits this week, taking the total number of offsets generated at emission reduction projects past 60 million since the programme began in 2012.

Millions of survivors face dire conditions after the tropical cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique’s coast, unleashing hurricane-force wind and rain that flooded swathes of the country. More than two million people have been affected in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, where the storm killed 60 and displaced nearly a million people. Hundreds are still missing in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

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China’s leaders have championed milk as the emblem of a modern, affluent society – but their radical plan to triple the nation’s consumption will have a huge environmental cost.

By Felicity Lawrence

Beijing-based film-maker Jian Yi, now 43, clearly remembers the arrival of fresh milk in his life. It was an image of it, not the real thing. “It was the 1990s, and I first saw it in an advert on TV. The ad said explicitly that drinking milk would save the nation. It would make China stronger and better able to survive competition from other nations.”

Like most ethnic Han, who make up about 95% of the population, Jian was congenitally lactose-intolerant, meaning milk was hard to digest. His parents did not consume dairy at all when they were growing up; China’s economy was closed to the global market and its own production very limited. Throughout the Mao era, milk was in short supply and rationed to those deemed to have a special need: infants and the elderly, athletes and party cadres above a certain grade. Through most of the imperial dynasties until the 20th century, milk was generally shunned as the slightly disgusting food of the barbarian invaders. Foreigners brought cows to the port cities that had been ceded to them by the Chinese in the opium wars of the 19th century, and a few groups such as Mongolian pastoralists used milk that was fermented, but it was not part of the typical Chinese diet.

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Despite record $278bn export earnings from resources sector, revenues are set to fall with coal under threat from Beijing rethink

Australia’s booming earnings from coal exports could be in jeopardy if China switches to more domestic supply and if port restrictions continue to favour competing exporters, a federal government report has warned.

The country’s energy and resources exports will rake in an extra $20bn to rise to $278bn this financial year, the report by the industry department said, creating a timely bonanza for the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, to exploit in next week’s federal budget.

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy announces signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Prince of Makkah Region to start developing a 2.6GW solar project.

The post Saudi Arabia announces 2.6GW solar project near Mecca appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Twelve power projects are in the running for federal government dollars: six pumped hydro, five gas and one coal. It's clear which one shouldn't be on the list, for economic and environmental reasons. Mark Diesendorf, Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

JinkoSolar has released a 2018 report with its record hit sales of 11.4GW and a massive 98% year-on-year growth in  operating profits.

The post JinkoSolar consistently captured substantial market share and profit in 2018 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

After months of delay, and accusations of "ideological" opposition, the Coalition grants a permit to developers of 2000MW offshore wind farm - but only to explore, not to build.

The post Coalition grants permit for Australia’s first offshore wind farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

After singing the virtues of coal as minister for environment, Josh Frydenberg is writing to voters about the importance of "addressing climate change."

The post Mr Coal, or Eco Warrior? Frydenberg’s climate hypocrisy won’t fool voters appeared first on RenewEconomy.