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A 100 per cent renewable energy target and a total ban on all thermal coal — that's the Greens election plan to decarbonise the Australian economy by 2030, which lands smack in the middle of the heated debate over One Nation preferences.

A California Assembly committee this week advanced a bill that would enable the state's Offset Protocol Task Force (OPTF) to recommend aggregation methodologies for new and existing protocols, which could prove a boon for neglected project types in the WCI-linked carbon market.

Minister breaks ranks on forest policy amid fears for beekeeping industry and the knock-on impacts on farmers

The agriculture minister, David Littleproud, is breaking ranks on federal forest policy and backing a long-stalled proposal for Victoria to earn carbon credits by winding back logging and better conserving its native forests.

The minister cites concerns over the future of the Australian beekeeping industry and the knock-on impacts for farmers for his support, saying: “It seems as though it is common sense.”

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Switzerland has launched a consultation over proposed changes to its emissions trading regulations that are needed before it links its carbon market to the EU ETS, floating protective measures including allowance holding limits and a high price floor based on the social cost of carbon.

A barrier just 50km wide might stop water-reliant cane toads in their tracks. Mike Letnic, Professor, Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Vote by MEPs paves way for law to come into force by 2021 across EU

The European parliament has voted to ban single-use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers as part of a sweeping law against plastic waste that despoils beaches and pollutes oceans.

The vote by MEPs paves the way for a ban on single-use plastics to come into force by 2021 in all EU member states. The UK would have to follow the rules if it took part in and extended the Brexit transition period because of delays in finding a new arrangement with the EU.

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By working in partnership with organisations like the Environment Agency, we are prioritising our work to ensure that it delivers best value and multiple benefits to the country, write Rob Ward and Jon Ford of the British Geological Survey

David Nowell (Letters, 23 March) suggests that the Environment Agency should put pressure on the British Geological Survey (BGS) to improve the quality of geological mapping. Mr Nowell will be pleased to hear that there is no need for them to do this as the BGS is already working with the Environment Agency to update our geological maps in areas where groundwater resources are vulnerable to over-abstraction and/or pollution.

As new data and new requirements arise, we recognise that in some areas the existing geological interpretations become out of date. A case in point is the area to the north of Holderness (referred to in Mr Nowell’s letter), where modern imagery highlights geological structures that would not have been apparent during the original 1800s survey. This is an area important for groundwater and we are currently working with the Environment Agency to improve the geological understanding of the area to help the better management and protection of water resources. In fact, our geologists are currently “in the field” re-mapping this area.

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Star Wars and climate change - two lawmakers deliver very different views on the "Green New Deal".

Study suggests Brazil likely to rush to fill China’s sudden soy shortfall by boosting farming

The Amazon rainforest could be the greatest casualty of the trade war between the United States and China, warns a new study showing how deforestation pressures have surged as a result of the geopolitical jolt in global soy markets.

Up to 13m hectares of forest and savannah – an area the size of Greece – would have to be cleared if Brazil and other exporters were to fill the huge shortfall in soy supply to China that has suddenly appeared since Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs, according to the paper published in Nature.

US exports of the commodity, primarily used to feed livestock, to China plummeted by 50% last year, which the authors say is an unusually sharp level of decline between two trading partners outside wartime.

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Move ‘would save 10% of all endangered birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles’

Nearly 10% of the world’s bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile species currently on the brink of extinction could be saved by killing invasive mammals such as cats and rats on 169 islands, according to a new study.

Islands comprise just 5.3% of the Earth’s landmass yet have experienced 75% of known bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile extinctions since 1500. More than a third of species currently classified as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List are found on islands, with many particularly vulnerable to just eight species – including feral pigs, dogs, goats and mongooses – introduced by humans.

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Teens living in dirty air 70% more likely to have symptoms such as paranoia, study finds

Young people living with higher levels of air pollution are significantly more likely to have psychotic experiences, according to the first study of the issue.

Researchers analysed the experiences of more than 2,000 17-year-olds across England and Wales and found that those in places with higher levels of nitrogen oxides had a 70% higher chance of symptoms such as hearing voices or intense paranoia.

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Investors in Australia and New Zealand are calling on their governments to design durable climate policies using carbon pricing as a tool to align with the Paris Agreement and set long-term zero emission targets.

Vice-President Mike Pence says he wants Nasa to return astronauts to the Moon within five years.

The lawsuit alleges two Weather Channel workers hit a storm spotter while chasing a tornado.

China is likely to meet its Paris target of peaking CO2 emissions well ahead of 2030, but only if it fully implements its suite of planned policies, including reforming the power generation sector and establishing a broad emissions trading scheme, a study has found.

Giulio Di Sturco has spent 10 years documenting industrialisation and climate change along the Ganges in India – a river with the same legal rights as people

• Ganga Ma is published by GOST Books

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27 March 1989: Threat grows from worst US spill as tanker flounders

High winds yesterday threatened to double the size of an oil slick menacing marine life in Alaskan waters as government investigators arrived on the Valdez to question the captain and crew members of the supertanker that precipitated the worst oil spill in US history.

State officials feared that high winds could aggravate the problem by doubling the size of the slick, estimated by Exxon to be about 12 square miles, while state officials contended it was 50 square miles.

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Don't get too excited just yet, but the Coalition is showing signs it is catching up with the clean energy transition, even if it still needs to throw bones to the coal fanatics.

The post Renewables and storage steal the show at government’s coal party appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We look at the outcomes of the NSW election and the federal Coaliton’s shortlist, and we are joined by Brian Davis, the head of Shell’s new energy solutions business.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Coalition’s coal reality check, and Shell’s big electric plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.

GoodWe has been honored with the TÜV Rheinland’s 2019 “All Quality Matters” award in recognition for the outstanding quality of its two inverter models.

The post GoodWe wins 4 consecutive years of TÜV Rheinland “All Quality Matters” Award appeared first on RenewEconomy.