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Extreme weather threatens world’s biggest carbon store as the rainforest is already close to tipping point

The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event, a study has found.

The drought was the worst recorded in many places and hit the maximum “exceptional” level on the scientific scale. Without planet-warming emissions from the burning of oil, gas and coal, the drought would have been far less extreme, the analysis found.

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It is difficult to ensure that carbon credits truly represent carbon reduction or removal - and while they can bring societal and environmental benefits, some projects can harm the environment and indigenous communities, according to a briefing on carbon crediting for UK parliament members.

A Portuguese voluntary carbon market (VCM) law, which came into effect in early January, relaxes some of its prior stances on offsetting for residual emissions, as well as on sources of additionality, compared to a prior proposal published for public consultation.

The UK government has updated the order of preference for how developers handle biodiversity impacts so it applies to all habitat types, rather than only the most distinctive, an expert has said.

Voluntary carbon standard Verra has inactivated the methodology used by the large Rimba Raya peat swamp forest project in Indonesia, though the activity may continue with its use until its next baseline reassessment.

Terms such as ‘green’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ understood only by minority, says study

The British public has a worryingly low understanding of language around the climate crisis and environmental policies to reduce waste, according to the findings of a survey.

Only a quarter of people questioned clearly understood the term “green” and about the same number could accurately describe what “sustainable” – making something in a way that causes little or no damage to the environment – meant.

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'Nature positive' status is emerging as a central ESG target for many businesses worldwide, but they could face greenwashing risks unless they implement a number of best practices, a BP official said Wednesday.

Increasingly fearless predators found to be serious threat to safety in national parks

Dutch authorities can shoot “deviant” wolves that could pose a danger to the public with paintball guns, a court has ruled, as debate rages in Europe over protecting the animals.

After a lengthy legal battle, the court in Utrecht, central Netherlands, decided on Wednesday that the behaviour of some of the wolves in a national park was “a serious threat to public safety”.

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Renewables continue to reshape Australian grid, and bring down prices - but the most coal dependent states have the dirtiest and costliest power, while battling rising temperatures and demand.

The post Record renewables drive prices down, but coal states still the most expensive appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Province Resources is promising a Fortescue-sized project on a threadbare budget.

The post W.A. green hydrogen project expands to 12GW, and 4.5 GWh battery storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

European carbon prices extended their gains for a second day amid speculation over potential short-covering as weekly position data showed investment funds continuing to rebuild their net short position, while energy prices moved higher.

Two project developers have partnered with an Indian state government forest department to plant mangroves, expecting to generate blue carbon credits.

Fossil emissions ‘finally back to 1960s levels’, say analysts, but they warn levels are still falling too slowly

The European Union pumped out 8% less carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels it burned in 2023 than it did in 2022, the Guardian can reveal, pushing these emissions down to their lowest level in 60 years.

The fall in planet-heating pollution is the steepest yearly drop on record behind 2020, when governments shuttered factories and grounded flights to stop the spread of Covid-19, according to analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (Crea).

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The number of announced sustainable aviation fuel projects in the EU is on the rise, meaning the bloc could meet its target for green fuels, an NGO study revealed on Wednesday, but only if final investment decisions are taken.

The EU's goal to stop manufacturing CO2-emitting cars by 2035 faces huge challenges, according to a report published on Wednesday.

A carbon removals platform has purchased around 1,000 direct air capture (DAC) credits from a facility based in Kenya, the firms announced Wednesday. 

A fertility breakthrough offers hope for saving the northern white rhino from extinction.

The first successful embryo transfer in a southern white rhino paves way for using technique to save rarer northern cousins

The critically endangered northern white rhino could be saved from the brink of extinction after scientists performed the first successful embryo transfer in white rhinos.

After the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died in 2018, the disappearance of the species looked imminent. Just two infertile female northern white rhinos – Fatu and Najin – remain, and are under 24-hour armed protection at a conservation reservation in Kenya. But a new scientific advancement means the mother and daughter may not be the last of their kind.

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The UK government is failing to show how it ensures that biomass power and heat generators adhere to sustainability requirements after receiving a total of more than £22 billion of support over 21 years, the National Audit Office (NAO) said on Wednesday. 

Large emitters are getting “nervous” as a result of the mounting compliance schemes and reporting requirements they are facing in 2024, likely to drive investment and participation in carbon markets, a conference heard Wednesday.