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Government strategy to make ‘polluter pay’, with penalties for difficult to recycle items

Retailers and producers of packaging will be forced to pay the full cost of collecting and recycling it under the government’s new waste strategy.

Supermarkets and other retailers could be charged penalties for putting difficult to recycle packaging – such as black plastic trays – on the market as part of the strategy, which aims to make the “polluter pay”. They would be charged lower fees for packaging that was easy to reuse or recycle.

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Concern about pace and cost of grid connections, and lack of clarity about the rules for connection, cited as biggest concern for wind and solar industry.

The post Grid connection biggest concern for wind, solar, and storage projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A Massachusetts commission recommended the northeast US adopt a transportation-focused ETS and a clean fuel standard, while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called Monday for the decarbonisation of his state's electricity sector by 2040.

Owners of Vales Point coal generator sign up for 275MW Darlington solar farm in NSW, as a hedge against future emissions and a display of how coal and solar can "work together".

The post Vales Point coal plant owners sign deal with new 275MW solar farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Switzerland has announced the dates for its next two carbon allowance auctions, which could be the market's final sales before it links with the EU ETS.

The Finance and Administration Officer is expected to drive best practices across all finance and administrative management activities within the organization to maximize efficiency and growth.

The EU and New Zealand have agreed to strengthen their bilateral cooperation on emissions trading, their respective climate bosses announced on Monday.

New research found a system of labelling, similar to current five-star health ratings, could be an effective guide for shoppers to help them assess the carbon footprint of their food choices.

Did ex-tropical Cyclone Owen deliver drought-breaking rain to those Queenslanders who need it most?

The Canadian environment ministry will publish new draft regulations on the output-based pricing system (OBPS) for large emitters on Wednesday ahead of the schemes' Jan. 1 start date, according to sources.

New Jersey proposed an 18 million-short ton cap for its re-entry into RGGI in 2020 and will align its regulations with other post-2020 policies in the northeast US ETS, Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday, though some thought the allowance budget was not ambitious enough.

The European Commission on Monday adopted its annual report on the functioning of the EU ETS, which covered the market’s developments in 2017 as well as summarising measures proposed or agreed this year. Here are a few of Carbon Pulse’s main takeaways from the report.

European carbon prices extended their end-of-year rally into a fourth day on Monday, climbing to a fresh three-month high above €24, though some warned the market could be over-extending itself.

Most consumers underestimate the greenhouse emissions associated with different foods. But environmental labels, similar to existing nutrition information, can help us make lower-impact choices. Adrian R. Camilleri, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology Sydney Dalia Patino-Echeverri, Associate professor, Duke University Rick Larrick, Professor of Management and Organizations, Duke University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Decisions made from now to 2020 will determine to what extent Earth remains habitable

The mood was more one of relief than triumph on Sunday when the world’s governments eventually found common ground at the UN climate talks in Katowice.

This was not just because exhausted delegates were glad to go home after negotiations that dragged on 30 hours beyond the deadline. It also reflected the harder miles and tougher battles to come over the next two years if the planet is to remain habitable.

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Australia leads the world in extinction rates and now our protected habitats are at risk. That’s neglect

• My favourite national park: tell us why it’s important to you

Australia has the most extraordinary national parks, home to our unique wildlife, deserts, mountains, forests and sacred icons such as Uluru. We are rightly proud of them.

It’s hard to pick a favourite. But I do love Wilsons Promontory, where the wombats reign supreme, and getting one of these inquisitive fellows out of your tent after a late-night incursion is quite an adventure.

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Results of research into 2012 mass deaths offer insights into reef health and throw up further questions

Conservationists want major bays and estuaries along the Great Barrier Reef tested for contaminants after a five-year study found “alarming” levels of some chemicals in unhealthy turtles on the reef.

Scientists working on the research have also recommended expanded monitoring of turtle-population health on the Great Barrier Reef “as an indicator of the health of the reef itself”.

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Range of public figures from Jeremy Corbyn to Sue Perkins call for ban on imports

A group of public figures including Jeremy Corbyn, Zac Goldsmith, Sue Perkins and Carol Vorderman have joined forces to call for an urgent halt to imports from trophy hunters.

In a letter to the Guardian, the group, which also includes Piers Morgan, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran and Joanna Lumley, condemns trophy hunting as “cruel, immoral, archaic and unjustifiable”.

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The flying reptiles had feathers, and looked like brown bats with fuzzy wings, say scientists.

A handful of governments and institutions are working to advance international emissions trading activities even as the rules remain unclear as to how those initiatives can be used to help meet the Paris Agreement.