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Having become the closest-ever human-made object to our star, the Parker spacecraft returns returns its first data

EU and 27 countries vow to toughen commitments as environment minister’s address at COP24 UN climate change summit accused of flying in face of reality

Australia will not commit to larger carbon emissions reductions above its Paris agreement target, despite a coalition of former allies and Pacific neighbours urging greater cuts.

In Paris in 2015 Australia was a part of a bloc of countries called the “High Ambition Coalition”, which includes the UK, the EU, New Zealand, the Marshall Islands and Fiji. Australia is outside that bloc now.

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California reduced the invalidation period on more than 11.1 million existing credits, marking the second straight issuance with multi-million CCO-3 issuances, regulatory data shows.

European carbon prices rallied by nearly 10% on Wednesday ahead of the expiry of hundreds of millions of options contracts after market close.

If we’re to prevent global temperatures from rising to a level more than 1.5ºC (2.7ºF) above pre-industrial levels, we must dramatically improve the way we manage our forests, farms, and fields.

Snowy mountain winters are being squeezed into shorter periods, threatening water supplies and increasing wildfire risk.

Researchers looked at data from tens of thousands of rainfall stations and rivers and found that while climate change is causing heavier rainfall, river systems are declining.

For decades, economists have pondered the 'social cost of carbon' - the price worth paying to avoid the future costs of greenhouse emissions. But a new analysis suggests this quest is impossibly complex. Jack Pezzey, Senior Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

California regulator ARB is expected to approve the cap-and-trade amendments up for discussion at Thursday’s board meeting, with little chance of changing its position on the major elements of the proposal, sources said.

With negotiators struggling to break deadlock over an increasingly complex Paris Agreement rulebook text, the Polish presidency on Wednesday announced it was taking more direct control over the COP24 talks in Katowice.

Five countries have committed to curb N2O emissions nationwide from 2021 in return for Germany buying and cancelling carbon credits from their emission-cutting projects until that year.

‘Peaceful use’ of fossil fuels could mean their continued but decreasing extraction, within enforceable limits constrained by the Paris agreement goals, writes Hugh Richards

In the face of the emerging climate emergency (Letters, 10 December) and projected unconstrained growth in global fossil fuel use, this is a plea for people with relevant expertise and influence to take forward the idea for a “non-proliferation treaty” (NPT) for fossil fuels, floated by Andrew Simms and Peter Newell (theguardian.com, 23 October) and supported by Bill McKibben, Naomi Klein and others (Letters, 30 October).

The analogy between fossil fuels and fissile nuclear materials is imperfect, but it should not be overlooked that the nuclear NPT promotes cooperation in and equal access to “peaceful use” of nuclear technology. “Peaceful use” of fossil fuels could mean their continued but decreasing extraction, within enforceable limits constrained by the Paris agreement goals, and an offsetting role for carbon capture and geo-sequestration (funded by fossil fuel producers). Safeguards and oversight could be provided by a new United Nations monitoring agency, akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which could also administer a global fossil carbon budget.

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Fifteen international organisations and development banks pledged Wednesday to make their operations carbon neutral in part through offsets, but they did not specify a target year or detail any of their potential demand for credits.

Morrison government specifies generation projects will need to be coal, gas, batteries or pumped hydro to be eligible for underwriting

The Morrison government has sent a clear signal that it is prepared to provide taxpayer support for both new and existing coal plants, opening registrations of interest in its controversial new power generation underwriting program.

With the government accelerating to cover off major announcements before the Christmas break, the energy minister, Angus Taylor, will on Thursday use an event at a hydro power station in Tasmania to outline the terms of the new program and urge proponents to get their bids in over the summer break – before 23 January.

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António Guterres returns to Katowice to urge China to intervene as world is ‘running out of time’

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has made a dramatic intervention to revive flagging climate talks in Katowice, Poland, by flying back to the conference and preparing a personal call to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

Related: US accused of obstructing talks at UN climate change summit

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The Carbon Tracker Initiative’s managing director and head of research has resigned to take up a position at the asset management arm of French bank BNP Paribas.

California power utilities are poised to emit more CO2 in 2018 as hydroelectric power continues to decline and natural gas-fired generation rises, according to state and federal data.

The launch of Mexico’s pilot carbon market will be postponed for at least a few months after a consultation on the programme was withdrawn, a move that could delay the start of the actual market by upwards of a year, sources told Carbon Pulse.

Government officials are saying little about the possible start date for China’s national emissions trading schemes after two previous delays, but a number of experts familiar with the latest developments say late 2020 remains the likely launch time for the world’s biggest carbon market.

The profit margins on retail petrol prices, alone, are equal to an off-peak kilowatt-hour of electricity. So what’s stopping you from going electric?

The post Want to avoid the Christmas petrol price gouge? Go electric appeared first on RenewEconomy.