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An Irish government-backed non-profit has launched a voluntary standard for generating ecosystem certificates from peatland with biodiversity, carbon, and wildfire reduction benefits.

European carbon prices advanced strongly with natural gas on Monday morning after a weekend attack on Ukraine by Russian forces using a gas pipeline indicate that shipments from Russia would not resume in the near term, while the European Commission president reiterated the bloc's pivot away from Russian gas.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed her commitment to the EU’s climate goals for 2030 and 2050 during a press conference on Sunday marking the first 100 days of her new mandate.

Biodiversity is great in theory, but there are reasons to fend off invasive alien species and the knock-on effect of their presence

Britain would be a wasteland if it weren’t for immigration. Fifteen thousand years ago, most of the country was buried a kilometre deep in ice – not ideal conditions for life. That all changed as we moved out of the last ice age into the current, milder climate phase. The ice sheets retreated, leaving an empty landscape for anything with the wherewithal to seize the opportunity and move in. Tens of thousands of species did, mainly heading north from the European continent to which Britain was then joined. The result was a native biota where almost every species is an immigrant. Our ancestors were among them.

Immigration is a natural process, but it’s one that has been fundamentally changed thanks to humanity’s wanderlust. As we’ve moved around the world we have taken many other species along with us – some deliberately, some accidentally – to areas they couldn’t have reached without our assistance. These include many of the most familiar denizens of the British countryside. Grey squirrel, ring-necked parakeet, horse chestnut, rhododendron – none of these would be in Britain if they hadn’t been brought by people. They are what ecologists call aliens. Anywhere people live you’ll also find aliens.

Tim Blackburn is professor of invasion biology at University College London and author of The Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature’s Hidden Rules

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Pfas are poisoning our soil and polluting our lungs. The EPA is finally sounding the alarm – but that’s not enough

Several years ago, I made a movie called Dark Waters, which told the real-life story of a community in West Virginia poisoned by Pfas “forever chemicals”. DuPont – a chemical manufacturing plant – contaminated the local water supply, killing cows and wildlife, making its workers sick and exposing local residents to toxic chemicals. It was an environmental horror story.

It’s still happening across the country.

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Campaigners say funding halt is a ‘staggering blow’ to vulnerable nations and to efforts to keep heating below 1.5C

Donald Trump’s withdrawal of US overseas aid will almost decimate global climate finance from the developed world, data shows, with potentially devastating impacts on vulnerable nations.

The US was responsible last year for about $8 in every $100 that flowed from the rich world to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to data from the analyst organisation Carbon Brief.

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A Brazilian forestry project registered under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) has been upgraded to ‘A’ rating by BeZero Carbon, after the ratings firm reassessed it following new information from the developer.

The damage from ex-Cyclone Alfred could have been so much worse – and we may not be so lucky next time. As the clean up begins, let’s build back better. Cheryl Desha, Visiting Professor, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Sciences Group, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The toxic Tasmanian salmon industry has gone too far this time

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There are a lot of wind and solar projects in the pipeline. Will they be built quickly enough to meet the targets?

The post A break down of new wind and solar projects: When will they blow, and when will they shine? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Coalition senator has long called for Australia to build new coal power plants -- except now he's supposed to be supporting nuclear.

The post Coalition’s Canavan forgets he’s backing nuclear, calls for new coal power as election looms appeared first on RenewEconomy.

W.A. Labor has proven to be very good at getting grid batteries built, and promises big boost to household storage, but it has not been so good at wind and solar.

The post Labor’s election rout paves way for household battery rebate, but big challenge remains on wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian company that specialises in pole mounted battery inverter technology that helps stabilise the grid raises significant funds to boost expansion.

The post Australian company lands $15 million in new funds for technology to stabilise solar-heavy grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A less-favourable climate for clean technology capital elsewhere in the world might work to Australia's advantage, according to a director at the green bank.

The post CEFC’s Debelle says Trump energy moves leave Australia well placed to lure US clean tech investment appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Chris Minns stresses that the New South Wales evacuation centres set up for people fleeing flooding will be closed once the immediate threat from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred is over. The premier says his government contributed $5bn for social housing in its last budget. 'Evacuation centres are not going to be long-term solutions for homelessness on the northern rivers,' he says. 'And I just want to be really transparent and clear … They can’t operate longer than they were intended to'

• Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred update: residents warned to head for high ground as flood waters rise

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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods.

These storms are very slow moving and getting ready to dump a lot of rain. Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Former governor of the Bank of England, UN climate champion, renewables advocate and leader of $18 billion bid for Origin Energy elected PM of Canada.

The post Renewables champion and head of Origin Energy bid picked as Canada PM to take on Trump and Musk appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Boreal forests fail to recover their ability to store CO2 even four years after a major wildfire, according to new research, raising concerns about the long-term carbon balance of these ecosystems.

Environment secretary points to measures to stop lake being ‘choked by unacceptable levels’ of pollution

The government has said it will “clean up Windermere” after criticism over the volume of sewage being pumped into England’s largest lake.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, pledged “only rainwater” would enter the famous body of water in the Lake District, putting an end to the situation where it Windermere was being “choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution”.

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