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Biffa convicted of exporting filthy rubbish marked as waste paper for recycling in India and Indonesia in breach of ban

The UK’s largest waste company, Biffa, has been fined £1.5m after exporting filthy rubbish marked as waste paper for recycling in India and Indonesia, in actions a judge called “reckless, bordering on deliberate”.

Last week, the company was convicted of sending more than 1,000 tonnes of household waste to India and Indonesia, in breach of a ban on sending such waste to developing countries after a two-week trial at Wood Green crown court .

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• Data shows ice sheet lost 8.5bn tons of surface mass on Tuesday
• All-time record temperature of 19.8C in region on Wednesday

Greenland’s vast ice sheet is undergoing a surge in melting, with the amount of ice vanishing in a single day this week enough to cover the whole of Florida in two inches of water, researchers have found.

The deluge of melting has reached deep into Greenland’s enormous icy interior, with data from the Danish government showing that the ice sheet lost 8.5bn tons of surface mass on Tuesday alone. A further 8.4bn tons was lost on Thursday, the Polar Portal monitoring website reported.

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The UK’s carbon market Cost Containment Mechanism’s triggers for the next three months were invalidated on Friday, with July’s drop in UKA prices averting any potential near-term supply-side intervention.

The new operations centre will help the UK maintain a "battle-winning advantage", ministers say.

A summary of legislative and regulatory action on carbon pricing, clean fuel standards, and clean energy at the US subnational and federal level this week, including developments in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

A multi-trillion dollar investment firm opened a fund on Thursday that appeared to focus on California Carbon Allowances (CCAs), according to US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) data.

Private equity investor Bridgepoint has bought a minority stake in Amsterdam-based environmental and energy commodities trading company ACT, which said the move will help expansion plans including more than doubling its headcount within five years.

EUAs fell back amid a widespread sell-off in energy markets on Friday morning, after Thursday's sharp rally led by natural gas gave way to profit-taking as the month drew to a close.

Two of Europe’s major airlines are relying on the easing of restrictions across the continent to rebound from the COVID-19 crisis, but their long-term recovery outlook remains uncertain.

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a released frog, rescued kestrel chicks and frisky sharks

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The Clean Energy Regulator has issued more than 430,000 new carbon credits this week, while the government on Friday said it has introduced regulations that ensure it can use the renewable energy agency ARENA to fund new technologies, including offset-eligible CCS and soil carbon.

The Chinese Carbon Emissions Allowance (CEA) price edged down this week as liquidity thinned further, a trend market participants said may continue until more companies are given market access.

Australian flow battery maker eyes US expansion and new products, after navigating tough 2020.

The post Redflow eyes US expansion and new battery storage products after record orders appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Most urban areas were laid out many decades ago, but projects worldwide show change is possible

Around the globe many cities are redesigning themselves for the 21st century, but will the UK be left behind?

Pressures on the UK’s urban environments are likely to increase, according to a report from the Environment Agency. Eight out of 10 people call these areas home and urban populations are expected to be 18% greater by 2036 than they were in 2011. Although the air that we breathe in our towns and cities has improved hugely since the 1950s, progress on particle pollution has stalled in recent years. In 2019, three-quarters of the UK’s reporting zones still failed legal limits for nitrogen dioxide that were set in 1999.

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BHP announces first large-scale onsite solar farms and a big battery to help power its WA Nickel West mines that will supply Tesla.

The post BHP says two solar farms and big battery to power nickel mines supplying Tesla appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The ESB's unnecessary capacity payments for fossil fuel generators could cost $3.2 billion a year, and consumers will pay.

The post ESB’s capacity payments for coal and gas may cost $3.2 billion a year. Guess who pays appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Rio Tinto awards contract to build the mining giant's first fully-owned solar farm at the Gudai Darri mine in WA Pilbara region.

The post Rio Tinto powers ahead on solar farm to supply Pilbara iron ore mine appeared first on RenewEconomy.

They can’t fly through the air but they can fly underwater. Belinda Cannell, Research fellow, Research Associate, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The ISS was pushed out of position after engines on a new Russian module unexpectedly fired up.

Fire erupts in Tesla Megapack battery container at the Victoria Big Battery in Geelong.

The post Tesla Megapack container on fire at site of Australia’s biggest battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.