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We need to know more about what goes into plastics in the first place and better regulation of how recycled products are used

• Dr Charlotte Lloyd is a researcher in environmental chemistry at the University of Bristol

Sometimes it feels like we are simply drowning in plastic. Over the past five decades plastic products have found their way into almost every aspect of our daily lives. Global plastic production has reached a total of 8bn tonne – that’s 1 tonne for every person currently on the planet – with plastic pollution expected to triple by 2060.

Current best estimates are that only about 10% of plastic ever produced has been recycled. Despite this, the idea of circular economy in the plastics industry is often cited as the magic bullet: we will simply reuse the plastic we have already made and reduce the impact of plastic pollution. But new evidence points to the flaws in this plan. A report by Greenpeace has found that recycled plastic can be even more toxic, and is no fix for pollution.

Dr Charlotte Lloyd is a researcher and lecturer in environmental chemistry at the University of Bristol

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One explanation is that their behaviour is a reaction to past trauma inflicted on one member of the pod by humans

Recent accounts of “attacks” on vessels by orcas off the Iberian peninsula are challenging the way we expect the natural world to behave. Increasing in number since 2020, from northern Portugal to the strait of Gibraltar, these incidents suggest the need for a cetacean scene investigation team. On 4 May, in one of the most extreme events, orcas sank a yacht.

“There were two smaller orcas and one larger,” the skipper Werner Schaufelberger told German magazine Yacht. “The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the boat with full force from the side.”

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The detailed prototype of an open-source metadata system was unveiled this week, demonstrating how users will be able to more easily navigate carbon markets on a single platform, with data collected from across the diverse landscape of carbon registries.

European carbon dropped sharply on Thursday morning, reaching its lowest in four months as traders offloaded length after prices had dropped through a key technical level in the previous session and natural gas prices extended heavy losses for a fourth session.

Government minister pushes back against EU and US calls for removal of Sultan al-Jaber as head of COP28.

An Oslo-headquartered engineered removals company has signed an agreement with a provider of durable mineral carbon storage as they target the launch of a 100,000-tonne direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) plant in Iceland in 2027.

Fears biodiversity proposals could be abandoned amid opposition from lobby groups and some countries

MEPs have been accused of whipping up “a culture war against nature” after the fisheries and agriculture committees voted against the EU’s biodiversity restoration law.

Last June, the European Commission revealed proposals for legally binding targets to restore wildlife on land, rivers and the sea for member states. The nature restoration law was announced alongside separate legislation proposing a crackdown on chemical pesticides with the aim of reversing the catastrophic loss of wildlife on the continent.

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A weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

Investment in clean energy technologies is significantly outpacing spending on fossil fuels as affordability and security concerns triggered by the global energy crisis strengthen momentum, the IEA said in a report published on Thursday.

We are seeing a growing trend of developing countries becoming more interested in participating in Article 6.2 cooperative approaches to generate ITMOs from climate activities. but it is vital to make sure that developing countries fully understand the implications of Article 6 on NDC implementation, writes Temuulen Murum of IGES.

The special administrative region of Macao has launched a so-called carbon inclusive programme and joined a network of exchanges in Mainland China that run similar offset schemes targeting individuals and small businesses.

An Australian land management company has partnered with an international restoration tech company to restore and protect 20,000 hectares of land in Victoria, as part of the state government’s Bushbank programme.

Two climate tech firms have joined forces to build what they say is the first digital carbon registry in the Asia-Pacific, with a function for digital measuring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) embedded in the platform.

An investment management company has listed its carbon credit exchange-traded fund focused on global compliance markets on the New York Stock Exchange, it announced Thursday.

Potatoes are profitable and in demand. But wet weather and hard-to-control diseases have caused havoc for our growers. Ronika Thapa, PhD Student, University of Tasmania Calum Wilson, Professor, University of Tasmania Robert Tegg, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The story of “Atto Gal”s epic journey from Perth to Sydney and back in an electric BYD, and what she learned along the way. Plus: China’s big EV play.

The post The Driven Podcast: Across Australia by BYD appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Reform Roadmap flags several significant advances towards a smoother, less costly and delay-free grid connection process for renewables.

The post Roadmap released to smooth connections for wind and solar, and to add batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

They can hardly believe their eyes

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International Energy Agency says investment will hit $1.7tn this year, well ahead of fossil fuels

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has helped ignite a boom in clean energy investment which will significantly outpace spending on fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency.

A report from the IEA has found that clean energy investment is on track to reach $1.7tn (£1.4tn) this year as investors turn to renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage and other low-carbon technologies.

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Regulator flags power price hikes across the main grid, but experts question why prices are still being determined by frameworks first designed decades ago.

The post Regulator confirms another coal and gas fuelled power price hike. But why? appeared first on RenewEconomy.