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Italy's government and businesses shouldn’t make citizens choose between keeping their jobs and advancing the low-carbon transition, the European Commission's climate chief Frans Timmermans said Monday.

The burgeoning biodiversity market should be given more flexibility around the measurement and reporting of impact as it grows, compared to voluntary carbon, and also starts further along the development process, according to a senior member of standard body Verra, speaking at an event on Tuesday.

A Pennsylvania company that has been plugging abandoned oil and gas wells in the Appalachian Basin for 50 years is selling a majority stake to a Florida-headquartered methane offset developer, the firms announced Tuesday.

Ministers from pro-nuclear EU countries are calling for an independent supply chain, as per a declaration signed on Tuesday in Paris, as governments seek to tap and invest in the energy source to bolster supply security and to help them meet their climate goals.

Fixing the status of legacy credits with over quantification issues to enable households to receive the benefits of clean cookstove projects, plugging potential leakage in REDD+ forestry offset programmes, and addressing methodology overlap that leads to double-counting can all help restore credibility of the voluntary carbon market (VCM), an expert told Carbon Pulse in an interview on Monday.

American multinational conglomerate 3M is collaborating with Canadian carbon capture experts Svante Technologies to develop materials designed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, the firms announced Tuesday.

British multinational asset managers Schroders have launched carbon offset share classes to allow investors to counter the GHG output associated with their fund holdings.

A new wave of satellite sophistication is set to improve monitoring of REDD+ avoided deforestation projects with the upcoming launch of the VOLT mission, sponsored by the European Space Agency and the UK, claims a project developer.

Taking on vested interests and mandating housing energy ratings and minimum standards are far more important steps

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In the recent federal budget it was announced $1bn would be allocated to provide discounted loans to households to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes and replace gas appliances with electric ones. A further $300m was provided for states to upgrade the energy efficiency of social housing.

This was intended to deliver on a promise the Albanese Labor government gave in exchange for the Greens party agreeing to caps on the price of gas – in effect subsidising its cost below international prices.

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Debate persists on whether biochar warrants recognition as a “permanent” carbon removal solution, with scientific estimates evolving on how long CO2 remains captured, and as a growing chorus calls for its rapid upscaling because of its economic and other benefits relative to several engineered alternatives.

Proposed rule change could provide breakthrough for wind, solar and storage projects threatened by huge delays and extra costs over grid connection process.

The post Wind, solar and storage developers pray for breakthrough in connection delays appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Environmental products developer IncubEx and commodity trading platform Nodal Exchange this month will launch a California Carbon Offset (CCO) futures contract for credits that have direct environmental benefits to the state (DEBs).

Government has rowed back on plans to ditch 4,000 laws but key pollution legislation still slated to go

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Laws to ensure the government is transparent about reducing air pollution are among those to be scrapped in the EU retained law bill, along with laws ensuring it commits to a pathway to cut carbon emissions.

A climbdown by ministers over the bill has reduced the number of EU regulations to be automatically removed from the statute books from 4,000 to 600, but key rules on air pollution are among those still expected to be removed.

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We have the tools to prepare, but post-Covid fatigue and a lack of political will mean they aren’t being used

Last month a pet dog in Canada died of H5N1, also known as bird flu, after eating a wild goose. Worryingly this follows a pattern, with an increasing number of bird flu cases appearing in mammals who come into contact with an infected bird, dead or alive.

When you see a wild bird such as a duck or seagull, think bird flu. Because it’s actually more likely than not they’re infected with the virus. And many species of wild birds are asymptomatic, meaning that they don’t show any symptoms. The risk of transmission to pets is low, but they can get sick from chewing or eating an infected bird, whether it’s dead or alive.

Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh

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UK-based United Utilities has announced it will spearhead an £8.9-million national programme aimed at integrating more nature-based solutions into the water sector.

European carbon prices were modestly firmer on Tuesday morning as the market anticipated the lack of auction supply for the rest of the week due to the fortnightly pause in Polish sales and public holidays in Germany.

There is still a disturbing chemical odor three months later – yet we’re fighting for accountability from Norfolk Southern, the Ohio governor and the CDC

When a Norfolk Southern train derailed – spilling over 116,000 gallons of toxic petrochemicals, much of which ignited, less than a mile from my home in East Palestine – I was terrified. I knew this would disrupt life for me, my family, and our neighbors, likely for years to come.

When we were forced to evacuate, I wouldn’t have imagined that three long months later my family and I would still be displaced and living in a hotel. Nor could I have imagined that we would be fighting tooth and nail for accountability from Norfolk Southern, pushing to get Mike DeWine, the Ohio Governor, to declare a state of emergency and desperately trying to get the CDC to provide clear guidelines for testing and monitoring.

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Changes needed are major but also practical and affordable, report says, and would bring trillions of dollars in benefits

Global plastic pollution could be slashed by 80% by 2040, according to a report from the UN Environment Programme (Unep). The changes needed are major, but are also practical and affordable, the agency said.

The first step is to eliminate unnecessary plastics, such as excessive packaging, the report said. Then next steps are to increase the reuse of plastics, such as refillable bottles, boosting recycling and replace plastics with greener alternatives.

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Poland has a deep and historic relationship with coal, importing huge amounts despite producing yet more locally. With the energy crisis biting, fuelled by the war in Ukraine, the country’s government withdrew restrictions on burning materials and subsidised coal, creating huge air quality issues, particularly in the industrial south – reversing 10 years of hard work by air pollution campaigners in the process.

The Guardian visits southern Poland to witness first hand the impact of this decision on affected communities, meeting the ostracised miners at the front of the culture wars, and joining climate activists visiting towns in the region that are fighting back against fossil fuels and air pollution

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Christiana Figueres says focus on carbon capture is direct threat to the survival of vulnerable countries

The United Arab Emirates’ approach to the Cop28 climate summit it will preside over in November is “very dangerous” and a “direct threat to the survival of vulnerable nations”, according to the UN’s former climate chief.

Christiana Figueres, who was pivotal to the delivery of the landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015, also said the country holding the presidency of the UN summit could not put forward its own position and had to be neutral.

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