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Shell makes its first big battery investment anywhere in world in deal with Macquarie for massive project near Melbourne.

The post Oil giant Shell makes first big battery investment with massive project in Melbourne appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The number of entities awaiting approval by California regulator ARB to take delivery of allowances or offsets in the state’s cap-and-trade programme jumped further in Q1, according to Carbon Pulse analysis of state data, with the few new participants coming from financial players.

Fortescue signs renewable supply deal for 300MW green hydrogen and green ammonia facility in Norway.

The post Fortescue signs renewable power supply for 300MW green hydrogen project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More than 1.3 million Thais have fallen ill this year from a spike in extreme air pollution.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices rose in tandem with a more supportive macroeconomic environment this week as recent volatility calmed, while Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) values set new record highs as compliance entities were heard buying.

EU agrees to set new target of 42.5 per cent renewables by 2030 - a share of overall energy use, not just the grid.

The post EU agrees to lift renewables target to 42.5 pct of overall energy use by 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The two largest voluntary carbon credit issuing standards, Verra and Gold Standard, have welcomed the publication of the core carbon principles (CCPs) by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM) released Thursday, as providing a crucial "floor of competence" for climate projects.

A Toronto-based VER investor announced validation of its Rimba Raya REDD project under the Indonesian government’s new carbon regulation at the firm’s December financial results released Thursday, even as the company continues to post higher net losses on its books.

Environmentalists question high grade given to JBS and accuse it of deforestation in the Amazon and under-reporting emissions

The award of an A-minus sustainability grade to the world’s biggest meat company has raised eyebrows and kicked off a debate about the rating system for environmental and social governance.

Brazilian meat company JBS has previously been linked to deforestation in the Amazon, where its slaughterhouses process beef from ranches carved out of the Amazon, Cerrado and other biomes. But in the latest Climate Change Report by the influential rating organisation CDP, the multinational meatpacker got a grade of A- for its efforts to tackle climate change – up from B in the previous assessment – and was given a “leadership” status award.

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The government has chosen oil and gas over renewables, increasing the climate threat

To say that Rishi Sunak’s government has chosen the “path of climate vandalism”, as Labour’s Ed Miliband did this week, is no exaggeration. The policies contained in the energy plan announced on Thursday are dangerous. They will significantly worsen the climate crisis that threatens to engulf us all, if the globally agreed target of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C is missed. Mr Sunak’s record on green policies in the Treasury was dismal. As prime minister, he is steering the UK even further away from the course towards speedy decarbonisation that we should be on. In the long term, climate will surely top the list of public policy failures during this long period of Tory government.

Hundreds of leading scientists wrote to Mr Sunak’s government this week, calling for an end to new oil and gas developments. The government is set to defy them with plans for a huge North Sea oilfield, which it attempts to justify on the grounds that it is investing £20bn (over 20 years) in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, in order to limit the damage caused. The scientists are right. The politicians and their fossil fuel industry backers are wrong. It is devastating that the UK is now trashing its own reputation for pioneering climate laws, which made national emissions reductions compulsory. Ministers have chosen risky, dirty energy over clean.

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Government admits its policies will achieve only 92% of cuts and experts think that is a ‘generous reading’

The UK government has said it is still on track to meet its international climate commitments under the Paris agreement, as analysis of its energy plans suggested more drastic policies would be needed to make the required carbon cuts.

Ministers announced the UK’s revamped net zero strategy on Thursday, with a raft of documents exceeding 1,000 pages, setting out policies on sectors from biomass to solar power, and from electric vehicles to nuclear reactors. It came as Rishi Sunak headed to Oxfordshire to visit a development facility for nuclear fusion, accompanied by Grant Shapps, the energy and net zero secretary.

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Carbon offset trade group ICROA on Thursday announced it has remodelled its accreditation programme as part of a wider internal overhaul and rebrand made in response to the voluntary carbon market’s rapid growth and mounting integrity concerns.

Therésè Coffey may bring Food Standards Agency, now overseen by health department, under remit of Defra

The UK government is considering tightening control over the Food Standards Agency (FSA) after news that allegedly fraudulent pork products found their way on to supermarket shelves.

Therésè Coffey, the secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), told the House of Commons on Thursday that she would look at bringing the FSA under her department’s control.

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A major shake-up of rules governing derivatives trade in EU emission Allowances appears to have been defeated, but stakeholders are still concerned at what they say is a growing trend towards political interference in the bloc’s flagship climate programme.

Scottish first minister's questions was disrupted five times on Thursday as Yousaf took questions from MSPs. When FMQs eventually got going, Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, queried Yousaf's appointment of an independence minister, asking if it was a fair use of taxpayers' money. Yousaf hit back, telling MSPs that independence was a priority for the Scottish people. Yousaf said: 'I make no apology whatsoever for having a minister for independence because, my goodness, we need it more than ever before'

• Can Humza Yousaf unite the SNP? – Politics Weekly UK

• What challenges await the new SNP leader and first minister of Scotland?

• Postponing state pension age decision ‘not exactly a sign of strength’, Jacob Rees-Mogg tells Tories – UK politics live

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A UK forestry fund has this month added three new nature-based projects to its portfolio from activities across Scotland and Wales, the firm announced Thursday.

Plants can produce staccato pops when they do not have enough water or suffer a sudden wound, which nearby creatures may respond to, scientists have discovered.

Humans cannot hear the ultrasonic sounds emitted from plants that might even help shape their ecosystems.

Scientists recorded sounds produced by tomato and tobacco plants raised in greenhouses. Healthy plants emitted clicks and pops, but the sounds came in far more rapid bursts when the plants were deprived of water or had their stems cut

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Thirsty or damaged plants produce up to 50 staccato pops in an hour, which nearby creatures may respond to, researchers find

There comes a time in a plant’s life when the head sags, the leaves go pale and the body releases a barrage of sounds that are the ultrasonic equivalent of stamping on bubble wrap.

While any gardener is familiar with the wilting and discoloration that comes with drought, a shortage of water or a sudden wound can also prompt plants to produce staccato pops, which nearby creatures may respond to, scientists say.

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Millions given to party and MPs last year came from entities linked to fossil fuels, high-polluting industries and climate denial

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The Conservative party received £3.5m from individuals and entities linked to climate denial, fossil fuels and high-pollution industries last year, according to new analysis.

The climate website DeSmog analysed Electoral Commission records, which show that the party and its MPs received funds from the aviation and construction industries, mining and oil interests, and individuals linked to the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), a thinktank which has denied the legitimacy of climate science.

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European carbon was relatively quiet on Thursday, with the benchmark futures trading in its narrowest range of the year to date for a second successive day, while energy markets were mixed as Europe's gas reserves were predicted to reach their 2023 goal early.