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BMW, Renault and Peugeot PHEVs all exceeded carbon dioxide output claimed in standard lab tests, on-road tests show

Popular plug-in hybrid cars emit significantly more carbon dioxide than official measures suggest, according to new on-road tests by academics that add to concerns over the true impact of cars sold as better for the environment.

Cars from BMW, Renault and Peugeot all emitted much more than standard lab tests had claimed, with the BMW 3 Series in particular emitting more than three times advertised, according to the research by Switzerland’s Graz University of Technology.

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Fossil fuel lobby demands that new laws designed to force regulators to consider and environmental and emissions in their rulings be watered down.

The post “We might get sued:” Fossil fuel lobby wants environmental objective watered down appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Report forecasts tens of gigawatts of new utility-scale renewables capacity will be added to US grid in 2023, the majority of it solar and storage.

The post Solar and storage to dominate new US capacity additions in 2023 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Four researchers win the Queen Elizabeth Prize for their work between 1983 and 2023 improving the efficiency of solar cells.

The post Australian solar giants win “Nobel for engineering” for efficiency breakthroughs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Wind turbine blade repairing robot yields a return on investment within six months, repairing turbine blades four times faster at half the cost of traditional methods.

The post Turbine blade robot makes wind farm repairs faster, cheaper, safer appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Costa Rican government has launched on Tuesday a national blue carbon strategy that it says will help the country meet its Paris Agreement climate goals, and reportedly will seek to develop guidance and criteria for registering projects in the next several years.

The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) on Tuesday announced the publication of standardised purchase agreements for bilateral transactions in primary and secondary carbon markets, and launched a new working group chaired by industry veterans in an effort to bring clarity to the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

A massive ramp-up in EU renewable power build-out in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine means the bloc is likely to achieve even the most ambitious 2030 clean power target being considered by legislators, while also easing carbon costs for emitters.

The people of the Hunter have a clear picture of the future they want. But to unlock the region’s future opportunities, we must first clean up the costly legacy of its coal-mining past. Kimberley Crofts, Doctoral Student, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney Liam Phelan, Senior Lecturer, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The largest reforestation project developer in the US, soon to auction carbon credits on the ICE exchange, is branching out globally with a new platform to advertise its expertise and attract new project developers into the nature-based removal market. 

Bernard Looney is ‘leaning in’ to his earlier pledge to cut hydrocarbons, but where will it end?

The calls from Labour’s shadow climate secretary, Ed Miliband, and others for a “proper” windfall tax on BP and its brethren after the oil supermajor revealed a near-doubling of its profits are the least of chief executive Bernard Looney’s worries. A more powerful influence is the company’s own shareholders, who have clearly demanded a rethink on previous pledges to slash hydrocarbon output by 40% this decade.

Three years ago, when he was fresh in the job, Looney sounded as if he’d made up his mind. “Today is about a vision, a direction of travel,” he declared to an audience of investors and industry analysts. “The direction is set. We are heading to net zero. There is no turning back.”

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Just four countries account for half of the total population at risk of catastrophic flooding.

The UN's Development Programme and Switzerland have defended the rice farming methodology behind the first authorised emissions transfer under the Paris Agreement, with a senior official emphasising key differences to the Verra protocol that was halted last week over integrity concerns. 

A carbon credit technology firm and litigation support company on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership that will perform “boots-on-the-ground” checks and other auditing services to ensure the integrity of offset projects.

Global carbon markets expanded for a fourth straight year in 2022, reaching €865 billion ($924 bln) in value despite a near-20% drop in the number of transactions as prices in the main markets reached their highest ever levels, according to analysts in a report published on Tuesday.

A blockchain carbon marketplace which secured a deal last month to supply credits worth up to €50 mln has integrated its systems with a standards body as it gears up to sell tokenised carbon removal credits for the first time.

Although the EU biodiversity strategy recognises the importance of funding in addressing the biodiversity crisis, a number of significant barriers and bottlenecks at the national level could prevent the efficient use of available financing for nature, according to a new report published on Tuesday.

David Nixon disobeyed judge’s order not to mention climate crisis as motivation during trial over road-blocking protest

An environmental activist has been jailed for eight weeks after disobeying a judge’s instruction not to mention the climate crisis as his motivation during his trial for taking part in a road-blocking protest.

David Nixon, 36, a care worker from Barnsley, was sentenced at Inner London crown court on Tuesday after admitting contempt of court the day before by using his closing address to begin telling a jury about his reasons for protesting.

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Sewage, poor sanitation and a lack of regulation give rise to antimicrobial resistance and threaten global health, report says

Pollution from livestock farming, pharmaceuticals and healthcare is threatening to destroy a key pillar of modern medicine, as spills of manure and other pollution into waterways are adding to the global rise of superbugs, the UN has warned.

Animal farming is one of the key sources of strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to all forms of antibiotics, through the overuse of the medicines in farming.

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Political and Indigenous leaders hope to replicate success of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest conservation area

Nearly a decade ago, Canadian political leaders, environmental activists and Indigenous nations came together to shelter a sprawling 6.4 million-hectare area of trees, sea wolves, salmon and grizzly bears – a project that was named, with some branding acumen, the Great Bear Rainforest.

The plan has since been hailed as a triumph for protecting swathes of old-growth cedar and spruce and drawing global attention to an area of pristine forest the size of Ireland.

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