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India’s power minister shied away from revealing any intentions to set a net zero objective for the country in an IEA high-level summit on Wednesday, while demanding developed nations start considering negative emissions targets.

Richer nations also urged to ensure make-or-break climate talks this year are a success

The world’s richest G7 group of countries must double the amount of finance they are offering to poor countries to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown to make vital climate talks this year a success, the UN has said.

As part of that commitment, the G7 countries should meet their targets of providing 0.7% of their GDP in overseas aid, said Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary general of the UN.

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The pandemic has made us all long for spring. In Japan and elsewhere, full bloom is coming earlier than ever

Early in Junichiro Tanizaki’s great novel The Makioka Sisters, we learn of the family’s annual trips to admire the cherry blossom; occasions anticipated long in advance, as they plan their outfits, scan the latest forecasts of the full bloom’s arrival, and agonise over any hint of poor weather. Without witnessing the full glory of Kyoto’s trees, spring does not feel like spring.

Yet besides the joy of the family gathering, and the resplendence of the scene before them, Sachiko, one of the heroines, experiences “pleasant sorrow for the cherry blossoms, sorrow for her sisters and the passing of their youth”, foreshadowing Tanizaki’s themes of impermanence and decline. As a child she had been unmoved by classical poems lamenting the end of the season, “but now she knew, as well as one could know, that grieving over fallen cherry blossoms was more than a fad or a convention”. The fate of the flowers echoes that of the family; even the Japanese title of the novel – Light Snowfall – evokes the petals drifting slowly to earth.

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Germany adopted a regulation on Monday that entitles EU ETS-covered companies to compensation for costs faced under its national emissions trading scheme (nEHS) for transport and heating fuels.

The hefty government intervention seeks to retool America’s creaking systems, festooned with plenty of green jobs

The infrastructure plan that Joe Biden will announce on Wednesday is set to crystalize the US president’s vision of how to combat the climate crisis – hefty government intervention to retool America’s creaking systems, festooned with plenty of green, preferably union, jobs.

Related: Biden promises 'historic' $2tn spending in infrastructure – but Capitol Hill fight awaits

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EU commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius urges Australia to sign Leaders’ Pledge for Nature that promotes a green recovery from Covid crisis

A senior European Union official has sounded the alarm over the rapid decline of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef while backing calls for all countries to make more ambitious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU’s commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, told Guardian Australia he was deeply concerned by the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. “As long as we do not change our behaviours, things will not improve,” he said.

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Virginia will not oppose utility Dominion Energy’s rate request to cover RGGI allowance procurements over the next 18 months, while the generator revealed the value of its hedged position in the Northeast cap-and-trade scheme, according to filings released this week.

Mosquitoes, rats and termites among species that have hitched ride on trade routes, causing at least $1.3tn of damage

The costs of damage caused by invasions of alien species across the world is trebling every decade, research has found.

Mosquitoes, rats, ragweeds and termites are among the species that have hitched a ride on globalised trade routes, bringing disease, crop destruction and damage to buildings. The scientists calculated the costs at $1.3tn (£944bn) since 1970, and said even this “staggering sum” was likely to be a big underestimate as much damage is unreported.

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Asset manager VanEck on Wednesday launched a new ETF focused on companies that generate at least 50% of their revenues from hydrogen projects or have the potential to do so.

President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled a $2 trillion infrastructure plan on Wednesday that would create a clean energy standard for the power sector, allocate funding to electric vehicle charging stations, and jump start research and development for clean technology.

Waterways in England had sewage discharged into them for three million hours

The behaviour of rooftop solar and battery systems during periods of major grid disruptions will be the focus of a new UNSW study.

The post Can rooftop solar and household batteries keep grid stable when big generators fail? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The animal had horns and a large skull making it a fearsome predator around 85 million years ago.

EUAs were little changed by midday on Wednesday giving back early gains following a weaker auction despite an upcoming holiday pause to the sales.

Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse also says science is crucial for dealing with climate change.

Data published for first time by Environment Agency shows 27% increase from previous year

Water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters in England more than 400,000 times last year, Environment Agency (EA) data has revealed.

Untreated human effluent poured into rivers and seas for a total of 3.1m hours via storm overflow pipes that are supposed to be used only in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewage system.

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NGOs and experts quoted in film say it contains ‘misleading’ claims, erroneous statistics and out-of-context interviews

A Netflix documentary about the impacts of commercial fishing has attracted celebrity endorsements and plaudits from fans with its damning picture of the harm the industry does to ocean life. But NGOs, sustainability labels and experts quoted in Seaspiracy have accused the film-makers of making “misleading claims”, using out-of-context interviews and erroneous statistics.

Seaspiracy, made by the team behind the award-winning 2014 film Cowspiracy, which was backed by Leonardo Di Caprio, pours doubt on the idea of sustainable fishing, shines a spotlight on the aquaculture industry and introduces the notion of “blood shrimp”, seafood tainted with slave labour and human rights abuses.

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Romania has granted CE Oltenia €241.4 million help cover its 2020 EU ETS obligations, according to an emergency ordinance adopted as the utility’s restructuring is still under EU investigation.

Japan’s environment ministry has launched a review of its Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), with a view to making the scheme consistent with the Paris Agreement on issues such as avoiding double counting of carbon credits.

Japan’s famous cherry blossoms have reached their flowery peak in many places earlier this year than at any time since records began nearly 70 years ago, with experts saying climate change is the likely cause

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