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The warming of the planet is not some arbitrary political concept one either subscribes to or doesn’t — it is a scientific reality that we have to deal with

Opponents of net zero emissions targets and the policies required to get there like to frame their arguments around the political ideology of climate change. Left versus right, cities versus regions and so on. But the warming of the planet is not some arbitrary political concept one either subscribes to or doesn’t — it is a scientific reality that we have to deal with.

Anyone with even the mildest interest in climate change and emissions policy has no doubt noticed the increasing pace at which the current landscape is shifting. International commitments to net zero emissions by 2050 are coming thick and fast in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow later this year. With this growing pace, Australia is fast becoming isolated as one of the few major advanced economies which has not yet committed to a scientifically compatible mid-century net zero emissions target.

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Expanding dairy herds have seen surplus male calves shipped to the continent for veal, but there is unease over welfare conditions

Irish authorities have announced plans to fly unweaned dairy calves from Ireland to other EU destinations from May, in an effort to address growing unease about the length of the journeys made by thousands of animals shipped each year to mainland Europe.

The Irish government has been subject to sustained scrutiny over live calf exports and the decision to experiment with flights, which will significantly cut travel time, comes as a European parliament committee of inquiry examines alleged failures across Europe in enforcing rules on protecting transported animals.

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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Green hydrogen costs are approaching a level where hydrogen-fuelled rail transport can be viable under existing post-pandemic recovery schemes with carbon pricing and other support given current price trends in the sector, bank analysts said in a report this week.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) holdings for regulated entities declined last week as the February ICE contract expired, while speculators kept positions relatively stable following the first WCI auction of the year, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Friday.

The Canadian environment ministry on Friday published draft regulations to implement its federal GHG offset system, with an aim to finalise the programme and publish the first protocols by the end of the year. 

EUAs climbed above €39 on Friday as better-than-expected US jobs data lifted energy markets, swinging carbon to a weekly gain of almost 5% and again within sight of its record levels.

A summary of legislative and regulatory action on carbon pricing, clean fuel standards, and clean energy at the US subnational and federal level this week, including developments around a national clean electricity standard, a Washington state low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS), and an Hawaiian carbon tax study.

Across the country, catastrophes are unfolding as ecosystems collapse. But in a landmark study, scientists are pointing to green shoots of hope

They read like scenes from a disaster movie, vignettes of a natural world slipping into decay.

In the tropical wet rainforests of far north Queensland, outside Cairns, an estimated 23,000 spectacled flying foxes – one-third of Australia’s total population – drop dead from the trees over just two days.

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The best of the week’s wildlife pictures, including a peacock in flight, otters crossing the road and kittiwakes in Newcastle

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RGGI’s first auction of 2021 set an all-time high this week, but the quarterly sale still shocked traders by clearing far below the secondary market pricing level, according to results published Friday.

*PREMIUM LISTING (viewable by non-subscribers) – The International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), an intergovernmental forum on emissions trading systems based in Berlin, is seeking to recruit a new Head of Secretariat. The selected candidate will be employed with the think tank and policy consultancy adelphi, which acts as host to the Secretariat. He/she will also play a leadership role in adelphi’s 14-analyst-strong carbon markets and pricing team.

Move follows eight gorillas testing positive for coronavirus at the zoo at the start of 2021

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Nine great apes have been given an experimental Covid-19 vaccine at San Diego zoo after an outbreak in a troop of gorillas there in January.

Five bonobos and four orangutans became the first great apes at an American zoo to receive jabs against the disease in January and February.

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Wisdom is believed to have had more than 30 chicks in her life so far, and several partners.

Environmental firm Veolia took the lion’s share of this week’s carbon credit issuances in Australia, while the government is piloting a scheme that will offer farmers additional revenue for biodiversity gains achieved through carbon offset projects.

The map will help to plan interventions such as tree planting and peat bog restoration.

They are trying to establish the federal government has a ‘duty of care’ in protecting future generations from the climateaggedon

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The remarkable bird has outlived mating partners, and even the biologist who first placed a band on her in 1956

At 70 years of age, Wisdom the Laysan albatross has hatched another chick.

Regarded as “oldest known wild bird in history”, Wisdom has outlived previous mating partners as well as the biologist Chandler Robbins, who first banded her in 1956.

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Dealing with a Covid lockdown is tough - now poultry farmers face a second viral challenge.

Indian Ocean states say EU pushing weakest conservation efforts for yellowfin tuna while EU ‘distant fleet’ hoovers up the most fish

The EU has been accused of “hypocrisy and neocolonialism” for proposing insufficient measures to tackle overfishing of yellowfin tuna, while being the largest fisher of the prized species in the Indian Ocean.

Smaller than its Atlantic and Pacific bluefin cousins, the yellowfin tuna is one of the ocean’s fastest and strongest predators. Also called ahi tuna, this species is massively overfished in the Indian Ocean – so much so that supermarkets and brands including Tesco, Co-op and Princes recently took the surprising step of joining scientists and environmental groups to call for tough action to rebuild the $4bn population.

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