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Exclusive: Climate striker speaks before UN event marking five years since the Paris accord

The world is speeding in the wrong direction in tackling the climate emergency, Greta Thunberg has said, before a UN event at which national leaders have been asked to increase their pledges for emissions cuts.

Thunberg, whose solo school strike in 2018 has snowballed into a global youth movement, said there was a state of complete denial when it came to the immediate action needed, with leaders giving only distant promises and empty words.

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European carbon prices jumped to a three-month high on Thursday on the back of rising energy prices, a looming supply shortage, and optimism surrounding efforts to adopt stronger EU climate targets, with EUAs now within sight of this summer's 14-year high as well as their all-time peak.

Project hopes to influence policymakers at Cop26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow

People around the world will have a chance to discuss responses to the climate crisis in a planned global citizens’ assembly to inform UN talks in Glasgow in 2021, organisers said on Thursday.

The project aims to build on similar initiatives in individual countries such as Ireland, France and Canada, where citizens’ assemblies have given politicians a steer by generating ambitious proposals on divisive issues.

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A letter has been signed by singer Ellie Goulding and Hollywood stars Emma Watson and Emma Thompson.

Three frog and one shark species have vanished, and Amazonian dolphin and oak trees are threatened

Europe’s biggest land mammal, the European bison, is beginning to recover in numbers thanks to conservation efforts and breeding programmes, according to an update on threatened species.

By the early years of the last century, the once abundant European bison could be found only in captivity in a few places, and it was only after the second world war that animals were reintroduced into the wild in small numbers. By 2003 there were 1,800 in the wild, and by last year the number had more than tripled to a population of more than 6,200 in 47 free-ranging herds in Poland, Belarus and Russia.

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European bison take a step back from the brink, but there is bad news for other animals and plants.

I enjoy the camaraderie between motorists, so it was a nasty shock to find myself shunned when I took my friend’s BMW X5 for a spin

I always need to be liked; the opposite is too difficult to bear. All the best therapists say this way of thinking is seriously suboptimal, but there you go. This feeling is so ingrained that I even take it on the road with me, literally. I am the most accommodating driver ever. I am always letting people in with a cheery wave, often to the annoyance of my passengers and doubtless the motorists stuck behind me. A true saint among drivers.

I loved driving lorries for my dad’s scaffold company, many moons ago. The code of pleasantries between lorry drivers is a wonderful thing and I wanted as much of it as possible. When overtaking another lorry, the driver would flash you in when it was safe to move back into the lane. I would then flash my hazard lights to convey my gratitude for their assistance. Naturally, I would provide the same service when I was being overtaken. Sweet.

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Hubei’s Wednesday auction for ETS participants sold just over half of the 2 million allowances on offer, with the remainder transferred to Friday’s open-for-all sale.

Governments are pouring resources into economic recovery. It’s an opportunity for visionary climate policies

In the early hours of 12 December, 2015, I stood together with world leaders to welcome the adoption of the Paris agreement on climate change. Years of negotiations and frustrating setbacks were capped by a two-minute round of applause for French foreign minister Laurent Fabius as he banged the gavel and ushered in an ostensibly greener, more sustainable future.

Five years on, the memory of Paris is bittersweet. Progress on what are termed the “nationally determined contributions” – the self-identified climate goals of each country – has been patchy at best, and action on all of the commitments remain worryingly low.

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Supermarket support and rising use of sexed semen expected to help UK farmers meet new welfare rules by the end of 2021

Dairy farmers have until the end of next year to prove they are no longer killing male calves on-farm under new rules which will apply to nearly all UK farms from January, the Guardian has learned.

The number of male calves being killed straight after birth, known as the “dirty secret” among farmers, has prompted outrage from animal welfare groups and many within the farming sector.

A Guardian investigation in 2018 estimated that 95,000 were being killed every year within a few days of birth. The lack of viable markets for bull calves and public apathy towards consuming British rosé veal had meant it was sometimes cheaper to kill calves rather than rear them.

However, a rise in the use of sexed semen, which dramatically reduces the number of male calves born, and new retailer policies to help farmers find markets for their calves is leading to a fall in animals being killed.

Around 60,000 male calves are now killed on-farm every year, according to industry estimates, which is around 15% of the bull calves born on dairy farms. But this figure is expected to drop significantly with new rules restricting the killing of calves coming into force from next year.

Related: England and Wales to ban live animal exports in European first

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Air quality found to be worse than before pandemic in 80% of cities and large towns analysed

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Air pollution in many towns and cities across the UK now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, exacerbating the risk of Covid-19 and putting the health of millions of people at risk.

A study published on Thursday says that although air quality improved dramatically in the first half of the year as the country went into lockdown, pollution now exceeds pre-Covid levels in 80% of the 49 cities and large towns that were analysed.

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If Scott Morrison announces he'll scrap the controversial Kyoto carryover credits tomorrow, our international counterparts will still regard Australia as a climate change laggard. Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

AEMC pushes back the deadline for draft system strength reforms, saying more time is needed to work through the complexities.

The post AEMC delays key system strength reforms by another three months appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Angus Taylor will see out 2020 without a single legislated reform, and key energy policies missing in action.

The post Another year lost: Taylor ends 2020 with key energy reforms in limbo appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New analysis of finds Victoria could meet its legislated target of net-zero emissions by 2050 nearly five years ahead of schedule.

The post Wind and solar deliver record emission cuts for Victoria, but pressure mounts to do more appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia's CWP Renewables joins list of world’s biggest green hydrogen project developers and partners to launch Green Hydrogen Catapult initiative.

The post CWP joins global initiative targeting 25GW of green hydrogen by 2026 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia has around 7GW of battery storage projects at various stages in the development pipeline, a new report estimates.

The post Big battery pipeline nudges 7GW in Australia, as roles for storage multiply appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Victoria's peak infrastructure advisory body recommends dropping registration fees for EVs, going all-electric in government and bus fleets, and setting end date for ICE vehicles.

The post Victoria urged to drop registration fees for EVs, set end date for ICE sales appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia now expects to emit 300 MtCO2e less than previously expected over the next decade, meaning it is set to easily meet its Paris Agreement obligations even without the controversial use of Kyoto carryover credits.

"We simply don't need fossil fuels to access cheap energy anymore," says UK climate body. "Any notion that we can't afford to tackle climate change is clearly nonsense".

The post UK climate body lays out economy-boosting plan to reach net zero emissions appeared first on RenewEconomy.