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An international development company with a carbon and nature focus has launched its first crowdfunding equity raise campaign in support of a nature-based solutions (NBS) project in Malawi, aiming to generate nature-based carbon credits as well as units linked to women’s empowerment.

A twice-weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

Scientists have mapped the diverse land uses following deforestation across Africa, revealing significant regional variations in the causes of forest loss.

Robust criteria must be applied to identify areas of importance for biodiversity under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), as the lack of a clear definition could undermine nature recovery efforts, a study has warned.

A venture cultivating sea kelp in the waters off Namibia is making headway on proving the carbon sequestration benefits, while harvesting the kelp to produce biostimulant for farmer’s fields.

Most leading banks in the Asian continent still include coal in their investment portfolios and continue to make investments in "climate destruction", according to a report released Tuesday.

The discovery reveals how Arabica coffee got its sweet flavour and may help future-proof the drink.

Berkeley Earth’s Robert Rohde discusses the latest climate science and whether even 2°C is achievable. Plus: All the renewable and storage news from the first few weeks of 2024.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: The climate crisis and the energy transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

NSW's draft energy framework will add time, cost and another layer of bureaucracy in a state that needs to remove all three, big investors say.

The post Clean energy investors propose radical rethink of planning rules in NSW appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fortescue secures grant and tax incentives to set up manufacturing facility at the site of the first Ford factory in Detroit to build batteries, EV fast chargers, and electrolysers.

The post Fortescue to build batteries, EV chargers and eloctrolysers at site of first Ford factory appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Oliver Yates to chair new venture planning to spend $2 billion on battery storage projects, with three big batteries ready to go and another four in the pipeline.

The post Yates heads new venture planning $2 billion of battery storage projects in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Science-based Targets Network (SBTN) released a report on Monday highlighting the benefits and challenges experienced by the first cohort of companies when piloting targets for nature.

North Macedonia and Serbia face challenges as they work on aligning their climate and energy goals with those of the EU, with the aim of eventually joining the bloc as members, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Floating solar plants emerge as a game-changer for Southeast Asia, by maximizing its solar resources and overcoming limited land availability.

The post Why floating solar PV will play a “critical role” in land-constrained south-east Asia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Joint venture signed to develop a 150MW solar farm in New Zealand, which would be the biggest in the country.

The post Joint venture signed to build biggest solar farm in New Zealand to date appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Declines in the European price of carbon below current levels are likely to be temporary as the EU ramps up preparations to impose a cost of emissions on imported products from 2026, according to analysts.

European carbon prices rose steeply early on Tuesday morning to fill a technical gap, before giving up most of their gains as the market digested a sharp cut in analyst price forecasts for the short and medium term.

As UN expert says UK’s actions are chilling and regressive, we look at some of the cases

• UN expert condemns UK crackdown on environmental protest

The UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders Michel Forst has said the UK’s crackdown on climate protesters is chilling, regressive and a restriction on fundamental freedoms.

We look at some of the cases:

Defendants on trial for peaceful protest were forbidden from mentioning the words climate change, fuel poverty or the civil rights movement when they were on trial for public nuisance. Several people, including a social worker, David Nixon, and the Dorset councillor Giovanna Lewis, were jailed for contempt of court when they defied the restrictions to explain their motivations for taking action to the jury.

A retired social worker, Trudi Warner, is being prosecuted for contempt of court for holding up a sign outside a court defending the right of juries to decide a case on their conscience. The decision to prosecute was made by the then solicitor general Michael Tomlinson KC, a minister and the Conservative MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole.

Stephen Gingell, 57, was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful slow march protest on a London road. The sentence is thought to be the first jailing under the Public Order Act 2023, which includes an offence of “interference with key national infrastructure”. Gingell is appealing.

Civil injunctions have been issued to hundreds of individuals. National Highways has injunctions covering 4,300 miles of motorways and major A roads. Anyone who breaches this injunction faces imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Any corporation can apply for a civil injunction, and individuals can be punished without a trial.

Marcus Decker and Morgan Trowland made history as the peaceful protesters who have received the longest jail sentences in modern history in the UK when they were sentenced to two years and seven months, and three years respectively for public nuisance. They climbed the Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Dartford Crossing and unveiled a banner for Just Stop Oil in 2022. The longest jail term issued to the suffragettes was three months.

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Rio Tinto signs contract to buy all the output for what will be the biggest solar project on Australia's main grid, and will help power its smelters and refineries.

The post Rio Tinto signs contract for Australian grid’s first gigawatt scale solar project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders says he is seriously concerned about ‘regressive new laws’

A severe crackdown on environmental protest in Britain with “draconian” new laws, excessive restrictions on courtroom evidence and the use of civil injunctions is having a chilling impact on fundamental freedoms, the United Nations special rapporteur has said.

As the world faces a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, environmental protesters were acting for the “benefit of us all” and must be protected, Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, said on Tuesday.

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