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Wind and solar take record 93.7 per cent share of Australia’s biggest coal grid
The post Wind and solar take record 93.7 per cent share of Australia’s biggest coal grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Climate finance negotiations at Baku should address developing nations’ unequal access to capital, experts say
COP29: ‘Watchdog’ EU Parliament delegation heading for Baku
The Guardian view on Trump’s planet-wrecking plans: the UK government’s resolve will be tested | Editorial
The new president’s disruptive policies will challenge Sir Keir Starmer’s green goals. But with strong leadership he could enhance Britain’s global influence
Donald Trump’s electoral earthquake in America will complicate Sir Keir Starmer’s plans. Nowhere will the shock of Mr Trump’s win be more intensely felt than in environmental policy. His stance on climate – advocating a US exit from the Paris climate agreement and rallying behind “drill baby drill” – is more disruptive than constructive. This should concentrate Sir Keir’s mind as he heads to Cop29, the UN’s annual climate summit, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
At last year’s conference, world leaders agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels in a just and orderly manner for the first time. Mr Trump, however, dismisses the climate crisis as a hoax. With this year likely to be the hottest on record, the devastating effects of global heating are undeniable, as extreme weather batters the planet. Mr Trump may ignore the facts, but the trail of climate-related chaos and destruction speaks for itself.
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Continue reading...Outrage against Canada’s Marineland theme park after fifth beluga dies
Most recent fatality marks 17th beluga to die at Niagara Falls, Ontario, aquarium since 2019
A fifth beluga has died at Canada’s Marineland, as questions mount over the future of both the controversial theme park and one of the world’s largest populations of captive whales.
The most recent fatality marks the 17th beluga to die at the Niagara Falls aquarium since 2019.
Continue reading...New coal boom in Indonesia threatens policy efforts to drive down emissions
India’s climate policies predicted to reduce around 4 bln tonnes of CO2 by 2030
Canadian materials firm unveils C$23.8 mln for a CO2 capture test project
Significant GHG abatement in US land sector possible at $30-60/t, but beware imbalance, diminishing returns -study
Buildings sector should focus on carbon use intensity as key metric for green valuations, say experts
Report flags surge in corporate nature-related reporting in 2024
Martin Rowson on what Trump’s victory will mean for the environment – cartoon
Indian developer registers Azerbaijan’s first renewable energy project in voluntary carbon market
Cop29 CEO filmed agreeing to facilitate fossil fuel deals at climate summit
Elnur Soltanov recorded speaking with fake oil and gas group that asked for deals in exchange for sponsoring talks
The chief executive of Cop29 has been filmed apparently agreeing to facilitate fossil fuel deals at the climate summit.
The recording has amplified calls by campaigners who want the fossil fuel industry and its lobbyists to be banned from future Cop talks.
Continue reading...Carbon project rating agency incurs heavy losses to fund global expansion
Marine drone startup raises $2 mln to advance seagrass restoration
Ukraine adopts law to establish national ETS
Euro Markets: Midday Update
Environment Bank launches large-scale restoration project under its nature shares system
I’m a farmer – and I’m glad to see tax loopholes closing for cynical investor landowners | Guy Singh-Watson
It could have been better designed, but Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tweak will help farmers with mud on their boots
Should multimillionaire landowners benefit from a tax break designed to help small family farms pass down their land to their children? This is a hotly contested question, given last week’s budget. Labour has reintroduced 20% inheritance tax for farms that are valued at more than £1m, meaning the children of farmers will no longer inherit land tax-free. Granted, 20% is still only half of the standard inheritance tax rate, and it probably sounds more than generous to an ex-miner, foundry worker or shipbuilder. But today, £1m would only buy you about 40 hectares (100 acres) of farmland, which is far short of a viable farm.
Farming is a long-term business that requires substantial assets and often makes only meagre returns. Farming families have not had to consider tax planning for family succession since 1992. As a second-generation farmer, I support much of the budget. But on the inheritance tax threshold, I thought, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had got it wrong. The positive reading of her decision is that she was trying to close a loophole whereby wealthy people buy up farmland and pass it, tax-free, to their children. If that was the main objective, though, the threshold should have been set substantially higher than £1m.
Guy Singh-Watson is the founder of the organic veg box company Riverford and a member of Patriotic Millionaires UK. He grows organic vegetables on 60 hectares (150 acres) in Devon and 120 hectares (300 acres) in the French Vendée. He sold Riverford in 2018 to its 1,000 employees, and the company is now 100% employee-owned
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