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The latest comments from the former PM, who once said he was ‘agnostic’ on climate change, remind us some remain unmoved by science

The former prime minister John Howard remains an elder statesman among conservatives so when he’s asked on primetime television if he doubts that climate change is happening, his response is revealing.

That moment happened on the ABC on Tuesday evening during an interview with actor David Wenham, who asked: “You’re not refuting the fact that there’s climate change?”

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The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned the record profits of energy companies during a global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'It is immoral for oil and gas companies to be making record profits from this energy crisis on the back of the poorest people and communities and at a massive cost to the climate,' he said during a press conference where he presented the third report by the Global Crisis Response Group. Guterres called on governments to tax these profits and use the funds to support vulnerable people through the energy crisis

• Humanity faces ‘collective suicide’ over climate crisis, warns UN chief
• Climate endgame: risk of human extinction ‘dangerously underexplored’

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Nature-based, standardised spot and futures VER values remained in the doldrums Wednesday amid inflation-triggered economic uncertainty, widening the gap below a bespoke voluntary carbon market (VCM) where prices are climbing higher for newer vintage credits.

The annual value of voluntary carbon market (VCM) transactions skyrocketed to nearly $2 billion last year, with both VER prices and traded volume increasing markedly year-on-year, a recent report showed.

António Guterres urges governments to introduce windfall tax and use money to support vulnerable people

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has described the record profits of oil and gas companies as immoral and urged governments to introduce a windfall tax, using the money to help those in the most need.

Speaking in New York on Wednesday Guterres said the “grotesque greed” of the fossil fuel companies and their financial backers had led to the combined profits of the largest energy companies in the first quarter of this year hit almost $100bn.

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Just two companies have banned use as firms in drier areas wait until last minute to avoid annoying customers

Water companies are in a standoff with the government over hosepipe bans as they resist bringing in restrictions despite growing concerns about rivers running dry and the prospect of drought in England and Wales.

The decision to restrict water usage is made by individual water companies, which are advised by the government and charities as part of the National Drought Group.

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An energy efficiency project that makes ships run sleekly through water has been awarded a low chance of actually avoiding or removing a tonne of CO2 by a ratings agency.

Energy and carbon markets have already priced in the drought conditions in Europe, sources told Carbon Pulse, which has drained reservoirs for hydro power, and may soon leave the Rhine impassable for barges transporting coal to Germany.

Energy ministers are poised to put environment back into the national electricity market objective, removing a massive roadblock that has stymied the switch to renewables.

The post Ministers to put environment back into energy market rules in landmark move for renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

PPA signs Charter Hall up to a seven-year contract to buy 151GWh of renewable energy a year from Engie – enough to power roughly 26,000 homes.

The post Australian property manager goes 100% renewable with major wind and solar PPA appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Crypto companies must undertake extensive know-your-counterparty (KYC) checks if they wish to tokenise Verra credits in the future, the registry has proposed.

EUA prices forged higher for a third day as the annual August auction supply cut continued to drive the market, while energy prices were flat to slightly higher as traders worried about the outlook for Russian gas supplies amid continued delays in the return of a key pipeline component.

The Indian government on Wednesday introduced to parliament its Energy Conservation (amendment) bill, which seeks to establish a national framework for carbon markets and mandate the use of green and low carbon energy use.

Passing legislation tethers the nation to the fact that moral people have to do what we can to avert the collapse of the planet’s climate

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There have been a lot of bad days for the climate in the Australian parliament. Days that make you rage. Days that make you weep.

That infamous vote in 2009 sinking Kevin Rudd’s carbon pollution reduction scheme. Years of apocalyptic screeching about nonexistent carbon taxes. The repeal of the clean energy scheme. That day when Scott Morrison brandished a lump of coal supplied by the Minerals Council of Australia and told MPs across the chamber not to be scared.

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Results of 10-year project reveal that rewilding areas can boost biodiversity and crop yields

Putting farmland aside for nature does not have a negative effect on food security, a study has found.

A 10-year project by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology revealed that nature-friendly farming methods boost biodiversity without reducing average yields.

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As the climate crisis escalates, oil companies are posting record profits. We must end the expansion of oil, gas and coal and accelerate a fair energy transition

This week, major oil and gas companies reported 11-figure profits in the second quarter. At the same time, inflation has reached 40-year highs around the world and recessions loom. The obscene profits of the fossil fuel industry are jarring when set against the many households currently struggling to afford basic heating, cooling and food needs.

Today, high energy prices are one of the leading factors driving inflation and those prices are getting embedded into every facet of daily life, most obviously at the gas pump but also in delivery costs that affect everything from produce to paper towels.

Tzeporah Berman is the international program director at Stand.earth and the chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative

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Conservationists find native magnolia for first time since 1925 after original habitat destroyed by deforestation

A conservation team has rediscovered a native magnolia tree in a forest in Haiti for the first time since it was lost to science in 1925.

Boasting pure white flowers and uniquely shaped leaves, the northern Haiti magnolia (Magnolia emarginata) was found originally in the forest of Morne Colombo, which has since been destroyed by deforestation. It was considered endangered and featured on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, and its discovery has sparked new hope for the potential rewilding of Haiti’s forests.

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An upstart crypto group based around crowdfunding mechanisms is seeking to provide carbon offset developers with project pre-funding via vetted buyers.

Federal Labor has pledged to deliver the Murray Darling Basin Plan. But a new report casts serious doubt on that promise. Richard Kingsford, Professor, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Supplier cites record demand amid extreme dry conditions as reason for ban starting from 12 August

The water supplier for Kent and Sussex has become the latest to announce a hosepipe ban, citing demand this summer breaking “all previous records” amid extreme dry conditions.

In a statement on its website, South East Water said: “This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across the UK. Official figures show this is the driest July on record since 1935 and the period between November 2021 and July 2022 has been the driest eight-month stint since 1976.

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