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A carbon industry group has urged the Australian Labor government to address skill shortages across the country’s carbon market supply chain, which they argue would cut emissions and create jobs in regional areas.

The Director-General of the European Commission’s climate directorate (DG CLIMA) has passed away at the age of 65, according to media reports.

A species of carpet shark is evolving to better survive warming seas and the climate crisis

Researchers at a Florida university say a small but feisty species of carpet shark with an extraordinary ability to walk on land is evolving to better survive warming seas and the climate crisis.

The epaulette shark, commonly found on shallow reefs of Australia and New Guinea, can walk for up to 30 meters on dry land using paddle shaped fins, and survive hypoxia – a deficiency of oxygen – for up to two hours.

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South Korea has begun negotiations with 17 countries over potential bilateral carbon trading deals under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, including major emitters such as Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

Climate change is a game changer and our disaster response is no longer sufficient. We must begin to address the underlying causes that make some communities more vulnerable than others. Bruce Glavovic, Professor in Natural Hazards Planning and Resilience, Massey University Shinya Uekusa, Lecturer, University of Canterbury Steve Matthewman, Professor in Sociology, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Local authorities have had to slash funding for maintaining their open spaces, and friends groups are picking up the slack

• Funding for England’s parks down £330m a year in real terms since 2010

Sparse. That’s how Chrisie Byrne describes the playground in Walton Hall park. The outlines of missing equipment scar its black rubber flooring. “It’s a huge footprint, with nothing in it, or at least very little in it,” says Byrne.

There is a set of swings, a low climbing frame with a slide for small children, and a roundabout. A couple of rocking horse-type contraptions date back to the 1990s, well past their usual lifespan, but local people have begged the council not to remove them. Another climbing frame that was burned by vandals was removed and never replaced.

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Deep cuts by local authorities leaving green spaces in decline, with poorest areas losing out the most

• Parks at risk: ‘If it was not for the volunteers, we would struggle’

Local authorities in England are spending almost £330m less a year in real terms on parks and open spaces than they were a decade ago, with the most deprived areas experiencing the deepest cuts, a Guardian analysis has found.

Years of deep budget cuts have left bandstands and playgrounds deteriorating, buildings crumbling, staff numbers decimated and parks’ upkeep in the hands of volunteers, according to park workers, volunteers and visitors.

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Alligator, shrimp and beaverslides … Holly Lynton’s beautiful photographs reveal the spiritual state of being that emerges from nature and tradition

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Senior Tories rule out asking households to reduce energy use despite planning for winter blackouts

No 10 and allies of Liz Truss are resisting the idea that people should be asked to cut their energy use, with the government insisting that consumption of gas and electricity is a “decision for individuals”.

With the threat of shortages possible this winter, officials have raised the option of the UK public being requested to reduce their energy usage, after countries in the EU including France and Germany were asked to cut gas demand by 15%.

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Labor has put fuel efficiency rules on the agenda. But the standards must be stringent and purpose-built for Australia. Robin Smit, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Nic Surawski, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

South 32 cancels a controversial expansion of the Dendrobium coal mine, saying it is looking to spend money on low carbon investments.

The post South32 ditches big Australian coal mine boost, saying costs no longer add up appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar output first beat coal in winter just over a year ago, but it is now happening more often, and by a greater margin.

The post Solar’s growing daytime dominance caps a miserable winter for ageing coal plants appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Petrol refiner and retailer reveals further details of its plan to take on the Australian retail energy market, starting with a pilot fuel plus electricity offer.

The post Ampol prepares retail electricity pilot, as it shifts from the forecourt into homes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The James Webb Space Telescope shows the planet's auroras and storms in an unprecedented detail.

South32 says expected financial returns on project do not justify investment as green groups welcome decision

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Australian mining company South32 has abandoned plans to expand its Dendrobium metallurgical coalmine in the New South Wales Illawarra region.

In an announcement to the ASX, the mining company said the expected financial returns were not enough to justify the $1bn investment the extension would require.

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Latest regulatory report shows how multiple coal plant outages left electricity market at mercy of ... other coal plants to rebid small amounts of capacity to guarantee price spikes.

The post Coal plant outages and rebidding: Why electricity prices surged towards market cap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMO is bulking up with a vastly increased budget to manage the engineering challenges of a rapidly accelerating switch to renewables and storage.

The post “Start of a new era:” Market operator bulks up to manage accelerating switch to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Target of 300,000 new homes a year not sustainable, finds researchers, with negative biodiversity and climate impacts

England would use up the entirety of its 1.5C carbon budget on housing alone if the government sticks to its pledge to build 300,000 homes a year, according to a new study.

The building of new homes under a business as usual scenario, coupled with current trends on making existing homes more efficient, would mean the housing system would use up 104% of the country’s cumulative carbon budget by 2050.

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

California’s plans to shore up its power grid maybe coming to a fork in the road, with Democratic lawmakers seeking to go all in on renewables and rebuke Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) proposal to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility, a media outlet reported Monday.