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An unprecedented increase in global sea levels poses a major threat to countries with large coastal populations and will significantly impact the livelihoods of those living in the Pacific islands, according to a UN technical brief released this week.

China, India, and the US face vastly different challenges on the path to decarbonising the hard-to-abate steel sector, according to a new report.

Groups challenging emissions limits in key sectors including agriculture, waste and transport

The EU is being sued for failing to set ambitious climate targets in sectors that contribute more than half of the bloc’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) argue that climate targets laid out for agriculture, waste, transport and small industry in the 27 EU member states until the end of the decade are not based on the best science and are therefore “grossly inadequate”.

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Location of recently found sample of Britain’s rarest plant kept secret to protect it from enthusiasts and poachers

Britain’s rarest plant, a “holy grail” orchid, has been rediscovered for the first time since 2009, and scientists are now working to protect it from slugs, deer – and poachers.

The ghost orchid was discovered earlier this month by Richard Bate, a dental surgeon, orchid lover and member of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI).

Herefordshire and Shropshire: Found flowering in only five years between 1854 and 1910, followed by a 72-year gap until 1982, and then a 27-year gap until the last sighting in 2009.

Oxfordshire: Discovered by a schoolgirl in 1924, the ghost orchid was found flowering in about a dozen years between 1924 and 1979.

Buckinghamshire: First found in 1953, the ghost orchid was recorded in bloom in 25 of the years between 1953 and 1987.

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The UK might not achieve the 30x30 target of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030 if urgent actions are not implemented by the government, a think tank has said.

It’s paper straws and compostable cups for the masses, space travel and $600m weddings for their overlords. No wonder everyone who can afford it wants a doomsday bunker

Jesus, if I remember correctly, usually travelled by donkey or by foot. Today’s corporate saviours, however, have more elevated tastes. Last week Starbucks made headlines after it was revealed its new CEO, Brian Niccol – who has been described as the “messiah” the ailing coffee company had been searching for – will be commuting to the office via private jet. Niccol, you see, is generously going to abide by the company’s policy of being in the office three days a week. But since he lives in California and the Starbucks HQ is more than 1,000 miles away in Seattle, a corporate jet is really the only way to go.

Did anyone at Starbucks sit down with a cup of coffee and ponder the optics of this before sealing the deal? Because the optics are terrible. Back in 2018 the company made a lot of noise about how it was getting rid of plastic straws and working towards a recyclable and compostable “cup solution”. What’s the point of that posturing if you’re then going to stick your CEO on an emission-spewing private jet a couple of times a week? As environmental groups and plenty of angry people on the internet have pointed out, this supercommute makes a mockery of Starbucks’ supposed “green agenda”.

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South Korea is seeking to provide preferential loans to companies that make preemptive investments in projects with great emissions reduction potential. 

A framework for coordinating research on nature positive action by businesses with four core components, in line with international targets, has been proposed by a group of UK academics.

A group of Japanese shipping majors have teamed up to conduct a joint study for liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers, in preparation for large-scale international transport of LCO2 by 2028.

A New Zealand public-private partnership has invested NZ$4 million ($2.4 mln) in a company looking to ramp up commercialisation work of a methane-inhibiting vaccine specifically suited to the country’s pastoral farming system.

BHP, the world’s biggest miner, has said it will not use carbon credits to meet its 2030 Scope 1 emissions reduction target, planning instead to achieve it through structural abatement, though its plans may change.

Australia's only domestic solar module maker has signed a deal to source its aluminium frames from a local manufacturer, with an eye to a giga-scale future.

The post Tindo taps local aluminium maker to frame its Australian made solar panels appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New research reveals how water containing the antidepressant Prozac affects male guppies, raising concerns about the health of aquatic ecosystems exposed to pharmaceutical pollution. Upama Aich, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University Bob Wong, Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, Monash University Giovanni Polverino, Assistant Professor in behavioural ecology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

"We search the planet for places like this." Two regional Queensland cities have been hailed as the "solution" to Australia's renewable energy ambitions.

The post Two regional cities may be key to unlocking Australian renewable and green export future appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian study of guppies shows that pharmaceutical pollution could threaten species’ long-term survival

Contamination of waterways with the antidepressant Prozac is disrupting fish bodies and behaviours in ways that could threaten their long-term survival, new research has found.

As global consumption of pharmaceuticals has increased, residues have entered rivers and streams via wastewater raising concerns about the effects on ecosystems and wildlife.

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Speaking during the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said fossil fuels must be phased out and all G20 countries must pursue a 'drastic reduction of emissions'. Asked whether he believes it is acceptable for a country like Australia to be continuing to approve new coal and gas projects, Guterres said the 'situation of different countries is different' but there should be no 'illusion'. 'Without a phase-out of fossil fuels in a fair and just way, there is no way we can keep the 1.5 degrees alive,' Guterres said in a reference to the Paris climate agreement goal of holding temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels

• Albanese government accused of trying to ‘bury bad news’ about health of Great Barrier Reef

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Victorian water utility says it has completed its transition to 100 per cent renewables, eight years after setting its target.

The post Water utility completes switch to 100 per cent renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.

WA's parliamentary inquiry into domestic gas supply has failed to look at solutions that could help manage its shortage problem and reduce emissions. 

The post WA fossil gas problem has a raft of solutions. Boosting its supply should not be one of them appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Big batteries projects are charging ahead beyond all expectations, helped by plunging costs. But where is the wind and solar, and what are the big utilities up to?

The post Big battery market charges beyond expectations, now the grid just needs more wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For decades, Victoria relied on its offshore gas riches. But the wells are running dry – and there’s no plans for more supply in Australia’s largest gas consuming state. Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.