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MEPs vote for WHO guidelines on several substances, but centre-right backlash puts implementation back five years

The EU has voted to clean its air by setting tough limits on pollutants in a move that experts say will save lives and money.

The European parliament agreed on Wednesday to limit the concentration of several dangerous substances to levels put forward by the World Health Organization (WHO). But after a fierce backlash from centre-right politicians, it decided to push back the date for meeting the WHO’s limits by five years.

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Queensland police investigating complaint from Wangan and Jagalingou man Adrian Burragubba

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Police are investigating a complaint made by a traditional owner who alleges staff from Bravus, formerly Adani, attempted to block him and his family from accessing a sacred site near the Carmichael mine.

Wangan and Jagalingou man Adrian Burragubba alleged on 27 August he and his family were attempting to go to the Doongmabulla Springs for cultural reasons when they were overtaken by a Bravus car that then obstructed a gate at an entrance to pastoral land.

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Scheme to restore Aller’s natural flow has created wetland teeming with life and could provide model for managing other rivers

It does not have the sense of order associated with the National Trust’s manicured stately homes, nor the grandeur of many of the wild places that the organisation manages. But a muddy piece of land in west Somerset was unveiled with a fanfare on Wednesday by the conservation charity, which sees this unassuming-looking plot as a pioneering project that could revolutionise the way some rivers are managed.

Under the stage-zero restoration project at the Holnicote estate, a section of the River Aller has been liberated from its narrow artificial channel. This allows the water to find its own way, creating streams, pools and boggy ground, a landscape that is better for flora and fauna. Moreover, the slower flow makes flooding less probable downstream.

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The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance, a group within the maritime sector, said Wednesday it has launched its first zero-emission shipping tender, with Amazon and Electrolux among those on board.

The European Parliament approved a new law on Wednesday that will mean 70% of jet fuel used at EU airports will have to be green by 2050.

A leading British shipbroker has teamed up with a carbon trading house to provide access to the EU ETS for shipowners, as Europe’s market prepares to expand to cover shipping from next year.

Eleven countries have already pledged to exit the disastrous international charter treaty. We must join them

If Labour wants an energy transition in which working people don’t foot the bill, it has to address fossil fuel companies’ secret weapon against national climate laws: the energy charter treaty (ECT).

The treaty is a multi-country investment deal for the energy sector that contains the notorious investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), a mechanism written into international agreements that companies can use to sue governments over policy changes they allege could affect their profits. The cases are heard in secretive tribunals outside the national legal system.

Cleodie Rickard is trade campaign manager at Global Justice Now

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A global challenge presents a global opportunity, according to venture capitalists (VC) from Silicon Valley to Singapore who see biodiversity companies as a new attractive area for investments, including one announced on Wednesday that will solely invest in biodiversity-related companies.

Exclusive: Watchdog is supposed to audit firms yearly to ensure they are not illegally dumping sewage, but 36% of audits since 2010 are missing

The Environment Agency is failing to regularly audit water companies to check they are telling the truth about pollution and illegal sewage dumping in England, the Guardian can reveal.

The audits contribute to the star rating companies are given for environmental performance by the watchdog. Some companies are being given top ratings, even though the FoI data suggests the EA has not audited them for several years.

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Corporate climate goal assessor the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) said Wednesday it plans to increase its capacity to meet demand as a growing number of companies worldwide sign up to its net zero pathway.

A Switzerland-based international NGO has stressed the importance of insurers in incentivising biodiversity loss, calling on them to integrate biodiversity risk properly within their business activities.

The Queensland state government in Australia on Wednesday said it will fund better uptake of Accounting for Nature’s environmental accounting framework to provide stakeholders with better tools to measure the environment.

South Australia is aiming to cut red tape to pave way for what it expects to be a new wind, solar and green hydrogen "gold rush".

The post South Australia slashes red tape for new wind, solar and hydrogen “gold rush” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

European carbon prices were slightly stronger at midday on Wednesday as traders shrugged off data showing that investment funds had increased their bearish bets for a third week, accumulating the largest total short position in nearly two years, while UK Allowances fell to a new record low in early trade.

A New Zealand-based company on Wednesday announced it has launched biodiversity action credits tied to the conservation of two species of bird around the Southern Lakes Sanctuary on the country’s South Island, to add to its existing offerings.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX)  has reached a carbon credit deal with a natural resources company with a significant presence in the Philippines, it announced Wednesday.

South Korea’s latest monthly CO2 auction for the current compliance cycle sold only around 30% of the permits on offer Wednesday, as market sentiment remained lukewarm despite the government's proposed policy change to revitalise the market.

Electric mines could decarbonise much of mining companies' Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while offering health benefits to workers no longer trapped underground with diesel fumes and particulate matter, and could be made more affordable through a price on carbon, a conference heard this week.

Sea ice around Antarctica has always followed a predictable seasonal cycle. Now, we’ve experienced a sudden dramatic loss, and the changes are here to stay. Edward Doddridge, Research Associate in Physical Oceanography, University of Tasmania Ariaan Purich, Lecturer in Climate Variability and Change, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed her commitment to the European Green Deal on Wednesday in her last annual speech to the European Parliament before the EU elections next June, though her focus was less on climate action and more on the need to support European industry on their decarbonisation journeys.