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Oil company is latest firm to act amid indications that carbon credits do nothing to mitigate global heating

Shell has become the latest large company to pull back from carbon offsets amid concerns many have no environmental impact, it has emerged, as the Carbon Trust discontinues its “carbon neutral” labelling scheme based on offsetting.

The FTSE 100 oil company, one of the leading proponents of carbon offsetting, abandoned targets to invest up to $100m a year in carbon credit schemes and purchase 120m nature offsets a year by 2030 as part of a broader watering down of its climate ambitions in June, the oil major has confirmed.

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The US Open semi-final between Coco Gauff and Karolína Muchová was interrupted by climate protesters early in the second set, with one of the protesters glueing their feet to the floor of the stands at Arthur Ashe stadium. Gauff was a set up and holding serve to open the second when a disturbance broke out in the upper reaches of the stadium and shouting disrupted play. As the players looked into the stands, security staff went into the section around the disturbance. More than a dozen law enforcement officers arrived on the scene and three protesters were removed. Another, who had been handcuffed by police but was affixed to the floor, caused further delay to the resumption of the match as medics attempted to extricate the protester safely

• US Open semi-final interrupted as climate protester glues feet to floor in stands

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Legislation to underpin the national emissions trading scheme and other climate-related programmes have been placed in the "least important" category to deal with by Chinese officials, leaving the world's biggest carbon market unfounded in law for another year as lawmakers prioritise energy security and other issues.

The inaugural Africa Climate Summit was held in Nairobi, Kenya, this week, drawing delegates from across the continent, Europe and the US as well as climate campaigners, who filled the streets outside the convention centre

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Europe-wide formation is partly responsible for Storm Daniel, while the north of the continent has high temperatures

An Omega block has been in place over Europe this week, leading to some extreme weather for many. An Omega block is a synoptic setup consisting of a high-pressure region sandwiched between two low-pressure regions, creating a shape resembling the Greek letter omega.

Storm Daniel developed over the Ionian Sea partly due to this setup, causing devastating flooding across central and eastern Greece. The region’s warm seas at this time of year also helped produce the moisture needed for this storm.

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One of Japan's largest banks has begun intermediary services for the creation and trading of domestically issued J-Credits by partnering with an offset provider, it announced Friday.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including wild horses, a tired falcon and a hungry snake

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Lack of interest was widely expected after government failed to heed warnings about soaring costs

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No new offshore windfarms will go ahead in the UK after the latest government auction, in what critics have called the biggest clean energy policy failure in almost a decade.

Britain’s offshore wind industry suffered a blow after ministers failed to heed warnings from some of the world’s biggest renewable energy developers that the annual auction was set too low to reflect their soaring costs. No energy companies submitted bids for offshore wind projects, the government confirmed on Friday morning.

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The first of 400 federally funded community batteries has been switched on in Sydney on the Ausgrid network.

The post Bowen switches on first of 400 solar soaking community batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Drones and a robot called Spot survey off-limits laboratories at a former arms test site.

It must be springtime! Wind and solar hit new record share of main grid, but curtailment also hits new highs in face of negative prices and insufficient storage.

The post Wind and solar hit record share of main grid, as curtailment underscores need for more storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Efficient electric appliances like induction stoves, heat pumps and EVs usually cost more than fossil fuel options. But rebates and financial incentives are available.

The post What rebates are available to help purchase efficient electric appliances? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Fresh concerns emerge over the soaring cost of building offshore wind, with reports the latest UK government renewables auction has priced projects out of contention.

The post Offshore wind market in turmoil, as UK auction prices out projects, US costs soar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We talk with RayGen’s Richard Payne at the newly opened solar and storage plant in Carwarp. Plus: Consumer power to fill coal gap.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: Australia’s CPV and low cost storage breakthrough appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Hong Kong reported 158.1mm of rainfall in the space of an hour, the highest since records began in 1884. Local authorities said various districts had been flooded and emergency services were conducting rescue operations. Members of the public were instructed to stay in a safe place

• Hong Kong’s heaviest rain in at least 139 years triggers widespread flooding after typhoon

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Australians are trading pest plants online, potentially breaking the law without even realising it. Jacob Maher, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide Phill Cassey, Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellow, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian concentrated solar tech is about to get rolled out on a massive scale after latching on to a simple and low cost solution for deep storage.

The post The Australian solar tech that may have found a low cost solution to deep storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government has at last produced a serious plan to control an introduced predator that is a big reason this country has one of the world’s worst records for species extinctions. Sarah Legge, Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Australian National University Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University John Woinarski, Professor of Conservation Biology, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The storm has rapidly gained strength in the Caribbean from category one status earlier on Thursday.