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The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

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I smugly assumed I was offering my children a crash course in wholesomeness. The reality was quite different

Earlier this week, I dropped my kids off at a day camp in a park in London and then congratulated myself all the way home. The summer holiday is long and camp programmes are expensive, and when you sign up for one, there is a hard-to-resist expectation that the kids will be not only entertained but improved – physically (swimming lessons), morally (team games – specifically rounders) and, in the case of the camp we signed up for, spiritually. By which, of course, I refer to two sacred words in the middle-class lexicon: forest school.

I should say I’m completely down with the broad mission of forest school. Adults and children are improved by spending time in nature; studies and experience show this. There is a difference, however, between forest school the movement, a laudable push to get kids learning outside based on ideas that stretch back to the 19th century and popularised in the 1950s by, of course, the Scandinavians, and forest school, the modern marketing and business initiative. It reminds me of the catnip status latterly occupied by Mandarin lessons in the New York state primary system, which, when my three-year-olds started pre-school in 2018 – one of them still wearing pull-ups – saw them slogging each week through a mandatory class. There is nothing wrong with learning Mandarin, but it is perhaps not a priority for people who can’t use the toilet yet.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

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An architectural zigzag design can limit how much heat is absorbed by buildings – and emitted back to space

Incorporating zigzag patterns into building walls could help cool overheated buildings, research has found.

Buildings are now responsible for approximately 40% of global energy consumption, contributing more than a third of global carbon dioxide emissions.

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New rules seek to help consumers get more out of their energy assets – but miss a major opportunity to boost competition in the retail sector.

The post New rules change game for EVs and home batteries, but won’t give power to the people appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The islands could reveal why animal life first emerged on our planet after its biggest ever freeze.

By listening to the “heartbeat” or soundscape of soil, we can learn more about its condition. Think of poor soil as a lifeless party. Healthy soil is where you’ll find the good vibes and chatter. Jake M Robinson, Ecologist and Researcher, Flinders University Martin Breed, Associate Professor in Biology, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers at Australia’s Flinders University hope the acoustic method will make it easier to find and fix soil degradation

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Ever wondered what the Earth sounds like? New research suggests healthy soil has a distinctive soundtrack of its own – the crackles, pops and clicks of ants and worms bustling around underground.

Scientists from Australia’s Flinders University listened to microphones planted in the ground to see if invertebrate instrumentals are a good indicator of biodiversity and soil health.

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VicGrid CEO Alastair Parker has a job some would not envy, managing the planning of transmission lines and renewable zones in the state of Victoria. He joins the podcast to talk about transmission routes, battery storage, the option of going underground, and where things went wrong on social licence.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Managing the trauma of grid expansion appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Heightened demand from carbon credit buyers located in the Global South will be key to retaining climate finance in-country and pursuing sustainable development in emerging economies via the voluntary market (VCM), instead of relying on foreign investors from the North, according to speakers at the Mexico Carbon Forum in Guanajuato this week.

A federal court granted United Airlines’ (UA) motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging the airline had misrepresented its green claims from the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), according to court documents released Wednesday.

Fortescue starts work on green metals plant that will make first green iron in Pilbara, as green hydrogen hub provides fuel for coaches and haul trucks.

The post Fortescue kicks off works on green metals project after completing biggest hydrogen hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Regional trade bloc agreements could help facilitate the development of Article 6 capacities and trading in Latin America, conference attendees heard Wednesday.

AEMO updates roadmap to solve engineering challenges to allow it the grid to run for periods on renewables only, with no burning of fossil fuels.

The post Australia lays ground for reaching 100 pct renewables with new engineering roadmap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Mexican state of Hidalgo is considering implementing a state carbon tax, which is expected to allow the use of offsets for compliance purposes, according to an official from the state’s environmental ministry.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices moved lower this week in light of the Q3 auction, as traders discussed whether recent feedback submitted to California regulator ARB would be incorporated into the cap-and-trade programme's formal rulemaking.

The Canada Growth Fund (CGF) has allocated $100 mln towards a British Columbia-based carbon capture company, the federal government announced Thursday.

Mexican carbon market stakeholders are welcoming president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum as a fresh face with the potential to prop up green finance, Carbon Pulse heard this week in Guanajuato at the Mexico Carbon Forum, though subnational governments are still seen as a major driver of the country’s climate action.

Bolivia’s top court has struck down a provision of national legislation that previously banned carbon trading in the country, prompting a request for review by the vice presidency.

Federal regulations are needed in Mexico to incentivise carbon credit use among businesses and foster greater voluntary market (VCM) transparency, according to a senior stock exchange official speaking at the Mexico Carbon Forum in Guanajuato this week.

New York officials plan to release draft rules for the state’s cap-and-invest programme later this year, a webinar heard Thursday.