Feed aggregator

The exclusion of branch turnover from forest carbon accounting models has led to significant biases in estimates of global forest carbon sinks, a new study has found.

Water firm Severn Trent accused of being in breach of environmental permits over pollution near Malvern Hills

• Top-rated UK water firms ‘dumped 1,374 illegal spills into rivers’

Colwall, a village of less than 3,000 people on the border between Herefordshire and Worcestershire, is renowned for its spring water, which comes from the nearby Malvern Hills. An area of outstanding natural beauty, it has been favoured by the royal family for centuries, including Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria.

But the water at Colwall is now in the spotlight for very different reasons. The most recent data from Severn Trent Water, the company that covers the area, reveals that a sewage treatment works on Cradley Brook, near the village, spilled sewage for 1,756 hours in 2021 and 1,361 hours in 2022.

Continue reading...

We are losing in the fight against global warming, it is time to put effort into controlling what we pump into the atmosphere

The havoc unleashed by Hurricane Milton provided unambiguous evidence that we are entering a critical and alarming new phase in the planet’s climate crisis. Rising fossil fuel emissions have triggered increases in ocean temperatures and sea levels to such an extent they are generating some of the most destructive storms ever experienced in Florida. Together with Hurricane Helene earlier, the lives of about 250 people have been claimed and thousands of homes destroyed. Florida has been left reeling and forecasters have warned there is more to come – a lot more.

It is a grim prognosis that should be galvanising Florida’s political leaders into taking urgent action to protect the state. Extraordinarily, this has not been the case. Despite the intensification of hurricanes and worsening flooding over the past decade, governor Ron DeSantis has consistently rejected the idea that global warming poses a threat to Florida or that the phenomenon exists at all. A few weeks ago, he signed a law erasing the words “climate change” from state statutes and effectively pledged the state’s future to burning fossil fuels. Such behaviour is disturbing.

Continue reading...

Solar PV mounted on the nation's rooftops have supplied more than 50 per cent of the main grid's power demand for the first time.

The post Rooftop solar supplies more than 50 per cent of main grid’s power demand for first time appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The world's most powerful rocket is expected to be back in action again soon

Comet A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) could be spotted with the naked eye in the UK on Saturday night.

China's efforts to address its aging population by relaxing fertility policies and delaying the retirement age could lead to a significant rise in the country’s carbon emissions, according to a new study

Party donor Dale Vince warns that urging homeowners to switch to clean-power technology risks political storm bigger than Ulez

The government risks a huge political backlash if it keeps pushing the public to install heat pumps to replace their boilers, one of Britain’s leading green entrepreneurs has warned.

Dale Vince, a major Labour donor and renewable energy advocate, called on Keir Starmer to rethink national programmes, championed by Boris Johnson, pushing the technology. Vince argued that Whitehall should explore alternatives to the devices, which he said were expensive, caused serious disruption and could end up increasing energy bills for some people.

Continue reading...

Another tech giant has signed up for the US government’s programme encouraging companies to invest in carbon removal projects, committing to spend tens of millions of dollars on the effort.

A shipping carbon tax being floated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) could have disproportionate economic impacts on African countries, a new report warns.

A “live” carbon removals marketplace was launched on Thursday in an effort to raise funding for the nascent technology.

Investors continue to build holdings in V25 California Carbon Allowance (CCA) holdings, reducing exposure in V24s, while traders cut RGGI Allowance (RGA) and Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) net length over the last week, according to data released Friday from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

A Canadian research group published on Wednesday a report tracking carbon pricing in the nation, highlighting pathways to harmonise its nine industrial carbon markets, in order to remove interprovincial trade barriers and reduce compliance costs.

The California State Senate passed a measure on Friday supported by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) intended to prevent spikes in fuel prices, despite concerns that a state agency will receive overly broad authority and savings at the pump won’t materialise for Californians.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) this week warned that Europe’s efforts to decarbonise its transport sector face significant challenges, particularly in aviation and maritime transport, despite progress in reducing emissions in other areas.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton have bookended a particularly stormy period. What's behind it?

Hurricanes Helene and Milton have bookended a particularly stormy period. What's behind it?

A handful of big purchases, mainly by Microsoft and Equinor, kept the needle moving upwards in the carbon removal (CDR) market in the third quarter, as overall volumes remained small and prices high.

A carbon removal certification programme has approved a new biochar protocol with a durability option exceeding 1,000 years, along with another module focused on the technology.

A range of carbon pricing measures and the private sector will come together in Chile’s market-led model of climate action, ministers said at the Chile Carbon Forum this week in Santiago.