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Paris claims ban breaches UK-EU trade deal but environmentalists say dispute is ‘hypocrisy’, given Macron’s rhetoric on saving oceans

France has been accused of hypocrisy by conservationists over a fresh post-Brexit dispute with the UK over fishing rights.

France launched an official protest after the UK banned bottom trawling from parts of its territorial waters last month, with the aim of protecting vulnerable habitats.

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While the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) provides an effective protection against imports of cheaper CO2-intensive products into Europe, it omits a crucial export dimension, with potentially devastating consequences for sectors like steelmaking and fertilisers, according to a new report.

Intense swells of cold water from the depths are killing sharks, rays and other creatures, researchers say

A climate-disrupted ocean is pushing sharks, rays and other species to flee ever-hotter water in the tropics, only for them to be killed by increasingly intense upswells of cold water from the depths, a study has found.

One of the authors of the paper described the “eerie” aftermath of a mass die-off of more than 260 marine organisms from 81 species in a singular event of extreme cold upswelling off the coast of South Africa in 2021.

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Ocean heat records have been breaking for months. This is the first global evidence of the impacts on sea life.

Rooftop solar now delivers 11.2% of Australia's energy and is the fourth largest energy source in the country.

The post “Unparalleled:”Rooftop solar now a major player in Australia’s grid, but households need more batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress is increasing by about 1% a week, scientists say

Global heating has pushed the world’s coral reefs to a fourth planet-wide mass bleaching event that is on track to be the most extensive on record, US government scientists have confirmed.

Some 54% of ocean waters containing coral reefs have experienced heat stress high enough to cause bleaching, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch said.

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A Canadian manufacturer of sustainable hemp products has bought a majority stake in a platform that creates and distributes carbon sequestration certificates to projects that use the material, as it looks to expand its reach in the voluntary market. 

There needs to be a more transparent and predictable approach to regulatory interventions in the EU ETS, a report from a think tank said Monday.

Vast Renewables signs key engineering contracts for its 30MW/288MWh VS1 concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, which will be by far the biggest to be built in Australia.

The post Engineering contracts signed for Australia’s biggest concentrated solar plant appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Lumbricus terrestris claims landslide victory with 38% of vote, while Asian or yellow-legged hornet comes in last with 0.8%

It’s a political earthquake! The common earthworm, the soil-maker, food provider and grand recycler, is the landslide winner of the inaugural UK invertebrate of the year competition.

Lumbricus terrestris, also known as the lob worm, dew worm and nightcrawler, took a mighty 38% of the popular vote after readers nominated it to be added to the shortlist for the Guardian contest.

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European carbon prices fell sharply in line with energy markets on Monday morning, as tensions in the Middle East appeared to lessen after Iran's drone strikes against Israel were largely defeated, with analysts and market participants reporting a general relaxation.

The Danish government has allocated DKK2 billion ($285 million) to initiatives aimed at strengthening biodiversity across the country, including planting forests and enhancing water ecosystems.

Global carbon markets are slowly moving towards standardisation and there will be a demand for specific types of carbon from a specific group of people, according to the co-founder of an Indian climate startup.

Non-profit tech company and the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative have launched an open-source tool to track progress in sea conservation across the world, and presented it during the ongoing ocean conference in Athens, Greece.

Japan on Monday released a funding call under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) for hydrogen or other new technology projects that so far have been moving ahead without carbon finance.

Removal of nearly 500 barriers last year will help restore disturbed waterways to their natural state, says Dam Removal Europe

Europe removed a record number of dams and other barriers from its rivers in 2023, a report has found, helping to restore its disturbed waterways to their natural states.

Nearly 500 barriers were taken out of European rivers last year, according to figures compiled by Dam Removal Europe, an increase of 50% from the year before.

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The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into force last year, is spurring new carbon pricing initiatives in countries around the world as they seek to avoid the CO2 tariff, an official has said, adding however, that not all of these schemes are comparable to the bloc's ETS.

Southeast Asia will need $1.5 trillion to reduce the 2.4 gigatonnes of CO2e required to meet its 2030 emissions targets, but is “woefully” off track, according to a report released Monday.

China has published a set of emission factors for the power sector, as it seeks to strengthen carbon accounting requirements for domestic companies for the national emissions trading scheme as well as ahead of the introduction of the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

A highly misleading new documentary claims soil carbon storage can redeem the livestock industry – it’s all so much ‘moo-woo’

We draw our moral lines in arbitrary places. We might believe we’re guided only by universal values and proven facts, but often we’re swayed by deep themes of which we might be unaware. In particular, we tend to associate the imagery and sensations of our earliest childhood with what is good and right. When we see something that chimes with them, we are powerfully drawn to it and attach moral value to it.

This results from a combination of two factors: finding safety and comfort in the familiar, and what psychologists call “the primacy effect” – the first thing we hear about a topic is the one we tend to recall and accept. These tendencies contribute to the illusory truth effect: what is familiar is judged to be true. We go to war for such illusory truths, and sacrifice our lives to them.

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