Feed aggregator

We are buying more electric and plug-in hybrid cars – 8.5% of all new sales last year – and no one’s weekend has ended. But that’s barely half of the global sales proportion

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

The number of electric vehicles sold in Australia is increasing, but let’s be blunt: battery power cars are still unattainable for most people. Most models are expensive, and there are often long waiting lists.

Nearly 100,000 EVs and plug-in hybrid cars were sold across the country last year – 8.5% of all new sales. The good news is it was more than double the figure the previous year, and no one’s weekend ended as a result. But it was still barely half of the global sales proportion of 15.8%. In climate terms, we’re not pulling our weight.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Executives are being pressed by an impending wave of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations, while institutional investors remain resolute on the importance of ESG data in the face of recent controversy, with both embracing integrated reporting, according to a report published Tuesday.

Allegra Spender calls for "People Power Plan" that will get households out of the fossil fuel trap with home electrification and rooftop solar.

The post Spender calls for “People Power Plan” to get consumers out of fossil fuel trap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Is there really a secret continent to Australia’s north? Not quite. The Maritime Continent is a region where hot seas and islands shape the world’s climate. Michael Hewson, Senior Lecturer Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists believe the species hunted the oceans 66 million years ago with "teeth like knives".

Countries submitting a complaint to the WTO over the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism may have to wait years for any kind of decision, and even then it is unlikely to lead to any dismantling, trade experts have told Carbon Pulse.

Industry stakeholders have described Germany's policy proposal to establish a 2060 target for achieving net-negative GHGs as a "significant milestone" for the carbon removals space and international climate action.

Europe's biggest public sector pension fund has disclosed plans to invest €1 billion in biodiversity by 2030, while tightening the environmental investment criteria of its portfolio.

Global models under-estimate avoided CO2 emissions from mangrove conservation in Brazil but over-estimate their soil organic carbon (SOC) density due to limited reliance on field data, according to a peer-reviewed study published this week.

The European solar industry is in for a reshuffle – and potential delays in meeting EU targets – after legislators agreed on Tuesday to ban products made from forced labour, which is slated to disrupt supplies coming from China.

Some $645 million has been raised across private equity and venture capital funds by London-based sustainable food and agriculture investment firm Cibus Capital.

Mass dieoff in Klamath River caused by extreme changes in water pressure amid largest dam removal project in US history

As many as hundreds of thousands of newly hatched Chinook salmon released into the Klamath River have died due to “gas bubble disease” caused by extreme changes in water pressure.

The young salmon fry were released amid the largest dam removal project in US history along the 257-mile-long river, which flows across Oregon and California. Four hydropower dams are being removed, reconnecting the lower and upper portions of the Klamath River for the first time in a century and allowing fish free passage along the river.

Continue reading...

Denmark’s largest airport has invested in a new portfolio of carbon removal projects as it steps up its target to be emissions free by 2030, it was announced Tuesday.

Blue Carbon, a Dubai-based carbon project developer aiming to participate in Article 6 markets, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to obtain support for design and monitoring across its portfolio.

Finding comes as public consultation for the proposed fuel efficiency standard closes, with advocates warning of a loophole for SUVs

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Cars sold in Australia by just five companies emitted as much carbon dioxide in 2023 as 156 standard coalmines, analysis shows, as advocates eager for the government’s proposed fuel efficiency standard warn of a loophole for SUVs.

However as the Albanese government considers the views of industry players on its proposed fuel efficiency standard, tensions are firming between auto manufacturers and environmental groups about how strict the new rules should be.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Exclusive: Electric car company says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is running a ‘concerted public campaign’ by suggesting plan would push up price of popular cars

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Tesla has launched a scathing attack on Australia’s main auto industry lobby group, accusing it of attempting to delay climate action by repeatedly making “plainly false” claims to the public about an Albanese government clean car policy.

In a submission to the government about the design of a vehicle efficiency standard, Tesla sharply criticised the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), an organisation in which it holds a board seat and is an active member.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Exclusive: Wildlife groups welcome promise to ban pesticides approved by government against scientists’ advice

• UK politics live – latest updates

Labour will end exemptions for bee-killing pesticides that have already been outlawed in the EU but which the UK government has approved for four years in a row, the shadow environment minister has said.

This week, the government authorised the use of thiamethoxam, also known as Cruiser SB, on sugar beet crops – against the advice of its scientists, who said it would pose a threat to bees.

Continue reading...

European carbon soared as much as 7.7% on Tuesday morning as a squeeze triggered by a rally in natural gas prices extended for a second day, forcing short-positioned traders to buy back in the futures market, while the approaching expiry of the March options contract also encouraged covering.

Creating integrated value chains across offshore wind, green hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) in industrial heartlands is key to achieving higher returns and counteracting the impact of an inflationary environment, said an oil major executive speaking at a conference today.

A German renewable hydrogen maker has secured over €500 million to advance its green hydrogen development, from major backers including the European Investment Bank and Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, it announced on Tuesday.