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A UK-based market intelligence and carbon credit procurement platform has partnered with a Southeast Asian private sector alliance to support the growth of voluntary and compliance carbon markets in the region, it announced  Thursday.

A new analysis by Consumer Reports shows that pesticides have contaminated the US fruit and vegetable supply – even some organics

• What’s safe to eat? Here is the pesticide risk level for each fruit and vegetable

Watermelon, green beans and bell peppers are among the many common fruits and vegetables found in US supermarkets that contain potentially unsafe levels of pesticides, according to an analysis published today by Consumer Reports.

The new report – which analyzed seven years of US Department of Agriculture data on commonly eaten fruits and vegetables – offers one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of pesticides found in US produce. The data was based on nearly 30,000 fruit and vegetable samples, including fresh, frozen, canned and organic, collected from supermarkets by the USDA as part of routine pesticide testing. Consumer Reports built a massive database to analyze the data – and scored different foods to provide actionable recommendations to help consumers shop and eat with less risk.

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Even organic produce can contain unhealthy amounts of pesticide – see which fruits and vegetables rank best and worst

After reviewing the results of thousands of tests on fruits and vegetables, Consumer Reports has found unhealthy levels of pesticides in about 20% of US produce.

This chart, in alphabetical order, shows the risk from pesticides in conventional and organic produce, as well as whether the fruits and vegetables are domestically grown or imported. Consumer Reports “recommends those rated as very low, low or moderate risk. When possible, replace a food rated high or very high with a lower-risk one, or choose organic. Keep in mind that the risk comes from repeated servings over time.”

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In ‘acute global embarrassment’, Scottish government expected to follow UK and Wales by adopting five-year carbon budgets

The Scottish government is to abandon its “world-leading” goal to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030, after repeatedly missing its legally binding targets.

Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net zero secretary, is expected to announce that Scotland will instead follow the UK and Welsh government’s lead by adopting five-yearly “carbon budgets”, in a significant policy climbdown.

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In Indonesia, an area the size of Singapore has already been deforested to supply the nation’s booming nickel industry, and eight times that amount of forest could be under threat, according to a report released Thursday.

Australia's state of Queensland on Thursday passed legislation to reduce the state’s emissions by 75% by 2035, as well as to achieve 80% renewable energy generation by the same date.

India is one of the most vulnerable countries to global warming, but neither the political parties nor the voters have climate change issues high up on their agenda as the world’s largest democracy begins its elections on Apr. 19.

The first Coal to Clean Credit Initiative (CCCI) pilot project could see more progress this year, according to the developers, who eye avoiding up to 19 million tonnes of CO2 emissions with the early phase-out of a Filipino coal plant.

Experts expressed mixed views on the European Commission's proposed methodologies to certify different types of carbon removal activities under the EU's Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF), with some observers welcoming bold elements of the proposals and others criticising them on structural or methodological grounds.

Victoria bans fossil gas companies from offering cash incentives or rebates to households that install major new gas appliances, or connect to the gas network.

The post Victoria bans gas rebates and incentives for homes as shift to all-electric gathers pace appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government is expected to ‘imminently’ release a discussion paper on the rework of its landfill gas methodology and likely finalise it by the end of the year, but market participants are still left guessing what will be done with one of the market's biggest-yielding project types.

Gold Standard has approved its first geological storage methodology as it steps into the carbon removal (CDR) sector that is starting to shift from a niche market into the mainstream.

Australia falls out of global top 10 solar countries. Plus: GridBeyond's Michael Phelan on the rise of VPPs; and battery rebates.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: Australia loses it on solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Existing laws and regulations failed to prevent asbestos contamination of mulch. What’s missing is mandatory certification of recycled products so users can be sure they’ve been tested and are safe. Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Peter S.P. Wong, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Tayyab Maqsood, Associate Dean and Head of Project Management, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Made in Australia could be set for a comeback, if federal government promises materialise. But these localisation plans must work for the regional communities hosting new projects. Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Clean energy and finance groups call for an ambitious and visionary budget to end Australia's "over-dependence" on coal and gas.

The post “Hold your nerve:” Australia urged to deliver ambitious package to stay in clean energy race appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Deaths from record temperatures in Mali reportedly led to full morgues turning away bodies this month

The deadly protracted heatwave that filled hospitals and mortuaries in the Sahel region of Africa earlier this month would have been impossible without human-caused climate disruption, a new analysis has revealed.

Mali registered the hottest day in its history on 3 April as temperatures hit 48.5C in the south-western city of Kayes. Intense heat continued across a wide area of the country for more than five days and nights, giving vulnerable people no time for recovery.

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Extreme heat linked to the deaths of hundreds of people would not have happened without global warming.

For the first time in 20 years, Australia fell out of the Top 10 countries for new solar installations in 2023. But Australian PV experts have bigger concerns.

The post Australia falls out of global top 10 solar countries, risks losing spot in leading PV research group appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Denmark’s Energy Agency (DEA) has awarded three contracts to companies for new carbon capture and storage projects after completing the funding round for negative CO2 emissions (NECCS).