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A groundbreaking analysis, the first of its kind to globally count and map different tree leaf types, has revealed that needle-leaf evergreen trees make up the largest share of the world's tree population, but broadleaf evergreen trees contribute the most to fighting climate change.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Two speculative entities have filed appeals to the Washington Department of Ecology (ECY) after the agency prevented them from participating in past cap-and-invest auctions, a media outlet reported Monday, adding to the department’s growing legal challenges to its WCI-modelled carbon market.

Numerous obstacles are currently preventing US agriculture and forestry sector stakeholders from participating in the voluntary carbon market, though the federal government can take several steps to support the development of the space, according to a Department of Agriculture (USDA) report published Monday.

The Washington Department of Ecology (ECY) on Monday provided an overview of potential alterations to its cap-and-trade system it may request should the agency decide to link with the broader California-Quebec market, including revisions to auction purchase limits, offset eligibility, and electricity emissions reporting.

A treaty promising to plant 100 million native trees across southern and southeastern Brazil and create a self-regulatory carbon market, potentially with sectoral emissions limits, was signed by seven states at an annual meeting in Sao Paulo on Saturday.

Some solar projects haven't been able to get the kind of insurance coverage they've wanted, particularly in regions seen to be more affected by hail storms. 

The post Australian solar projects face insurance crisis as climate impacts take hold appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Shimmering bodies of water have appeared in the sand dunes of the recently reopened national park after a summer deluge

After months of closure, visitors to Death Valley national park are being greeted by stunning new features, including lakes left behind by a ferocious summer deluge.

The park reopened last week after being shuttered in August, when a record-breaking tropical storm unleashed a year’s worth of rain in a single day.

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RGGI Allowances (RGAs) climbed upwards following a period of market stagnation as the benchmark contract neared a record high, although market participants did not anticipate prices surpassing the impending Cost Containment Reserve (CCR) trigger level in the near term.

For some countries, climate change has already pushed most of their territory into a different climate zone. Our research shows what’s already happened – and what’s yet to come. Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Hylke Beck, Assistant Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Pablo Rozas Larraondo, Research fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A centralised private sector biodiversity fund could help achieve global nature targets without the need to develop biodiversity credit mechanisms, according to a research group. 

Demand continued to diverge in the voluntary carbon market over the past week, with some corporates seeking cheap REDD avoided deforestation credits, while others eye ACR-certified units eligible for the first phase of the CORSIA international aviation offsetting scheme, which are expected to obtain corresponding adjustments.

*PREMIUM LISTING - In this challenging and rewarding role, the Senior Manager will be responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of accreditation standards that govern Verra’s programs. Building on the existing accreditation body and Verra oversight activities, the Accreditation Program Standards will form the complete set of Verra defined auditing, competency, training, and monitoring program requirements for validation/verification bodies (VVBs) who audit projects to Verra’s standards.

*PREMIUM LISTING - Verra seeks a leader for our forest management activities in the global north, particularly those related to afforestation, reforestation and revegetation, and improved forest management.

*PREMIUM LISTING - Verra seeks an experienced leader for our REDD+ technical innovation and engagement work.

The NBS Associate (Hydrology and Peatlands) will lead the technical development of an exciting peatland conservation and restoration project in Thailand and provide hydrological and other technical advice on other blue carbon and peatland projects across Southeast Asia. This mid to senior-level role reports to the Asia-Pacific Head of NBS.

Neighbours speak of heartbreak from row of terraces where Maureen Gilbert, 83, was found dead after Storm Babet

Almost every square inch of the houses along Tapton Terrace in Chesterfield is covered in a thick layer of wet brown mud.

Inside the homes, brown lines across the walls show that water levels reached a height of 1.5 metres (5ft).

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The EU's first draft legislation defining a framework for certifying carbon removals is set to pass comfortably in Tuesday’s vote in the European Parliament’s cross-party environment committee, according to multiple sources close to the file, with lawmakers supportive of enabling a wide range of methods to be deployed.

Future sea-level rise may have been underestimated, a new study warns, with more melt "locked in".

Sea level will be driven up no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, putting coastal cities in danger

Accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, research indicates. The implications for sea level rise are “dire”, scientists say, and mean some coastal cities may have to be abandoned.

The ice sheet of west Antarctica would push up the oceans by 5 metres if lost completely. Previous studies have suggested it is doomed to collapse over the course of centuries, but the new study shows that even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades will not slow the melting.

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