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The EU on Tuesday urged African nations to back its aims for the COP28 UN climate talks, amid consensus that the negotiations need to pivot towards accelerating the roll out of renewable power and the development of green hydrogen to generate sustainable economic growth.

UN-developed Marine Sand Watch estimates 6bn tonnes dug up a day, well beyond rate at which it is replenished

One million lorries of sand a day are being extracted from the world’s oceans, posing a “significant” threat to marine life and coastal communities facing rising sea levels and storms, according to the first-ever global data platform to monitor the industry.

The new data platform, developed by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), tracks and monitors dredging of sand in the marine environment by using the AIS (automatic identification systems) data from ships. Using data from 2012-19, Marine Sand Watch estimates the dredging industry is digging up 6bn tonnes of marine sand a year, a scale described as “alarming”. The rate of extraction is growing globally, Unep said, and is approaching the natural rate of replenishment of 10bn to 16bn tonnes of sand flowing into the sea from rivers and needed to maintain coastal structure and ecosystems.

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Connection agreement gained for 300MWh battery, the first of a series of solar and battery projects in a massive renewable hub in South Australia.

The post Connection deal signed for first 300MWh battery in massive solar and storage hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A programme for supporting regenerative agriculture initiatives across land and water will launch in October, advisors Bright Tide has said.

South and Southeast Asian countries are running out of time and will likely not be able to reach their net zero targets within the stipulated period, a UNDP official told a Kuala Lumpur conference Tuesday.

A coalition of more than 78 UK-based environmental organisations has claimed that the UK government lacks progress on the country's 30x30 nature-protection pledge and called for more robust action.

European carbon prices were unchanged at midday on Tuesday as the market positioned itself for two days without daily EUA auctions, while energy prices were flat to slightly weaker as traders waited to assess the impact of imminent labour stoppages at key LNG facilities in Australia.

The European Energy Exchange (EEX) on Tuesday announced the launch of its Global Carbon Index (GCI) Family, aimed at providing a comprehensive snapshot of rapidly evolving global carbon markets.

Indian government officials are grappling with finding the right balance between demand and supply in what may over time grow to become one of the world’s biggest domestic carbon markets, as they expect to release a first set of draft regulations ahead of COP28 in Dubai in late November.

With solutions to the climate emergency desperately needed, political neutrality and consensus may no longer be an option

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has achieved many successes. In its 35 years, the UN body has become the most authoritative global source of knowledge on climate breakdown. Politicians, policymakers and social movements from around the world draw on its reports and data to frame the problem of the climate emergency and to envisage solutions.

But as climate politics has become more complex, more diverse and more pressing, the IPCC is increasingly called upon to fulfil roles not envisaged at its creation – and to which it is not well suited. As it moves into its seventh assessment cycle and with the election of a new chair, the British climate scientist Prof Jim Skea, the time is right for a reassessment of its role and function.

Adam Standring is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at De Montfort University and an associated researcher at the Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Social Science at Örebro University, Sweden

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A forestry law awaiting parliamentary adoption in Rwanda that proposes stricter protections for tree use may prove unpopular with the public as it could lead to a reduction in firewood and charcoal production, a local media source reported Tuesday, with significant opposition to the legislation likely to hold up the country's planned expansion into global carbon markets.

Wildlife under threat from habitat loss on remote British Overseas Territory

Three new species of spider have been discovered on the island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic, prompting calls from scientists to quickly identify unknown invertebrates so they can be protected.

The wolf spiders bring the total number of species that exist nowhere else in the world except this remote island to 505.

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Zac Goldsmith and a former No 10 adviser back Lords rebellion that hopes to maintain river protections

• UK politics live – latest updates

A Tory rebellion in the House of Lords could thwart Michael Gove’s plans to rip up pollution laws for housebuilders in England.

The former minister Zac Goldsmith, who recently quit the government over what he termed Rishi Sunak’s “apathy” over the environment, and Sir John Randall, a former environmental adviser to No 10, have signed an amendment laid by the Duke of Wellington that would nullify the government’s plans.

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Former Cop26 president says political parties not tackling climate crisis will pay heavy price at polls

Political parties shying away from tackling the climate crisis will “pay a heavy price” at the ballot box, the former Cop26 president Alok Sharma has warned, as he and other Conservative MPs look set to force the removal of a de facto ban on new onshore windfarm projects in England.

Ministers are expected to overturn the measure on Tuesday following a campaign from Tory MPs including Sharma and the former prime minister Liz Truss as legislation comes up for debate in the Commons.

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A London-based fintech startup has announced the raise of $6.5 million in a seed funding round, which the company will use to build a carbon project financing platform that enables corporates to discover, finance, and monitor voluntary carbon market projects.

Singapore-based exchange Climate Impact X has released a set of cookstove global standard contracts for the voluntary carbon market.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen laid out the tasks for the new European Green Deal commissioner and the candidate commissioner for climate action in their mission letters published on Tuesday morning, with much of the focus on preparing a new 2040 EU climate target and the implementation of the existing climate files.

Move follows revelations Albanese government knew project was seen as ‘key enabler’ for gas export despite being branded a ‘sustainable development precinct’

The Senate will investigate the proposed development of the Middle Arm precinct on Darwin harbour after the government voted to support an inquiry into the controversial project.

It follows a Guardian Australia investigation that revealed the Albanese government knew the project was seen as a “key enabler” for the export of gas from the Beetaloo basin, despite being branded a “sustainable development precinct”.

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A major Japanese conglomerate has teamed up with two local partners to initiate a forest carbon offset programme in Akita Prefecture under the country's J-Credit system, it announced Tuesday.

Burning Man turned to mud. Korea’s Scout Jamboree ended in heat, a typhoon, evacuations and recriminations. Extreme weather threatens your favourite festival. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.