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Participants in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) are increasingly confident that integrity issues plaguing the sector are being solved, but challenges remain around attracting buyers, speakers said at an industry conference this week.

The European Union and the Mercosur group of South American countries concluded a long-awaited trade deal on Friday, calling it a "political necessity" and "historic milestone" despite environmental concerns and opposition from seven EU countries, including France.

The last RGGI cap-and-trade auction of 2024 cleared at a $2.35 discount to RGGI Allowances (RGAs) in the secondary market the day before the sale, and at the low end of market expectations for a discounted settlement, with limited participation from financial entities, according to results published Friday.

Next year could be a turning point for the beleaguered voluntary carbon market because the underlying fundamentals have stayed robust, particularly the rising number of companies setting SBTi climate targets, despite a tough year, according to analysts in a new report.

Shipowners can cut compliance costs under the EU's new green shipping fuel regulation by using LNG-powered ships or wind-assisted propulsion, according to a new report by a global shipping insurer.

Here are some of the standout images from the 2024 Nature Conservancy Oceania Photo Contest.

The 2024 contest saw close to 2,000 entries from photographers in Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea

• Dead native birds and flying foxes found in SA town home to one of world’s largest lead smelters

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Switzerland's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and overall climate targets, policies and finance have been rated as “insufficient” in a new analysis released on Thursday.

British oil major Shell has signed a contract with Pakistan-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer for long-term offtake of SAF, once the proposed plant funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gets completed.

Gold Standard has updated its fee structure for registry accounts and certification processes, with two different pricing options for issuing credits, the standard body announced on Friday.

The world may not keep warming to less than 2C over pre-industrial levels based on the petroleum reserves of members of the G20, a report cautioned Friday.

European carbon prices struggled for direction on Friday with participants said to be anticipating options expiry next week, as the benchmark charted a course for a 2% weekly loss following a string of bearish sessions this week.

Exposure to these toxic compounds, found in everyday items, could be elevating cancer risk in young women

More than 400 chemicals regularly used in everyday plastic products are linked to breast cancer, and the dangerous compounds could be a driver of increasingly elevated cancer rates in young women, new research finds.

Many of the toxic chemicals – such as PFAS, phthalates, parabens and aromatic amines – are added to food packaging, personal care products and single-use plastics, making exposures nearly ubiquitous.

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Flash flooding and widespread disruption on Greek islands, while Australians experience unusually wet start to summer

Greece was hit hard by Storm Bora last weekend, with torrential rain, gale-force winds and intense thunderstorms affecting the islands of Rhodes and Lemnos in particular.

The storm formed on Friday 29 November and rapidly intensified by Saturday, with wind speeds reaching up to 80mph (129km/h). Rhodes had 300mm of rain, which caused flash flooding and widespread disruption. Three people were killed and power outages, school closures, overturned vehicles and collapsed bridges were reported.

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Plans to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) in France have made headway over the past months and will resume as soon as the political situation stabilises and the 2025 budget is voted, an official told EU policymakers on Thursday.

Prices in China’s national emissions market hit a two-month low over the past week, though some expect it to recover later this month ahead of the Dec. 31 compliance deadline.

Japan has opened a public consultation on rules aimed at providing clarity on the registration of international emissions reductions under the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) in line with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

The overwhelming majority of Europeans support climate action, but they must be compensated for its costs in tangible ways

This year was not an easy time to be Green. Green parties took a beating in June’s European elections, with their seat count plummeting from 71 to 53. In national elections they haven’t fared much better. The Green party was nearly wiped out in last week’s general election in Ireland, losing all but one of its seats after having been part of a coalition government.

At the same time, climate-sceptic parties framing environmental policies as elitist and unfair have surged across the continent. In Germany, for instance, the far-right AfD owes some of its electoral success to its rallying cry against an emerging “eco-dictatorship”.

Björn Bremer is an assistant professor of political science at Central European University and a John F Kennedy Memorial fellow at Harvard University. Jane Gingrich is a professor of social policy at the University of Oxford. Hanna Schwander is a professor of political sociology and social policy at the Humboldt University of Berlin. They are all co-conveners of the Progressive Politics Research Network, whose findings are published here

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Australia has committed to spend A$165 million ($106 mln) through various initiatives towards domestic regional decarbonisation technology initiatives, including critical minerals, hydrogen, and renewable energy.

A new federal government strategy outlines how to elevate the rights of Indigenous Australians Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Convenor: Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Energy ministers set out pathway for to give First Nations people access to affordable clean power and ensure benefit-sharing, partnerships, and Indigenous-led projects.

The post Energy ministers release strategy to give agency to First Nations in transition to renewables appeared first on RenewEconomy.