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Water shortages mean the laundry industry is adopting various technologies to reduce consumption.

Threat to major population centres is increasing as planners fail to prepare for impacts of global warming, report says

London, Jakarta, Shanghai and Houston and other global cities that are already sinking will become increasingly vulnerable to storms and flooding as a result of global warming, campaigners have warned ahead of a landmark new report on climate science.

The threat to cities from sea level rises is increasing because city planners are failing to prepare, the charity Christian Aid said in the report. Some big cities are already subsiding – the ground beneath Shanghai, for instance, is being pressed down by the sheer weight of the buildings above – and rising sea levels resulting from global warming will make the effects worse.

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

California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) reversed course this week after sliding over the second half of September, while the post-auction bull run in the northeast US RGGI market persisted as prices extended 2018 highs.

A group of Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US states are not discussing a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) to tackle transportation emissions as they remain focused on cap-and-trade, but a future system could take hold in the Midwest if Illinois signs on, experts said.

A Quebec-based carbon fund and US-based offset project developer and operator have entered into a long-term agreement to expand a mine methane abatement initiative at an Appalachian coal mine, the companies announced on Thursday.

Developers are focusing on investing in and promoting carbon-cutting projects they think most likely to be eligible under the CORSIA aviation offset scheme, in an effort to encourage airlines to buy the units ahead of rules being finalised.

How far will we go to protect high-risk beachfront property? New research suggests local councils are too willing to spend public money to protect private landowners from coastal climate change. Tayanah O'Donnell, Honorary senior lecturer, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

80% say they would pay up to $10 per week for better services

Two-thirds of Australians believe their household recycling is sent to landfill and 72% said they would recycle more if they knew that their household waste was reliably recycled, a survey has found.

But despite the desire for better recycling, the survey, released on Friday by the University of New South Wales, also found that only half of the respondents were prepared to pay more for better recycling services.

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It’s not about more money for farmers. It’s about long-term settings for a changing climate – and taking the politics out of it

• Read part one and two of The New Normal
  

Central to the Australian meaning of drought is the idea of a rainfall deficiency, a term that suggests less than “normal”. But what is normal and how should it govern drought policy? In this part of our series The New Normal, we look at the history of drought policy and how the conversation is changing.

Away from the glare of nightly television reports showing farmers feeding starving stock, there is a more complex conversation going on among landholders. It discards the idea that policy should be built on the notion of average rainfall, and instead accepts Australia has a drying climate where wet seasons are the exception rather than the rule. It accepts that governments need to put in place a framework for encouraging good management practice for farmers, not only as food producers but environmental stewards, given they manage 60% of the Australian landmass.

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$27m program says it will use virus-carrying insects to engineer crops, but some worry it’s a way to develop biological agents

Government-backed researchers in America are aiming to use virus-carrying insects to genetically engineer crops – raising fears the technology could be used for biological weapons.

A new article in the journal Science explores the shadowy program funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).

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EU carbon nudged higher for a second day on Thursday in another calmer session that contrasts with the recent wild volatility.

Children's drawings of nightmarish scenarios illustrate climate change's impact in the Mekong Delta.

Protecting and restoring forests would reduce 18% of emissions by 2030 and help to avoid global temperature rise beyond 1.5C

The role of forests in combating climate change risks being overlooked by the world’s governments, according to a group of scientists that has warned halting deforestation is “just as urgent” as eliminating the use of fossil fuels.

Razing the world’s forests would release more than 3 trillion tons of carbon dioxide, more than the amount locked in identified global reserves of oil, coal and gas. By protecting and restoring forests, the world would achieve 18% of the emissions mitigation needed by 2030 to avoid runaway climate change, the group of 40 scientists, spanning five countries, said in a statement.

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Conservationists say the soaring popularity of Canada’s national parks is becoming an overwhelming burden



As an increasing number of people descend on Canada’s national parks each year, conservationists are warning that the love of majestic scenery – and the foot traffic that follows – is overwhelming delicate ecosystems and ruining the experience of visiting.

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New data shows emissions have reached their highest level since 2011, and have been rising steadily since 2013.

New Zealand carbon allowances remain near record highs, but continue to sit in a tight range while traders await news on the fate of the NZ$25 fixed price option.

National Political Editor at The Sunday Telegraph, Annika Smethurst, discusses the biggest news from the world of federal politics with RN Drive.

As many as 91% of more than 15,000 respondents to New Zealand’s zero carbon bill wanted the target it sets to cover all greenhouse gases, the government said Thursday.

Some towns receive more rain in 24 hours than in the whole year combined

Some parched New South Wales towns have received more rain in 24 hours than they have all year but it’s not enough to break the drought that’s gripped the state for months.

Western regions received significant falls on Wednesday night generated by a trough that was set to cross central NSW before moving into the Hunter Valley, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

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