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Europe can remove around 300 million tonnes of CO2 a year by simply protecting, restoring, and encouraging growth in its old forests, a new study has found.

Experts at the UNFCCC assessing a REDD+ submission from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), found that the country's emissions reporting was "partially transparent and partially consistent" with expected standards, identifying areas for capacity-building and future technical improvement.

Australia-headquartered asset manager New Forests is preparing to potentially generate biodiversity credits by gathering nature metrics across 37,800 hectares in three African countries, Carbon Pulse has learned.

Germany approved a draft bill Wednesday allowing carbon capture and storage (CCS) for emissions-intensive industries that cannot be electrified, excluding coal-fired power plants, and also plans to create a legal framework to develop carbon pipeline infrastructure.

Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell has dominated the voluntary carbon market (VCM) over the past six months, retiring 14% - or one seventh - of all credits retired between Nov. 2023 and April 2024, Carbon Pulse analysis has shown.

European carbon prices were little changed on Wednesday morning as the market digested the latest Commitment of Traders data that showed investment funds had cut their net short position to the lowest in seven months, while compliance companies slashed their short positions.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a new paper on Tuesday arguing that climate action delivers “sizable energy security benefits” for Europe while highlighting risks related to carbon pricing policies in coal-reliant Eastern EU countries.

Hundreds of Indian farmers who have been camping for more than 100 days between the Punjab and Haryana states to demand better prices for their crops have been enduring a savage heat wave sweeping swathes of northern India.

Temperatures in Delhi, not far from the protest, have hit a record high of 49.9C (121.8F), as authorities warned of water shortages in the capital

• Delhi temperature hits 49.9C as India’s capital records hottest day

• Record breaking heat hits Delhi – in pictures

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Conservation efforts have largely failed to protect seafloor invertebrate animals, including worms, clams, and shrimps, which play a critical role in mediating the health of the ocean, a paper has said.

The Philippine government and a French land-based carbon project developer signed an agreement Wednesday to restore 90,000 hectares of degraded forest in the northwest of Samar Island’s natural park, in partnership with a local bamboo firm.

China has launched the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, with the signing of the new venture witnessed by Chinese environmental officials and UN agencies this week after first establishing the framework over two years ago.

Officials are now incentivizing testing, but experts say workers need protective equipment and paid sick leave to prevent further spread

On a US dairy farm, working in the milking parlor can mean seven-day weeks, 12-hour shifts and intimate contact with cows and everything they expel.

“When you disconnect the machine from the udder, it can shoot milk in your face,” said José Martínez, a former dairy worker and United Farm Workers advocate based in Washington state. “And there’s no time or place to eat. So we ate our tacos in spare moments with cow shit on our hands.”

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eLumina is using advantage of being in a later wave of battery and charging hopefuls, using the knowledge of collapsed Tritium and Freewire.

The post New Aussie battery company aims at community storage and EV charging appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Another Queensland open pit gold mine could soon be converted into a mammoth pumped hydro storage project after its developers this week submitted the environmental impact statement to state authorities. The Mount Rawdon pumped hydro project is being developed by a subsidiary of Evolution Mining, the owners and operators of the Mount Rawdon gold mine, […]

The post Another Queensland gold mine could be converted into pumped hydro project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The federal government on Wednesday introduced legislation to establish national environmental watchdog and information gathering bodies, but the move has been criticised by business and environmental groups alike, highlighting deep divisions in Australia's nature reform space.

A project once described as the biggest in Australia is going through the federal approval process again, this time with fewer but bigger turbines.

The post Gigawatt-scale wind project seeks new federal green tick with fewer but bigger turbines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Widening government-run scheme would counter mistrust among householders, says consumer group

The next government should force all tradespeople who install home heat pumps, solar panels and insulation to sign up to a mandatory accreditation scheme to counter mistrust in the industry, a leading consumer group is demanding.

A report from Which? found that households face “significant anxiety” in choosing tradespeople to fit low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, and insulation after “press stories about poor work and rogue traders”.

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We make long term plans for railways, submarines and manufacturing. Why not for getting ready for rising seas? Anthony Boxshall, Enterprise Fellow, The University of Melbourne Anna Grage, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide Tom Kompas, Professor of Environmental Economics and Biosecurity, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), a voluntary initiative for companies to set science-based targets related to their impacts on nature, has appointed an independent Accountability Accelerator to validate targets for an interim period of up to three years.

Legislation to set up Australia’s first national environment protection agency promises strong new powers and penalties to protect the natural environment. Critics are not so sure.

The post “Tough cop on the beat,” or new plod enforcing old “broken laws”? Labor’s EPA gets a grilling appeared first on RenewEconomy.