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From emissions to road deaths, the trend for ever-bigger SUVs is a disaster. We need regulation to turn the car industry back to smaller vehicles

The United States is in the midst of a full-blown size crisis. No, I’m not talking about the mad rush for Wegovy, which is selling so swiftly that Denmark has to remove data relating to manufacturers Novo Nordisk to measure (the rest of) its economy properly. And no, I’m not talking about … something else. I’m talking about the enormous monstrosities filling up its roads. (Yeah, I see you on the streets of downtown Cleveland alone in your $85,000, 7,000lb Dodge Ram and I can tell you’re not a farmer … maybe that actually says something about the “something else”.)

There are lots of trends, ideas, music and films that cross the Atlantic. Some of them are good. This is not one of them. Neither are the 500 Krispy Kreme “points of access” the American chain is planning to open across France over the next year. (One, OK, fine, for the novelty, but 500 in the next year? In a country that exists in a completely different universe when it comes to pastries?)

Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist

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Another big solar farm gets planning approval in NSW, despite some strong objections, after agreeing to widen the gap between rows of modules to allow more sheep on the property.

The post Big solar farm in NSW approved after widening gaps in solar rows to allow more sheep appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) is advising regional policymakers and regulators on how to embed a high-integrity voluntary carbon market within national strategies and frameworks.

The military said the three men were shot and killed by troops who were operating in northern Gaza.

Scientists are assessing how exposure to different kinds of air pollution impacts the brain.

Researchers have charted an incentive-lined path to help make forest restoration financially viable in developing countries, overcoming longstanding challenges of high upfront costs and uncertain returns.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday voted to extend the operation of Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) Diablo Canyon nuclear plant through 2030, despite opposition from environmental groups.

California and Quebec will offer fewer carbon allowances at their February auction in comparison to the Q4 2023 WCI sale in November, and lower year-on-year, as the emissions cap in the joint carbon market tightens, according to a government notice published Friday.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $890 million to three CCS projects, while alongside the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $350 mln to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, ramping up its investment in emissions cuts.

The head of carbon trading business group IETA blames the EU for this week’s collapse of COP28 UN climate talks on Article 6 emissions trade, though expects such approaches to continue to develop apace within smaller groups of nations.

Scientists leading the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage, and Technology Acceleration (SHASTA) project outlined progress Friday as part of the project’s pursuit to identify and address technological hurdles, as well as enable public acceptance for underground storage of hydrogen.

Certifier Verra on Friday opened a consultation on a draft clean cookstoves methodology that enables carbon crediting from improved efficiency or switching fuels.

Regulated parties and speculators shed V23 net holdings of California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) for gains in V24 as positions were rolled ahead of end-of-year rebalancing, RGGI market saw speculative interest across vintages as allowance prices hit records, according to US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Friday.

The idea that soil carbon sequestration in grasslands can cancel out the greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants that live on them has been challenged by new research.

Increased clear-cutting of rainforests has meant trees on the edges of these areas are significantly different from those growing more in the centre, a study has found, with implications for carbon sequestration rates.

Canada is on track to achieve between 85-90% of its 2030 emissions target, meaning that a number of additional measures are required to reach the federal goal of at least 40% below 2005 emissions by 2030, according to an independent assessment of Canada’s 2023 Emissions Reduction Plan Progress Report.

The ICVCM will hold board meetings at least once a month and post regular notices of upcoming activity from January to try to keep a regular flow of decisions on whether carbon credit categories are eligible for its Core Carbon Principle (CCP) labelling, board chair Annette Nazareth and interim chief operating officer Amy Merrill told Carbon Pulse.

The US Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released information on Friday clarifying eligibility for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credits, intending to incentivise low carbon jet fuel production to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and scale the industry.

The European Bank for Research and Development (EBRD) has introduced new criteria intended to restrict financial support to midstream and downstream fossil gas projects that are deemed ‘exceptional’ cases, but has stopped short of ending funding in the sector.