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The US federal government has released guidelines to assist public agencies in assessing how their projects, policies, and regulations impact ecosystem services, in a move poised to reshape decision-making at a national level. 

Campaigners say Ineos project in Antwerp will turbocharge plastic production on a scale not seen before in Europe

The UK government is providing a €700m (£600m) guarantee for the billionaire Jim Ratcliffe to build the biggest petrochemical plant in Europe in 30 years that will turbocharge plastic production.

The huge petrochemical plant has been described as a “carbon bomb” by campaigners. Being constructed in the Belgian city of Antwerp by Ratcliffe’s company Ineos, it will bring plastic production to Europe on a scale not seen before, just as countries are trying to negotiate a binding global treaty to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution.

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Research from a financial think tank highlights that oil and gas companies still reward executives for expanding fossil fuel production, in spite of commitments to energy transition targets and climate policies.

The operator of the UK’s largest power station has seen its profits jump more than tenfold to reignite criticism of its bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) operations.

The developer of a solid sorbent made from plastic waste says its technology captures CO2 from industrial flue gas more cheaply and energy efficiently than commercial offerings currently available, and expects to move from laboratory-scale to an industrial pilot this year.

Implementing debt-for-nature swap (DFNS) plays a "unique role" in providing funds to establish marine protected areas (MPAs), as shown by successful experiences in Seychelles and Belize, a study has found.

Switzerland and Ghana have authorised the first sovereign carbon credits from a cookstoves project, meaning that once issued and transacted, they can be used towards the European country’s national Paris Agreement climate target.

Nearly all the assessements of voluntary carbon market methodologies currently under review for the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) stamp of high integrity, accounting for some 850 million credits, will be concluded by the end of September, the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM) told Carbon Pulse on Thursday.

EU carbon allowance prices extended losses seen on Wednesday afternoon, as a weak auction gave bears confidence to resume selling, with some sources asserting that a recent rally was now over while others pinned their hopes on technical and psychological support at a key level.

The European Commission's evaluation process for National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) is not only about sticks, but also about carrots, a top EU official said, as the 27 member states struggle to meet a June deadline to submit their final drafts.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hear how climate is driving forced migration across the Americas

Communities under imminent threat from rising sea level, floods and other extreme weather will testify in Washington on Thursday, as the region’s foremost human rights body holds a first-of-its-kind hearing on how climate catastrophe is driving forced migration across the Americas.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hear from people on the frontline of the climate emergency in Mexico, Honduras, the Bahamas and Colombia, as part of a special hearing sought by human rights groups in Latin America, the US and the Caribbean.

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The operator of the Philippines' national carbon registry has unveiled a platform dedicated to the development of nature-based solutions (NBS).

Firms listed on Singapore’s bourse will have to start reporting sustainability and climate information from next financial year, with their biggest unlisted counterparts to do the same two years after that.

South Korea is considering introducing carbon contracts for differences (CCfDs) to de-risk private sector investments in emissions abatement technologies and ensure a clearer carbon price signal.

Royal Society of Edinburgh says money should be spent on longer-living native forests with greater biodiversity benefits

A report has called on ministers to scrap the huge subsidies and tax breaks given to conifer forests because they do too little to combat the climate crisis.

The report from the Royal Society of Edinburgh said the tens of millions of pounds in subsidies given to the timber industry should instead be spent on longer-living native forests, which have greater and clearer climate and biodiversity benefits.

In Scotland, ministers have subsidised forestry by more than £390m over the last decade, with roughly 80% of that spent on commercial conifer plantations, as well as extra subsidies for haulage.

Timber companies and landowners pay no corporation tax on their income from forests; profits from timber sales are tax-free; there is no capital gains tax on the value of the trees, and 100% inheritance tax relief on the forestry property.

Forest owners were also able to sell carbon credits, adding to the attractiveness of forestry as an investment.

These grants, tax breaks and carbon credits had helped to substantially drive up land prices in Scotland, up by 73% in a single year, greatly distorting the land market and pricing people out.

Government agencies are not properly enforcing policies which require environmental impact assessments on new forest projects; their approach is “inadequate” and “passive”.

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Norway and Ethiopia this week upgraded their decade-long forest partnership to pave the way for payments of up to $100 million if the East Africa nation meets its climate and nature targets.

An Australian oil and gas company producing offshore Brazil has signed up for a five-year partnership with a local REDD+ project certified by Verra.

A BBC investigation finds about one third of chickens sold in some UK supermarkets have "hock burn".

A BBC investigation finds about one third of chickens sold in some UK supermarkets have "hock burn".

Fortescue again delays a decision on what would be Australia's biggest green hydrogen plant, while Forrest appoints a former gas man to head his renewable plans.

The post Forrest delays decision on Australia’s biggest hydrogen project, hires former gas man to lead renewables push appeared first on RenewEconomy.