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Fewer swimming spots are rated "excellent" and more rated "poor" by the environment watchdog.

In a ruling on Thursday, the Brussels Court of Appeal said the Belgian, Flemish, and Brussels governments must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by the end of the decade, in the latest example of a growing trend of climate litigation cases against governments.

Demand for biodiversity credits could reach $180 billion annually by 2050 if a radical transformation in valuing nature happens, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said.

Rishi Sunak has defended watering down his climate policies as he insisted the UK was still 'leading the charge' in tackling the climate crisis at the Cop28 summit in Dubai. Climate politics is 'close to breaking point', he said, adding: 'I shift a date to be in line with almost every other country and it’s treated like it’s a rather extreme measure.' The UK prime minister also said he did not face any criticism from the world leaders he met for delaying a UK ban on selling new petrol and diesel vehicles

• Sunak says not a single leader at Cop28 has criticised UK’s petrol car ban delay

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Four environmental groups have filed an appeal against a Pennsylvania lower court's decision voiding the state's participation in the US Northeast carbon market, following a similar appeal launched by the governor a week prior.

Japan will stop constructing new domestic coal-fired power plants that do not take measures to reduce emissions, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday.

Prime minister defends Britain’s climate record at UN summit and urges countries to decarbonise

• UK politics live – latest updates
• Business live – latest updates

Rishi Sunak says he did not face any criticism from the world leaders he met for delaying a UK ban on selling new petrol and diesel vehicles as he repeated his defence of the UK’s climate record.

Before and during his swift visit to Dubai for the Cop28 climate conference, the prime minister had been focusing on urging other countries to do all they could to decarbonise, while celebrating Britain’s achievements.

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Climate measures financed by green bonds launched by the EU to stimulate growth following the Covid pandemic are capable of cutting 44 million tonnes of GHG emissions a year, equivalent to 1.2% of the bloc's total emissions currently, a report published by the European Commission on Friday has revealed.

Labour leader says ‘things will be done differently’ if he wins the next election

• Cop28 live – latest updates

Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “shrinking and retreating” from showcasing leadership on the global stage at Cop28 and over the climate crisis.

The Labour leader said the transition to net zero could benefit millions of people in the UK who are struggling with the cost of living crisis. But instead, the “smallness” of Sunak’s politics was affecting his ability to show a “seriousness and a want to lead” on the issue.

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As Cop28 gets under way, it is vital that corporations and richer nations invest in the global south

• Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is president of the Cop28 United Nations climate change conference and William Ruto is president of Kenya

Without urgent action to bolster green jobs in developing economies, the collective action needed to win the fight against climate change will remain elusive. Developing nations face a number of socioeconomic challenges, forcing them to tighten spending. More people worldwide are living in hunger, and 2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water at home. More than 60% of low-income countries are in, or at high risk of, debt distress, while access to capital is limited and the cost of borrowing prohibitive. This leaves minimal room for the debt creation and spending needed to fund climate action.

Green industrialisation presents an opportunity for developing nations to achieve socioeconomic transformation by combining environmental stewardship and economic progress. It offers a pathway for sustainable and inclusive growth and can address these structural challenges by improving access to energy, industrialisation and diversification, and growing employment.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is president of the Cop28 United Nations climate change conference

William Ruto is president of Kenya

Cop28: Can fossil fuel companies transition to clean energy?
On Tuesday 5 December, 8pm-9.15pm GMT, join Damian Carrington, Christiana Figueres, Tessa Khan and Mike Coffin for a livestreamed discussion on whether fossil fuel companies can transition to clean energy. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live

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European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Thursday highlighted the key role the voluntary carbon market can play in accelerating the roll-out of global carbon pricing, while emphasising that the market needs common standards to improve trust in the credibility of projects on the part of investors.

European carbon prices held on to early gains as December began, with the market supported by the first premium in a daily auction for more than two weeks, while energy prices rose for a second day as renewables output was below typical levels and temperatures remain low.

An industry-led climate initiative will support India to mobilise $6.5 billion for low-carbon and climate-resilient development, it announced at COP28 on Friday.

Designation means the bathing waters carry risk of sickness, as government is accused of ‘gross negligence’

• UK politics live – latest updates

The three rivers designated for swimming in England have all been given “poor” status in newly published government water quality figures

Data released by the Environment Agency on Friday showed that during the 2023 bathing season 96% of bathing waters in England met minimum standards, with 90% of bathing waters in England being rated as “good” or “excellent”. This was a decline from the previous year’s statistics which showed that 97% met the minimum standard of “sufficient”, while 93% met the highest standards of good and excellent.

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Exclusive: Move to categorise PFOA as linked to cancer in humans by World Health Organization ups pressure on UK government

A substance found in hundreds of drinking water samples across England has been categorised as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The move will increase pressure on the UK government to take action on “forever chemicals”.

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Australia has a truly remarkable amount of private wealth under management thanks to its mandated pension scheme, but more of this money should be invested by the big superannuation funds into renewable and clean energy, a report said Friday.

Selling carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides host countries with greater transparency over their climate assets via a more procedural and formal process, a senior member of Zambia's government said on the sidelines of COP28.

A wide ranging report on the opportunities for decarbonisation in Australia by its peak scientific body released Friday found the mining sector could be one of the earlier cabs off the rank.

The first pilot phase of the Turkish ETS will likely start in 2025 and run for two years, initially applying only to installations with annual emissions of more than 500,000 tonnes of CO2 in high emitting sectors, a senior Turkish government official told Carbon Pulse on the sidelines of COP28 on Friday.

Prices in China’s CO2 allowance market over the past week continued to decrease on relatively low volumes, while the Shanghai pilot market has reached full compliance after the latest government auction Thursday.