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The UK's climate advisers say recent changes to net zero policies make it harder to meet climate goals.

UK has led the way, with countries across the continent making mass arrests, passing draconian new laws and labelling activists as eco-terrorists

Human rights experts and campaigners have warned against an intensifying crackdown on climate protests across Europe, as Guardian research found countries across the continent using repressive measures to silence activists.

In Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK, authorities have responded to climate protests with mass arrests, the passing of draconian new laws, the imposing of severe sentences for non-violent protests and the labelling of activists as hooligans, saboteurs or eco-terrorists.

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Guardian investigation finds growing number of countries passing anti-protest laws as part of playbook of tactics to intimidate people peacefully raising the alarm

As wildfires and extreme temperatures rage across the planet, sea temperature records tumble and polar glaciers disappear, the scale and speed of the climate crisis is impossible to ignore. Scientific experts are unanimous that there needs to be an urgent clampdown on fossil fuel production, a major boost in renewable energy and support for communities to rapidly move towards a fairer, healthier and sustainable low-carbon future.

Many governments, however, seem to have different priorities. According to climate experts, senior figures at the UN and grassroots advocates contacted by the Guardian, some political leaders and law enforcement agencies around the world are instead launching a fierce crackdown on people trying to peacefully raise the alarm.

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The best way to remind yourself why we need mass agriculture is to try it on a very small scale yourself

Recently, my family welcomed a new arrival. This event was keenly anticipated. We had watched it grow, fretted over its development. And then suddenly, there it was, sitting in the kitchen: a bright orange pumpkin, about the size of my head and equally as weirdly shaped. While I was thrilled to see it, I can take none of the credit for its production. The farmer was my wife, Pat, who fretted appropriately over the way the pumpkin plant clearly shut down all other production to bring forth this one beauty. A reasonably productive tomato plant kept it company. We also got a couple of chillies from a tiny seedling brought to the house by a lunch guest. Tom and Barbara Good had nothing on us.

For a while we fretted over what to do with the pumpkin. We thought about carving it into a lantern for Halloween but in truth we’ve opted out of being mugged by children for sugar. Ours are adults. We’re done. Round our way if you don’t put out a pumpkin, the door knocker stays unmolested. So we thought about roasting and even pickling it.

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Luisa Neubauer, of Fridays for Future, cites language used by the chancellor amid protest crackdown

Severe policing and “scary” political rhetoric is fuelling abuse against climate activists, Germany’s best-known environmentalist has said.

“It’s not a shift any more, it’s a slide,” said Luisa Neubauer, from the German branch of Fridays for Future, the protest movement that grew out of Greta Thunberg’s school strikes. “There’s an increase in hate language, there’s an increase in threats, and the threats are getting more concrete. So they’re not saying any more ‘I hate you’ but they’re saying ‘We should come to your place, we should go get you.’”

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A wide disparity between some carbon credit prices and measures of their quality has been revealed after a rating agency teamed up with a marketplace platform.

Concrete is one of the world’s most emissions intensive industries with few ways to quickly and easily decarbonise, but an Australian junior has partnered with the UK’s largest cement maker with a new technology that could cut them by 15%.

Biochar has the potential to remove up to 3 billion tonnes of CO2e per year, about 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and can accelerate global decarbonisation, according to a report published this week.

A renewable energy investment outfit is already achieving biodiversity net gain as a result of the UK’s compliance scheme, but they want a similar process across the European continent, according to the company's chief investment officer.

The Australian government has brought forward consultation on its overhaul of the country’s environmental laws, which observers hope will create vast improvements on the way climate and biodiversity issues are handled.

New Zealand’s centre-right National party is all but certain to win this weekend’s election, which will likely provide short-term stability to the country’s emissions trading scheme, but higher emissions in the long term as it looks to wind back key climate policies.

The cost of producing green hydrogen has been a focus since the clean energy source began gaining popularity at the end of the last decade, but actual pricing for sale is less clear.

Research by Material Focus shows everyday items such as disposable vapes are a big contributing factor

Almost half a billion small, cheap electrical everyday items from headphones to handheld fans ended up in landfill in the UK in the past year, according to research.

The not-for-profit organisation Material Focus, which conducted the research, said the scale of the issue was huge and they wanted to encourage more recycling.

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The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) and impact fund Una Terra Venture Capital Fund have formed a comprehensive partnership that will focus on climate change mitigation, biodiversity restoration, and ocean conservation, they announced.

AGL seals a seven-year deal with biotech giant CSL to supply enough green electricity to cover all of the energy needs of its Victorian operations.

The post AGL inks another renewable off take deal for Macarthur wind farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Just days after favouring climate outcomes over competition, ACCC reverts to type by denying AEMO request to co-ordinate timing of repairs to country's ageing fleet of coal generators.

The post ACCC rejects AEMO request to co-ordinate repairs of ageing coal clunkers appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is looking to launch a futures contract for Australian Carbon Credits Units (ACCUs) by 2025, in time for the first surrender period for facilities covered under the Safeguard Mechanism, multiple sources have told Carbon Pulse.

NSW has announced it will enshrine the state's emissions reduction targets in law, including a 2030 target of "at least" 50 pct and net zero by 2050. It has been urged to do more.

The post NSW to legislate emissions targets, despite dithering over coal – urged to do more appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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On New South Wales’ southern coast, First Nations groups and European whalers hunted alongside orcas. But what happened to this unusual group? Isabella Reeves, PhD Candidate, Flinders University Steven Holmes, Traditional knowledge holder, Indigenous Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.