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The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

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Policymakers and insurers act as if Britain’s coastlines are fixed, but the waters are advancing faster than before

The increasing speed of sea level rise hardly seems to register with policymakers in Britain – even though with the UK weather getting more violent, destructive storm surges are increasingly likely. The future looks bleak for properties on fast-eroding cliffs and large areas of rich agricultural land on the east coast, already at or even below sea level.

The evidence that things are rapidly getting worse is clear. Sea levels have risen 24cm (9in) (7ft 3in) since 1880 but the rise has accelerated from an average of 1.4mm a year in the 20th century to 3.6mm annually by 2015. Previous conservative estimates of sea level rise of 60cm by the end of this century now look very optimistic and on current emission levels will be 2.2 metres by 2100 and 3.9 metres 50 years after that.

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New Zealand Unit (NZU) prices inched up in the market’s first trading session of 2025, when the new auction settings and price controls officially take effect.

Volunteers’ data should be included in official monitoring reports to tackle pollution crisis, says Earthwatch

Citizen science testing of river water quality will expand this year in an attempt to make the data part of official monitoring of waterways, the head of an independent environmental research group has said.

The use of ordinary people across the country to test river water quality for pollutants including phosphates, nitrates and other chemicals has captured the imagination of thousands of volunteers. In 2024 more than 7,000 people took part in river testing “blitzes” run over two weekends by the NGO Earthwatch Europe. The research, using standardised testing equipment provided by the NGO and Imperial College London, gathered data from almost 4,000 freshwater sites across the UK.

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As 2025 begins, Victoria is already making its mark on the energy landscape with a series of notable demand and rooftop PV share records.

The post New Year begins with more solar records, as PV takes bigger bite out of coal’s holiday lunch appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A whale that famously pushed its calf's dead body for 17 days in 2018 appears to be grieving again.

Voluntary carbon markets can help mobilise private capital to address climate funding gaps in high-impact sectors, but systemic issues need to urgently be addressed for those markets and the wider outcome-based finance model to realise their full potential, according to a new report.

A group of Republican-led states and a global oil major continued their fight against separate lawsuits looking to hold fossil fuel companies financially liable for the effects of climate change in briefs submitted in December to the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS).

Secondary market California Carbon Allowances (CCA) and Washington Carbon Allowances (WCA) futures and options transaction volumes declined over the Christmas and New Year holidays, with traders expecting activity to pick up early next week.

The Northern Territory is home to over 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, but not everyone wants them there.

The Northern Territory is home to over 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, but not everyone wants them there.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) launched a 90-day public comment process for proposed updates to its unified accounting standards for environmental credits, including carbon offsets.

A subsidiary of a California oil and gas company received the state’s first permits authorising CO2 storage on Tuesday from the EPA, enabling the developer to move forward with construction of its carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project, despite an outstanding legal challenge from environmental groups.

Financial problems at battery maker Northvolt have shaken hopes for Sweden's green industry sector.

As of Jan. 1, companies operating within California must disclose their voluntary carbon market participation and net-zero emissions claims online based on state law.

Experts say sighting of orca in Puget Sound with second deceased calf is ‘devastating’ for ailing population

An apparently grieving killer whale who swam more than 1,000 miles pushing the body of her dead newborn has lost another calf and is again carrying the body, a development researchers say is a “devastating” loss for the ailing population.

The Washington state-based Center for Whale Research said the orca, known as Tahlequah, or J35, was spotted in the Puget Sound area with her deceased calf.

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California agency ARB reported that the state’s hydrogen fuelling network struggles with slow development due to compounding challenges across the supply chain, weighing on market uptake of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).

Citizen scientists are called on to help with tagging monarch butterflies and find out why their numbers are dropping. Myron Zalucki, Professor in Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Flow batteries can feed energy back to the grid for up to 12 hours – much longer than lithium-ion batteries, which only last four to six hours. Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, Professor Emeritus, School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise this year as energy demand growth outstrips clean energy supply growth, analysts said on Thursday.