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Diminutive bird breeds in Alaska and Arctic Canada and sightings in Britain are rare enough to attract a crowd

If you’d asked me which rare bird I might see in Somerset in early January, the least sandpiper would have been very low on my list. Yet on a fine, bright, chilly morning here it was: running along the edge of the water like a clockwork toy, probing the mud for food with its stubby bill.

This species is well-named. It is the world’s smallest wading bird, just 13-15cm long and weighing less than 30 grams – about the same as a house sparrow. Even its scientific name, minutilla, is Latin for “very small”. Standing next to a dunlin and a teal, it made them look enormous.

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Steve Reed to announce focus on making farming ‘more profitable and sustainable’ at Oxford Farming Conference

The government is aiming to reset its relationship with farmers with what it describes as a “new deal” for the industry.

Farmers have protested in their tens of thousands after controversial changes were made to agricultural inheritance tax and the EU-derived subsidy scheme.

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The US Department of Treasury (DOT) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released on Tuesday final federal guidance on eligibility for income tax credits in the investment and production of clean electricity, days before the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.

The Alberta Technology Innovation and Emission Reduction (TIER) programme’s spot price continued to fall during the last month of 2024, while supply kept on an upward trajectory, according to a report published Monday.

Countries without net-zero targets could play a pivotal role in limiting climate change through the adoption of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), according to a new study.

The new House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chair introduced a bill on Friday targeting changes to the Clean Air Act (CAA) that could reduce permitting barriers for industrial operations.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday announced the appointment of over 30 members to an advisory council for a newly established federal programme that helps rural stakeholders participate in the voluntary carbon market (VCM).

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation from Canada's top seat could have little impact on the country’s carbon markets, or the broader clean fuels market, according to a new report by a US-based analytics group.  

Active worker bumblebees were spotted in Scotland over the Christmas break.

A reforestation project in Burkina Faso has become the first that is pending registration on the Verra registry to achieve validation under the VM0047 afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) methodology, approved for the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label.

Efforts to finance conservation in Africa through carbon offset revenues may prioritise fire management regimes to the detriment of biodiversity and local livelihoods, a new study warns.

The World Bank has disbursed funds through the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) to Chile for 1.03 million tonnes of CO2 reduced via a REDD+ programme, at a price of $5 per tonne.

Revenues from emissions trading in Germany amounted to a record €18.5 billion in 2024, driven by the country's domestic scheme, according to government data, but the latest figures also reveal a lack of momentum in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings and transport fuel sectors.

A California fossil fuel producer announced Monday that it will be moving forward with constructing the state’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in a depleted oil and gas field, despite an unresolved legal challenge from environmental groups aiming to block the initiative.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) ended up falling just short of the annual credit retirement volume record in 2024, while a surge in issuances pushed the market’s surplus to new heights.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has announced the appointment of a new CEO, who currently serves as partner at a 'big four' global consulting firm, and was the founding head of an influential climate advisory group to the UK government.

Voluntary carbon credits with a letter of authorisation (LoA) for international transfer under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement are commanding an 80% premium, according to analysts.

Gabon will require air and maritime transport operators to pay a new ecological contribution tied to their carbon emissions, following the adoption of a decree by the Central African country’s government on Sunday.

The net carbon removal potential of biochar production varies widely depending on operational practices such as energy efficiency and co-product management, according to a recent analysis by US-based researchers.

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) such as mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass meadows sequester far less carbon than previously claimed, with rates exaggerated by three to 18 times depending on the ecosystem, according to research released this week.