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‘Forever chemicals’ at Dutch resorts comparable to high concentrations detected along Belgian coast, study finds

The Dutch government has warned people to stop children and pets swallowing foam at the seaside, after a study showed “forever chemicals” were concentrated in the spume.

After research into foam at the Belgian seaside showing a concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – used widely for their waterproofing qualities but difficult to destroy – the Dutch public health institute RIVM measured the coast in Zeeland, north and south Holland in April and August.

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A final negotiating text on the first ever Global Stocktake (GST) of the Paris Agreement was published on Wednesday at COP28, urging a "transition away from fossil fuels in an equitable manner" but crucially avoiding the stronger 'phaseout' language seen in earlier versions, though many see the outcome as marking a step in the right direction and "moving the needle" in the fight against climate change.

Supporters say carbon credits can fund solutions, but others say they allow companies to avoid reducing emissions

Government officials, conservation organisations and industry groups have sought to revive confidence in the unregulated voluntary carbon market at Cop28 amid concerns it does little to mitigate the climate crisis or the destruction of nature.

Supporters of carbon markets say that through buying high-quality credits, countries and companies can transfer some of the billions of dollars required to fund nature-based solutions, support Indigenous communities, phase out coal power, and pay for new renewables in developing countries. Initiatives are under way to certify successful carbon projects and curb greenwashing claims from companies that buy credits, although there is disagreement about the appropriate role of offsets in a company’s sustainability efforts.

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The organisers of the Dubai summit have been working on a new version of the global stocktake after the first draft met with strong criticism

Ed King, a veteran watcher of climate diplomacy, has listed the following key takeaways on the new text:

In terms of signalling the end of the fossil fuel era it’s an improvement on the last GST text but the bar was so low it could hardly be worse.

There are clear signals that countries agree fossil fuels need to be replaced by clean energy with 2050 as the target year for global net zero.

References to transition fuels being essential could have been written by a major gas producer. The science is clear: gas is a methane heavy fossil fuel, not a transition fuel.

There is support for tripling clean energy by 2030 and doubling energy efficiency as well as recognition that the costs of renewables are falling fast

There is repetition of Cop26 language on coal and emphasis that the new set of national climate pledges should be delivered from late 2024

There is very little on finance and – frankly – worrying language on the role of carbon offsets: many poor countries will see this as a text that throws them under the bus

Critically, given 2024 will be a very hard year, a “Road map to mission 1.5C” will be launched to enhance international cooperation on the way to Cop30 in Brazil. The UN is banking on Lula to lead.

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Latest COP28 text squibs on phase out of fossil fuels, mentioning only "unabated" coal but falling short on gas and oil as the petrol-states hold court.

The post Cop28 squibs on fossil fuel phase out, but calls for quick transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Latest draft does not include a commitment to phase out or phase down fossil fuels, as many countries, civil society groups and scientists have urged

• See all our coverage of Cop28

A new draft climate agreement released at the Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates has for the first time explicitly called on nations to transition away from fossil fuels to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

But the latest proposed text, released by the Cop president, Sultan Al Jaber, early on Wednesday, did not include an explicit commitment to phase out or phase down fossil fuels, as many countries, civil society groups and scientists have urged.

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2023 has been the year of battery storage, with record construction starts, but wind and solar approvals have hit an eight year low, putting the renewable energy target at risk.

The post The year of big battery storage, but wind and solar approvals at eight year low in 2023 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Herbicides and pesticides wash downriver from farms and towns – and some of these chemicals are taken up by oysters. Kirsten Benkendorff, Professor, Southern Cross University Amanda Reichelt-Brushett, Professor Environmental and Marine Science, Southern Cross University Endang Jamal, Senior lecturer in aquaculture, Pattimura University and doctoral student, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Connorville solar project, hosted on one of Tasmania's most famous farms, has been designed with sheep grazing as a key requirement.

The post Tasmania’s first solar farm to host 2000 sheep as agrisolar takes off appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Pano AI cameras are already being used for bushfire monitoring and renewables is a new market it wants to expand into.

The post Contentious Delburn wind project pilots AI bushfire detection technology appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Battery storage is gaining a growing share of the peak demand market, edging out traditional gas generators, as market rule maker lifts market price cap to ensure more is built.

The post Battery storage grabs growing share of peak supply in world’s most renewable grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Too much stormwater is disappearing down the drain. Here’s how our cities can make more of their last untapped water source. Buddhi Wijesiri, Research Associate in Water and Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Researchers from more than a dozen US institutions have completed a first-of-its-kind assessment of national carbon dioxide removal (CDR) opportunities required to achieve a net zero economy by 2050.

One of the year's most reliable meteor showers peaks on Thursday and Friday.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has begun solicitation of proposals from public and private entities for nature-based carbon sequestration initiatives, the agency announced Tuesday.

Seven out of 10 farmers interviewed had already invested in emissions reduction efforts, by installing solar panels and batteries, electrifying farm equipment or planting trees.

The post Farmers says climate change is biggest threat, renewables the best solution appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A form of carbon credit centered around funding the green energy transition in emerging economies took on newfound importance at COP28 in Dubai with the launch of multiple initiatives on the sidelines of the climate conference.

Country negotiators have failed to adopt two key texts on carbon crediting methodologies and international trade on the final scheduled day of COP28, throwing the future of markets as a climate solution under the Paris Agreement into turmoil.

A climate technology firm backed by a US billionaire investor announced Tuesday the signing of an agreement to preserve hundreds of thousands of hectares of an African nation’s vast rainforests and peatlands in exchange for conservation credits.