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Sea urchin in Sicily at risk of extinction due to popularity as culinary delicacy
Three-year pause in fishing is the only way to prevent disappearance, researchers say
It is one of Sicily’s most popular dishes: spaghetti ai ricci di mare, or sea urchin spaghetti. Prepared with a simple base of oil and garlic, plates of the stuff are demolished every summer, particularly by the hundreds of thousands of tourists who descend on the island every year.
But sea urchins’ status as a culinary delicacy is leading to their gradual disappearance from local waters, and last week researchers said the Sicilian sea urchin, which resides on the sea floor and feeds primarily on algae, could soon become extinct if urgent conservation policies were not implemented.
Continue reading...Cop28 host UAE planned to promote oil deals during climate talks
Leaked briefing documents for meetings with governments contained ‘asks’ from state oil firm
The host of the UN Cop28 summit, the United Arab Emirates, planned to use climate meetings with other countries to promote deals for its national oil and gas companies, according to leaked documents.
Cop28 begins on Thursday and will be run by Sultan Al Jaber, who is the chief executive of the national oil company Adnoc as well as the UAE’s climate envoy. This dual role has been criticised as a conflict of interest, and climate summit veterans said the new revelations undermined trust in Al Jaber’s presidency of Cop28, potentially threatening a successful outcome.
Continue reading...A nautilus: a mass extinction event survivor in a spiral shell which reflects galaxies | Helen Sullivan
How does a species survive hundreds of millions of years unfazed? You must live in a shell – and it must grow with you, chamber by chamber
Where to start with the nautilus: at the centre of the spiral or its culmination? It is a cephalopod in a shell, a spiral no wider than the length of a ruler, ending in 70 tentacle-like wavy bits. Its eye works slowly, like a pinhole camera. It swims like a bellows. It can live for two decades, and its eggs take a year to hatch. The tentacle-like bits are called cirri, and they are very good at touch and smell.
One scientist describes it like this: “Right now everything’s in bloom, and, you know, you can smell the azaleas. But can you imagine if you could also say, ‘That azalea bush has 3,002 blossoms on it’.” (Their favourite things to touch and smell are not flowers but anything rotting).
Continue reading...Verra unveils new REDD methodology that aims to increase collaboration with national governments
Euro Markets: Midday Update
Groups call on Australia to set up A$5-bln fund to buy and protect biodiversity-rich land
France to spend €1 bln in 2024 on biodiversity as part of new strategy
US oil and gas production set to break record in 2023 despite UN climate goals
United States projected to extract 12.9m barrels of crude oil as countries at Cop28 to push for agreed fossil fuels ‘phaseout’
The United States is poised to extract more oil and gas than ever before in 2023, a year that is certain to be the hottest ever recorded, providing a daunting backdrop to crucial United Nations climate talks that hold the hope of an agreement to end the era of fossil fuels.
The US’s status as the world’s leading oil and gas behemoth has only strengthened this year, even amid warnings from Joe Biden himself over the unfolding climate crisis, with the latest federal government forecast showing a record 12.9m barrels of crude oil, more than double what was produced a decade ago, will be extracted in 2023.
Continue reading...Japan exchange introduces market makers for domestic carbon market
Does the way we talk about the climate crisis numb people with fear, rather than energising them? | Roger Harrabin
Phrases such as ‘green economy’ turn voters off, it seems – and Labour has already reframed its language
- Roger Harrabin is a former BBC climate correspondent
As Cop28 approaches, the Swiss solar aviator and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard says he will be given a platform at the conference to argue that we need to rethink the words we use to discuss climate change. He says many climate terms can numb people with fear instead of inspiring them into action, and proposes new language that will reframe our situation as an opportunity, rather than a crisis.
Take the key phrase “green economy”: Piccard says this motivates environmentalists but repels those who discern an assault on their lifestyle or a rise in their bills. Why not, he says, rechristen it the “clean economy”, because no one likes “dirty”. Likewise “clean energy” instead of “green energy”. He has come up with an entire list of terms in common use that he believes need a rebrand.
Roger Harrabin is a fellow at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and a former BBC correspondent
Continue reading...Australian investment manager to spend $20 billion on UK clean energy projects
Investment manager owned by Australian super funds says it will spend $20 billion in the UK by 2027 on renewables and renewable infrastructure.
The post Australian investment manager to spend $20 billion on UK clean energy projects appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Policy inconsistency poses challenge for China’s forest carbon market, Greenpeace warns
Environmental photographer of the year 2023 – in pictures
A termite-snatching drongo, cows wading through flood water and a coral glowing like a Christmas tree are among this year’s winners. From CIWEM and WaterBear, and presented by Nikon in association with MPB and supported by Arup, the 16th year of the contest showcases global environmental photography to inspire change and climate action. The six winners primarily come from climate-vulnerable countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Argentina
Continue reading...Australia Market Roundup: Govt launches FullCAM consultation, issuance climbs
Scampi scam? UK retailers accused of misleading claims on environmental impact
Five-year project to reduce environmental impact of industry has ‘all but failed’, report finds
British retailers and seafood companies have been accused of making misleading claims over “responsibly sourced” scampi or langoustines, according to campaigners, who say a five-year project to reduce the environmental impact of the £68m industry appears to be failing.
The companies, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Young’s and Whitby Seafoods – the last of which is currently the largest supplier of breaded scampi to UK pubs, restaurants and fish and chip shops – are all part of a fishery improvement project (FIP) aimed at making the UK langoustine industry more sustainable.
Continue reading...COP28: UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals
Newcastle Port protest: reverend Alan Stuart, 97, among 109 arrested in climate blockade – video
Police arrested 109 climate protesters taking part in a blockade at Newcastle port on Sunday, including Alan Stuart, a 97-year-old Uniting Church reverend. NSW police say protesters continued blocking the port beyond the 30-hour agreed deadline
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Continue reading...Case for gas as transition fuel falling apart on both economic and environmental costs
Australia's biggest gas projects have cost shareholders $US19bn and the methane emissions are on par with coal, studies show.
The post Case for gas as transition fuel falling apart on both economic and environmental costs appeared first on RenewEconomy.
“A calamity:” Bob Brown angry after Robbins Island wind farm shut down order overturned
A requirement for the proposed Robbins Island wind farm project to shut down for five months a year to protect critically endangered parrots has been overturned.
The post “A calamity:” Bob Brown angry after Robbins Island wind farm shut down order overturned appeared first on RenewEconomy.