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The Safeguard Mechanism is a good policy. But if it is going to succeed, it must start with accurate reporting from the coal sector.

The post Coal mine emissions reporting methods remain a major blight on Safeguard success appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exclusive: Ancient oaks ‘as precious as stately homes’ could receive stronger legal safeguards under new proposals

Ancient and culturally important trees in England could be given legal protections under plans set out in a UK government-commissioned report.

Sentencing guidelines would be changed so those who destroy important trees would face tougher criminal penalties. Additionally, a database of such trees would be drawn up and they could be given automatic protections, with the current system of tree preservation orders strengthened to accommodate this.

In 2020, the 300-year-old Hunningham Oak near Leamington was felled to make way for infrastructure projects.

In 2021, the Happy Man tree in Hackney, which the previous year had won the Woodland Trust’s tree of the year contest, was felled to make way for housing development.

In 2022, a 600-year-old oak was felled in Bretton, Peterborough, which reportedly caused structural damage to nearby property.

In 2023, 16 ancient lime trees on The Walks in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, were felled to make way for a dual carriageway.

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South Korea should not rely on carbon credits from international projects to achieve climate goals, as the country is considered highly likely to fail its target of securing millions of Paris-aligned units by 2030, according to a recent report. 

The UK's struggle to protect its ailing steel industry also presents an opportunity to transition the sector towards modern electric arc furnaces supplemented by imported iron, argued a think tank in a new report.

Most parties to the Paris Agreement have officially signalled interest in using Article 6 carbon market mechanisms to meet their national emission reduction targets, new Carbon Pulse analysis of updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) shows.

Corporate efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions are being slowed by a combination of systemic and sector-specific barriers, according to research, which found that nearly half of companies surveyed 38% have seen their value chain's climate impact recently increase.

France has expressed “serious concerns” about the risk of high prices on the EU’s upcoming Emissions Trading System for road transport and heating fuels (ETS2), and put forward detailed proposals to reform the scheme before its planned 2027 kick-off date in order to avoid a public backlash.

Indonesia’s carbon market saw a drop in trading activity in March, with international involvement completely absent and overall volumes falling compared to the previous month, according to data from the IDX Carbon exchange.

Australia’s largest iron ore miner has done much to cut its emissions and engaged in forward facing plans to decrease them more but is still not on a Paris-aligned path and must move away from “unscientific” offset reliance, an activist shareholder group said this week.

The Washington state legislature on Tuesday passed a measure to lower the cap-and-trade scheme’s price ceiling for upcoming years and revise the Allowance Price Containment Reserve (APCR) volumes for the second compliance period.

The UK is likely to escalate nature restoration by mandating the offsetting of nature impacts for all corporates, not just developers, potentially within a few years, the co-founder of a nature ratings company has predicted.

Consecutive and severe bleaching is ‘fundamentally changing’ nature of reef, the International Coral Reef Society says

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The Great Barrier Reef was hit by a sixth widespread coral bleaching event since 2016 this summer – the second time the world’s biggest coral reef has seen the phenomenon strike in back-to-back years – according to government authorities.

Scientists and conservationists reacted with dismay that widespread bleaching – driven by global heating – was becoming normalised, with one saying Australia’s next term of government may be the natural wonder’s last shot at survival.

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Market participants have raised concerns over the way Safeguard Mechanism Credits (SMCs) are being generated, with data released by the Clean Energy Regulator showing they are largely being generated by coal as well as oil and gas facilities.

The Washington state legislature on Tuesday passed a bill to significantly ramp up carbon intensity (CI) reduction targets under the state’s Clean Fuels Programme (WCFS) amid industry calls to increase programme stringency to address an ongoing credit surplus.

Growth in China's thermal power generation continued to decline in March despite an increase in monthly coal output, while renewable energy showed strong growth, according to government data published Wednesday.

As countries submit new national climate plans to the Paris Agreement ahead of a September deadline, Carbon Pulse is keeping track of who’s submitted what, and gauging interest in Article 6 in particular among parties.

Juliette Pavy’s photographs of eco expeditions bring an element of lyrical storytelling to the global impact of invisible pollutants, from the Mediterranean to the Arctic

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Governments that prioritise economic growth consistently implement weaker carbon pricing, according to research published this week that looked at how party ideology influences climate policies.

A community energy project that provides grass-roots finance for utility scale solar, and renters and apartment dwellers to participate in the solar revolution and cut their energy bills.

The post SwitchedOn podcast: How solar gardens can deliver PV benefits to renters appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists call for urban areas to be tested for contaminants and potentially cleaned before wildflowers are planted

Wildflowers could be absorbing toxic metals from soil in urban areas and passing toxins on to pollinators, a study has found.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that common plants including white clover and bindweed, which are vital forage for pollinators in cities, can accumulate arsenic, cadmium, chromium and lead from contaminated soils.

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