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The incoming European Commission should refrain from re-opening existing climate legislation in the next five years, a French Member of the European Parliament told Carbon Pulse in an interview, warning this risks sowing political chaos and uncertainty.

A ‘covalent organic framework’ can be used to capture carbon to store it or convert it for industrial use

An innocuous yellow powder, created in a lab, could be a new way to combat the climate crisis by absorbing carbon from the air.

Just half a pound of the stuff may remove as much carbon dioxide as a tree can, according to early tests. Once the carbon is absorbed by the powder, it can be released into safe storage or be used in industrial processes, like carbonizing drinks.

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Integrity appears to be improving in the voluntary carbon market, according to three sets of project ratings data shared with Carbon Pulse, suggesting that efforts to improve quality on both the supply and demand sides are gradually paying off.

A UK pension fund plans to allocate between £100-150 million to natural capital investments during the current financial year, with a focus on sustainable forestry and agriculture.

EU carbon prices broke below a key technical level on Friday moving towards a further important support, during a second consecutive day of relatively light trading due to the US Thanksgiving holiday, while natural gas declined amid speculation that Russian flows could ramp up in the final month before transshipment contracts end.

Prices in China’s national emissions market remained stable over the past week as trading volume surged, with analysts expecting liquidity to sustain throughout the rest of the year. 

International carbon standard Verra has suspended credit issuance from six afforestation projects in India and China, and placed them on hold following stakeholder comments.

Modular direct air capture (DAC) systems designed to operate in cities and industrial sites could drive down costs and expand the technology's use beyond rural areas, an executive at a US-based DAC company has told Carbon Pulse.

Two state-owned Chinese energy majors are leading a new industry alliance set up to accelerate the development and commercialisation of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) in the country.

The row over electric vehicles is just the start. The change to a green economy was always going to be politically explosive

Have cake, will eat. For years it has been the default political response to awkward questions about the climate crisis, with successive governments insisting that going green would create jobs, not destroy them, and that the planet could be saved without stifling growth or demanding uncomfortable sacrifices. Keir Starmer promised only this month not to “tell people how to live their lives”, suggesting the road to net zero would not be quite as painful as some think. And then, this week, he hit a pothole.

The carmaker Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, announced it was closing its van factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk; its rival Ford is axing 800 jobs. In Sunderland, Nissan has warned of an industry at “crisis point”.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist

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

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Satellite data analysis suggests climate-induced algal blooms could be behind hundreds of deaths in Botswana that sparked flurry of theories in 2020

More than 350 elephants that died in mysterious circumstances probably drank toxic water, according to a new paper that warns of an “alarming trend” in climate-induced poisoning.

The deaths in Botswana’s Okavango delta were described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”. Elephants of all ages were seen walking in circles before collapsing and dying. Carcasses were first spotted in north-eastern Botswana in May and June 2020, with many theories circulating about the cause of death, including cyanide poisoning or an unknown disease.

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Early deaths from air pollution in US could be reduced by between 4,000 and 15,000 a year by 2035, study shows

The burning of fossil fuels that harms our climate also produces air pollution that damages ecosystems and harms our health. But we fail to tally up the benefits of reduced air pollution in our climate policies, and overlook opportunities to tackle these problems together.

A reminder of this failure is illustrated in a new study which has found that reduced air pollution from net zero policies in the US could result in a health gain of between $65bn (£51bn) and $128bn in 2035 alone.

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Pressure is mounting on a group of self-proclaimed high-ambition countries to trigger a two-thirds majority vote on the plastic treaty under negotiation in Busan, South Korea, to outflank opposition from nations allegedly seeking to derail a strong agreement.

Lord Howe Island is thriving, and so are the raucous local woodhens

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‘Trees of hope’ will be planted across the UK, including at a prison and a children’s hospital, in National Trust scheme

Saplings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted across the UK, including next to one of London’s most famous roads, at a rural category C prison and at a motor neurone disease centre opening in the name of the late rugby league star Rob Burrow.

The National Trust on Friday announced the recipients of 49 saplings it has called “trees of hope”.

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Energy expert Gabrielle Kuiper on getting the best out of distributed energy resources in the new market design and as coal exits the grid. Plus, news of the week.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: Getting the best out of the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australian households could lower their bills by over two thirds if they fully electrify their home by cutting out gas and petrol according to a new report from AEMC.

The post Australian homes could slash energy bills by two thirds by cutting out gas and petrol, AEMC says appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California Carbon Allowances (CCA) recovered from a weak Q4 auction earlier this week, while Washington Carbon Allowances (WCA) receded ahead of the upcoming permit sale next week.

Blackout featured prominently in media headlines this week, but not on the grid. But as the coal fleet gets older, there are smarter ways of responding to demand spikes.

The post In the end, the only blackouts were in the media headlines: But there has to be a better way to do this appeared first on RenewEconomy.