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Gathering aimed at keeping global heating close to 1.5C will be most significant since Paris

The UK is to host a critical global summit on the climate crisis at the end of 2020, at which the world’s 190 nations must commit to deep cuts in emissions.

It will be the most significant UN climate summit since the Paris deal was struck in 2015, when countries made pledges to curb emissions. But these pledges would only keep global heating to a 3C rise, which would bring devastating heatwaves and extreme weather.

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At least four more countries have announced their support for an EU net zero 2050 emissions target, bringing the bloc closer to agreement on an initiative that could lead to a more ambitious ETS cap next decade.

EU carbon prices inched up on Tuesday after a strong auction lifted sentiment, but prices remained rangebound near €25.

Loss of wildlife | Maternity leave for MPs | Women’s World Cup | Splitting infinitives | Entertainment

Please could Theresa May, now freed of Brexit, include an urgent response to the rapid loss of wildlife (A new language needed for the climate crisis, 17 June) to her action list before she leaves? The Knepp estate wilding project (Report, 21 May) has seen a fast and encouraging reversal of loss of wildlife.
Elaine Steane
Oxford

• I am sitting in my garden enjoying the evening sunshine, a rare occasion this summer, when I realise something is wrong. No birds in the sky. No swallows. No housemartins. No swifts. Where are they? This is quite scary. We are in the middle of June; the skies should be full of birds on the wing. Is this global warming, overhunting or pesticides killing off their food supply? Whatever the reason, I hope it is a temporary glitch and that next year will see their return.
Tina Baker
Chudleigh Knighton, Devon

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A climate scientist has captured the reality of sea ice loss in Greenland in a viral picture.

• Ice blocks frozen solid for thousands of years destabilized
• ‘The climate is now warmer than at any time in last 5,000 years’

Permafrost at outposts in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than predicted, an expedition has discovered, in the latest sign that the global climate crisis is accelerating even faster than scientists had feared.

A team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks said they were astounded by how quickly a succession of unusually hot summers had destabilised the upper layers of giant subterranean ice blocks that had been frozen solid for millennia.

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Police and guards at North Mara have been accused of killing dozens – possibly hundreds – of locals

When safari tourists drive to the Serengeti national park in Tanzania, few realise they are passing one of the world’s most contentious goldmines.

From the escarpment above the plain, the North Mara facility is so large that it at first resembles a bare hillside. But look closer and the artificial mound is made up of tiers of reddish brown earth, from which a thin grey plume of smoke drifts up to the sky.

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Apple says it is ‘deeply committed to responsible sourcing of materials’

Electronics companies, including Canon, Apple and Nokia, are re-evaluating their supply chains following reports they may be using gold extracted from a Tanzanian mine that has been criticised for environmental failures.

Over the past 10 years, at the North Mara goldmine – which is operated by London-listed Acacia Mining – there have been more than a dozen killings of intruding locals by security personnel.

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Jabir Idrissa is living hand-to-mouth after a crackdown on the media in Tanzania

Two years ago, Jabir Idrissa was one of Tanzania’s leading investigative journalists, breaking stories on alleged corruption, the environment and human rights abuses for two of the most respected publications in Dar es Salaam.

Today, he is out of work, his former employer cannot print, and he is struggling to provide for his family.

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The British and Italian governments have agreed to partner on a proposal to co-host the 2020 UN climate talks, clearing the way for the UK to host the main summit, known as COP26.

Brussels urged member states on Tuesday to declare the extent of their planned EUA cancellations and to up their use of non-ETS trading amid a collective shortfall to the bloc's 2030 climate goals.

Scientists found the new species during a survey of a marine protected area off Scotland.

As part of the Corporate Risks and Opportunities team within the Consultancy & Services Unit, you will focus on the delivery of high quality consultancy advice on climate change mitigation solutions to the corporate sector (in particular GHG accounting) mainly for Australian clients, and be responsible for the management of small project teams.

Bloomberg NEF says people-powered revolution in rooftop solar and battery storage, along with cheap wind and solar farms, will drive coal out of Australia's grid.

The post Cheap wind and solar, and “people-powered” revolution to kick out coal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For our office in Hamburg we are looking for a (Senior) Emissions Market Analyst (m/f/d) in the Trading Analysis department.

Study finds most sensitive plant and wildlife habitats are worst affected, yet government has no clear plans to monitor impact

Ammonia and nitrogen pollution, mostly from farms, is harming more than 60% of the UK’s land area and hitting the most sensitive habitats for plants and wildlife hardest, a government report has found, despite there being no clear plans to monitor or reduce its impact.

More than 85% of England’s total land area receives ammonia concentrations above the critical level set to protect lichens, mosses, liverworts and similar plants – keystone species that are vital to ecosystems – while Northern Ireland is even worse, at 88%. Just over half the land in Wales is affected, and less than a fifth of Scotland.

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The intrepid submarine has made its first significant discovery, say UK scientists.

Japanese utility Tokyo Gas has bought a batch of carbon credits alongside an LNG shipment from a unit of energy major Shell to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from the LNG’s full lifecycle.

Report says plan lacks key details about how UK will cut emissions over next 12 years

A British government climate action plan is “unclear” and lacks key details about how the UK will reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 12 years, the European commission has said.

In a report on UK climate policy, the commission said British targets exceeded EU requirements, but warned that key details were missing from the plan, such as boosting renewable energy and cutting subsidies for fossil fuels.

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Australia could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in 2050 and be carbon negative a decade later, all while profiting from efforts including collecting revenue from selling several hundred million carbon credits from land-based projects, a report has found.