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As wildfires, floods, droughts and record-breaking temperatures have shown, the post-climate change era has arrived. Now we need honesty and action from our leaders

Not yet a quarter of the way into this century and global average temperatures are already 1.75C above the preindustrial average. January 2025 was the hottest on record and has also set a record for the highest yearly minimum global surface temperature, and likely the highest minimum in the past 120,000 years. It is part of a clear pattern. Last year’s global average was 1.6C above the preindustrial – a sobering reality check, given that, only three months ago at the UN Cop29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, leaders were still declaring that limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C was within reach.

We are firmly in the post-climate change world now, and the serious implications of this demand honest acknowledgment. The reality is that we are living now in a time of continual disasters that are unfolding alongside our slower, planetary scale disaster. In this riskier time, we need to prepare.

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A Swiss-based registry is launching a public consultation for a new voluntary carbon market certification system aimed at integrating biomass-derived carbon sinks into the construction sector.

The Supervisory Body for the Article 6.4 mechanism (SBM) agreed to launch an interim registry to help speed along the operationalising of the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) at its first meeting of the year, also making the first approvals as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) transition process.

Trend towards more extreme-weather events will continue to hit crop yields and create price spikes, Inverto says

Extreme weather events are expected to lead to volatile food prices throughout 2025, supply chain analysts have said, after cocoa and coffee prices more than doubled over the past year.

In an apparent confirmation of warnings that climate breakdown could lead to food shortages, research by the consultancy Inverto found steep rises in the prices of a number of food commodities in the year to January that correlated with unexpected weather.

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Adrián Simancas encountered a humpback off Chile’s coast – but scientists say he was never at risk of being swallowed

Adrián Simancas had been paddling for two hours in the calm but icy seas of the Strait of Magellan, off the coast of Chilean Patagonia, when something massive emerged from the water and dragged him under.

“I saw dark blue and white colours before feeling a slimy texture brush against my face,” the 24-year-old told the Guardian. “I closed my eyes to brace for impact, but it was soft, like being hit by a wave.”

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Wildlife charity backs policy of exploitation of small number of some endangered species for economic purposes – such as trophy hunting

The wildlife charity WWF has been working to support the trade in polar bear fur at the same time as using images of the bears to raise money, it can be revealed.

Polar bears are severely affected by the loss of Arctic sea ice, which makes seeking prey harder and forces the bears to use more energy. In some regions, polar bears are showing signs of declining physical condition, having fewer cubs, and dying younger.

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Investors continued to build net length in California Carbon Allowance (CCA) as futures prices reversed mid-week ahead of the first quarterly permit sale, while traders reduced RGGI exposure amidst US-Canada tariff uncertainty, latest figures from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) showed Friday.

The world's frozen oceans keep the planet cool, but they currently have less ice than ever recorded before.

The world's frozen oceans keep the planet cool, but they currently have less ice than ever recorded before.

Two Washington state representatives introduced a bill on Friday proposing changes to the state’s cap-and-invest programme to facilitate linkage with other jurisdictions.

US senators proposed a bill that would fulfill President Donald Trump's mandate for energy independence, allowing gasoline that is blended with 15% ethanol to be sold year-round.

An industry group of 20 carbon project developers and non-profits involved in nature-based solutions (NBS) have called upon the Brazilian government to include private sector voices and several other considerations when converting the country’s new ETS law into regulation.

More than $3 billion in Pennsylvania's emissions reductions efforts, such as mine reclamation and oil well plugging projects, are under threat as the new administration under President Donald Trump continues withholding money following its federal funding freeze announced last month, according to a lawsuit the state filed Thursday.

Voluntary carbon market (VCM) standard Climate Action Reserve (CAR) announced Friday the selection of its next president - a market veteran currently serving as senior leadership at competitor Verra.

The number of carbon projects signalling their interest in participating in the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) has grown by 30% over the past month, a new update to the Carbon Pulse Article 6 Portal shows.

Conservation group the WWF has called on policymakers to establish clear criteria for the development of carbon removals (CDR) in Europe, including separate targets to ensure technologies can scale up, accompanied by strict safeguards to prevent deterrence from emission reductions.

The owners of the world’s largest soil carbon project could still receive carbon credits, despite its future hanging in the balance, with no action yet taken by standard-setter Verra to prevent issuance.

The former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, with the help of the British naturalist Martyn Stewart, has produced Wild Concerto, a ‘collaboration between nature and music’. The album fuses sounds of nature, such as the call of Arctic terns and the howling of wolves, with traditional instruments. Stewart hailed the environmental theme of the work, explaining that most of the species represented were endangered

• ‘The synergy is amazing’: Stewart Copeland album fuses nature and music

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Statewide budget cuts in California raised concerns about the state’s ability to fulfill its environmental justice obligations at a joining meeting between regulator ARB and its advisory body on Thursday.

The flourishing of Article 6 trade may be hampered by countries failing to submit new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) climate targets on time, according to a carbon credit rating agency.