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First there was Colossus, then Hercules … now, Thor. A funnel-web spider recently captured in Sydney is the biggest male ever recorded. Measuring 9.2cm foot-to-foot, he has been confirmed to be a new species. Nicknamed 'Hemsworth', after the actor, he now lives at the Australian Reptile Park

• Record-breaking Sydney funnel-web spider dubbed ‘Hemsworth’ to be milked for venom

• Biggest male funnel-web spider dubbed ‘Hercules’ found north of Sydney

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A group of North Dakota landowners are appealing approval of a multi-state CCS project in the US, adding to a long list of challenges the company has navigated. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) 2025 State of the State report released Tuesday shed little light on when officials are expected to release full draft rules on the highly anticipated cap-and-invest programme that was expected to arrive last year.

When Australia faced a housing crisis 80 years ago, the government was urged to promote the building of more climate-responsive homes. So why are so many homes today still not made for our climate? Julie Collins, Research Fellow and Curator, Architecture Museum, University of South Australia Lyrian Daniel, Associate Professor in Architecture, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Efforts by the plastics industry to thwart regulation come from a familiar playbook

As the public wake up to the risk of “forever chemicals”, or PFAS, the industry is fighting back with a campaign researchers have compared with big tobacco’s battle against restrictions on smoking. New findings about its intense lobbying efforts are highly concerning and require a response from the environment secretary, Steve Reed. A recent consultation by the European Chemicals Agency, regarding proposals for comprehensive regulation of the substances, which take an enormous length of time to degrade, was inundated with responses from business.

Varieties of these chemicals have been used in manufacturing and consumer goods since the 1950s. They protect equipment, remove grease and smooth skin – hence their appearance in kitchenware and cosmetics. But they can also leak into soil and water, and accumulate inside human tissues. Some have been linked to health problems including cancer and high cholesterol.

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An update to California’s cap-and-trade programme has been further delayed as the regulator grapples with wildfire issues and challenges to other climate policies, a state official told conference participants Tuesday.

Meeting the EU’s new mandate for sustainable aviation fuels could cut the bloc’s net CO2 emissions by nearly half in 2050 — although the sector will still have to rely on carbon offsets to reach net zero, an EU aviation agency said in a report on Tuesday.

The European Commission published a regulation this week aimed at improving national verification of CO2 emissions from lorries, buses, and coaches, it announced on Tuesday.

RGGI states will offer 3.5% fewer permits at their Q1 sale compared to the prior quarter, along with a Cost Containment Reserve (CCR) restoked for 2025, according to a Tuesday announcement.

Talk of 2025 being a sink or swim year for the voluntary carbon market is unwarranted, and the fast reforming REDD forestry sector will play a dominant role in carbon mitigation over the next few years, a panel of experts said on Tuesday.

Alex Margo Arden says ‘symbolic damage’ helped force public conversation about climate crisis

Protesters who targeted paintings to raise awareness of the climate crisis were using an “effective” tactic also used by the Suffragettes, according to an artist whose new show focuses on recent attacks on high-profile artworks.

Alex Margo Arden, whose debut exhibition, Safety Curtain, opens this week at Auto Italia in east London, said the “symbolic damage” caused to the images, which were protected by glass, helped force a public conversation about the climate crisis.

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A US programme for improved forest management carbon projects has launched a platform through which carbon credit buyers can access data on carbon credits that will be offered during its first upcoming carbon auction.

Renewable energy capacity in Europe is expected to more than triple by 2050, but this won't be enough to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, a new report warned on Tuesday.

Generative artificial intelligence is contributing to rising corporate carbon emissions, with nearly half of global executives saying the technology has increased their organisation’s footprint, according to a study released on Tuesday.

Environmental Protection Agency officials warn of toxic PFAS found in sewage often spread on pasture

Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable, federal officials announced on Tuesday.

When cities and towns treat sewage, they separate the liquids from the solids and treat the liquid. The solids need to be disposed of and can make a nutrient-rich sludge often spread on farm fields. The agency now says those solids often contain toxic, lasting PFAS that treatment plants cannot effectively remove. When people eat or drink foods containing these “forever” chemicals, the compounds accumulate in the body and can cause kidney, prostate and testicular cancer. They harm the immune system and childhood development.

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A draft update of the Registry Regulation governing the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) does not contain any new legal provisions when it comes to registration fees, despite suggestions to the contrary, EU sources told Carbon Pulse.

Less than 10% of green hydrogen production projects announced in 2023 eventually materialised, as high costs and limited demand hinder industrial adoption, according to a new peer-reviewed study released on Tuesday.

The emerging biodiversity credit market is affected by outsized supply, with available credits far outstripping demand, risking fatal consequences, according to analysts.

The EU should take steps to establish a compliance market for nature credits, as emerging national schemes risk falling short of mobilising enough finance for conservation and restoration efforts, an influential think tank has told Carbon Pulse.

Exclusive: Natural England furious that years of work has been undone, with minister urged to push policy through

Downing Street has blocked plans to release wild beavers in England because officials view it as a “Tory legacy”, the Guardian can reveal.

Natural England, the government’s nature watchdog, has drawn up a plan for reintroductions of the rodent, which until about 20 years ago had been extinct in Britain for 400 years, having been hunted for their fur, meat and scent oil. Beavers create useful habitats for wildlife and reduce flooding by breaking up waterways, slowing water flow, and creating still pools.

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