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As the waters rise, a two-year sentence for throwing soup. That’s the farcical reality of British justice | George Monbiot

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-10-02 01:31

Why do the mass killers of the fossil fuel industry walk free while the heroes trying to stop them are imprisoned?

The sentences were handed down just as Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina. As homes were smashed, trucks swept down roads that had turned into rivers and residents were killed, in the placid setting of Southwark crown court two young women from Just Stop Oil, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, were sentenced to two years and 20 months, respectively, for throwing tomato soup at the glass protecting Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. No prison terms have been handed to the people whose companies deliver climate breakdown, causing the deaths of many thousands and destruction valued not at the £10,000 estimated by the court in damage to the painting’s frame but trillions.

Everywhere we see a farcical disproportion. The same judge, Christopher Hehir, presided over the trial of the two sons of one of the richest men in Britain, George and Costas Panayiotou. On a night out, they viciously beat up two off-duty police officers, apparently for the hell of it. One of the officers required major surgery, including the insertion of titanium plates in his cheek and eye socket. One of the brothers, Costas, already had three similar assault convictions. But Hehir gave them both suspended sentences. He also decided that a police officer who had sex in his car with a drunk woman he had “offered to take home” should receive only a suspended sentence. Hehir said he wanted “to bring this sad and sorry tale to its end with a final act of mercy”. The solicitor general referred the case to the court of appeal for being unduly lenient, and the sentence was raised to 11 months in jail.

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Alpine dingoes at risk of extinction after Victorian government extends right to cull

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-10-02 01:00

At least 468 shot by government controllers last year out of an estimated population of as few as 2,640 in the state’s east, advocates say

Traditional owners and dingo advocates say a Victorian government decision extending the right to kill dingoes on private and public land until 2028 could threaten local populations with extinction.

A government order, which took effect on Tuesday, declared dingoes were “unprotected wildlife” under the state’s Wildlife Act. The ruling means dingoes can be killed by trapping, poisoning or shooting across large parts of eastern Victoria, despite being listed as threatened under the state’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

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One in three Australians throwing unwanted clothes in rubbish, survey finds

The Guardian - Wed, 2024-10-02 01:00

RMIT-lead study recommends a national recycling scheme to reduce the 200,000 tonnes of textiles sent to landfill each year

Most Australians are confused about what to do with their unwanted clothes, leading about a third to throw their closet clutter in the rubbish, according to the first national survey of clothing use and disposal habits.

The RMIT-led survey of 3,080 Australians found 84% of people owned garments they hadn’tworn in the past year, including a third who hadn’t touched more than half of their wardrobe.

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Cookstove project developer to expand across Africa after securing $5-mln investment

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-10-02 00:48
A cookstove project developer is set to expand operations  from Kenya across ten countries in Africa after securing $5 million of investment.  
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BRIEFING: Brazil looks to ammonia, tech opportunities as carbon pricing goes global

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-10-02 00:27
Brazil’s renewable energy-based grid stands ready to ratchet up economic growth in a world entering the age of carbon border tariffs and a tech scramble for low-carbon electricity.
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Dutch company plans to develop first nature credits in mid-2025 under Verra’s framework

Carbon Pulse - Wed, 2024-10-02 00:01
A Netherlands-headquartered environmental company plans to develop its first nature credits under Verra’s Nature Framework in mid-2025 as part of a restoration project in Portugal, Carbon Pulse has learned.
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Energy firm unveils plans for UK’s first utility-scale green hydrogen project

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 23:53
A UK energy company has submitted plans for the country’s first utility-scale green hydrogen project to be built in Aberdeenshire.
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BRIEFING: Carmakers look at carbon removal credits while awaiting clarity on Scope 3 emissions

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 23:04
An automotive company is encouraging its suppliers to buy removal credits that meet a defined set of criteria, as it awaits further clarity from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on whether carbon removals will be allowed to meet Scope 3 emissions.
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Brussels considers extending CBAM downstream to crack down on carbon leakage

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 22:51
The European Commission is looking into extending its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to imports of goods further down the value chain, in a bid to keep downstream manufacturing and processing from leaving the EU.
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Australia picks first methodology under Nature Repair Market scheme, opens consultations

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 22:09
The Australian government on Tuesday launched two one-month consultations on the biodiversity assessment instruments and methodology determinations of its Nature Repair Market (NRM) scheme, including eligible lands, activities, and monitoring guidelines.
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CDC Biodiversite flags biodiversity metric “misconceptions”

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 22:02
Aggregated ecosystem condition metrics remain relevant for measuring the impacts of nature funds despite misunderstandings about their application, French data provider CDC Biodiversite said in a paper on Monday.
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Stretchy dairy cheese now possible without cows, company says

The Guardian - Tue, 2024-10-01 21:36

Existing plant-based cheeses often fail to deliver the textures that dairy lovers prize

Stretchy dairy cheese could now be made without any cows, after the development of yeast strains that produce the crucial milk proteins.

The key to the development, by Israeli company DairyX, is producing casein proteins that are able to self-assemble into the tiny balls that give regular cheese and yoghurt their stretchiness and creaminess. Existing plant-based cheeses often fail to deliver the textures that dairy lovers prize, and the company believes it is the first to report this breakthrough.

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New partnership plans to roll out clean energy tax credit futures platform under the Inflation Reduction Act

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 21:31
A carbon market ecosystem has partnered with a tax credit platform provider to assess the potential for issuing and trading clean energy tax credit future contracts under the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 
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Euro Markets: Midday Update

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 21:29
European carbon prices fell for a third day on Tuesday morning, weighed down by a growing focus on fundamentals among market participants, weaker energy markets and an increase in spread trading as traders moved more positions into the December 2025 contract.
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Microbes bliss out on white noise, scientists find sound sweet spot that could reverse landscape damage

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 21:21
‘Sound bathing’ can benefit more than just humans, with a study from an Australian university finding even microorganisms enjoy white noise that can help restore degraded landscapes.
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US carbon refiner to support food supply chain by making protein from CO2

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 20:01
A US-based carbon refiner is in the process of commercialising a way to address food security issues by producing a nutrient-rich alternative to plant and animal-based proteins directly from CO2, according to a Tuesday announcement.
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Japanese steelmaker facing ‘impossible’ net-zero challenge, report says

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 19:52
One of Japan’s largest steelmakers is not on track to meet its own stated climate commitments, an Asia-focused think tank has found, saying net zero will be “impossible”.
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Tech startup, financial firm partner to develop cooling materials, create carbon credits

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 19:43
A startup that provides energy-saving cooling materials has teamed up with a Tokyo-listed financial firm to promote decarbonisation services and create carbon credits.
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Respira unites with investment firm to launch funds for nature-based projects

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 18:15
Climate financier Respira has joined forces with an impact investment firm to launch two funds for financing nature-based carbon offset projects and accelerating climate action, the investment firm announced Tuesday.
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Swedish platform sees first commercial biodiversity credit transaction

Carbon Pulse - Tue, 2024-10-01 17:23
A Swedish exchange offering trade in biodiversity credits on Tuesday announced its first transaction, with a sales and marketing firm picking up units from the protection of an 11-hectare forest area for five years.
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