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Six organisations have published an open letter to the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), urging it to refrain from allowing companies to use voluntary carbon credits to address Scope 3 emissions.

The sixth ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) takes place on Thursday and Friday in the university town of Leuven in Belgium, with cooperation on green technologies and raw materials high on the agenda.

First production recorded at what will be the biggest wind farm in South Australia, as concrete foundations also complete.

The post Generation starts at what will be South Australia’s biggest wind farm appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Power generation from EU fossil plants fell to even lower levels in the first three months of 2024 than seen last year, data showed, as EUA market participants mulled the impact of an extended collapse in demand for permits from the sector.

A project to reduce enteric methane emissions in Brazil through administering feed additive to cows should enter its pilot phase next month, led by a Santander-backed climate consultancy turned developer, which is also moving into the REDD+ voluntary carbon market.

The Scottish government is consulting on whether to legislate incentivising nature restoration on private land through financial support and advice.

Africa's critical minerals mining boom could wipe out more than one-third of the continent's ape population, with short-term offset plans failing to compensate for negative impacts, researchers have found.

European carbon prices showed little reaction on Thursday morning to the publication last night of verified emissions data for 2023, despite a larger-than-predicted drop, with prices garnering support from a firmer TTF gas market, and a modest reduction in investment funds' short positioning also failing to trigger a definite price reaction.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday announced the allocation of $20 billion in grants from the $27-bln Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to mobilise private investment in clean energy and other climate action, with the funding awarded to eight initiatives selected from two nationwide competitions.

Japan has issued a call for business proposals under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) with a total budget of 12.8 billion yen ($84.37 mln) for projects starting from this year, as the government aims to boost the supply of carbon credits under the bilateral framework.

Matt Kean quits Coalition-based charity that once supported renewables but is now totally obsessed with nuclear, a switch that coincided with involvement of Trevor St Baker.

The post “No feasible pathway:” Kean quits Coalition-based charity because of its obsession with nuclear appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Governments across region grappling for response as temperatures soar to unseasonable highs

Thousands of schools in the Philippines have stopped in-person classes due to unbearable heat. In Indonesia, prolonged dry weather has caused rice prices to soar. In Thailand’s waters, temperatures are so high that scientists fear coral could be destroyed.

A “historic heatwave” is being experienced across south-east Asia, according to Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian. In updates posted on X, he said heat that was unprecedented for early April had been recorded at monitoring stations across the region this week, including in Minbu, in central Myanmar, where 44C was recorded – the first time in south-east Asia’s climatic history that such high temperatures had been reached so early in the month. In Hat Yai, in Thailand’s far south, 40.2 C was reached, an all-time record, while Yên Châu in north-west Vietnam hit 40.6C, unprecedented for this time of year.

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Lending to meat, dairy and feed corporations led to ‘significant proportion’ of banks’ emissions, Friends of the Earth found

American banks are “sabotaging” their own climate commitments by financing meat, dairy and feed corporations, according to a report.

The report analysed funding from 58 US banks to animal protein and feed companies in the form of loans and underwriting, such as share and bond issuance guarantees.

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The co-founder of a voluntary carbon market ratings agency has stepped down from their role at the firm to focus on other tools to fight climate change.

Mining company hit with accusation it contaminated waterways with harmful levels of uranium and lead

In a letter of claim, a document that is an early step in a lawsuit, the villagers accuse Rio Tinto of contaminating the waterways and lakes that they use for domestic purposes with elevated and harmful levels of uranium and lead, which pose a serious risk to human health.

This story was published in partnership with The Intercept. The reporting for this investigation was supported by a grant from Journalists for Transparency, an initiative of Transparency International.

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France has opened a consultation on proposed revisions to its 'low-carbon label' methodologies, concerning afforestation, reforestation, and the restoration of degraded agricultural land in French Guiana.

South Korea is planning to allocate a budget of up to 10.9 billion won ($8.09 mln) to subsidise domestic companies that plan to develop emissions reduction projects abroad this year, as the government seeks to secure more international carbon credits. 

Despite major progress in Brazil and Colombia, deforestation led by farming still cleared an area nearly equal to Switzerland

The destruction of the world’s most pristine rainforests continued at a relentless rate in 2023, despite dramatic falls in forest loss in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon, new figures show.

An area nearly the size of Switzerland was cleared from previously undisturbed rainforests last year, totalling 37,000 sq km (14,200 sq miles), according to figures compiled by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. This is a rate of 10 football pitches a minute, often driven by more land being brought under agricultural cultivation around the world.

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Schemes to replace EU subsidies will not plug gap left by loss of EU subsidies for most farmers

Farmers are calling for the government to grant them a universal basic income, saying the post-Brexit agriculture subsidy scheme has left many poorer.

Delays to the sustainable farming schemes put in place after the UK left the European Union, to replace the common agricultural policy (CAP), have meant that in England many farmers have been left out of pocket. The new regime initially suffered from low subscription rates, and the government has underspent hundreds of millions from the £2.4bn farming budget each year due to lack of sign-up.

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AEMC makes good on promise to fast-track universal smart meter uptake, with draft determination it says will help put consumers at the forefront of the shift to net zero.

The post Smart meters for all? New reforms could put 2030 target in reach appeared first on RenewEconomy.