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Extracting ground water for growing urban populations causes half of China's big cities to sink.

Noreen and Antonia, born last May, are among first cloned offspring of a native endangered species in the North America

Two more black-footed ferrets have been successfully cloned in an attempt to save the endangered species, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced.

The national agency shared news about the births of ferrets Noreen and Antonia, who were both born last May.

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Scientists estimate Vasuki indicus was up to 15m long, weighed a tonne and would have constricted its prey

Fossil vertebrae unearthed in a mine in western India are the remains of one of the largest snakes that ever lived, a monster estimated at up to 15 metres in length – longer than a T rex.

Scientists have recovered 27 vertebrae from the snake, including a few still in the same position as they would have been when the reptile was alive. They said the snake, which they named Vasuki indicus, would have looked like a large python and would not have been venomous.

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Farms in England are set to see substantial falls in business income due to dwindling commodity prices, sharper subsidy cuts following Brexit, and increased competition from cheaper imports, while uptake of natural capital payment alternatives is still lacklustre, industry experts said on Thursday.

Carbon removal experts expressed frustration this week at news that the EU’s carbon removal methodologies will not yield carbon removal units with the bloc’s stamp of approval until likely 2027.

Brazil should lead G20 efforts in developing globally recognised standards for nature-related disclosures, non-profit CDP has said, as the country considers mandating compliance with target 15 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

Voluntary carbon attendees at an industry event held in Florence this week struck an optimistic note in light of imminent market developments that are expected to boost demand, but multiple sources highlighted a lack of tangible impact so far, with buyers still said to be holding back on offset investment due to reputational risk.

A project developer plans to distribute 600,000 energy-efficient clean cookstoves in Africa as part of a multi-million dollar grant to decarbonise the electrical grid in Uganda.

Bill would stop private investors, including hedge funds, farmers and municipalities, from profiting off water scarcity

With private investors poised to profit from water scarcity in the west, US senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Ro Khanna are pursuing a bill to prohibit the trading of water as a commodity.

The lawmakers will introduce the bill on Thursday afternoon, the Guardian has learned. “Water is not a commodity for the rich and powerful to profit off of,” said Warren, the progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. “Representative Khanna and I are standing up to protect water from Wall Street speculation and ensure one of our most essential resources isn’t auctioned off to the highest bidder.”

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South Korea is planning to develop a fund to support carbon offset projects globally to generate Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) that the East Asian nation can use to meet its climate goals, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The government of England should invest more in advising farmers on how they can deliver effective change in transitioning to more sustainable practices, experts have said.

The UK remains interested in linking its emissions trading scheme with other markets, but needs to determine how this would work in practice to ensure that it makes sense for the market and businesses involved, a government official said on Thursday.

EU carbon prices were modestly firmer at midday after a volatile morning saw levels fluctuate in a nearly €3 range, following significant swings in natural gas prices as traders considered supply issues in the US Gulf.

BHP chooses to add fast start gas generators to Pilbara grid, rather than long duration storage, to support its big renewable energy plans.

The post BHP chooses fast start gas over long duration storage to support wind and solar for huge Pilbara mines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

An international standard-setting body on disclosures has been urged by its staff to ramp up efforts in researching biodiversity, as companies are showing an increasing interest in improving assessments of nature-related risks and opportunities.

UK supply renewables chains are ill-prepared to meet renewable deployment targets for net zero, a new report commissioned by the government has warned. 

A UK-based market intelligence and carbon credit procurement platform has partnered with a Southeast Asian private sector alliance to support the growth of voluntary and compliance carbon markets in the region, it announced  Thursday.

A new analysis by Consumer Reports shows that pesticides have contaminated the US fruit and vegetable supply – even some organics

• What’s safe to eat? Here is the pesticide risk level for each fruit and vegetable

Watermelon, green beans and bell peppers are among the many common fruits and vegetables found in US supermarkets that contain potentially unsafe levels of pesticides, according to an analysis published today by Consumer Reports.

The new report – which analyzed seven years of US Department of Agriculture data on commonly eaten fruits and vegetables – offers one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of pesticides found in US produce. The data was based on nearly 30,000 fruit and vegetable samples, including fresh, frozen, canned and organic, collected from supermarkets by the USDA as part of routine pesticide testing. Consumer Reports built a massive database to analyze the data – and scored different foods to provide actionable recommendations to help consumers shop and eat with less risk.

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Even organic produce can contain unhealthy amounts of pesticide – see which fruits and vegetables rank best and worst

After reviewing the results of thousands of tests on fruits and vegetables, Consumer Reports has found unhealthy levels of pesticides in about 20% of US produce.

This chart, in alphabetical order, shows the risk from pesticides in conventional and organic produce, as well as whether the fruits and vegetables are domestically grown or imported. Consumer Reports “recommends those rated as very low, low or moderate risk. When possible, replace a food rated high or very high with a lower-risk one, or choose organic. Keep in mind that the risk comes from repeated servings over time.”

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In ‘acute global embarrassment’, Scottish government expected to follow UK and Wales by adopting five-year carbon budgets

The Scottish government is to abandon its “world-leading” goal to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030, after repeatedly missing its legally binding targets.

Màiri McAllan, the Scottish net zero secretary, is expected to announce that Scotland will instead follow the UK and Welsh government’s lead by adopting five-yearly “carbon budgets”, in a significant policy climbdown.

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