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The world is wildly off track in tackling climate change, the UN says, as CO2 in the atmosphere accumulates faster than ever

Existing national contributions to the Paris Agreement are unsurprisingly inadequate, at most leading to a mere 2.6% decline in global greenhouse gas emissions over the 2020s, according to a UN report released on Monday.

Carbon dioxide concentration has increased by more than 10% in just two decades, reports World Meteorological Organization

The concentration of planet-heating pollutants clogging the atmosphere hit record levels in 2023, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said.

It found carbon dioxide is accumulating faster than at any time in human history, with concentrations having risen by more than 10% in just two decades.

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AER to investigate cause of extended blackouts in Broken Hill and why the grid was not more resilient. Will it shed light on whether the regulatory and grid management processes are fit for purpose?

The post Energy regulator joins probe into reasons for lengthy blackouts in storm-hit Broken Hill appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The harm to babies and mothers is one of the warnings being sent to Cop29 decision-makers by leading scientists

Miscarriages, premature babies and harm to mothers caused by the climate crisis are a “blind spot” in action plans, according to a report aimed at the decision-makers who will attend the Cop29 summit in November.

Potential collapse of the Amazon rainforest, vital Atlantic Ocean currents and essential infrastructure in cities are also among the dangers cited by an international group of 80 leading scientists from 45 countries. The report collects the latest insights from physical and social science to inform the negotiations at the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan.

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Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility alleges Santos’s plan to reach net zero by 2040 is ‘little more than a series of speculations’

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A world-first greenwashing case that seeks to hold oil and gas company Santos accountable for its net zero commitments began in the federal court today, brought by one of its own shareholders, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR).

The organisation claims Santos did not have a proper basis for saying it had a clear pathway to reduce emissions by 26% to 30% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040, which constituted misleading or deceptive conduct in breach of Australian corporate and consumer laws.

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Climate watchdog RimbaWatch has released a draft guide that aims to define what practices constitute greenwashing in Southeast Asia.

A record number of Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) projects were registered in the third quarter this year, according to regulatory data.

Singapore’s H2G Green Limited launched two LNG projects aiming to decarbonise the emissions-heavy commodity.

An overlooked clause in the EU ETS directive could be used as a way to integrate carbon removals in the bloc’s carbon trading system and unlock credits under the United Nation's CORSIA scheme for offsetting aviation emissions, according to policy experts.

Study says harmful gases linked to heart and lung disease shave nearly two years off a person’s life

Gas stoves kill 40,000 Europeans each year by pumping pollutants into their lungs, a report has found, a death toll twice as high as that from car crashes.

The cookers spew harmful gases linked to heart and lung disease but experts warn there is little public awareness of their dangers. On average, using a gas stove shaves nearly two years off a person’s life, according to a study of households in the EU and UK.

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A technique known as “enhanced rock weathering” promises to remove billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. But it’s crucial to be able to measure how much CO₂ is captured. Paul Nelson, Associate Professor of Soil Science, James Cook University Wolfram Buss, Research fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

"We want to walk together to create economic benefits to the Indigenous community while delivering cost effective and sustainable energy solutions," says head of new First Nations owned retailer. 

The post “We’re not taking on the big guys:” Australia’s first indigenous energy retailer opens its doors appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New Queensland premier already faces a push from the LNP right wing on nuclear, but how serious is he about killing wind and solar projects and burning coal for eternity?

The post New wind and solar may struggle in Sunshine state as LNP right wing lays ground for nuclear backflip appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A decade ago Australians were expected to quit the grid en masse. That has that not happened, but an understanding as to who should be off-grid is emerging.

The post Electrification is saving the grid from mass defections appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Consumption of world’s wealthiest people also making it increasingly difficult to limit global heating to 1.5C

The high carbon emissions of the world’s richest 1% are worsening hunger, poverty and excess deaths, a report has found.

Owing to luxury yachts, private jets and investments in polluting industries, the consumption of the world’s wealthiest people is also making it increasingly difficult to limit global heating to 1.5C.

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Australia has announced it will develop voluntary GHG accounting standards for the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors, and has established a reference group to guide this work.

Canopy is planning to target raising between $300-500 million with a private equity fund tackling nature loss through investment in sustainable materials technologies, and seeks first close in the first quarter of 2025, Carbon Pulse has learned.

New genetic research shows dingoes are not breeding with domestic dogs in the wild. But that could change if lethal control measures continue to decimate populations in Victoria. Andrew Weeks, Associate Senior Research Scientist, The University of Melbourne Collin Ahrens, Visiting Fellow - Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The ongoing Cali biodiversity talks could lay the groundwork for the success of the final round of the upcoming negotiations on the long-awaited UN treaty to address plastic pollution, the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) executive director told Carbon Pulse Sunday.