The Guardian

Money offered so far falls far short of estimated $400bn in losses developing countries face each year

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Wealthy countries most responsible for the climate emergency have so far pledged a combined total of just over $700m (£556m) to the loss and damage fund – the equivalent of less than 0.2% of the irreversible economic and non-economic losses developing countries are facing from global heating every year.

In a historic move, the loss and damage fund was agreed at the opening plenary of the first day the Cop28 summit in Dubai – a hard-won victory by developing countries that they hoped would signal a commitment by the developed, polluting nations to finally provide financial support for some of the destruction already under way.

Former Ireland leader issues firm response in row over comments made to her by Cop28 president

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Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, has called for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, in a diplomatic but firm response to the row over comments made to her by the Cop28 president, which were revealed by the Guardian this week.

In a live online event, Sultan Al Jaber had told Robinson there was “no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C”, a view strongly rejected by many scientists. As well as running the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai, Al Jaber is the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc.

When Tories row back on previous climate pledges, they are merely marching in lockstep with extreme parties across Europe

Not only did Rishi Sunak spend more time travelling to Cop28 on his private jet than attending the conference itself, he also delivered a speech at the Dubai summit doubling down on the decision to abandon crucial climate policies on heat pumps and energy efficiency, as revealed in his September announcement. All this while using the diminishing strength of the UK’s green credentials as a shield. These actions lay bare the troubling path the Conservatives have chosen ahead of the next general election. But across western states, abandoning long-held climate commitments is becoming the norm for rightwing parties.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ Freedom party has secured the most votes in the country’s recent general election and wants to undo the green transition. In New Zealand, the National party has formed a coalition with the populist NZ First party and ACT, a rightwing party that wants to repeal the Zero Carbon Act. In Germany, the AfD, the far-right party that is second in national opinion polls, has previously called for an end to all climate action efforts. In Canada, polls show that the Conservatives, who voted not to recognise the climate crisis as real two years ago, would win the upcoming 2025 election if it were held today.

Diyora Shadijanova is a journalist and writer

Steven Fuller is a winter caretaker who has lived at Yellowstone national park for the past 50 years. As the cold weather approaches and the seasonal transformation begins, he hunkers down in his remote mountain cabin. But Fuller and Yellowstone face an uncertain future, with the climate crisis threatening to change one of North America’s last great wildernesses for ever

Exclusive: Documents show warnings that changes would weaken environmental protections were ignored

Ministers have been accused of “misleading the public” after documents obtained by Ends Report and the Guardian revealed they ignored their officials’ advice when scrapping key air quality regulations.

On 31 December, two key air quality regulations will drop off the statute book under the Retained EU Law (REUL) Act.

. Revoke the NAPCP with no replacement, with the environment improvement plan (EIP) becoming the alternative process

2. Revoke the NAPCP provisions and introduce a new process for assessing policy options, with a new process triggered by a failure or potential failure to achieve a target

Sixth day of Cop28 comes as new report says threats to humanity drawing closer as carbon pollution heats the planet to ever more dangerous levels

Good times! The guitarist Nile Rodgers has made an appearance with activists at Cop28.

Rodgers is co-founder of the We Are Family Foundation, which staged a joint #Education4Earth event with Earth Day at Cop28’s Blue Zone.

An actual platypus in the dam – a miracle!

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Urine found to contain ‘significantly’ increased concentrations of glyphosate, which is associated with fetal problems

Pregnant women living near farm fields show “significantly” increased concentrations of glyphosate weedkiller in their urine during periods when farmers are spraying their fields with the herbicide, according to a new scientific paper published on Wednesday.

The research team said the findings were concerning, given recent studies that have found gestational exposure to glyphosate is associated with reduced fetal growth and other fetal problems. Glyphosate separately has been linked to cancer and other health problems.

Humanity faces ‘devastating domino effects’ including mass displacement and financial ruin as planet warms

Many of the gravest threats to humanity are drawing closer, as carbon pollution heats the planet to ever more dangerous levels, scientists have warned.

Five important natural thresholds already risk being crossed, according to the Global Tipping Points report, and three more may be reached in the 2030s if the world heats 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial temperatures.

Albanese government announces at Cop28 it will phase out offshore support for coal, oil and gas within a year

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The Australian government has been praised for joining a global partnership committed to stopping billions of dollars in foreign aid and loans being spent on fossil fuel expansion, but the decision has also prompted renewed calls for it to reconsider polluting subsidies at home.

The Albanese government announced at the Cop28 climate summit that it had joined 40 other countries in signing up to the clean energy transition partnership, an agreement first reached in Glasgow two years ago.

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Woman was reported to have just gotten married and the man paddleboarding with her as her groom

A shark attacked and killed a Boston newlywed off the coast of the Bahamas on Monday, according to authorities and reports.

Local police said the woman, 44, was bit by a shark at about 11.15am in New Providence. The woman was paddleboarding with a man at the time of the attack, presumed to be her husband.

Exclusive: Under current policies, Britain could fall short of internationally agreed goal of 68% cut in emissions by 2030

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The UK government is likely to miss its targets under the Paris climate agreement by a wide margin, analysis shows, dealing a devastating blow to Britain’s standing on the international stage.

Under current policies, the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are likely to be 59% lower in 2030 than they were in 1990 – but the country’s internationally agreed target is for a 68% reduction by the end of this decade. The gap is likely to leave Britain in breach of these commitments.

Many in the global movement are divided on whether or how to take a stand on the conflict

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When Greta Thunberg posted a photo of herself holding a “stand with Gaza” sign on Instagram in October, the backlash in Israel and Germany came hard and fast.

An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson initially told Politico that “whoever identifies with Greta in any way in the future, in my view, is a terror supporter,” although later retracted his comments. The official X account of Israel said “Hamas doesn’t use sustainable materials for their rockets” and told Thunberg to speak up for its victims. The Israeli education ministry said it would strike any reference to the Swedish climate activist from its curriculum.

As the days shorten and cool, the sea offers up its secrets. Those who stick around to enjoy it are truly blessed

Once my work is done, and as long as the winds aren’t whipping up the valley, I head into Aberystwyth to dip into the sea. Some days I try to swim far; others I lie on my back and watch the clouds. Then I wander up to the Prom Diner and, depending on the time, order a cortado, an ice-cream or, if the day lends itself to it, a beer. I find a seat facing the sea and bask in all of it. This is a very good life.

But I cannot stay smug, because the sea has other ideas. Aberystwyth’s beaches, like those of Borth and Aberdyfi to the north, are storm beaches, which move with the sea’s weather and moods. At this time of year, they shift daily – sometimes even more often. The largely slate shingle beach that holiday folk know from summer is gone and replaced with sand.

The act is believed to have saved 99% of listed species from extinction, but rightwing lawmakers are chipping away at it

Imagine a cosmic rock billions of years old yet vibrant with water, light and life. Not too close to the sun and not too far away. Tilted on its axis and turning daily to render seasons, sunrises and sunsets. A place so bountiful and varied that it has nourished and inspired humanity through our entire history. This is Earth, our only home. And that stunning array of life – countless species evolved over millennia and evolving still – is what scientists today call biodiversity.

That biodiversity is in trouble.

Former president of Republic of Ireland makes first comments since Sultan Al Jaber told her a fossil fuel phase out could mean ‘going back into caves’

• Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to hit record high

Alok Sharma, an MP for the Conservative party in Britain and president of Cop26 that was held in Glasgow two years ago, has made some comments about Al Jaber’s presidency: “everyone should be questioned,” he says.

Environment ministers from Germany and Colombia have led an open letter calling for the inclusion of nature in the global stocktake outcome, which countries are negotiating at Cop28.

“The GST provides a critical moment to recognize the importance of just and inclusive means of implementation, and address the significant finance gap for nature-based solutions,” said Muhamad. “In particular, the involvement and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is critical, in addition to the urgent need to align financial flows to enable the transformations required to deliver the Paris Agreement goals.”

Legislation being debated in the Senate will create a market to encourage private spending on projects that protect and restore biodiversity

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The Albanese government and Greens have struck a deal to establish a nature repair market in exchange for fast-tracking an expansion of the water trigger to all unconventional gas projects.

The deal would also prevent trades in a new nature market from being used as offsets for other destruction of habitat.

Industry experts say electric cars sales figures could be higher if the government stops delaying fuel efficiency standards

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Sales of electric vehicles in Australia have more than doubled this year compared to 2022 but industry experts say the figure could be even higher had the government introduced long-promised fuel efficiency standards.

The year-to-date sales of battery electric vehicles (EVs) have hit 80,446 compared to 28,326 for the same period last year, an increase of 185%, according to figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. EVs made up 7.2% of all motor vehicle sales so far this year.

Projected rate of warming has not improved in past two years, analysis shows

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Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels reached record levels again in 2023, as experts warned that the projected rate of warming had not improved over the past two years.

The world is on track to have burned more coal, oil and gas in 2023 than it did in 2022, according to a report by the Global Carbon Project, pumping 1.1% more planet-heating carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a time when emissions must plummet to stop extreme weather from growing more violent.

UAE-hosted summit admitted at least 2,456 people affiliated with oil and gas industries, analysis finds

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At least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the Cop28 climate negotiations, according to an analysis.

The figure calculated by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition is a record number that raises further questions about the fossil fuel industry’s influence over this year’s UN summit, which is being run by the president of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company.

Fossil fuel lobbyists received more passes than the combined total of delegates (1,609) from the 10 most climate vulnerable countries combined, including Somalia, Chad, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Sudan.

Many fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access as part of a trade association, of which nine of the 10 largest came from the global north. This included the Geneva-based International Emissions Trading Association, which brought 116 people including representatives from Shell, TotalEnergies and Norway’s Equinor.