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Buying sovereign carbon credits is proving far cheaper than domestic offsetting in Switzerland to hit Paris Agreement climate targets, the Klik Foundation revealed Wednesday in the wake of last week's referendum that saw Swiss voters back the new climate bill to cut fossil fuel use and reach net zero by 2050.

Protesters clashed with police in the Maurienne Valley, south east France on Saturday, as they demonstrated against a tunnel being built through the base of the Alpine range that separates France and Italy. The protesters were attempting to reach a site where drilling has already begun on what will be the world's longest tunnel, but were blocked by police. 

The protests were led by Les Soulèvements de la Terre (Earth Uprising) - an umbrella group of several different environmental activist associations across France. On June 21 the French government dissolved the collective claiming their actions were violent and led to material damage. Lawyers for Les Soulèvements de la Terre immediately announced their intention to file an appeal

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Hertfordshire council rules area of land on Hatfield House estate – owned by Marquess of Salisbury – is common land

The aristocrat who owns Hatfield House country manor has been forced to allow the general public to walk on part of his estate after the local council ruled that it was common land.

Earlier this year, the Marquess of Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, opposed an application by the Open Spaces Society (OSS) to register a 1.8 hectare (4.45 acre) area of land on his estate as a common. Gascoyne-Cecil is a Conservative politician, once an MP and minister, and now sits in the Lords as a hereditary peer.

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The voluntary carbon market (VCM) and Article 6 should apply a common criteria of minimum integrity to clean up confusion across buyers and sellers and ensure that carbon credits remain consistently regulated in line with international practices, experts told a virtual event on Wednesday.

Sarah Finch’s challenge to plans to allow oil well hinges on wider environmental impact of fossil fuels

Climate campaigners have begun a supreme court challenge to plans to drill for oil in Surrey, in a case they hope could set a precedent restricting plans for future fossil fuel projects in the UK.

Sarah Finch is challenging Surrey county council’s decision to extend permission for a well at Horse Hill, near Gatwick airport in the Surrey countryside, which taps a subterranean reservoir developers believe may contain millions of barrels of oil.

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Sustainability experts are optimistic that the European Green Deal agenda can continue on a net zero 2050 pathway, despite a recent wave of “climate fatigue” that has hit some parts of the bloc's political spectrum.

The inclusion of removals into the EU ETS will be inevitable in order to achieve the market's "endgame" around 2040, according to an academic who specialises in European carbon pricing.

Cetacean exhibits same behaviour towards vessel in North Sea that has been seen in Iberian orca population

A yacht in the North Sea off Shetland was repeatedly rammed by an orca on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal.

Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year-old retired Dutch physicist and experienced yachtsperson, was sailing solo from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway. He was fishing for mackerel, with a single line off the back of the boat, when the orca suddenly appeared in the clear water, and hit the stern of the seven-ton boat.

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EUA prices plunged in mid-morning trading on Wednesday as new exchange data showed that speculative traders had almost entirely covered their net short position last week after prices had rallied by 17% in the two weeks ending on June 16, while energy markets responded by erasing early gains.

Taiwan's environmental regulator has proposed far-reaching revisions to the existing GHG emission inventory and registration management rules in preparation for the upcoming domestic carbon levy scheme.

A Japanese shipping giant has successfully completed a trial using liquefied bio-methane (LBM) derived from cattle manure as a marine fuel on a domestic vessel, marking Japan’s first use of carbon-neutral LBM derived from biomass, it announced Wednesday.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has announced the issuance of close to 1 million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) once again, as it continues to clear the backlog of human-induced regeneration (HIR) projects awaiting to be credited.

Offset standard registry Verra has suspended a Cambodian REDD+ project and placed it under review based on stakeholder comments related to quality control.

Annual clean energy investments in emerging and developing economies will need to more than triple from the current level by the early 2030s to meet rising energy needs and align with the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has found. 

Energy company Orsted and green group WWF have launched a project to restore biogenic reefs in the North Sea in a bid to develop a globally replicable methodology while at the same time contributing to the company’s net positive biodiversity impact ambitions.

The Norwegian government has announced plans to open up an area of over 280,000 sq. km for commercial seabed mineral activities, in spite of stern warnings from scientists and green groups of potential severe consequences for marine biodiversity.

A pilot suggests $400-$800 in annual network upgrade savings for each EV owner who lets a third party control their charger.

The post Jemena sees big rewards for vehicle to grid services – big risks to unmanaged EV charging appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Citipower's Greg Hannan says DNSPs are looking at a future where batteries can often provide a cheaper alternative to traditional network services.

The post “We need more batteries:” Networks look beyond poles and wires for cheaper, smarter options appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government has committed A$30 million ($20 mln) in grant funding to ramp up domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, and has launched an advisory council to help decarbonise the aviation sector, it announced Wednesday.

Patients exposed to dirty air spent four days longer in hospital, the same impact as if they had been a decade older

People exposed to air pollution experienced Covid-19 as if they were 10 years older, according to research. It found people recently exposed to dirtier air before contracting the illness spent four days longer in hospital, the same impact as on those 10 years their senior.

The Belgian study also showed that air pollution levels measured in patients’ blood were linked to a 36% increase in the risk of needing intensive care treatment. A separate study in Denmark showed air pollution exposure was linked to a 23% increase in the risk of death from Covid-19. In both studies, the level of air pollution was below legal EU standards.

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