Feed aggregator

Use of pesticides and fertilisers identified as most significant factor behind loss of 550 million birds from skies

The use of pesticides and fertilisers in intensive agriculture is the biggest cause of the dwindling number of birds in the UK and the rest of Europe, scientists have said.

Compared with a generation ago, 550 million fewer birds fly over the continent, with their decline well documented. But until now the relative importance of various pressures on bird populations was not known.

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Standardised carbon credit prices continued to slip further below $2 over the past week, extending a long trend, while well-known projects were confined to pockets of higher-priced sales of fresh vintages.  

The EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 4% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with a year earlier, even as the bloc’s economy grew, according to data released by the EU's statistical office on Monday.

Turkish will establish a national programme to scale carbon credit supply to help meet its 2053 net-zero target, aiming to expand project activities into a regional market and move away from a reliance on renewable energy projects, the government said over the weekend, also confirming that plans for an emissions trading system were underway.

The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) announced on Monday the signing of a 20-year contract with utility Orsted to support the delivery of a full-scale carbon capture, transport, and storage project.

The EU is likely to avoid seeking decisive discussions on a global fossil fuel phase-out during upcoming international events, instead focusing on forging partnerships to spur the deployment of clean technologies.

Fertilised, it can hold things shaped as differently as: a snake, an auk, a platypus; an emu, a tortoise, a peacock

Things I have learned reading about eggs: that chickens have earlobes, and the colour of the earlobes correlates with the colour of the egg: white ear lobe, white egg; red ear lobe, brown egg. What can lay an egg? An orange-peel doris can lay an egg in a tidal pool; a bee hummingbird can lay an egg the size of an aspirin; an auk on a cliff lays a conical egg, which will roll around in a circle instead of forwards and off the edge; a spider wraps her egg in silk, places it on a stalk, then lays another.

To Linda Pastan, an egg was “a moon / glowing faintly / in the galaxy of the barn”. Approach it, and Louise Glück will tell you: “The thing is hatching. Look.” One egg looks – apart from its size, the sharpness of its point, or its colour – much like another: they are all pleasing in the same way, hard-shelled and soft-shaped. “An egg is the most beautiful of all / beautiful forms, a box without corners / in which anything can be contained”, wrote Elizabeth Spires. This one structure, variations on round, can hold things shaped as differently as: a snake, an auk, a platypus; an emu, a tortoise, a peacock.

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Exclusive: Advertising watchdog to begin stricter enforcement on use of terms such as ‘carbon neutral’ amid concerns over offsets

Adverts that claim products are carbon neutral using offsets are to be banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog unless companies can prove they really work, the Guardian can reveal, as Gucci becomes the latest company to struggle with a high-profile environmental commitment based on offsetting.

Amid growing concern that firms are misleading consumers about the environmental impact of their products, the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) is to begin stricter enforcement around the use of terms such as “carbon neutral”, “net zero” and “nature positive” as part of a greenwashing crackdown later this year after a six-month review.

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The Canadian government has launched a public consultation on its 2030 biodiversity strategy, asking citizens to provide their thoughts on what must be included in the future plan as it aims to finalise a draft version by the end of the year.

European carbon prices dropped sharply on Monday morning after a weak auction triggered sustained selling, despite this week's significantly lower auction supply, while EU data showed the market stability reserve (MSR) will take out 272 million EUAs from September 2023 through to August 2024.

Refugee camps bear brunt of deadly category-5 storm, while temperature divide is expected in North America

Cyclone Mocha brought strong winds and torrential rain to parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday, with refugee camps bearing the brunt of the category-5 storm, leaving at least five dead and causing half a million people to be evacuated.

The region was rocked by sustained winds of more than 160mph as Mocha made landfall, whipping up gusts closer to 200mph and a storm surge of up to 4 metres. The world’s largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar, was badly hit and more than 1,300 shelters were destroyed. Heavy rain triggered landslides and floods.

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Some 272.35 mln carbon allowances will be withdrawn from the EU ETS over the 12 months starting this September and inserted into the Market Stability Reserve (MSR), the European Commission announced Monday in its annual 'TNAC' update.

AEMO says network in gridlock and unable to shift enough wind and solar, as Bowen says regulator decisions need to be about more than pure economics.

The post “Our energy highways are at gridlock:” AEMO in new push for “unglamorous” transmission appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We shouldn’t let controversy over the approval of one small, short-lived mine distract from more consequential decisions looming on coal. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The acclaimed choreographer’s new production reimagines Jim Henson’s epic adventure film – take a look inside

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Construction complete at the first big battery in the Northern Territory, although it won't be in full service until next year.

The post Darwin’s first big battery completes construction, but it won’t be operating until 2024 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The position of Junior Carbon Analyst is a new role within the small but growing Carbon Management Team.

Renewable hydrogen hopeful with electrolyser plans for Tasmania says it may have found a transport customer.

The post Tasmania green hydrogen hopeful signs with possible first customer appeared first on RenewEconomy.

South Australia's sixth utility scale solar farm is expected to be up and running by September and has formally applied for its generation licence.

The post South Australia’s newest solar farm expected to be running in September appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exclusive: Sunak urged to take urgent action to solve food crisis at meeting with Defra and farmers

Immigration and food prices must increase to solve the food crisis, ministers are to say at a summit.

Rishi Sunak will be joined by ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as well as farmers and industry leaders at the meeting at No 10 on Tuesday.

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