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The UN's Development Programme and Switzerland have defended the rice farming methodology behind the first authorised emissions transfer under the Paris Agreement, with a senior official emphasising key differences to the Verra protocol that was halted last week over integrity concerns. 

A carbon credit technology firm and litigation support company on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership that will perform “boots-on-the-ground” checks and other auditing services to ensure the integrity of offset projects.

Global carbon markets expanded for a fourth straight year in 2022, reaching €865 billion ($924 bln) in value despite a near-20% drop in the number of transactions as prices in the main markets reached their highest ever levels, according to analysts in a report published on Tuesday.

A blockchain carbon marketplace which secured a deal last month to supply credits worth up to €50 mln has integrated its systems with a standards body as it gears up to sell tokenised carbon removal credits for the first time.

Although the EU biodiversity strategy recognises the importance of funding in addressing the biodiversity crisis, a number of significant barriers and bottlenecks at the national level could prevent the efficient use of available financing for nature, according to a new report published on Tuesday.

David Nixon disobeyed judge’s order not to mention climate crisis as motivation during trial over road-blocking protest

An environmental activist has been jailed for eight weeks after disobeying a judge’s instruction not to mention the climate crisis as his motivation during his trial for taking part in a road-blocking protest.

David Nixon, 36, a care worker from Barnsley, was sentenced at Inner London crown court on Tuesday after admitting contempt of court the day before by using his closing address to begin telling a jury about his reasons for protesting.

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Sewage, poor sanitation and a lack of regulation give rise to antimicrobial resistance and threaten global health, report says

Pollution from livestock farming, pharmaceuticals and healthcare is threatening to destroy a key pillar of modern medicine, as spills of manure and other pollution into waterways are adding to the global rise of superbugs, the UN has warned.

Animal farming is one of the key sources of strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to all forms of antibiotics, through the overuse of the medicines in farming.

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Political and Indigenous leaders hope to replicate success of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest conservation area

Nearly a decade ago, Canadian political leaders, environmental activists and Indigenous nations came together to shelter a sprawling 6.4 million-hectare area of trees, sea wolves, salmon and grizzly bears – a project that was named, with some branding acumen, the Great Bear Rainforest.

The plan has since been hailed as a triumph for protecting swathes of old-growth cedar and spruce and drawing global attention to an area of pristine forest the size of Ireland.

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Oil and gas major BP reported record annual profits in quarterly results published on Tuesday, as it announced it would also water down its 2030 climate targets relating to reducing fossil output.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday announced the disbanding of the government's Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and its replacement by three new departments, as part of a cabinet reshuffle that shifts responsibility for climate action.

Ministers hope training in range of forestry skills will help to meet tree-planting and other climate goals

A shortage of foresters has prompted the government to launch free courses as it rushes to meet targets for tree planting.

There will be training in chainsaw maintenance, coppicing, woodland management, hedge laying and the sale and marketing of timber.

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EUA prices moved in their narrowest range for more than a week on Tuesday morning as activity calmed ahead of a key European Parliament market reform vote later this week, and as energy prices continued to decline as the gas supply outlook suggested storages will be fully replenished in the summer.

Graphs show the sources of generation in a country that has one of the most diverse ranges in Europe

Great Britain has one of the most diverse ranges of electricity generation in Europe, with everything from windfarms off the coast of Scotland to a nuclear power station in Suffolk tasked with keeping the lights on. The increasing reliance on renewable energy sources, as part of the country’s green ambitions, also means there can be rapid shifts in the main source of electricity generation. On windy days, most electricity generation comes from onshore and offshore windfarms. When conditions are cold and still, gas-fired power stations known as peaking plants are called into action.

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Wind, water and solar energy is cheap, effective and green. We don’t need experimental or risky energy sources to save our planet

Nearly 7 million people die each year from air pollution. Moreover, global warming is already causing catastrophic damage. We have only seven years to eliminate 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions – and 12 to 27 years to eliminate the rest – to avoid 1.5C global warming since the 1850 to 1900 period. We are already 1.1C above average.

The world also faces serious energy-security risks related to climate change: the economic, social, and political instability that will result when fossil fuels and uranium run out; blackmail by countries that control the supply of fuel to other countries; the high costs of shipping energy long distances; blackouts when a centralized fossil-fuel or nuclear power plant unexpectedly goes down; and health and environmental problems associated with continuous fuel mining, waste storage, nuclear reactor meltdown, and nuclear energy-related weapons proliferation.

Mark Z Jacobson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. His work informs the scientific bases for the Green New Deal. He is also the author of six books, including No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air

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Carbon markets can be an incredibly important tool to finance nature-based solutions at the scale required to be meaningful on a global scale, however, there are some serious questions which must be resolved as soon as possible if verified (not just voluntary) carbon markets are to deliver their full potential for nature, writes Ed Hewitt of Respira.

The sustainability-linked loan (SLL) market has emerged rapidly on the green scene in recent years as an increasing number of banks and corporations use such loans as part of their decarbonisation strategies, prompting calls to enhance transparency and industry efforts to counter accusations of greenwashing.

China’s environment ministry has circulated a set of updated management guidelines for emissions reports submitted by power generation facilities under the national ETS, asking regional authorities to enhance day-to-day monitoring of power companies' data reporting activities as regulators seek to avoid further carbon market data fraud.

Aviva Investors has named nature loss and climate change as two of its three main focus areas for 2023, and has written a letter to the 1,600 companies it has invested in, outlining the actions it expects them to take on these issues.

With floods covering much of the land, farmers in Paguir, an isolated village in Fangak county, are replacing despair with resilience and learning new skills to survive

• Words and photographs by Peter Caton. A selection of the images can be seen at a free exhibition at the gallery@oxo in London from 8 to 19 February 2023

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Australia’s Coalition opposition party has formally agreed to oppose the government’s reformed Safeguard Mechanism policy, meaning Labor will be forced to seek crossbench support in the Senate to pass the legislation.