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The reality of intensive egg production is grim, with hens subject to all manner of inhumane conditions. We must face up to the unacceptable costs of our current food choices

Is brunch over? I hope so – like afternoon tea, it’s a stupid meal, sabotaging two perfectly good ones. Then there’s the queueing, all that sourdough massacring your soft palate, and dribbles of hollandaise, horribly reminiscent of baby posset. None of this has stopped people, but perhaps egg shortages will.

The UK egg drought never quite reached pandemic pasta proportions, but rationing was widespread through November and supply has not wholly recovered. The United States is now in the grip of acute shortages, with 60% year-on-year price rises, a dozen eggs reportedly reaching $18.

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Private sector is not seen to be ready to act as main buyer and draft is similarly worded to a Morrison-era bill

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An Albanese government environment plan to encourage companies to invest in nature merely expands a Coalition proposal under Scott Morrison and is at risk of failing due to a lack of business interest, experts say.

The federal government is consulting on legislation to establish a scheme to incentivise investment in nature restoration by creating tradable certificates for projects that protect and restore biodiversity.

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Wetlands are being lost at a faster rate than forests, but in some regions beavers are part of the solution.

As the US, China and now the EU compete for the fruits of the green economy, the UK is hamstrung by Tory dogma, dither and delay

The United States is out of the blocks. The European Union is hurrying along the track. China is competing too. Here in dear old blighty, we are not even at the starting line. While others are dashing towards the horizon, the UK still hasn’t tied its laces.

The government appears to have barely noticed that there is a global race to dominate the green technologies of the future. In investment attracted, jobs created, income earned and lives bettered, the prizes for the winners will be huge. In prosperity foregone, the penalty for the laggards will be severe.

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Research projects designed to harness solar energy in space are driving new approaches to the technology that could pay dividends on Earth.

The post Space-aged solar innovation: Is it coming down to Earth? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Dogs lead lives of loneliness. Grey parrots die years earlier than their natural lifespans. And it is hard to fathom the boredom of pet fish

At the end of last year, the state of New York banned pet stores from selling cats, dogs, or rabbits. The state wants to encourage pet stores to work with shelters, rather than puppy mills, to get animals adopted. With any luck, other states will follow suit.

In her story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, Ursula Le Guin described a society where the joy of its citizens depended upon the “abominable misery” of a single child immured in a dungeon. Le Guin asked the reader if even great happiness could justify suffering. Humanity’s relationship to animals is predicated on a similar utilitarian calculus. Like the town of Omelas, we have made a silent pact to dominate pets for our benefit, despite the cost to the pets themselves, to wild and farmed animals, and to our own morality.

Troy Vettese is an environmental historian at the European University Institute and co-author of Half-Earth Socialism (Verso 2020)

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We look at the best cosy and climate-friendly options that are less likely to land you with a £300 fine

As wood-burning stoves have become a talking point in England after warnings about the pollution they emit, those who installed them and feel guilt may worry about how to replace their beloved burner.

However, there are good options that are just as cosy-looking and warm but emit fewer particulates and are less likely to land you with a £300 fine.

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People urged to submit specimens to an app as private gardens may be fresh source of scientific discovery

Record the “weeds” that pop up in your garden because they could be a rare plant, the Royal Horticultural Society has said.

Private gardens in the UK may be an untapped source of scientific discovery, according to the RHS’s new ecologist, because “scientists can’t just go into people’s gardens”.

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Analysts lowered their average California Carbon Allowance (CCA) price forecasts for 2023 on weaker industrial emissions and heavier offset usage, but retained prior RGGI price forecasts as they expect annual deficits to continue despite Virginia’s impending exit, according to a recent report.

*PREMIUM LISTING - We seek an analytical, strategic and enthusiastic policy officers to support our work on global climate policies, with a particular focus on (voluntary) carbon markets and carbon pricing.

The European Commission on Friday launched a call for applications for the renewal of the membership of an expert group tasked with helping to implement the EU's Innovation Fund.

The Sr. Financial Analyst is charged with analyzing data, both quantitative and qualitative, to help contextualize business opportunities in a fast-evolving space, and validate investment decisions for CO2 removal/reduction projects to support the Low Carbon Initiatives’ department goals

The Principal Analyst, Forestry acts as the primary internal subject matter expert applying technical knowledge to identify, evaluate, and develop forest projects that contribute to overall reduction of atmospheric CO2 and are aligned with the business objectives of the company.

Carbon standard developer and manager Verra has halted the use of a UN methodology for generating offsets from growing rice, launching a review of the protocol after integrity concerns were raised.

An Alabama-headquartered technology firm has launched a blockchain platform to sell millions of tokenised carbon credits from a patented reforestation programme, coming in at a price per tonne well below that of most nature-based removals.

The UN-backed Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) on Thursday released a technical report describing an interim pathway for aviation companies to set GHG reduction goals in line with the more ambitious temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

A summary of legislative, regulatory, and policy action on carbon, clean fuel standard, and clean energy markets at the US federal and subnational levels this week, including bills for cap-and-trade oversight in Washington, emissions disclosure in California, and zero-carbon power in New Jersey. 

TotalEnergies, which has a self-imposed 2050 net zero emissions target, is selling a share of its renewable portfolio to insurer Credit Agricole Assurances amid booming returns from oil and gas sectors.

Activity is picking up in the general over the counter (OTC) voluntary carbon market, brokers reported on Friday, although prices for REDD+ credits have dropped again after buyers largely disappeared in the wake of reports claiming widespread over-crediting in the avoided deforestation sector.