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The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including an injured kite, baby seal pups and a rescued joey

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The spot price for Chinese carbon allowances edged up ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday with an uptick in the weekly trading volume, though the improvement in trading activity may not be enough to ignite market participants’ enthusiasm, given the challenges faced by the country's power sector.

Jerome Powell and Mervyn King reject taking on climate policy, while Mark Carney and Christine Lagarde say action is vital

The climate crisis has come to represent a major challenge for central banks. How much should their monetary policy and approach to banking supervision be influenced by it?

On one hand, there is growing evidence that global heating, particularly through its effect on agriculture, may create inflationary pressures. And there is even stronger evidence that the physical and transition risks created by the climate crisis are having, and will continue to have, a major impact on the value of financial assets and financial firms, which those responsible for the stability of the financial system cannot ignore.

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In an attempt to gain popular support, Extinction Rebellion has promised to 'quit' public disruption as a primary tactic of its protests, focusing instead on the 'perpetrators' of climate destruction. The Guardian environment correspondent Damien Gayle joins the group in its first targeted action against Michael Gove's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the UK government's decision to approve a new coalmine in Cumbria

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Small interventions on electric cars and plant-based meat could unlock rapid emissions cuts, say experts

Three “super-tipping points” for climate action could trigger a cascade of decarbonisation across the global economy, according to a report.

Relatively small policy interventions on electric cars, plant-based alternatives to meat and green fertilisers would lead to unstoppable growth in those sectors, the experts said.

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For a couple of days this month, wind power supplied over half the UK’s electricity. You wouldn’t know it from our bills – or our politicians

I remember the first time wind energy emerged as a serious contender in the UK’s energy provision. It was 6 November 2012, and the country’s electricity use from wind hit an all-time high in the middle of the afternoon, at 9.3%. The casual observer wouldn’t have noticed, and the expert wouldn’t have been surprised, but for people between those poles, it was astonishing. Windfarms were then perceived as a nascent technology, so infant and speculative they needed endless subsidy, intervention, special pleading.

To this day, it remains a mystery how a reputation for well-meant inadequacy clings to renewable energy sources: it can’t all be the result of lobbying by the fossil fuel industry. Sometimes, it feels like we just don’t want good news.

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EPA unveils its carbon crackdown. Coal generators say it is all too much, and environmentalists say it is not nearly enough.

The post EPA details its carbon crackdown on industry, and fossil fuel generators are not happy appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Italian energy group says it has secured the "very first" approval for a solar farm and battery storage project to be connected at the same point in Australia.

The post Italian energy giant gets approval for “very first” solar and battery hybrid in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Administrators say Sun Cable to be put up for sale before the end of month, preparing for bidding war between Australia's two richest men.

The post Administrators seek funds as they prepare Sun Cable sale and billionaire bidding war appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Queensland government steps in to give priority to the wind component of Kidston clean energy hub, which will be the first to combine wind, solar and pumped hydro.

The post Government steps in to pave way for wind addition to solar and hydro hybrid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMO dumps one weather forecaster but is still not happy with the results from its new panel. The problem is worst at the country's biggest retail load centre.

The post Dud weather forecasts prove a headache for AEMO, particularly in biggest load centre appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Federal Labor's plans to install 400 community batteries is a good idea. But not if they end up being handed to monopoly networks.

The post Why networks should not be left in charge of Labor’s community battery plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The animal weighed in at a possible new world record of 2.7kg and was discovered by park rangers on a walk in Queenland

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She’s toxic, weighs as much as some newborn babies and was found in the wilds of Australia’s far north.

A giant cane toad, dubbed “Toadzilla”, that was found by rangers in Queensland’s Conway national park on Thursday, is believed to be the largest of her species ever found.

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Our view of the stars has been reduced every year over the last decade by artificial light pollution.

Ordinary diesel trucks could be converted to a hydrogen-diesel mix, according to researchers in Australia.

The fashion industry is responsible for around 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s high time global fashion brands invest in greener alternatives. Rajkishore Nayak, Associate Professor , RMIT University Vietnam Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Colony of about 500 birds seen in remote region where they face existential threat due to global heating

A newly discovered emperor penguin colony has been seen using satellite images of one the most remote and inaccessible regions of Antarctica.

The colony, home to about 500 birds, makes a total of 66 known emperor penguin colonies around the coastline of Antarctica, half of which were discovered by space satellites. The climate crisis is posing an existential threat to these colonies, as sea ice is rapidly melting.

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Deliberate climate policy actions targeting three “super leverage” points could trigger a cascade of broader decarbonisation in sectors that cover 70% of global GHG emissions, a report presented at the WEF annual summit in Davos on Friday stated.

A Brazilian mining company on Wednesday announced it has entered into a contract to purchase carbon credits over the remainder of the decade from an Amazonian REDD+ project.