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Lakes and reservoirs have lost 22 gigatonnes a year since 1992, driven by factors including global heating and human consumption

More than half of the world’s large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s – chiefly because of the climate crisis and human consumption – intensifying concerns about water supply for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study has found.

A team of international researchers reported that some of the world’s most important freshwater sources – from the Caspian Sea between Europe and Asia, to South America’s Lake Titicaca – lost water at a cumulative rate of about 22 gigatonnes a year for nearly three decades, equivalent to the total water use in the US for the entire year of 2015.

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NSW to open second gigawatt scale tender for new wind and solar capacity and long duration storage. Will eight-hour batteries win the day again?

The post NSW to open second gigawatt scale wind, solar and storage tender on Monday appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Terraformation is hiring a Carbon Certification Specialist to work with our forestry business development team and science team to provide technical expertise in strengthening our value proposition in the voluntary carbon offset markets.

Terraformation is hiring a Head of Carbon Strategy to work with our Forestry Partnerships and Development team to lead our internal carbon projects strategy, strengthening our value proposition in the voluntary carbon offset markets.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management has secured $500 million in commitments from European investors for its climate-targetted private equity strategy, which seeks to fund growth-stage firms capable of collectively avoiding or eliminating 1 billion tonnes of CO2e by 2050.

Canada’s government budget watchdog on Thursday said the impending Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR) will cost some residents over C$1,000 in 2030, though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration and researchers said the analysis was highly flawed.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices traded through a narrow range into the WCI Q2 allowance sale on Wednesday, while Washington Carbon Allowances (WCA) prices held flat this week ahead of the upcoming auction at the end of the month.

A California legislative committee on Thursday held bills that would have ratcheted up the state’s 2030 GHG reduction target and throttled Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) crediting from dairy digesters, though lawmakers did send to the floor proposals to review the state’s WCI-linked cap-and-trade programme and implement other climate policies and disclosure requirements.

Human civilisation is headed for collapse. Collectively, we are pushing planet Earth beyond the limits of endurance. There has to be a better way. Now a new book makes the case for systemic change. Mark Diesendorf, Honorary Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A blockchain-based venture has unveiled its first liquidity pool to help boost the sale of ‘forward’ carbon credits for mangrove restoration projects.

Devastating floods in Emilia-Romagna region have left several dead and thousands homeless after torrential rains triggered landslides and caused rivers to burst their banks

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An Amazon-adjacent Brazilian state will sign a 10-year agreement to supply hundreds of millions of avoided deforestation carbon credits to a Swiss commodity trader, the subnational government announced Wednesday.

A carbon credit rating agency has downgraded a Verra-accredited reforestation project in Ghana amid concerns about additionality and over-crediting.

The Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity initiative (VCMI) aims to lend a helping hand to governments as they accelerate market regulation, with the group providing advice to support both host countries in VCM oversight, as well as buyer countries in claims requirements.

European carbon prices are being pulled in opposite directions amid a battle between bearish near-term fundamentals and stubborn technical trading targeting levels in the upper €80s, but some market players see the potential for values to slump to levels not seen since January as a paucity of demand weighs.

Limits on numbers at Paris summit mean some of those ‘most needing to be heard’ will not be in attendance

Scientists and NGOs have accused the UN’s environment programme (Unep) of locking out those “most needing to be heard” from upcoming negotiations in Paris aimed at halting plastic waste.

Last-minute restrictions to the numbers of NGOs attending what the head of Unep described as the “most important multilateral environmental deal” in a decade will exclude people from communities in developing countries harmed by dumping and burning of plastic waste as well as marginalised waste pickers, who are crucial to recycling, from fully participating, they said.

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Biden officials consider whether symbol, created for first Earth Day in 1970, is misleading because of use on non-recyclable material

The triangular loop of arrows that has been the universal symbol of recycling for the past five decades could itself end up being binned in the US, with Joe Biden’s administration mulling whether it is misleading to the public.

The “chasing arrows” logo, designed by a college student for the first Earth Day in 1970, has become ubiquitous on everything from cartons of milk to shampoo bottles as a way to nudge users to recycle packaging rather than discard it.

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Surfers, swimmers and consumers have been paying for the water industry’s neglect for too long. We need action, not words

After decades of pollution, chronic underinvestment and presiding over a fundamentally broken water system, water companies in England have finally apologised for the disgraceful state they have left our rivers and seas in and promised to change. But how on earth can we trust them?

Of course, we welcome the industry finally taking responsibility and any additional investment to fix our broken system, but the money may prove too little and the apology too late. These companies have had ample opportunity to put things right and invest in their infrastructure. Meanwhile, surfers, swimmers and paddleboarders, from St Agnes to St Andrews, have been paying the price, risking becoming sick by simply entering the water.

Henry Swithinbank is policy manager for Surfers Against Sewage

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Party promises to enshrine in law equal access to benefits of green spaces if it wins next election

• UK politics live – latest updates

The Labour party has pledged to introduce a Scottish-style right to roam law in England if it wins the next general election, with access to green space enshrined in law.

The shadow environment minister, Alex Sobel, made the announcement during a debate secured by the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, who has been campaigning for wider access to the countryside.

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Clean water activists say industry’s promise to reduce pollution should not be taken on trust

The water industry’s promise to triple investment in the sewage system in England to reduce pollution and quell public anger should not be taken on trust, campaigners have said.

Clean water activists including surfers, swimmers and anglers criticised water companies for passing the £10bn bill for investment, which should have been carried out years ago, on to customers.

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