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House of Lords to rule on divisive legislation that would stop import of endangered animals’ body parts

MPs have voted to support a controversial ban on importing hunting trophies from thousands of species into the UK, preventing British hunters from bringing the body parts of lions, elephants and giraffes into the country.

A private member’s bill put forward by the Conservative MP Henry Smith and backed by the government received the support of parliament on Friday morning after years of divisive debate on the issue. MPs from across the political spectrum spoke in favour of the legislation before it passed.

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The body responsible for determining which project types will be issued with UN-backed emissions credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement opened a call for inputs on Thursday, seeking outside help after struggling to reach consensus on topics such as permanence, additionality, and overall ambition.

Safeguard Mechanism entities needing Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to comply with the scheme may face insufficient supply as issuance growth is slowing down while demand is accelerating, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) said on Friday.

All the Spiranthes on the Japanese mainland were thought to be a single species, but in fact there are two

In Japan, a country with a rich and ancient history of horticulture, it is nowadays extremely rare for a new plant species to be identified. But the latest one has been growing under their noses, and it is exceptionally beautiful.

Spiranthes hachijoensis, whose rosy pink petals bear a striking resemblance to glasswork, can be found in common environments such as lawns and parks, and even in private gardens and on balconies, and yet until now it had not been named. That is because until now it was believed that all the Spiranthes on the Japanese mainland were a single species, when in fact there are two.

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Weekly trading volume in China's emissions market plunged over the past week despite the announcement of the long-awaited allowance allocation plan, with observers remaining cautious about the supply outlook in the absence of key policies.

Hundreds killed in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi in what may be longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record

Cyclone Freddy, which developed over the Indian Ocean more than a month ago, has dissipated this week, after making landfall a second time in southern Africa. The death toll had exceeded 300 across Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi by Thursday, with more than 700 people injured, 40 missing and 80,000 displaced.

The devastation was caused by severe flooding and landslides, which swept away roads and buried homes in mud. Power outages in Mozambique have affected small villages since last weekend, hindering rescue efforts as people await food and medical assistance.

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Bursa Malaysia’s new carbon trading platform, Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX), completed its first carbon credit auction on Thursday, which saw domestic buyers purchase all the available 150,000 Verra-registered carbon credits, the stock exchange announced.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including a damselfly, turtle hatchling and beached manta rays

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Exclusive: rare purple organism preys on trapdoor spider in behaviour reminiscent of its ‘zombie’ relatives that feature in apocalyptic TV show The Last of Us

Scientists believe they have discovered a new parasitic fungus which preys on trapdoor spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest.

The rare organism, which is purple, belongs to a group of fungi that infect invertebrates and take over the host. A closeup image shows the fungus wrapped around the body of a trapdoor spider, poking out of the burrow from which the arachnid grabs insects.

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A major foresty company in Japan has teamed up with a leading telecommunications company to develop a cloud-based data platform exclusively for forest carbon credits, with a demonstration project set to be launched in April this year.

Indonesia can avoid up to $3.8 trillion in investment requirements and achieve an earlier peak in its emissions if it targets net zero emissions by 2050 instead of its current goal to reach it ten years later, provided it prioritises low-cost renewable energy over costlier alternatives, a report released on Friday has found.

VIDEO: Refurbished wind turbine blades make their way to 7+MW microgrid, where they will help power a garnet mine and local community.

The post Preloved wind turbines from Netherlands help power remote mine in Australian outback appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Owner of biggest solar farm in Australia says industry is being battered by rising costs for both PV modules and battery storage. But it's not all bad news.

The post How solar and storage developers got their market forecasts completely wrong appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As the world waits with bated breath for the release of the latest UN climate report, let’s take a fresh look at the IPCC. What can we expect from the Synthesis Report on Monday evening? Nerilie Abram, Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; Deputy Director for the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Verdant Earth takes first step in latest bid to convert Redbank coal plant into a wood waste-fuelled power station – and green groups are not happy.

The post Green group wages war against renewed bid to convert coal plant to woody biomass appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Acen Australia CEO Anton Rohner talks solar and storage after opening Australia’s biggest solar farm, and the controversy over Tasmania wind project.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: What price solar and storage? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Australia's trade partners - China, US, India, Japan and the EU – are making strategic public interventions at massive scale. Australia must act or lose out.

The post EU piles pressure on Australia to seize once-in-a-century cleantech opportunity appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A London-based sustainable investment provider has closed its Blue Ocean Fund at €170 million, making it the world’s largest VC fund focused on the regeneration of ocean health.

A new report on rural homelessness reveals low funding has left rough sleepers relying on goodwill.

What can be done to protect coastal communities at risk of being swallowed up by the sea?