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Arrest of pair capturing images of M25 protest condemned by British Press Photographers’ Association

The British Press Photographers’ Association has condemned the arrest of a photographer and documentary film-maker as they captured images of a Just Stop Oil protest.

Rich Felgate, a documentary maker, and Tom Bowles, the photographer, were arrested by a Hertfordshire police officer as they caught the action on a footbridge over the M25 on Monday.

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Activists from Just Stop Oil scaled gantries along the M25 for a second day, unfurling banners protesting against the use of oil and gas. Demonstrators disrupted traffic, forcing police to block the motorway at various locations until they were able to bring the activists down. Police say 16 arrests were made in Kent, Essex, Surrey and Hertfordshire. 

Similar protests took place along the busy thoroughfare on Monday when activists from the group also climbed gantries on the M25. The protests coincide with the Cop27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, convened to address some of the world's most pressing climate issues 

• Met vows to make more pre-emptive arrests after M25 hit by climate action
• Just Stop Oil protesters bring parts of M25 to halt for second day

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A UN-appointed group released its highly-anticipated report on Tuesday at COP27, providing recommendations on how to bolster the credibility of net-zero emissions commitments, cracking down on greenwashing from non-state actors, such as corporations, investors, and cities.

The European Commission president has told Cop27 in Egypt 'Europe is stepping up, despite Covid and the Russian war', to tackle the climate crisis. Speaking on the centre stage, Ursula von der Leyen urged the global north to follow the EU's example. 'Those in need in the developing world must be supported in adapting to a harsher climate,' she said. 'We urge our partners in the global north to stand by their climate finance commitments in the global south'

• Cop27 day two: world leaders call for urgent action, saying ‘nature lashing out and citizens losing patience’ – live

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A new initiative intends to put Africa centre stage for the anticipated explosion in voluntary carbon market offset supply, with ambitious plans for the continent to produce 300 mln offsets a year by 2030 and between 1.5-2.5 bln a year by 2050.

High level group releases report at Cop27 saying policies should be ‘about cutting emissions, not corners’

• Cop27 live – latest news updates

A UN group set up to crack down on the greenwashing of net zero pledges by industry and government has called for “red lines” to stop support for new fossil fuel exploration and overuse of carbon offsets.

The “high-level expert group”, created in March by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, to advise on rules to improve integrity and transparency in net zero commitments by industry, regions and cities, said climate plans must include deep cuts in greenhouse gases before 2030, and not delay action until closer to 2050.

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European carbon prices gave up Monday's modest gains in early Tuesday trading as volatility began to dry up in anticipation of political discussions beginning later in the week, while gas prices were higher after the EU appeared to abandon efforts to put a temporary cap on prices.

It was visible from North America and the Pacific - but Europe will have to wait until 2025.

The 31-year-old allegedly failed to seek medical attention after the boy was bitten at a property in Murgon, Queensland

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Queensland police have charged a 31-year-old man with manslaughter over the sudden death of an 11-year-old boy who was bitten by a snake.

The man allegedly failed to seek medical attention after the boy reported being bitten at a property at Murgon in Queensland’s South Burnett region on 21 November last year.

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Police say 16 arrests made after activists scale gantries in Kent, Essex, Surrey and Hertfordshire

Protesters have caused widespread disruption on the M25 for a second day after several junctions were blocked.

Just Stop Oil said “approximately 15” of its supporters climbed on to overhead gantries in “multiple locations” on the UK’s busiest motorway from 7am on Tuesday, causing police to halt traffic.

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Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises, joins nearby Vanuatu in seeking phase-out of coal, oil and gas

Tuvalu has become the first country to use United Nations climate talks to demand an international fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, which would phase out the use of coal, oil and gas.

The small Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises caused by global heating, becomes the second country to call for an agreement to end the era of burning fossil fuels, which is the primary cause of the rapidly escalating climate crisis, fellow Pacific nation Vanuatu being the first.

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It’s Tuesday - Finance Day - at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, and Carbon Pulse will keep you updated with developments throughout the day. Timestamps in local time (EEST, GMT+2).

The First Movers Coalition, a global initiative launched last year to spur the decarbonisation of heavy industry and the long-distance transport sector, has expanded its coverage into two new energy-intensive sectors and will allocate $12 billion in green technology purchase commitments, US climate envoy John Kerry and the World Economic Forum announced on Tuesday.

The World Bank has launched an a umbrella fund at COP27 that will help countries to access carbon markets by providing results-based grant payments via pooled cash from donor countries, the private sector, and foundations for projects that reduce emissions, including the monetising of credits from the acceleration of coal phaseouts, a senior member behind the project told Carbon Pulse.

China’s cabinet has released an implementation plan for the country’s building materials sector, with a special focus on cement production, as part of a broader commitment to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.

The UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, opens for another day of talks

Cop27 has been termed the African Cop – but we have reported on the difficulties some African activists have faced in attending the summit. And yesterday our video reporter in Sharm el-Sheikh, Nikhita Chulani, spoke to the Ugandan activist Nyombi Morris who was turned away from the talks.

When 24-year-old Ugandan activist Nyombi Morris arrived in Egypt for the Cop27 climate summit he was turned away from the high-level talks because he did not have the right accreditation. Only country delegates and some members of the press were allowed in the events for heads of states and government officials.

“Why are we here?”, asked Nyombi, adding that the world leaders and negotiators who are currently deciding how far to push climate action need to quickly change the way they work and who they listen to, saying right now he doesn’t think it is right to truly call this an African Cop.

“You have to frontline the voices of African youth activists, because these are the innovators. These are the ones implementing actions, not our leaders, our leaders are just always in the office, but you are excluding us. So it is time to understand that this event is in Africa. We need to give African voices a chance ... We cannot lead without knowledge.”

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The total number of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issues has now surpassed 120 million despite consistent criticism over some methodologies, while the Labor government has signed up to international forestry and shipping climate initiatives at COP27 in Egypt.

As the UN’s Cop27 summit begins in Egypt, there are warnings more must be done to avert climate breakdown

Last year’s UN Cop26 climate talks in Scotland were framed by John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy on the climate crisis, as the “last best hope for the world to get its act together” and avert climate breakdown. As world leaders gather in Egypt for Cop27, evidence suggests they have yet to fully do so.

The Glasgow conference drew collective promises by governments to “phase down” coal use, curb deforestation, advance remedial payments to developing countries hit hardest by floods, heatwaves and droughts, and to come back the following year with more ambitious emissions reduction targets.

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37 million people are facing starvation in the Horn of Africa. Time for wealthier countries to adopt ‘loss and damage finance’

In September, I travelled from my home country, Uganda, to Turkana County in Kenya, which is suffering from a historic drought. One morning, I met a boy in a hospital where doctors see patients with the worst cases of severe acute malnutrition. His family had not been able to access the treatment he needed in time. By the time the sun set that evening, he had died.

The boy was one of 37 million people facing starvation in the Horn of Africa. After four failed rainy seasons, Kenya faces the acute risk of widespread famine. This suffering is set to get worse; experts predict that drought-stricken areas in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will receive significantly below normal rainfall for the rest of the year.

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The most widely used climate-related disclosure platform said on Tuesday that it will apply an upcoming international standard to its reporting requirements, including Scope 1-3 emissions reporting and carbon offset use by corporates.