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A US-based firm on Tuesday released the first in a series of “science-led” standards for carbon removals in the voluntary carbon market (VCM), with the new protocol for bio-oil sequestration promising permanent emissions sequestration in contrast to some nature-based solutions. 

From Antarctica to Tibet, long-lasting chemicals in rainwater are well above US safety guidelines.

Striking new images show lake has lost nearly half of its surface area from the historical average

New satellite images from the European Space Agency have illustrated the extent of dwindling water levels in the Great Salt Lake in Utah, a month after it reached its lowest water level ever recorded.

Highlighting falling water levels and the decreasing size of the lake, the report compares satellite images from 1985 and 2022. At its peak in the 1980s, it covered about 3,300 sq miles; in recent measurements, it has lost nearly half of its surface area from the historical average. The new record, registered last month, was the second historical low reached in less than a year.

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The Coalition could’ve progressed a domestic industry in its nine years in power, but it didn’t

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I understand patience is a virtue, but it’s not an inexhaustible commodity – particularly when a party of government continues to have a lend of the Australian public in such extravagant fashion over such a long period of time.

Peter Dutton has made his captain’s call to oppose Labor’s 43% emissions reduction target for two reasons: to force Anthony Albanese to do a parliamentary deal with the Greens, a situation he senses is risky for Labor politically; and to reserve the right to engage in more weaponised bollocks by blaming rising consumer prices on Labor’s new 2030 target.

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EUAs rose for a second day as the annual cut in auction volumes continued to inspire buying interest amid low screen-based trading volumes, while German year-ahead electricity prices set a new record and natural gas prices continued to advance amid continuing uncertainty over Russian supplies.

A New Zealand marine science research organisation is spearheading a cutting-edge seagrass restoration project, backed by the country’s government and several high-profile companies, hoping it can be applied to larger-scale projects across the country.

Ten new nature-based offset futures will be introduced by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in mid-August as it looks to snatch market share from rival Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) by adopting a longer timeframe for companies looking to hedge their carbon emission exposure

Activism works. If we could ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship, we can ban fossil fuel propaganda

• Emma Thompson is an actor and activist

Gondola trips are a traditional part of visiting Venice for those who can afford the steep tourist prices, but I went a little off-script on a recent visit and chose a different, but equally iconic, vessel. We Are Here Venice, an NGO that promotes the safeguarding of a city deeply affected by climate breakdown and countless human-made activities, invited me on board the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior, the purpose of whose visit was anything but touristic.

I have taken part in two Arctic tours with Greenpeace: one on the Esperanza (now defunct, not my fault!) and another on the Arctic Sunrise. I had previously sailed with two of the crew who are now on the Rainbow Warrior, and there they still were, fighting for climate justice around the world.

Emma Thompson is an actor and activist

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 300 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at guardian.letters@theguardian.com

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Global renewable energy investment reached $US226 billion in the first half of 2022, a record that defied supply chain challenges and cost inflation.

The post Global renewables investment hits record high, boosted by solar and offshore wind appeared first on RenewEconomy.

No single crisis, no matter how existential, will be enough to shut this machine down naturally. We must break it or it will break us

It is useful to think of capitalism as a robotic savant, spectacularly gifted at doing one thing and cripplingly blind to everything else. Global capitalism is an incredible machine for extracting fossil fuels from our planet, refining them, shipping them to every corner of the Earth and making staggering amounts of money doing so. The humming of this machine, the fuel and the money that it spits out, has powered a century of unprecedented production and consumption by the Earth’s first-world nations. Unfortunately the machine is also poisoning us all. But one of its exquisitely evolved functions is to make it almost impossible to turn it off.

Oil and gas profits in the most recent quarter were astounding. Exxon Mobil made $18bn in profits in the past three months. Shell and Chevron each made nearly $12bn. Those are all record numbers. More major companies will announce their figures this week, and they are all expected to be bountiful. The war in Ukraine, which has devastated a region of the world and displaced millions, has helped energy companies by driving oil and gas prices higher. In this, we see another key characteristic of the machine: the fortunes of nations may rise and fall, but the oil companies will always survive and thrive, floating above the chaos of the world like passengers on a private jet, shaking their heads performatively at all the problems below.

Hamilton Nolan is a writer based in New York

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Despite the lack of policy direction for the national government, some Chinese project developers are moving to develop grassland-based carbon sequestration schemes, initially targeting foreign buyers.

The output of large scale wind and solar sets new record on Monday.

The post Graph of the Day: Large scale wind and solar set record output on Australia’s main grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) have joined up with a group of financials, tech firms, and industrials to produce proof of concept for a blockchain-based carbon unit derived from green bonds that are linked with country NDCs under the Paris Agreement.

Independent ACT senator David Pocock has given his first speech in the  Senate, warning a sixth mass extinction event is under way. 'Today the systems that sustain life on earth are on the brink of collapse,' Pocock said. 'The climate as we know it is breaking down and the impacts are now being felt with distressing regularity.' 

A request made by Pocock for an Auslan interpreter to translate his speech was denied by the major parties, who were worried about the 'precedent' it would set. The government offered to have screens on the floor of the Senate displaying an interpreter as a compromise

• ACT senator David Pocock denied Auslan interpreter for first speech in Senate
• Tony Burke flags parliamentary inquiry to consider overhaul of Workforce Australia jobs program

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BBC Sport examines the climate impact of the Premier League's globe-trotting pre-season tours.

New classification would mean a total ban on international trade in the animal’s body parts, as climate crisis and poaching hit populations

Hippos could be added to the list of the world’s most endangered animals because of dwindling populations caused by the climate crisis, poaching and the ivory trade.

The semi-aquatic mammals are found in lakes and rivers across sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated population of 115,000-130,000. As well as the trade in ivory – found in its teeth – and animal parts, they are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, and the effects of global heating.

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There’s been a lot of talk about pulling the gas trigger. The problem is, the trigger is too slow and too easy to avoid. Samantha Hepburn, Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

South Korea has established an International Reduction Council to handle the nation’s involvement in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as Korea Environment Corporation (KECO) this week announced a second round of pilot project funding.

Sudden price falls in gas and electricity markets have caught out Australia's fossil fuel cartels - like a trillion dollar toddler - with their hands in the cookie jar.

The post There is no shortage of gas, or fossil fuel cartels, in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.