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Apartments have lower waste recycling rates than houses, which means the growing numbers of apartment dwellers could add to Australia’s waste management crisis. But there are solutions to the problem. Bhavna Middha, Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Ralph Horne, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

EU parliamentarians are considering whether to push for the creation of a bloc-wide carbon removals market before the end of the decade, with at least one senior MEP signalling on Wednesday that they will submit an amendment in upcoming legislation while another urged caution.

The current price of EU carbon allowances makes renewable hydrogen competitive against fossil fuel-derived, the European Commission's top climate official told an event in Brussels on Wednesday in remarks that contrast with recent legislator views expressing unease at the record levels.

Study adds to fears Amazon is approaching tipping point after which it will not be able to generate its own rainfall

For the first time researchers have proven a clear correlation between deforestation and regional precipitation. Scientists hope it may encourage agricultural companies and governments in the Amazon and Congo basin regions and south-east Asia to invest more in protecting trees and other vegetation.

The study found that the more rainforests are cleared in tropical countries, the less local farmers will be able to depend on rain for their crops and pastures.

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Regulatory associations and industry bodies are calling for carbon credits to be classified as physical commodities globally, rather than as financial instruments where regulation is more onerous.

A multinational IT firm has partnered with a seagrass conservation charity to launch an open-source algorithm that helps locate, quantify, and track seagrass meadows initially across the UK, announcing the move to celebrate the UN's first-ever World Seagrass Day on Wednesday.

The European Parliament’s environment committee (ENVI) on Wednesday voted for a steeper phase-down of fluorinated gases (F-gases) from 2039 onwards, aiming to raise ambition in a revised regulation to rid the bloc of the potent warming gases used in refrigeration.  

Once-abundant giant lacewing was believed extinct in eastern US but mislabelled specimen hints at surviving populations

A giant Jurassic-era insect missing from eastern North America for at least half a century has been spotted clinging to the side of a Walmart big box in Arkansas.

The identification of the giant lacewing – Polystoechotes punctata – in an urban area of Fayetteville, Arkansas, sent scientists into raptures. The discovery of a species that was abundant in the age of the dinosaurs but which was thought to have disappeared from large swaths of North America has stoked speculation that there may be entire populations tucked away in remote parts of the Ozark mountains.

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Lewes council passes motion recognising Sussex river’s rights to protection, amid growing concerns over pollution of waterways

The River Ouse is on course to be the first river in England to be granted legal rights, as part of a growing movement to bolster protection for nature through the law.

Lewes district council passed a rights of river motion acknowledging the rights of nature as a way of improving the health of local rivers by giving them similar protection to people, and agreed there was “a case to be made for considering our interactions with our local waterways”.

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The market must value carbon credits from forestry projects in a range of $30-50/tonne to make conservation and restoration economically viable, a senior member of the UN Environment Programme told an event on Wednesday.

More than 60 US scientists, including James Hansen, renowned former Nasa climate researcher, sign open letter

The controversial concept of purposely deflecting the sun’s rays to cool down an overheating Earth should be further studied, according to a group of scientists headed by James Hansen, the renowned former Nasa climate researcher.

An open letter from more than 60 scientists across the US, Canada and Europe warns that it is “increasingly unlikely” the world will remain below 2C of heating beyond pre-industrial times, due to a failure to slash greenhouse gas emissions, requiring a “rigorous, rapid scientific assessment” of previously outlandish proposals for solar geoengineering to provide rapid cooling.

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European carbon prices weakened for a second day as selling pressure built up ahead of the weekly release of Commitment of traders data on Wednesday morning, while energy prices were mixed amid forecasts for stronger solar generation and slightly weaker demand.

A carbon market in India can encourage a cost-efficient, low carbon transformation of the Indian economy, but policymakers need to ensure that it is well designed and implemented to avoid key pitfalls that would undermine its ability to contribute to meeting long term climate goals, a report from a Mumbai-based environmental think-tank has found.

A global pandemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza is driving deaths in the egg industry. And factory farming is largely to blame

The increased cost of eggs has been in the news, but the cause has largely been absent in mainstream media. A global pandemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a form of bird flu (H5N1), has resulted in the deaths of over 43 million hens in the egg industry, causing a drop in the supply of eggs and higher prices for consumers. While industry and government officials are feverishly working on getting this outbreak under control, the more significant issue is that confining animals by the billions in cruel and stressful conditions exacerbates the spread of disease. The problem is getting worse, and agribusiness needs to stop distracting consumers with messages about high egg prices and be held accountable for its irresponsible conduct.

On factory farms across the US, animals used to produce meat, milk and eggs for human consumption are crowded by the thousands in unsanitary conditions, and they’re fed a steady diet of pharmaceuticals to ward off the resulting illness. This helps keep animals productive and alive long enough to reach market, benefiting agribusiness in the short term, but it is contributing to the development of more virulent forms of resistant pathogens that jeopardize the wellbeing of both human and nonhuman animals. As a study published in 2018 warned: “The golden age of antibiotics (the 1950s through 1970s) marked the beginning of the arms race between humans and bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is now among the greatest threats to human health.”

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Special trader accreditations, a price floor on credits, and potential sellers’ clubs that guarantee high-quality supply are some of the elements proposed by Geneva-based non-profit NatureFinance and the Taskforce on Nature Markets to help govern a scaled-up market for biodiversity credits.

Neoen to more than double its average battery storage duration as it looks to more firming projects and a new 20GW capacity target for 2030.

The post Neoen to spend more on longer duration batteries as storage makes mark on the grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Portuguese utility EDP reported a 50% jump in EU ETS-covered fossil power generation in full-year results for 2022, published Wednesday, as extreme low hydro output in Spain and Portugal forced a ramp up in gas burn.

The committee steering Japan’s J-Credit programme has given the green light to a new methodology regarding the cultivation of paddy rice, a move reflecting the government's increased focus on the development of nature-based solutions and ambition to drive new supply ahead of the GX League launch.

With little rain forecast for spring and reservoirs still not refilled, drought could be worse than last year

The government risks sleepwalking into drought, experts have said, after England experienced an extremely dry February with very little rain forecast for spring.

Last year, most of England was plunged into drought conditions, with farmers struggling to plant and harvest crops, and hosepipe bans in action across the country. Water companies were preparing to take drastic action, including banning the filling of public swimming pools and cleaning non-domestic buildings.

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As this cold British winter recedes, every day brings change, and with it a reminder of the beauty and resilience of the natural world

This weekend, I sowed the first of my seeds of the season. Five varieties of tomato and two different kinds of aubergine. I’m not one for sowing seeds early, but tomatoes and aubergines need every day of the growing season in this country to offer up the best possible harvest. Last summer, the tomatoes were incredible: they thrived in that mind-bending heatwave. They more than made up for the year before when blight obliterated every plant before even one tomato had dared to ripen. No two years are ever the same in the veg patch.

Gardeners and growers are well versed in the nature of change. Understanding how the shifting seasons and weather patterns affect our plants enables us to determine when our interventions will be most timely. This year, gardeners at the Royal Horticultural Society, who have been studying buds across the country, are reportedly expecting a bumper blossom in spring. The combination of last year’s heat and light with the cold snap this February is expected to produce ideal conditions for flowering.

Claire Ratinon is an organic food grower and writer

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