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Experts call on UK officials to prepare for periods of extreme heat or risk thousands of excess deaths

• Extreme UK weather – live updates

The UK is no longer a cold country, scientists have said, as climate breakdown means “previously impossible heatwaves are killing people”.

This week temperatures of 40C (104F) have been predicted for the first time by the Met Office, but climate models show these weather events are expected to become more common.

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China has marked the first anniversary since the official launch of its long-awaited national emissions trading scheme, though while officials celebrate some significant achievements questions linger over the path forward for the market.

The global aviation sector would need to invest an annual average of around $175 billion between 2022 and 2050 to realise its net zero ambition by mid-century, according to analysis sponsored by a coalition of business stakeholders across the supply chain of several industries, including aviation, whose emissions are hard to abate.

China has introduced a set of standards for companies to evaluate their carbon credits and solvency, marking the country's latest step to encourage the development of green finance, the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange (SEEE) announced Saturday.

António Guterres tells governments ‘half of humanity is in danger zone’, as countries battle extreme heat

• UK heatwave: latest updates

Wildfires and heatwaves wreaking havoc across swathes of the globe show humanity facing “collective suicide”, the UN secretary general has warned, as governments around the world scramble to protect people from the impacts of extreme heat.

António Guterres told ministers from 40 countries meeting to discuss the climate crisis on Monday: “Half of humanity is in the danger zone, from floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires. No nation is immune. Yet we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction.”

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Wild bison have returned to the UK for the first time in thousands of years. Three bison were released into the Kent countryside, in the hope that their natural behaviour will transform a dense commercial pine forest into a vibrant natural woodland.

Thriving woodlands also absorb more carbon, helping to tackle the climate crisis. Global heating was evident as the bison were released, with England in the grip of a heatwave, and the early timing was to allow the bison to reach the shade of the woods before temperatures started to climb

• Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years
  

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Labor names three independent experts to panel reviewing integrity of carbon offsets scheme.

The post Labor names three independent experts to Chubb-led review of carbon credits appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Australian government has unveiled the full make up of its panel reviewing the integrity of the domestic carbon market and its regulator, as it prepares to introduce its Climate Change Bill to parliament next week.

Developers needing to buy solar modules and battery storage units in US over the next 12 months are facing a one third escalation in costs.

The post Price of solar modules and battery storage have jumped by one third in US appeared first on RenewEconomy.

British buildings are not designed for heat, if you have time knock them down and start again

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The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress offers a chance to find a way to balance economic growth with conserving wilderness

Africa’s more than 8,500 protected areas of land and sea cover more than 30% of the continent – an expanse almost the size of Australia and 28 times the size of the UK. These ecosystems play a critical role in climate mitigation and adaptation, as global heating wreaks havoc on all fronts.

Today, Africa is embarking on an ambitious trajectory, with significant technological advancements, radical agricultural techniques, groundbreaking approaches to alleviating poverty and unprecedented rates of economic growth. Our natural resources, especially those in protected areas, play a critical role in development models we pursue. However, only about 1,000 of these protected areas have sound management strategies.

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The role of Carbon Program Manager will contribute significantly to the delivery of the “Climate Action” theme of the AACo Sustainability Strategy including the development of carbon sequestration programs as well as emissions reduction and renewable energy transition initiatives.

The gentle giants released in Kent should transform a commercial pine forest into a vibrant natural woodland

Early on Monday morning, three gentle giants wandered out of a corral in the Kent countryside to become the first wild bison to roam in Britain for thousands of years.

The aim is for the animals’ natural behaviour to transform a dense commercial pine forest into a vibrant natural woodland. Their taste for bark will kill some trees and their bulk will open up trails, letting light spill on to the forest floor, while their love of rolling around in dust baths will create more open ground. All this should allow new plants, insects, lizards, birds and bats to thrive.

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There’s been very little media or political discussion of what Australia should be aiming for in 2035. This is baffling. Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There is much to disagree with in the proposed federal government “ramping up” of funding for the Beetaloo Basin gas expansion.

The post Beetaloo Basin: More government subsidies proposed for a failing and risky industry appeared first on RenewEconomy.

This extreme heat is just the beginning. We should be scared – and channel this emotion into action

• Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and a climate activist.

There’s no getting around it, the UK’s once equitable climate is falling apart. We are now firmly on course for hothouse Britain and the signs are all around us. Just three years ago, the mercury hit 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge – then an all-time record. A year later, meteorologists at the UK Met Office mocked-up a weather forecast for 2050, showing 40C-plus temperatures across much of the UK.

But the speed of climate breakdown is such that this future is already upon us. On Monday, the Met Office’s first ever red extreme heat warning comes into force for much of England, as ferocious 40C-plus temperatures threaten to overwhelm ambulance services and A&E departments, and potentially bring about thousands of deaths.

Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and a climate activist. His latest book, Hothouse Earth: an Inhabitant’s Guide is published on 4 August

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Analysts have raised their EU carbon price forecasts across the board after the futures recovered from a Q1 plunge triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, but a number of experts have warned that conflicting fundamental drivers could keep the market rangebound through the rest of this year.

Hawaii prepares to shut down its last coal burning power plant on its most populous island, to be partially replaced with a Tesla big battery.

The post Hawaii says goodbye to coal, aloha to big batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Vegetarian and vegan diets are the best for the planet. But most omivores simply won’t switch to them. It’s realistic to promote the Mediterranean diet instead. Nicole Allenden, PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, University of New England Amy Lykins, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, University of New England Annette Cowie, Principal Research Scientist, Climate Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For Pacific Islands, climate change trumps all other threats to their security. While they welcome Australia’s new emission targets, this is an issue of survival that demands greater ambition. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.