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No routine checkups on welfare of fish at slaughter, officials admit
Campaigners say fish farmed in England, Wales and Scotland face cruelty, with no penalty for those who fail to meet welfare needs
The government has admitted there are no routine checkups on fish welfare at slaughter, after an investigation found no department would take responsibility.
Campaigners have said this means fish face cruelty with no repercussions for those who fail to meet their welfare needs, and have asked that fish are given the same oversight as other farmed animals.
Continue reading...Euro Markets: Midday Update
Cop26 kept the world’s 1.5C limit in reach – now we will steer it over the line | Alok Sharma
The Glasgow climate pact is something all parties can be proud of, but the work of the UK’s presidency is just beginning
By any measure, the Glasgow climate pact signed at Cop26 is a historic agreement. It was the result of two years of marathon work, and a two-week sprint of negotiations, but we achieved what we wanted. We can credibly say that we kept the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in reach.
And besides that, we have won historic commitments from countries to act on coal, cars, cash and trees. These are valuable agreements that begin to fill in the details of how we will navigate this immense, worldwide challenge.
Alok Sharma is president of Cop26 and the Conservative MP for Reading West
Continue reading...Polluting greenhouse gases being sold online and smuggled to UK
UK will press governments to stick to climate pledges, says Cop26 president
Alok Sharma says shared goals must be steered to safety by ensuring countries deliver on their promises
The UK will continue to press governments around the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions urgently in the next year to limit global heating to 1.5C, after the UN climate talks that concluded last week, the president of the summit has pledged.
Alok Sharma, the cabinet minister who led the Cop26 talks, said the world had shown in Glasgow that countries could work together to establish a framework for climate action but the next year must focus on keeping the promises made there.
Continue reading...Australia Market Roundup: ACCUs near A$40, while issuances see slight drop after COP
Want to fight for climate action but feel daunted or powerless? Try this | Tayo Bero
The scale of the crisis is intimidating. But most people are already members of organizations – like our employers, universities, unions or religious groups – that are great avenues to fight for concrete climate results
For anyone hoping for some optimism about our dying planet, the recent Cop26 climate summit left much to be desired. Developing countries were severely underrepresented at the conference, and only a third of the usual number of delegates from those countries was able to attend, due to Covid restrictions, a lack of affordable accommodation and accessibility issues.
As the race to save the planet continues, much of climate action rhetoric these days remains split between personal calls to action – such as recycling or cutting down on individual consumption – and calls for governments, corporations and international organizations to wind down fossil fuel production, switch to renewable energy on a mass scale and protect key ecosystems that can help mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.
Tayo Bero is a freelance writer
Continue reading...Oil major Shell announces Asia-focussed circular chemical, low carbon investments
India’s farmers have won – but this doesn’t mean Modi is softening | Rukmini S
This is a rare climbdown from the prime minister. But the space for dissent is still diminishing under his government
It is not often that Narendra Modi gives a televised address to the nation and it is met with relief, not disarray. The Indian prime minister’s previous frightening acts of decisiveness have included announcing a complete lockdown with just four hours’ notice last year, and withdrawing 85% of the country’s currency overnight in 2016.
This most recent on-screen address went another way entirely. When Modi announced his government’s intention to withdraw three controversial farm laws after one of the most prolonged periods of protest ever recorded in India, in which hundreds died in the face of state violence, it was met with mass jubilation. The laws – originally passed during a chaotic voice vote in parliament last year, when the television broadcast was muted so viewers could not hear the opposition – were seen as tools to encourage the corporatisation of agriculture and weaken state protections for farmers. Backed by the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist Gita Gopinath, the US state department, rightwing economists and a large section of India’s pro-Modi, pro-industry media, the laws faced mass opposition among Indians – almost half of whom, according to the most recent census, work in farming.
Rukmini S is a data journalist based in Chennai, India
Continue reading...China’s Fujian sees big drop in ETS emissions after power plant shift into national scheme
Woodside quizzed on business and environmental concerns about WA gas project
Chief executive Meg O’Neill says gas from Scarborough project will help customers in Asia transition away from coal
Energy giant Woodside has sought to play down concerns about the company’s decision to push ahead on controversial plans to develop the Scarborough gas field in Western Australia.
Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill faced questions during an investor update on Tuesday about the company’s $16.2b bet to open up the 800 sq km gas field in north-west Western Australia – an area larger than Singapore – and expand its onshore production capacity.
Continue reading...Australia, Germany to kickstart bilateral funding for new hydrogen projects
Australia declares La Niña weather event has begun
“Arrogant” Woodside rushes ahead on massive gas hub
Oil and gas giant Woodside has been criticised by green groups for proceeding with massive gas project, yet to secure full environmental approval.
The post “Arrogant” Woodside rushes ahead on massive gas hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Queensland chips in $10m to boost local vanadium production for flow batteries
Queensland government tips $10m into Australia's first vanadium processing plant, providing local supply of the metal used in redox flow batteries.
The post Queensland chips in $10m to boost local vanadium production for flow batteries appeared first on RenewEconomy.
World needs up to 140TWh of long duration energy storage to meet net-zero goals
New report says energy storage of eight hours and more will be crucial to shift to renewables, and we'll need a lot of it between now and 2040.
The post World needs up to 140TWh of long duration energy storage to meet net-zero goals appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Victoria Big Battery now registered as biggest non hydro player in FCAS market
Victoria Big Battery, the largest in Australia, now officially registered for crucial frequency control markets in the country's main grid.
The post Victoria Big Battery now registered as biggest non hydro player in FCAS market appeared first on RenewEconomy.
A $65 billion opportunity awaits green building sector, CEFC says
Low carbon materials could deliver big emissions cuts and big investment opportunties, a new CEFC report suggests.
The post A $65 billion opportunity awaits green building sector, CEFC says appeared first on RenewEconomy.
Australia’s de-facto carbon price hits $40/t as international markets take off after COP26
Australia's defacto carbon price hit $40/tonne, at least in the forward market, as international markets took off in response to COP26 outcome.
The post Australia’s de-facto carbon price hits $40/t as international markets take off after COP26 appeared first on RenewEconomy.