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The James Webb observatory records the giant jets and shocks created by a birthing star in Orion.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

A marketplace for trading environmental assets has opened in South Africa to tap into the expected boom in carbon credit demand in the country where the units can put towards the national carbon tax.

Compliance players shed California Carbon Allowance (CCA) holdings as speculators did the opposite, while both entities reduced their RGGI Allowance (RGA) and Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) net length, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed Friday.

A monthly report by a carbon market analysis firm revealed lower expectations for California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices, with Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) values also expected to slide, while the outlook for RGGI Allowances (RGAs) remained the same.

Standards body and registry Verra on Friday halted issuances for both Kasigau Corridor REDD projects in Kenya, initiating an investigation into the activities after it was made aware of what it said were serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

A major US veterinary pharmaceutical company and an Indianapolis-headquartered startup announced on Thursday the verification of credits for sale through the latter's cloud-based platform.

The Brazilian federal government has submitted stronger Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets to the UNFCCC, increasing the country's ambition to reduce emissions - the first official change to its national emissions plan since President Inacio Lula da Silva was elected in Oct. 2022.

Just over half of Europe's single family homes could technically be fully energy self-sufficient with a combination of solar energy and storage systems.

The post Half of Europe’s family homes could be energy self-sufficient with solar and storage appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Council of EU member states is firming up its largely favourable position on whether to obligate oil and gas firms to fund the bloc’s CCS infrastructure as part of the bloc’s Net Zero Industry Act, with Denmark and the Netherlands wanting to include provisions that would also safeguard non-oil and gas ‘front-runner’ companies.

US tech giant Microsoft has stressed the need for other buyers to join its effort to scale up emerging technologies such as direct air capture and enhanced rock weathering through the purchase of carbon removal credits, with the company's removals portfolio executive stating that a group effort is required to scale up the industry and bring down costs.

Exclusive: Even as juries decide against a herbicide maker, proposed industry-backed measures would limit lawsuits and local use restrictions

Cancer patients are celebrating a string of courtroom victories after juries in three US states recently ordered Germany’s Bayer to pay more than $500m in damages for failing to warn about the health risks of its Roundup herbicides. But the consumer wins come as proposed federal legislation backed by Bayer and the powerful agricultural industry could limit similar cases from ever going to trial in the future.

Dubbed the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act, the proposed measure would provide sweeping protections for pesticide companies and their products, pre-empting local governments from implementing restrictions on pesticide use and blocking many of the legal claims that have been plaguing Bayer, according to the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and other critics.

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The UK government has earmarked £65 million to invest in five pioneering projects aimed at heating homes by harnessing waste heat from data centres.

When I had a baby, those future generations I’d worried about had a face. It transformed me

• Change by Degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
• Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com

I’ve been worried about climate change my whole life. When I was a kid we called it the greenhouse effect and I assumed that, by the time I grew up, someone else would have fixed it. But no one did.

In my 20s I realised that, as one of the grownups, it was my job to fix it. I sought out roles in sustainability and grew increasingly despondent at leaders who denied climate change. Then I had a baby.

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World leaders will reconvene in Abu Dhabi before UAE’s Cop28 after talks broke down two weeks ago

Governments will meet this weekend for a last-ditch attempt to bridge deep divisions between rich and poor countries over how to get money to vulnerable people afflicted by climate disaster.

Talks over funds for “loss and damage”, which refers to the rescue and rehabilitation of countries and communities experiencing the effects of extreme weather, started in March but broke down in rancour two weeks ago.

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Cut shopping bills, landfill and carbon emissions by using up peelings and stems where possible

With their spiky crowns of leaves, pineapples are about as close as you can get to a tropical paradise while doing the weekly shop – but now Sainsbury’s has begun selling the fruit shorn of its exotic plumage, all in the name of cutting food waste.

With the fruit’s hardy leaves usually ending up in the bin or a food waste caddy, the move shines a spotlight on waste in the home. So could the leaves, stems and skins of the fruit and vegetables we routinely throw away be put to better use in the kitchen?

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European carbon prices were modestly firmer at midday Friday in relatively quiet trading after Thursday's volatile €3 move, as the market digested mixed technical signals after yesterday's fall generated a potential bullish reversal, while the main energy markets advanced for a second day.

The EU will provide funding for an Italian firm to adapt its existing approach for biodiversity credits, with the company now seeking to take advantage of opportunities emerging from European-wide corporate disclosure rules.

Concerns ahead of Cop28 climate summit that Rishi Sunak among leaders backsliding on green measures

The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, will be seeking assurances from the UK that there will be no reneging on climate promises, after Rishi Sunak’s rowing back on green measures.

The UN is concerned that countries may be backsliding on pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions sharply, to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

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India's Ministry of Power has launched a National Efficient Cooking Programme (NECP) to distribute 2 million induction cookstoves in order to revolutionise cooking practises in the country while slashing carbon emissions.