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Members of the UN body shaping the rules for crediting carbon projects under the Paris Agreement are to dive deeper into a crucial debate around aligning activity baselines with the ambition of the accord, according to documents published ahead of next week's meeting.

The UN secretary general has said that 'climate change is out of control', as an unofficial analysis of data showed that average world temperatures in the seven days to Wednesday were the hottest week on record.

'If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation,' said António Guterres after reports emerged about the world temperature records being broken on Monday and Tuesday.

The average global air temperature was 17.18C on Tuesday, according to data collated by the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), surpassing the record 17.01C reached on Monday

• UN says climate change ‘out of control’ after likely hottest week on record

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New Zealand is considering establishing a domestic voluntary biodiversity credit scheme to halt and reverse the decline in natural ecosystems, and on Friday launched a broad consultation process to help shape the design of the market, including its interaction with other policies, such as the country's carbon emissions trading scheme.

In a ‘message of hope’ the animals have been brought in from Namibia to establish a group in their historical homeland

After an epic 36-hour journey, the first native giraffes to be returned to an Angolan national park arrived from Namibia this week, in what many hope to be the first of multiple translocations to return the animals to their historical homeland.

The giraffes, seven males and seven females, travelled more than 800 miles (1,300km) from a private game farm near Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region of central Namibia to Iona national park in the south-west corner of Angola.

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The European Commission on Friday launched a process for the EU to withdraw from the controversial Energy Charter Treaty due to the pact's incompatibility with the bloc’s climate law and policy, following unilateral exit moves from some states and pressure from lawmakers.

After more than six years of suspension, China on Friday released draft regulations for its domestic carbon offset market, proposing significantly tighter settings than in the previous version, though the fate of existing projects was not mentioned.

While South Korea offers official support, China and other voices in region continue to express concerns over discharge from nuclear plant

The publication this week of the UN nuclear watchdog’s positive assessment of Japanese plans to pump more than 1m tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean has failed to placate opponents.

China is fiercely opposed to the plans, despite a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) backing the scheme, while the support of the government of South Korea has failed to quell widespread public opposition to the idea in the country.

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International Maritime Organization agreement is inadequate to decarbonise sector, say campaigners

Attempts to impose a levy on greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, in order to fund climate action, have been delayed but not extinguished at the conclusion of talks among 175 governments.

Greenhouse gas reduction goals for international shipping were agreed, in a toughening of previous targets, but were criticised as inadequate by campaigners.

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Exclusive: Aid NGOs criticise government and Labour after Guardian reveals flagship climate pledge is almost impossible to meet

Keir Starmer has been accused of “wavering on climate commitments” after the Labour party refused to commit to the £11.6bn climate funding pledge made to the world’s poorest nations.

Aid NGOs have criticised the government and the Labour party after the Guardian revealed that under current plans, meeting the flagship pledge made at Cop26 to protect vulnerable countries against the climate crisis is almost impossible.

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European carbon prices traded in their narrowest range for more than two years on Friday morning, as participation remained at a low ebb with many participants attending an industry event.

Applications to mine the seabed in our ocean commons can be made from 9 July, allowing a few corporations to profit from ecological disaster

Sunday 9 July threatens to be a momentous day for the global economy, one that marks the beginning of the biggest gold rush in history, and one that could lead to unprecedented ecological damage. Yet few people seem to be taking much notice. The British government has been silent.

To understand the impending drama, a little history is required. In 1982, after 25 years of torturous negotiations, the United Nations passed Unclos (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). It involved the biggest enclosure in history, turning more than 138m sq km (53m square miles) of seabed into national exclusive economic zones (EEZs) available for exploitation by coastal countries.

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The UN’s International Maritime Organisation formally adopted a revised greenhouse gas strategy on Friday, more ambitious than the IMO's 2018 version but still adrift from aligning the sector with Paris Agreement climate objectives.

China's national emissions trading scheme (ETS) saw its spot price reach the 60 yuan benchmark over the past week with an uptick in trading volume, while trading activity remained slow in the domestic offset market given the limited supply.

A Swedish forestry management services company and carbon credit marketplace operator has raised €2.4 million in funding from a state-owned venture capital fund and existing owners.

Conservationists say reintroduction of reptile could contribute to restoring ancient biodiverse wetlands

The European pond turtle could be swimming in British rivers and lakes again thanks to a new crowdfunded campaign as conservation scientists seek sites for an experimental reintroduction.

Global heating is believed to be making Britain increasingly suitable for the enigmatic species, which may have vanished because of global cooling thousands of years ago but is now threatened by droughts in southern Europe.

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Green groups, several countries, and scientist coalitions are urging for another moratorium on deep sea mining, days ahead of a decision on whether to start the exploitation of the ocean depths for critical raw materials and minerals is due to be taken at a UN meeting.

Countries have agreed to limit carbon from shipping by 2050 but green groups say the pact is flawed.

Rising temperatures are leaving governments scrambling to prepare – a federal body could help them share best practices, experts say

Record-breaking temperatures. Millions under heat alerts. Hikers dying on hot trails.

As large swaths of the US bake under sweltering heat, some advocates and officials say the Biden administration should consider appointing a “heat tsar” to manage a response.

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One group of scientists reported a third global high calculated with satellites and computer models.

A major telecommunication company in Japan has launched an emission reduction project that it says will generate carbon credits under the national offset programme, targeting electric vehicle (EV) customers.