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Researchers use the celestial objects quasars to measure time near the start of the universe.

Team hope sale of block of rare ambergris, used by perfumers, will help victims of 2021 volcano

When a sperm whale washed up dead on a beach in the Canary Island of La Palma no one imagined a valuable treasure was hidden in its entrails.

Heavy seas and a rising tide made it difficult to carry out a postmortem, but Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the institute of animal health and food security at the University of Las Palmas, was determined to find out why the whale had died.

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Methane emissions from Australia's fossil fuel industry are nearly twice as bad as reported, and polluters will have to double their planned emission cuts to make up for it.

The post Australia’s fossil fuel methane emissions are nearly twice as bad as industry reports appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Judge says firm tried to mislead regulator over incident involving millions of litres of undiluted waste polluting water near Gatwick

Thames Water has been fined £3.3m for a “reckless” incident in which millions of litres of undiluted sewage was pumped into rivers near Gatwick, killing 1,700 fish.

Politicians have said this is more proof that the beleaguered company, which was recently revealed to be facing financial collapse, should be reformed.

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European carbon traded largely sideways on Tuesday morning as US markets were closed for Independence Day and as traders were surprised by the early publication of weekly Commitment of Traders data that showed little overall change in positioning.

Power generation covered by the EU ETS fell by almost 100 TWh or around a fifth year-on-year in the first half of 2023, according to figures published by an analytics firm, as much lower output driven by demand destruction and a rise in renewables forced coal and gas out of the mix.

An US forest conservation organisation active in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) is campaigning in favour of two novel project financing concepts that it says would bring a wave of investment to credit-generating forestry projects, and help shift some of the risk burden away from developers, a senior member told Carbon Pulse.

Better farming techniques across the world could lead to storage of 31 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide a year, data shows

Marginal improvements to agricultural soils around the world would store enough carbon to keep the world within 1.5C of global heating, new research suggests.

Farming techniques that improve long-term fertility and yields can also help to store more carbon in soils but are often ignored in favour of intensive techniques using large amounts of artificial fertiliser, much of it wasted, that can increase greenhouse gas emissions.

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The government of South Korea is to auction off 2.15 million KAU-23s at the upcoming monthly auction as planned as a new compliance cycle begins this month, after previous sales were cancelled due to sluggish demand in the market.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has launched guidance to help insurers and long-term savings providers become ‘nature positive’ in helping tackle the decline in the UK’s nature and biodiversity.

World Meteorological Organization warns of record temperatures and extreme heat in environmental ‘double whammy’

The arrival of a climate-heating El Niño event has been declared by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with officials warning that preparation for extreme weather events is vital to save lives and livelihoods.

The last major El Niño was in 2016, which remains the hottest year on record. The new El Niño comes on top of the increasing global heating driven by human-caused carbon emissions, an effect the WMO called a “double whammy”. This can supercharge extreme weather, and temperature records are already being broken on land and at sea across the globe.

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A group of Japanese companies have launched an alliance that aims to remove 30 million tonnes of CO2 by the end of this decade through the utilisation of international carbon credits, targeting the potential of African markets.

The spot price for NZUs fell lower on Tuesday amid weak volumes and high regulatory uncertainty, as a ban on new industrial coal boilers comes into effect later this month.

We are not helpless: we need to do big things quickly, though, to halt the disturbance of nature. And I fear that’s not happening

• John Vidal is a former Guardian environment editor

When he bought the pretty little striped field mouse on the internet for $8 to give to his daughter for her sixth birthday, the businessman from São Paulo was told it was free of infection and had been bred by a registered dealer. In fact, it had been sourced from the vast sugar cane fields planted in Brazil to grow biofuels to reduce the use of fossil fuels – and which were swarming with rodents after yet another heatwave.

It nipped his daughter on the finger, but no one thought much of it – and six days later, he left on a trip to Europe. By the time he reached Amsterdam, she had started suffering fevers, muscle aches and breathing problems and had been rushed to hospital, and he too felt unwell. It was the start of one of the worst pandemics in human history, killing more people than Covid-19, Sars or the 1918 flu pandemic put together.

John Vidal is the Guardian’s former environment editor and author of Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature (Bloomsbury, £20). To support The Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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Cane toads first crossed into WA from the Northern Territory 15 years ago and have slowly spread through the Kimberley

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Motion sensor cameras have revealed the confronting spread of cane toads across Western Australia’s eastern Kimberley region.

Supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, the Nyaliga Rangers deployed cameras at 141 locations between August 2020 and October 2022.

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Thames Water’s woes are a clear sign that basic oversight of our critical industries simply isn’t happening

The potential collapse of Thames Water, sinking under £14bn of debt, is just the latest evidence that the regulatory regimes that oversee large parts of the British economy are failing.

It comes on the heels of Ofgem, the gas and electricity regulator, failing to notice that companies supplying power to consumers were undercapitalised and vulnerable to global price volatility. The rail regulator, Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), has failed to protect the users of northern rail services or of commuter services around London from the incompetence of franchise operators. Ofcom, once the most respected regulator, has failed to prevent egregious telecom double-digit price increases – one of the worst recent examples of corporate exploitation which has helped to push up the cost of living.

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Sun Cable founders step down from executive roles and dozens of staff cut after a strategic review by new owners Grok and Quinbrook.

The post Sun Cable sheds dozens of staff, founders step aside, as new owners prepare to take control appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Scientists in Australia solve puzzle of sole egg left in museum and identify new deep-sea species with unique ridged egg case

Off the north-western coast of Australia, near the remote coral atolls of Rowley Shoals, ghost catsharks are slinking through the dim water and searching for bushy colonies of corals growing between 400 and 500 metres (1,300-1,600ft) down.

This is where the elusive sharks lay their egg cases and leave them hanging like Christmas tree ornaments.

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Concerns raised after tests found stretch of river used for world-famous event had dangerous bacteria

The Henley Royal Regatta was marred by sewage pollution from Thames Water, organisers have said, as they call for urgent action on our rivers.

The prestigious event, a rowing competition on the Thames that has been going since 1839, was held last week. Chairman of the event’s organisers, Sir Steve Redgrave said: “At Henley Royal Regatta, we are deeply concerned about the impact that sewage pollution is having on our beautiful river. Sewage pollution is harming the environment that we enjoy and respect so much.” The organisers’ concerns come after two local campaign groups – River Action and Henley Locals – carried out their own tests on the Thames at Henley every weekday over a four-week period and found the stretch of river used for the world famous regatta had dangerous bacteria.

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Soil carbon project developer AgriProve Solutions has partnered with industry group Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) on three demonstration sites across the country’s east coast, as the issuance of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) fall to more nominal levels.