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Campaigners condemn pollution and shortages as government and regulator discuss possible bailout

Thames Water customers have called for an urgent inquiry into the company’s finances after children became seriously unwell from swimming in the river and homes were left without water during a drought.

Campaigners have expressed astonishment that the company may be bailed out by the taxpayer after it failed to invest appropriately in infrastructure to stop sewage spills and leaks.

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Sumitomo Forestry, a major forestry company in Japan, has begun building an AI model for the management of tropical peatlands through the collaboration between its climate tech joint venture and a Japanese startup.

European carbon prices see-sawed on Wednesday morning, retracing some of Tuesday's gains as sentiment appeared to weaken along with gas and power, before rallying to stand little changed at midday as gas and power prices recovered early losses, while Commitment of Traders data showed that investment funds reversed their net position last week.

Pharma giant AstraZeneca has announced it would invest $400 million to plant over 200 million trees by the end of the decade as part of its plan for reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

Plans drawn up to pay for cost of dealing with sewage crisis and climate emergency

• Contingency plans being drawn up for Thames Water collapse
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Water companies are reportedly pushing for bills in England to rise by up to 40% under plans being drawn up to pay for the cost of dealing with the sewage crisis and the climate emergency.

The increases are due to be announced next year and could drive annual bills up from an average of £450 to £680 in parts of the country by the end of the decade, according to a Times report citing consultation documents.

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India on Wednesday released draft rules for a market-based mechanism that will help the country meet a wide range of environmental goals by crediting activities ranging from tree planting and water conservation to waste management, air pollution reduction, and sustainable agriculture.

China has reviewed preliminary results for the construction of a registry and trading system designed for the nation's long-suspended voluntary carbon credit scheme, marking a step closer to the revival of the domestic offset market.

Singapore and the Dominican Republic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on collaboration under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the island state’s eleventh such carbon trading agreement.

Development approval secured for George Town green hydrogen plant in Tasmania, with plans to start producing by the end of the year.

The post Line Hydrogen eyes production within months as Tasmania project gets green light appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As the climate crisis forces migration, so native tongues wither, too. But it’s not too late to intervene

Rising sea levels already pose an existential threat to the populations of Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and other low-lying Pacific atolls. In these places, however, it is not just homes, crops and community cohesiveness that are at risk: it is Tuvaluan, Kiribati and Marshallese – the languages native to these islands.

The impact of the climate crisis on languages may be new, but the relationship between language and climate is old. As humans populated the Earth, climate and geography were enormous factors in where they settled and flourished. The equatorial region, with its consistent temperatures, predictable rainfall and abundant agricultural opportunities, was particularly agreeable.

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Drugmaker’s $4oom offsetting scheme aims to combat climate change and biodiversity loss caused by deforestation

The boss of Britain’s biggest drugmaker, Pascal Soriot, has warned that the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are damaging the planet and human health, as it announced a $400m (£310m) plan to plant 200m trees by 2030.

The offsetting scheme is one of the biggest tree-planting programmes globally. In 2020, AstraZeneca pledged to plant and maintain more than 50m trees by the end of 2025, with 10.5m trees of 300 different species planted so far across Australia (in collaboration with Aboriginal people), Indonesia, Ghana, the UK, the US and France.

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And that is why my life is NOT WORTH LIVING RIGHT NOW

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Consultancy firm PwC has walked back findings from a report it wrote last year claiming a biodiversity market in Australia could unlock A$137 billion ($91 bln) in finance by 2050.

UK urged to use trade deals as bargaining tool to protect marine mammals

Dolphins and other marine mammals are being failed by the UK government, MPs have said, as they call for ministers not to sign trade deals without considering cetacean welfare.

The UK has poorer protections for dolphins, whales and seals than other countries, a report by the environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee has found.

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Yes, Finland has nature and saunas in abundance. But more important is an attitude I’ve found lacking in the UK

When I was invited to take part in a masterclass in happiness on the shores of Finnish Lakeland, a few of my friends expressed their surprise. But, Lucy, said one, you’re one of the happiest people I know. What are you hoping to learn from the Finns? I suppose she had a point. I’ve always been one of those annoying, glass-half-full people – not the most obvious choice for a four-day trip designed to teach me why Finnish people are consistently rated the happiest in the world. But, ever the optimist, I gladly accepted.

We Britons have about 60 words for happiness: blissfulness, ecstasy, pleasure, delight … The list is as varied as it is surprising, given that we only just scraped into the top 20 happiest countries in the world this year. Finns, who have been named the happiest nation for the sixth year running, are either onnellinen or iloinen. The latter roughly translates as joyful or glad: you might be iloinen that you’re heading off on holiday. Onnellinen, on the other hand, speaks to the notion of being content with your life, rather than describing a fleeting feeling.

Lucy Pearson is a freelance writer, book blogger and host of The Bondi Literary salon

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An Australian investment manager has successfully completed a funding round on a new equity fund focussing on natural capital and abatement, electrification and the circular economy, thanks to a contribution from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has completed concept designs and acquired approval in principle (AiP) for a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) project from two major maritime classification societies, it announced on Wednesday.

"The left hand of the government does not know what the right hand is doing.” Why Australia needs an over-arching strategy for a 1.5°C target.

The post Contradictory maze of government policies threatens 1.5°C end goal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A very sunny May, delivering record monthly solar power input, helps set a new record for German renewables. And June promises to take it higher again.

The post Renewables supply more than half German electricity demand in first half of 2023 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Yates takes up role as chair of GMR Energy, an aspiring energy storage developer whose Australian plans so far include six big batteries across three states.

The post Ex-CEFC chief Oliver Yates joins GMR, in new boost to bold big battery plans appeared first on RenewEconomy.