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Fossil fuel-based power production across EU nations increased by an estimated 10% in Q1 2022 compared to a year earlier as coal-fired generation stepped into replace weak nuclear and hydro output, putting the European power sector on a strong emissions trajectory in 2022 that would boost EUA demand.

Four men leave Earth on a commercial mission to spend eight days at the orbiting platform.

EUAs gave up early gains amid light trading as participants pointed to the beginning of the Easter break, while energy markets were stronger as Europe and Japan both agreed to ban imports of Russian coal, putting additional demand pressure on other energy sources.

The Indonesian government is temporarily holding off on issuing 2021 vintage credits to carbon credit developers, cutting off supply from one of the voluntary carbon market's biggest host nations as uncertainty swirls around how the country will regulate projects in the country.

Key Asian economies should pivot from their reliance on LNG towards renewables to protect themselves from energy price volatility and geopolitical supply shocks as they seek to deliver on their net zero goals, a report released on Friday said.

Strong measures by Europe could quickly deprive Russia of oil and gas income worth billions, experts say

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Flights should be banned in continental Europe and car use banned in city centres to save energy and prevent Vladimir Putin profiting from fossil fuel sales, campaigners have said.

It would be possible for Europe to quickly end its reliance on oil and gas from Russia by taking strong measures, according to a report by the climate adviser Mark Lynas, energy analyst Rauli Partanen, and energy and sustainability installations specialist Joris van Dorp.

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Group plans most disruptive actions yet in the city over coming week, promising most roadblocks ever

Extinction Rebellion has said it will conduct its most disruptive protest yet on the streets of London over the coming week, calling for an end to the fossil fuel economy.

The environmental activist group, which encourages supporters to cause disruption through non-violent civil disobedience, will return to the city from Saturday with new tactics it claims will “create the most roadblocks we ever have”.

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Australian oil and gas producer Woodside’s merger with BHP’s petroleum unit will enhance its ability to navigate the energy transition though it will rely heavily on offsets to meet climate targets, the company said on Friday, as it released a slew of documents recommending that shareholders approve the deal in a vote on May 19.

Allowance prices in China’s national emissions trading scheme edged up slightly this week on signals the government might make significant cuts to allocation, but a lack of confirmation and the long lead-time to the next compliance deadline tempered the market response.

Images of harp seals taken from hundreds of miles above show their plight. They should spur us to action

This week, remarkable images were released of harp seals scattered across a fragmented and rapidly disintegrating ice sheet east of Greenland. With record high temperatures and early melting in the Arctic, great cracks create a deadly mosaic on the sheet, an icy crazy paving on which you can make out dark specks – each one a seal, peering out as if bemused by its fate. In such an inhospitable environment, viewed from such height, the marine mammals resemble alien life forms glimpsed on another planet.

By 2035, it is estimated that the disappearance of Arctic sea ice will mean that around 7.5 million harp seals will lose their home. It is another cruel turn for animals that in the 20th century were extensively hunted for their fur – especially the flawless white pelts of their pups. They depend on the sea ice: it is the arena in which they rest after hunting for food, mate, and give birth. The ice is the centre of their lives.

Philip Hoare is the author of several books, including Leviathan, The Sea Inside and Albert and the Whale

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Another exchange-traded fund tracking global carbon markets has added UK Allowances (UKAs) to its holdings.

The Australian Clean Energy Regulator has published new guidance outlining what it considers a fit and proper person (FPP) to be a carbon market project proponent in the Emissions Reduction Fund, in a bid to help restore confidence in the market.

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including cherry head tortoises, basking hippos and a cheeky squirrel

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RSPB scientists say small increase in sightings points to first signs of recovery of beleaguered species

Greenfinch populations, which were previously in steep decline in the UK, are showing the first signs of recovery, according to the latest annual RSPB big garden birdwatch results.

The citizen science survey gives a good idea of how bird populations are faring in Britain. This year almost 700,000 people took part, counting more than 11 million birds.

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Clean energy investors call for 'transmission queue' to manage grid access and limit prospects of project curtailment in congested networks.

The post Clean energy investors call for “transmission queue” to manage grid access appeared first on RenewEconomy.

WA government divides $11 million between seven diverse regional renewable pilot projects, in second round of Clean Energy Finance Fund.

The post From geothermal to pumped hydro: WA names seven new clean energy fund recipients appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Exclusive: Pathologists find what is believed to be the first evidence of the infection in the planet’s longest-lived vertebrate species

A stranded Greenland shark found off the coast of Cornwall died from meningitis, according to a postmortem, providing what is believed to be the first evidence of the disease in the species.

The 4-metre long shark, thought to be about 100 years old, was first discovered by a dog walker on 13 March on a beach near Penzance but was washed back into the sea before it could be properly examined. After a two-day search it was discovered floating in the water off Newlyn harbour beach by a tourist boat and a postmortem was carried out.

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Even if all passenger vehicles sold today were electric, it would take more than ten years for the Australian road fleet to be fully electric. Robin Smit, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Having someone in power that actually wants the green energy transition, rather than propping up coal and gas, will be a major step forward.

The post Australia needs a government that actually wants wind, solar and electric cars appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Climate scientists say plugging methane leaks and phasing out fossil fuels are necessary to avert catastrophic global heating

Atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, increased by a record amount for the second year in a row in 2021, according to US government data.

The concentration of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere jumped by 17 parts per billion (ppb) in 2021, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) monitoring found, the largest annual increase recorded since modern measurements began in 1983. The previous record increase, of 15.3ppb, was set in 2020.

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