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As global heating makes coral bleaching a regular event, scientists are urgently seeking ways to help the world’s biggest reef survive

When coral scientist Zoe Richards left the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard Island in late January, she was feeling optimistic.

Richards is a taxonomist. Since 2011 she has recorded and monitored 245 coral species at 14 locations around the island’s research station, about 270km north of Cairns.

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Scientists, farmers and volunteers are looking for ways to lessen the impact of climate change as experts warn a third mass bleaching has taken place

• Photographs by Jonas Gratzer

One of the dive instructors points out two blacktip reef sharks circling a docile green turtle busy grazing on algae. Stingrays of various sizes, colours and shapes pass beneath us. Suddenly, a pod of dolphins appears, swimming over the hard corals.

The dive takes place on what appears to be healthy and pristine coral reef surrounding Lady Elliot Island, at the very southern end of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef off Queensland.

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Scientists race to halt spread of pungent insect species after it sweeps eight cities

The world’s hazelnut supplies could be threatened by a stinkbug that has recently invaded Turkey, scientists have warned.

The brown marmorated stinkbug, which is native to north-east Asia, has been spreading across the world in shipping containers, breeding freely thanks to warmer temperatures and a lack of natural predators.

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The critically endangered Eastern Pacific leatherback's future looks "dire," say conservationists.

ClimateWorks study says Australia has what it needs for economy-wide decarbonisation in line with 1.5°C target. The only missing ingredient is a Coronavirus-style response from government.

The post Australia has what it needs to go “all in” and reach zero emissions by 2035 appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

The opportunity to meet the target by 2035 is within our grasp – thanks to much cheaper technology – but we must be ready

Nearly two years ago, ClimateWorks Australia set out to test whether the implied goal agreed by world leaders at the Paris climate conference – cutting greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050 – was still possible in Australia. They weren’t certain it would be. They were pleasantly surprised by the result.

“We found not only is it not yet out of reach in Australia, but it can be achieved using technologies that are mostly already mature and available,” says Anna Skarbek, the chief executive of the not-for-profit that was established in 2009 to fill a gap between climate research and action.

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A bulk of the Q1 WCI auction volume remained in entities' general accounts amid uncertainty in the secondary market, while regulated parties continued to deposit allowances into compliance accounts for future obligations, according to the California-Quebec programme's Compliance Instrument Tracking Service System (CITSS) report released on Friday.

Speculators pared back their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) position for a third straight week, as compliance entities also saw their holdings decrease amid the March contract expiry date, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed Friday.

EU member states and the UK handed out more than 54 million additional free carbon allowances to industrial emitters over the past two weeks, according to updated data released late Friday by the European Commission.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) cratered to $12.00 on Friday morning after an additional sell off, though bargain hunters quickly brought values back close to the previous day’s settlement.

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including a veiled chameleon and other animals enjoying the quieter streets

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Washington’s Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) will halt approval of a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for the greater Seattle area, with the potential of reevaluating the draft clean fuels programme in the future, the regional body announced Thursday.

EUAs jumped further above €18 on Friday and were poised for a huge weekly gain amid spiking oil prices.

After cratering due to COVID-19 over the past few weeks, EU carbon prices have now stabilised and are trading at levels representative of decreased emissions demand caused by the crisis, an analyst said, estimating that figure to be around 80-100 million tonnes.

Research into North Atlantic plankton likely to lead to negative revision of global climate calculations

The North Atlantic may be a weaker climate ally than previously believed, according to a study that suggests the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has been overestimated.

A first-ever winter and spring sampling of plankton in the western North Atlantic showed cell sizes were considerably smaller than scientists assumed, which means the carbon they absorb does not sink as deep or as fast, nor does it stay in the depths for as long.

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Closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week.

Dr William Frankland, known as "the grandfather of allergy", developed the idea of a pollen count.

Food safety agency’s decision could put mealworms, locusts and baby crickets on menus

It is being billed as the long-awaited breakthrough moment in European gastronomy for mealworm burgers, locust aperitifs and cricket granola.

In the next few weeks the EU’s European Food Safety Authority is expected by the insect industry to endorse mealworms, lesser mealworms, locusts, baby crickets and adult crickets as being safe for human consumption.

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Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator this week issued almost 710,000 new carbon credits, a big increase from recent weeks despite agency staff mostly working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak.