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With Britons now discouraged from using public transport, a rapid increase in traffic and air pollution seems inevitable

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British towns and cities are braced for a rapid rise in traffic congestion when the lockdown eases on Monday after figures showed many of the countries that have already lifted restrictions have seen truck and car use rise above their pre-coronavirus levels.

Pollution levels are expected to soar and road deaths increase as cars crowd back on to roads to get to shops, zoos and workplaces opening for the first time since 23 March.

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Plant scientist Sir David Baulcombe argues we must adapt the way we produce food to meet future agricultural challenges

The agriculture bill, now going through parliament, could influence whether we use gene editing on our farms. At present, this country is out of line with the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and Japan in that our regulatory framework prevents gene editing in crops and farm animals. A proposed amendment to the bill will not lead to unregulated use of gene editing but, if passed, it would give the secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the power to consult widely and make appropriate changes to the regulatory process.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has announced a new ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ (OSOWOG) vision for India to replicate its global solar leadership by encouraging the phased development towards a single, globally connected, electricity grid to leverage the multiple benefits of ever-lower-cost renewable energy. Countries like India have huge natural renewable energy...

The post The One Sun, One World, One Grid vision from India’s Narendra Modi appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Kathy Sullivan is the first person to ever travel to both space and the bottom of the ocean.

Miyawaki forests are denser and said to be more biodiverse than other kinds of woods

Tiny, dense forests are springing up around Europe as part of a movement aimed at restoring biodiversity and fighting the climate crisis.

Often sited in schoolyards or alongside roads, the forests can be as small as a tennis court. They are based on the work of the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who has planted more than 1,000 such forests in Japan, Malaysia and elsewhere.

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Modelling suggests climate is considerably more sensitive to carbon emissions than thought

Worst-case global heating scenarios may need to be revised upwards in light of a better understanding of the role of clouds, scientists have said.

Recent modelling data suggests the climate is considerably more sensitive to carbon emissions than previously believed, and experts said the projections had the potential to be “incredibly alarming”, though they stressed further research would be needed to validate the new numbers.

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

The first ever transaction in a new type of Brazilian carbon credit has been completed, with a conference company buying 100 units from a biofuel producer under the country’s renewable fuels market.

Red pandas in Nepal are being monitored in their last stronghold in the mountainous forests of Nepal.

The purpose of this role is to successfully lead the delivery of key programmes to clients in the Financial and CRE sector, and develop our products and services to drive growth in the finance sector.

WCI regulated parties cut their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) holdings for the second consecutive week, while speculators’ held their net long position flat, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data released Friday.

Focus should shift to renewables to avoid risk of being stranded with fossil fuel infrastructure, AMWU national secretary says

A member of a government Covid-19 recovery taskforce has rejected the overwhelming focus on gas as the path out of recession, saying the country risked ending up with stranded fossil fuel infrastructure and should be doing more to back renewable energy.

Paul Bastian, national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and a member of a manufacturing taskforce advising the federal government’s handpicked National Covid-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC), said gas had a significant role to play, but the importance of cheap clean energy in cutting costs for industry had barely featured in public discussion when it should be “front and centre”.

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The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including ibises on the Nile and a vermilion flycatcher

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California lawmakers are expected to decide Monday whether to advance a budget bill that would require regulator ARB to complete a carbon market rulemaking next year, though numerous business groups continued to vociferously oppose the idea.

EU parliamentarians are divided across party and national lines over by how much to raise the bloc's 2030 emissions reduction goal, while lawmakers from mostly eastern member states want more funding for their home nations via ETS-financed schemes.

The EIB, the European Union's bank, is seeking to recruit for its Projects Directorate (PJ) – Safeguards & Quality Management Department (SQM) - Environment, Climate & Social Office Division (ECSO) at its headquarters in Luxembourg, a (Associate) Climate Change Adaptation Specialist.

A pair of California-based livestock offset projects are seeking eligibility under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), with the applicants vying for the transportation sector programme’s electricity pathway rather than renewable natural gas (RNG), according to public filings.

E3G is looking for an experienced practitioner to lead E3G’s European work within its political economy and governance cluster. The role will be central to shaping our engagement across the EU institutions and key Member States. The role can be based in either E3G’s Brussels or Berlin offices.

The Multilateral Governance Officer, reporting to the Multilateral Governance Manager, is responsible for supporting work related to the GCF engagement and response to the UNFCCC, UN multilateral governance processes and their synergies with the UNFCCC, and climate finance initiatives and their complementarity with GCF.

Ember is expanding our work in Europe and internationally. This role is for a new team member to support our European power sector analysts - who are working to achieve a coal phase-out in Europe by 2030, transition to a renewables-based electricity system and avoid false solutions such as fossil gas and high-carbon biomass.