Around The Web

UK prime minister says he will now attend talks in Egypt next week

• UK politics live – latest news updates

Rishi Sunak is to attend the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt next week after No 10 previously said he was too focused on the domestic economy to attend and banned King Charles from going.

Sunak announced the U-turn on Twitter, making no reference to his previous reluctance, saying: “There is no long-term prosperity without action on climate change. There is no energy security without investing in renewables. That is why I will attend Cop27 next week: to deliver on Glasgow’s legacy of building a secure and sustainable future.”

Continue reading...

Australia has spent more on fossil fuel subsidies and done less on climate disclosure. Will the new government change this?

The post Australia’s carbon report card smeared in red ink as climate action goes backwards appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Shenzhen municipal government has proposed introducing the use of green power trading credits in its pilot emissions trading scheme, the first time a Chinese jurisdiction has considered linking the green power trading programme with a carbon market.

Energy companies dominate the list of top 50 firms by volume that have retired carbon credits, according to analysts, with several South African and Columbian corporates having purchased a substantial volume of credits for cancellation against domestic carbon tax policies, and large oil majors also accounting for a large proportion of units retired.

The share of the world’s largest companies committing to a net zero target has increased to one-third, but some 93% of them will miss their long term climate goals if they do not at least double the pace of their emissions reduction by 2030, a report has found.

Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been on hunger strike for six months and will refuse water from 6 November, the first day of the climate summit

The majority of living Nobel prize for literature laureates have called on world leaders attending the Cop27 climate conference in Egypt this week to help free thousands of political prisoners in the country, including the writer Alaa Abd El-Fattah who is six months into a hunger strike and “at risk of death”.

The letter, organised by Abd El-Fattah’s UK publishers Fitzcarraldo Editions and Seven Stories Press, has been signed by 13 Nobel prize for literature winners: Svetlana Alexievich, JM Coetzee, Annie Ernaux, Louise Glück, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Kazuo Ishiguro, Elfriede Jelinek, Mario Vargas Llosa, Patrick Modiano, Herta Müller, Orhan Pamuk, Wole Soyinka and Olga Tokarczuk.

Continue reading...

The UNFCCC is seeking a NDC/LT-LEDS regional expert for Asia and the Pacific, to be based in Bangkok.

Carbon credits from a major Pakistan-based blue carbon project traded publicly for the first time on Wednesday at a near 300% premium compared to other nature-based credits, providing a bullish sentiment for blue carbon projects, according to the seller.

Committee says vague guidance and lack of follow-up make it hard for public to hold government to account

The UK government is failing to lead by example on taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet a legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050, a watchdog has said.

Across Whitehall departments the rules for reporting, gathering data and taking action are vague, there is a free-for-all on reporting emissions reductions or the lack of them, and oversight is fragmented and ineffective, the public accounts committee said on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Berlin urges International Seabed Authority to prioritise nature as it debates rules and warns seabed mining may ‘destroy ecosystems’

Germany has called for a pause in the controversial deep-sea mining industry, saying not enough is known about the likely impacts of digging up the ocean floor for metals.

While other nations, including Spain and New Zealand, have previously called for a temporary halt to any exploitation of deep-sea metals, Germany, the world’s fourth biggest economy, is the most significant nation to voice its opposition to date. The country holds two of the 22 licences for exploration of the seabed.

Continue reading...

Concern over country’s human rights record after Indian Ajit Rajagopal arrested on walk to raise awareness about climate crisis

The arrest of an Indian climate activist by Egyptian security forces has renewed alarm about the regime’s dire human rights record as it prepares to host the Cop27 UN climate summit.

Ajit Rajagopal, an architect and activist from Kerala in south India, was arrested on Sunday afternoon shortly after setting off on an eight-day walk from Cairo to Sharm el-Sheikh as part of a global campaign to raise awareness about the climate crisis.

Continue reading...

Japan's biggest energy company becomes latest global heavyweight to claim a stake in Australia’s untapped offshore wind energy market, as government rules take shape.

The post Japanese energy giant joins rush to offshore wind in Australia as rules take shape appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The clearing of the Amazon rainforest surged to its highest levels in two decades under the Bolsonaro presidency. The newly elected Lula da Silva has vowed to halt deforestation, but it won’t be easy. Kathryn Baragwanath, Research Fellow, Australian Catholic University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

With big polluters in Australia severely underreporting their emissions, the country is in need of this kind of independent data.

The post Nowhere for polluters to hide: Satellites track power station emissions in real-time appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Solar farm contractor says it has settled its dispute with inverter supplier, which will enable arbitration with project owners to proceed.

The post Contractor settles with inverter company over solar farm, still in dispute with owners appeared first on RenewEconomy.

US company Erthos says it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a 107MW project with a yet-to-be-disclosed US developer.

The post Ultra-low cost “earth mount” solar innovator lines up first 100MW-plus PV project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Another proxy advisor swings in behind Mike Cannon-Brookes' preferred AGL board nominees, putting renewed pressure on the current chair.

The post Pressure builds on AGL chair as more proxy advisors side with Cannon-Brookes appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Live at the All Energy Conference, Nigel chats with Ric Brazalle from Green Energy Trading.

The post Great Solar Business Podcast: Have we hit peak solar? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has hired several senior executives to help lead its commodities business, naming a new boss for its carbon trading arm.