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Exclusive: Britain is key financial hub for destructive fossil fuel mega-projects, according to research

Banks in the City of London have poured more than $100bn (£75bn) into companies developing “carbon bombs” – huge oil, gas and coal projects that would drive the climate past internationally agreed temperature limits with catastrophic global consequences – according to a study.

Nine London-based banks, including HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds are involved in financing companies responsible for at least 117 carbon bomb projects in 28 countries between 2016 – the year after the landmark Paris agreement was signed – and 2023, according to the study.

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France's TotalEnergies and Oman's OQ Exploration and Production have broke ground on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Oman, which they claim will be among the lowest-emitting in the world thanks to an accompanying solar energy farm. 

The cost of capturing CO2 directly from the air or oceans is set to drop to less than $100 per tonne in 10 years – and may even go as low as $50, according to two Dutch startups involved in developing the technology.

The US must pursue biomass-based CO2 removal (CDR) to effectively decarbonise and meet 2050 climate targets, instead of using it as an energy source or producing crop-based biofuels, according to research published by a think tank on Thursday.

Biodiversity credits in the EU will be used for offsetting rather than for nature-positive benefits, as a way of enabling developer impacts, an MEP has predicted.

Researchers have found a way to reduce carbon emissions from cement production by 80% by getting to the core of its production rather than worrying at expensive but less effective energy switch-outs.

Construction of Europe's first CO2 carrier ship is now complete, marking a step forward in the creation of a carbon capture, transport, and storage network, the project developers announced on Thursday.

Police and military personnel were seen helping people evacuate the highway connecting Jerusalem to Tel Aviv as wildfires raged. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared the situation a national emergency as the fire threatened to reach the city. Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue agency said they treated about 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospital

• Israel facing ‘national emergency’ as it battles worst fires in a decade, says Netanyahu

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Government to press ahead with net zero plans as Keir Starmer rejects Tony Blair’s criticisms of climate policy

Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.

Housebuilders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027 under the plans.

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Queensland has unveiled strict new wind and solar rules that requires developers to obtain "binding agreements" with local councils for new projects.

The post Queensland unveils strict new wind and solar rules: No development application without council deal appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Airlines should secure their CORSIA eligible carbon credits now, before prices rise and potential penalties kick in, industry experts told a webinar that discussed eligibility bottlenecks and market risks surrounding the international aviation offsetting scheme.

The government-endorsed association that runs Japan's blue carbon market is seeking to share its unique experiences with the rest of the world, with its lessons learned applicable to other natural capital markets elsewhere.

A warming tundra has seen unexpected shifts, raising the alarm about fragile ecosystems and those who rely on them

Scientists studying Arctic plants say the ecosystems that host life in some of the most inhospitable reaches of the planet are changing in unexpected ways in an “early warning sign” for a region upended by climate change.

In four decades, 54 researchers tracked more than 2,000 plant communities across 45 sites from the Canadian high Arctic to Alaska and Scandinavia. They discovered dramatic shifts in temperatures and growing seasons produced no clear winners or losers. Some regions witnessed large increases in shrubs and grasses and declines in flowering plants – which struggle to grow under the shade created by taller plants.

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The extent of Scotland's mosquito population is being understood thanks to a successful citizen science project.

The broadcaster behaves like Starmer’s government: suppress the left, cave to your critics, and undermine your own survival

It’s no longer even pretending. Last week, the BBC, already the UK’s most prolific censor, instructed the presenter Evan Davis to drop the podcast he hosted in his own time about heat pumps. It was a gentle, wry look at the machines, with no obvious political content. But the BBC, Davis says, saw it as “steering into areas of public controversy”. It should cease forthwith.

So are BBC presenters banned from saying anything controversial? Far from it. Take an article published earlier this year by Justin Webb in the Times. It praised the “political genius” of Donald Trump, suggested that Democrats are now seen as the extremists, and claimed that Trump is widely regarded as “making [America] normal again”. The BBC was fine with that, and complaints about it were rejected.

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New Zealand's national carrier is looking to purchase CO2 removal units to mop up its residual emissions in 2030, it said on Thursday.

AGL installs the first battery units of its biggest storage facility to date, at the site of the shuttered Liddell coal fired power plant.

The post First batteries installed as Liddell’s shuttered coal plant morphs into green energy hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

AEMO says there is "no going back" to a baseload and peaking power system, but for the moment prefers spinning machines over battery inverters for system security.

The post “There is no going back:” AEMO bids goodbye to baseload grid and spins high renewable future appeared first on RenewEconomy.

BP has warning for Australia on the global competition for green hydrogen, while Fortescue and Acciona weigh in on policy matters.

The post “There is a political war” to attract renewable hydrogen investment – and Australia is losing appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Gas industry veteran Rick Wilkinson from EnergyQuest on the state of play in the market. Plus: Spain's blackout and election day.

The post Energy Insiders Podcast: The view from inside the gas industry appeared first on RenewEconomy.