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Commodity traders Hartree Partners and sustainability firm Systemiq on Wednesday launched a joint venture designed to help clients buy carbon credits from high-quality nature-based offset projects.

Romania will exit coal in 2032, according to leaked government documents, as higher carbon prices squeeze coal power profitability and prompt other countries in Central and Eastern Europe to consider earlier phaseouts.

The BBC nature programme is good at engaging with the public but it fails to address the threat of human development

Springwatch is back, the BBC’s largest outside broadcasting event with regular audiences approaching 4 million. I’m among its greatest fans, having watched every series – and spin-offs, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch – since it began in 2005. But this year I’ve begun to worry about the gulf opening up between the wonderful richness on the screens and the urgent biodiversity crisis unfolding off camera.

Springwatch’s unique contribution to wildlife programming is its emphasis on citizen science. The audience is encouraged to observe and submit data about their gardens and local spaces, a model of environmental engagement. But deep down, Springwatch is rooted in the Attenborough tradition of nature programming: intimate stories of wildlife, focusing on nature’s eternal beauty and fascinating behaviours. What’s missing is coverage of the human pressures on their habitat. David Attenborough has only relatively recently addressed the massive threats to nature from human destruction, pollution and climate change.

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Japan will invest around $10 billion in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in South East Asia and help governments in the region design decarbonisation strategies, media reported Wednesday, citing government officials.

Australia’s solar pioneers have been awesome, and it’s sad to say goodbye. Plus: Some really crap solar stories.

The post Solar Insiders Podcast: A hat tip to some great Australian solar pioneers appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Just like the prime minister’s promises on Brexit, Boris Johnson’s pledges of support to UK farmers will ring hollow

You can tell that British farmers will be betrayed by Boris Johnson by the way he promises to look after them. The prime minister has pledged support equivalent to forfeited European subsidies. He says the sector will be safe from cut-price competition when new free trade deals are signed. He has told Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union, that he would “rather die” than hurt her members. Really? Death before cheap beef? Maybe Johnson can honour those pledges, but it would be out of character.

It would also defeat the purpose of Brexit for many Tory MPs. “Take back control” signalled many things to voters, but to Eurosceptic ideologues it meant liberation from the EU’s common external tariff. Having trade policy run from Brussels was proof of Britain’s colonisation by continental bureaucrats. Deals with non-Europeans are the prize for emancipation.

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Some Australian states have committed to 100% renewable energy targets, or even 200% renewable energy targets. But this doesn’t mean their electricity is, or will be, emissions free. James Ha, Associate, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Despite producing ambitious targets, governments have failed to tackle the big environmental issues over the past 15 years

Every week governments make headline announcements about saving the planet, and every week their small print unsaves it. The latest puff by the G7 is a classic of this genre. Apparently, all seven governments have committed “to conserve or protect at least 30% of the world’s land and at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030”. But what does it mean? The UK, which says it secured the new agreement, claims already to have “conserved or protected” 26% of its land and 38% of its seas. In reality, it has simply drawn lines on the map, designating our sheepwrecked hills and trawler-trashed seas “protected”, when they’re nothing of the kind. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a press release.

All governments do this, but Boris Johnson’s has perfected the art. It operates on the principle of commitment inflation: as the action winds down, the pledges ramp up. Never mind that it won’t meet the targets set by the fourth and fifth carbon budgets: it now has a thrilling new target for the sixth one. Never mind that it can’t meet its old commitment of an 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Instead, it has promised us “net zero” by the same date. Yes, we need more ambition, yes, the government is following official advice, but ever higher targets appear to be a substitute for action.

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While most of the world offers incentives to people buying EVs, our government hands out subsidies for utes

As a rule of thumb, it’s good economics and good politics to tax the things you want less of and subsidise the things you want more of. That is why the Australian government raises so much tax from alcohol and tobacco, and why the Victorian government’s electric vehicle tax is the dumbest idea since Tony Abbott made the Queen’s husband a knight.

But it’s not just the Victorian government that’s waging an unwinnable war against new technology. While most of the world is offering financial subsidies and incentives such as free parking to people who buy electric cars, the Morrison government is spending billions of dollars on subsidies for the enormous twin cab utes that now dominate Australian car sales while our local councils offer free and convenient parking for the same behemoths.

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MP leads call for amendment to environment bill to root out illegal deforestation from supply chains

British banks provided at least £900m in finance last year to companies involved in deforestation overseas, research has shown, putting pressure on the government to include financial institutions in plans to force companies to root out illegal deforestation from their supply chains.

The environment bill will be debated in parliament on Wednesday and will include requirements for consumer goods companies to carry out due diligence on their suppliers, to ensure they are not selling goods linked to deforestation overseas.

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CEFC commissioned study finds that renewable hydrogen is already cost-competitive in heavy transport industries, and could compete with EVs by mid-century.

The post Renewable hydrogen already cheaper for heavy transport, new analysis says appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The Coalition argued that the coal plant explosion at Callide is a justification for more coal. A big battery might just have prevented the blackouts.

The post Would a big banana, or even a big battery, have kept the lights on in Queensland? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Vicious circle of climate impacts, trauma and depression must be broken, say scientists

The climate crisis is damaging the mental health of hundreds of millions of people around the world but the huge costs are hidden, scientists have warned.

Heatwaves are increasing rates of suicide, extreme weather such as floods and wildfires are leaving victims traumatised, and loss of food security, homes and livelihoods is resulting in stress and depression. Anxiety about the future is also harming people’s mental health, especially the young, the scientists said in a report.

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Managing verges for nature would create combined area the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh for wildflowers

Road verges cover 1.2% of Great Britain, an area the size of Dorset, and could be used to grow wildflower meadows and create habitat for wildlife, a new study says.

In a report outlining the scale of road verges in England, Scotland and Wales, researchers from the University of Exeter used Google Earth and Google Street View to estimate that verges account for about 1,000 sq miles (2,579 sq km) of the UK’s land.

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Move follows report saying online retailer generated 210,000 tonnes of packaging that ended up in oceans

Amazon is under pressure to reduce its plastic footprint, as shareholders prepare to vote on Wednesday on a resolution calling for it to disclose how much of its plastic packaging ends up in the environment.

The resolution, co-proposed by the activist shareholder group As You Sow, calls on the world’s largest online retailer to provide a report by December 2021 showing how much plastic packaging is attributable to its activities, and what actions it has taken to tackle the issue. Amazon’s board of directors have recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal.

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Big batteries are a versatile, cost competitive and exciting new technology changing the landscape of Australia’s electricity grid. Here's how.

The post Explainer: What is a big battery and what can it do? appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Andrew Dickson from CWP explains why Australia’s biggest wind and solar project - 26GW - will likely focus on green ammonia.

The post Transcript – Andrew Dickson Energy Insiders podcast appeared first on RenewEconomy.

CEC says battery storage investment is surging, but Morrison government interference has helped push investment in wind and solar to a five year low.

The post Surge in big battery investments masks collapse in new wind and solar appeared first on RenewEconomy.

S-5!, the world’s leading authority on metal roof attachment solutions, offers solar installer training on direct-attach™ solar mounting methods, specifically tailored for installers in Australia and New Zealand markets.

The post S-5! Offers Installer Training in Rail-Less Solar Rooftop Attachment Solutions appeared first on RenewEconomy.

GoodWe has had an established presence in the Australian market for close to 10 years and the organisation has slowly built a reputation as a manufacturer of reliable and cost-effective inverters.

The post GoodWe has achieved 1GW of inverter shipment in Australia appeared first on RenewEconomy.