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The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which came into force last year, is spurring new carbon pricing initiatives in countries around the world as they seek to avoid the CO2 tariff, an official has said, adding however, that not all of these schemes are comparable to the bloc's ETS.

Southeast Asia will need $1.5 trillion to reduce the 2.4 gigatonnes of CO2e required to meet its 2030 emissions targets, but is “woefully” off track, according to a report released Monday.

China has published a set of emission factors for the power sector, as it seeks to strengthen carbon accounting requirements for domestic companies for the national emissions trading scheme as well as ahead of the introduction of the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

A highly misleading new documentary claims soil carbon storage can redeem the livestock industry – it’s all so much ‘moo-woo’

We draw our moral lines in arbitrary places. We might believe we’re guided only by universal values and proven facts, but often we’re swayed by deep themes of which we might be unaware. In particular, we tend to associate the imagery and sensations of our earliest childhood with what is good and right. When we see something that chimes with them, we are powerfully drawn to it and attach moral value to it.

This results from a combination of two factors: finding safety and comfort in the familiar, and what psychologists call “the primacy effect” – the first thing we hear about a topic is the one we tend to recall and accept. These tendencies contribute to the illusory truth effect: what is familiar is judged to be true. We go to war for such illusory truths, and sacrifice our lives to them.

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A new collection of wildlife photography aims to help understand why people have photographed animals at different points in history and what it means in the present. Huw Lewis-Jones explores the animal in photography through the work of more than 100 photographers in Why We Photograph Animals, supporting the images with thematic essays to provide historical context

• Photography on display at the Cheltenham science festival 4-9 June 2024

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Four voluntary carbon market professionals have teamed up to launch a new trading and advisory desk, they said Monday.

An Australian activist capital fund has launched a takeover bid for a local carbon project developer, it told the market, one of several investments it has made in the country’s carbon industry.

Chinese battery giant says its new large-scale battery packs are safer, smaller and more powerful, and won't degrade in first five years.

The post “Immense energy in a compact space:” CATL unveils high density, “nil degradation” battery packs appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Assistant Minister for climate and energy Jenny McAllister discusses the National Energy Performance Strategy. Will it reduce household energy bills and emissions?

The post SwitchedOn Podcast: Labor’s plan to cut household energy bills appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The federal government is calling for feedback on the rules and regulations that will guide the development of Australia's first offshore wind farms,

The post Can an offshore wind zone be un-declared? Consultation opens on rules for giant turbines appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Just about everyone loves the federal government's Capacity Investment Scheme, they just want it to look like their business model, and are arguing over gas, storage duration and windfall gains.

The post “Legislate it:” Tesla calls for CIS certainty as energy incumbents push for gas and fixed payments appeared first on RenewEconomy.

For two years, Australia had a carbon price. Now we have a shadow price which won’t be paid by any emitter. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Chiltern Off-Grid Living Festival blew up on social media and Sky News over the use of a diesel generator, but the real story is that going off-grid means leaving behind a set-and-forget mindset.

The post Chiltern off-grid festival hits back at Sky News’ latest slap down of renewable tech appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The continued growth of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) holdings by Safeguard entities and intermediaries has caused ANZ to downgrade its 12-month forecast price, but the bank noted there would still be some upside pressure.

Debt-for-nature and debt-for-climate swaps could free up more than $100 billion to spend on restoring nature and climate mitigation and adaptation, according to updated analysis based on a 2022 report by the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

If a new declaration based on customary concepts of tikanga and mana is recognised by the courts, it could potentially give interest groups the legal standing to sue on behalf of whales. Rachael Evans, Lecturer, Kaupeka Ture | Faculty of Law, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Intense heat and no rain in southwest Western Australia are causing widespread tree and shrub die-offs. Joe Fontaine, Lecturer, Environmental and Conservation Science, Murdoch University George Matusick, Director, Center for Natural Resources Management on Military Lands, Auburn University Jatin Kala, Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA felllow, Murdoch University Kerryn Hawke, Lecturer in Atmospheric Science, Murdoch University Nate Anderson, PhD candidate, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Hairy-nosed otters and cats that catch fish are among the startling diversity of creatures making their home in threatened habitats

One of the most comprehensive biodiversity surveys ever carried out in a mangrove forest has revealed that an astonishing array of wildlife makes its home in these key, threatened habitats.

Hundreds of species – from bats to birds and fish to insects – were identified during the study of the Peam Krasop sanctuary and the adjacent Koh Kapik Ramsar reserve in Cambodia. Hairy-nosed otters, smooth-coated otters, large-spotted civets, long-tailed macaques and fishing cats, as well a wide range of bat species, were among the residents recorded by the survey, which was funded by the conservation group Fauna & Flora International. The variety of wildlife has staggered biologists.

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Paris agreement negotiator Todd Stern attacks premiers who say that decarbonisation programmes are unrealistic and should be slowed down

Political leaders who present themselves as “grownups” while slowing the pace of climate action are pushing the world towards deeper catastrophe, a former US environment chief has warned.

“We are slowed down by those who think of themselves as grownups and believe decarbonisation at the speed the climate community calls for is unrealistic,” said Todd Stern, who served as a special envoy for climate change under Barack Obama, and helped negotiate the 2015 Paris agreement.

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The legal repression of activism has been fast and frightening, yet it won’t make protesters disappear and only sows division

Years ago, when Dr Sarah Benn recognised the scale of the climate crisis, she made sure that she was doing all the right things. She recycled, she went vegan, she stopped flying, she voted Green, she signed petitions. It was because she didn’t see real change happening, despite doing all those things, that she then went further. She glued her hand to a building. She sat down in front of an oil terminal. And she stood on a grass verge with a handwritten sign, saying, “Stop New Oil”.

Benn’s story will be pretty familiar to anyone with a passing interest in the current wave of climate protest. This wave grew out of deep frustration with existing avenues for change. And it did feel, for a time, as if these protests might be a catalyst for the wider shift that so many people recognised was urgently needed. The marches and sit-downs sparked so much sympathy and curiosity, even with politicians from Michael Gove to Dawn Butler. I remember walking along a street on an Extinction Rebellion march in 2019 and people were cheering from their windows. A big part of all the early protests was outreach, with protesters talking to people on the streets, in communities and workplaces, and finding eager responses.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk

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