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The climate crisis has exacerbated drought across Mexico. But female-led projects to build harvesting and filtration tanks are helping communities conserve what rain there is, and make it safe to drink
Words and photographs by Matteo Bastianelli

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The research is an important step towards making long-terms stays on the moon possible.

Techno-utopianism is popular precisely because it doesn’t challenge the status quo, and lets polluters off the hook

In seeking to prevent environmental breakdown, what counts above all is not the new things we do, but the old things we stop doing. Renewable power, for instance, is useful in preventing climate chaos only to the extent that it displaces fossil fuels. Unfortunately, new technologies do not always lead automatically to the destruction of old ones.

In the UK, for example, building new offshore wind power has been cheaper than building new gas plants since 2017. But the wholesale disinvestment from fossil fuels you might have expected is yet to happen. Since the UN climate summit last November, the government has commissioned one new oil and gas field, and reportedly plans to license six more. It has overridden the Welsh government to insist on the extension of the Aberpergwm coalmine. Similar permissions have been granted in most rich nations, even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist

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The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a giant stingray, a lost tortoise and hungry monkeys

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The Vietnamese government has partnered with a US-headquartered banking group to drive the development of a carbon credit market and offset projects to help the nation achieve its climate change ambitions.

Australia’s carbon market has seen a flurry of spot deals in the last 48 hours, as buyers take advantage of relatively low prices and as the market starts to price in a Labor Party victory at the upcoming election.

Given the world is in the midst of a major climate crisis, Australian voters deserved a climate ministers' debate.

The post Australian voters deserve a ministers’ debate on climate and energy. They won’t get one appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New analysis shows it is cheaper to switch from coal-fired generation to renewables than to move from coal to gas as a bridge to renewables.

The post Direct switch from coal to renewables cheaper than going over gas “bridge” appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Will battery storage get a gig in the NSW energy roadmap? It will all boil down to how a single clause in the legislation is interpreted.

The post NSW energy roadmap at risk of shutting out big battery benefits appeared first on RenewEconomy.

More funding quietly tipped into brown coal to hydrogen projects, as the Coalition's election fossil hydrogen subsides top $400 million.

The post Taylor quietly tips $3m into another brown coal to hydrogen venture appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The UK wants gardeners to stop thinking of slugs and snails as pests and to embrace garden biodiversity. Is it worth considering in Australia? Bethaney Turner, Associate Professor, Centre for Creative and Cultural Research, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra Valerie Caron, Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Blockchain bridging service Toucan has taken steps to reduce the risk of bringing so-called zombie credits on chain, in response to criticism that its service has provided an opportunity for units that would otherwise not find any sellers.

Carbon Pulse has further boosted its coverage of regional and global carbon markets after completing a hiring drive that allowed it to welcome another four talented journalists, giving the unrivalled news provider a record staff size and doubled story count.

Fortescue proposes to turn Washington state's last coal mine and coal generator into a major green hydrogen facility.

The post Fortescue looks to turn US coal mine into huge green hydrogen hub appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Participants will be given their personal plastic footprint at the end of the week.

Ministers accused of ‘giving up’ on birds as they explore exemptions from duty to protect the animals

The government has given itself an “alarming loophole” to avoid protecting seabirds including puffins and gannets, a leaked document shows.

Campaigners have accused ministers of “giving up” on the UK’s seabirds as they plan to apply for an exemption to a legal duty to protect the rare species.

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

A carbon credit ratings agency has put a REDD forest protection project “on watch” for a potential change in its rating after the scheme was the subject of a critical investigation.

First official trades in "nega-watts" - dialling down demand at times of high prices - points to a smarter future for the grid.

The post One small blip of demand response, one big leap to smart green grid appeared first on RenewEconomy.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices were subject to counteracting influences this week as equities sold off and state regulator ARB released the draft Scoping Plan, while RGGI Allowance (RGA) values also declined but were still well bid beneath the Cost Containment Reserve (CCR) trigger price.