Corporation’s successful bid at Emissions Reduction Fund auction expected to create less greenhouse gasesAn Aboriginal corporation in the Northern Territory has been awarded a carbon credit contract with the federal government for its fire management program.Karlantijpa North Kurrawarra Nyura Mala Aboriginal Corporation successfully bid at the Emissions Reduction Fund auction last month. Continue reading...

‘Almost unprecedented’ event attributed to warm temperatures and winds, with some areas more than 20C (36F) warmer than usualBoth the Arctic and Antarctic experienced record lows in sea ice extent in November, with scientists astonished to see Arctic ice actually retreating at a time when the region enters the cold darkness of winter.

Producer shifts focus to supplying end consumers and providing backup power to complement growing renewable outputBritain’s largest coal power producer, Drax, is bidding to buy Opus Energy and four gas stations in a move away from its coal legacy that has been welcomed by investors.

Alice Bell is right that we need to talk about climate change (Opinion, 6 December). However, when we do, people often say there is no point in cutting one’s own emissions (by not flying, for example) because hardly anyone else is; and they say there is no point in the UK doing anything, because other countries aren’t. Sadly, people in other countries are probably using the same arguments and so, in a self-fulfilling way, it could be argued that they are all correct. Certainly there is no evidence that nations or individuals are actually going to make the changes needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions adequately, whatever pledges may have been made at international conferences.Clearly, we need a new approach: to invest in a combination of carbon scrubbing, geoengineering, third-way solutions, forest protection and reforestation. These can be funded by an international financial transactions tax, and they don’t involve lifestyle changes people won’t accept. We need to start now.

A global campaign to promote 100% renewable energy use in the business world means more Silicon Valley giants are now investing in solar and wind electricityTech giants are jockeying to be the first to hit a 100% renewable energy goal. Google, which has invested in solar and wind energy for a decade, intends to get there by 2017.

Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast to block imports from oil companies and traders of diesel with sulphur levels many times European limitFive west African countries have announced measures to end the practice of European oil companies and traders exporting “African quality” diesel – highly polluting fuels that could never be sold in Europe.Swiss commodity traders were accused in a report published in September by Swiss NGO Public Eye of exporting fuels to west Africa with sulphur levels that are sometimes hundreds of times higher than European levels. Continue reading...

Polluting generators could win multimillion-pound contracts, with some also eligible for generous tax breaksThe owner of Britain’s energy network is gearing up to buy more power from suppliers to ensure the country’s lights stay on, with polluting diesel generators among the providers vying for contracts.The National Grid needs back-up electricity sources that kick in when, for instance, demand is high but the weather is not breezy enough to power wind farms. It secures this back-up power through the annual capacity market auction that begins on Tuesday and will see controversial “diesel farms” taking part. Continue reading...

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank releases draft energy strategy prioritising renewable projectsThe Australian government is lobbying for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to put more emphasis on coal and nuclear after concerns renewable energy projects were being prioritised.Draft guidelines were circulated by the bank that suggest it should prioritise investments in renewable energy projects across Asia while the Turnbull government has argued fossil fuels will play a significant role in energy generation in the region for decades to come.. Continue reading...

England fells more trees than it plants and government must keep to its targets to evade deforestation, say forestry groupsEvery year Brazil, Congo and other developing countries are lambasted by environmentalists and western politicians for deforestation at a time when trees are needed to counter climate change and prevent flooding.

Analysts says $1bn loan proposal shows lack of financier interest and Adani may not meet investment criteria due to position that public funding ‘not critical’Doubts have emerged over the eligibility of Adani’s rail link for public funding as the company pushes ahead with plans for the controversial Carmichael coal project with a promise of 600 jobs at a new operational headquarters in Townsville.The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said “you can’t get the smile off my face” when commenting on the news of the potential jobs boost in a television interview. Continue reading...

Prime minister calls climate policy reassessment ‘business as usual’ as infighting breaks out in Coalition ranksMalcolm Turnbull says Tony Abbott is responsible for the review of the Coalition’s Direct Action policy because it was built into the work program when he was prime minister.

If the proposed Adani mine is not viable without public subsidies then the government are backing the wrong horse

Vikings who settled in the north of England have handed down more than their names for landscape featuresThirty years ago farmers in the Yorkshire Dales never wore gloves even when the temperature was well below zero and there was snow on the ground. Asked if their hands felt cold one replied: “Aye a little, but only twice a day.“I feel it first thing in the morning when I first go out, but after a few minutes my fingers go numb, like, and then I don’t feel them again until I finish my evening work and go inside the house. Then they sting a bit as they warm up again.” Continue reading...

Emissions intensity scheme is the least costly way of reducing greenhouse gases, Energy Networks Australia and Csiro sayAustralia’s electricity and gas transmission industry is calling on the Turnbull government to implement a form of carbon trading in the national electricity market by 2022 and review the scope for economy-wide carbon pricing by 2027.Energy Networks Australia warns in a new report examining how to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050 that policy stability and regulatory certainty are the key to delivering lower power prices and reliable electricity supply. Continue reading...

Academic decries what he describes as yet another bait-and-switch to reduce overall spending on conservation in AustraliaScrapping Australia’s “green army” without restoring Landcare funding to pre-2014 levels would further weaken community conservation efforts, experts have said.The Turnbull government is reportedly set to abolish the derided environmental program – to the dismay of its creator and greatest champion, the former prime minister Tony Abbott. Continue reading...

Google Earth timelapse show how the earth has changed over 32 years. A series of videos highlight the changing faces of urban and natural environments across the globe. Google combined over 5 million satellite images acquired over the past three decades by five different satellites to create the timelapses

Sacha Dench is first woman to cross the Channel in a motorised paraglider, as part of her journey following migrating birds from Russia to BritainThe conservationist and “human swan” Sacha Dench has become the first woman to cross the English Channel in a motorised paraglider during her epic 4,500-mile journey following migrating birds from the Russian tundra to Britain.

Climate scientists and real science journalists pushed back, holding the post-truth crowd accountable

Highest ever rainfall recorded in UK was in December 2015 at Honister Pass in Lake District with 341.4mm falling in 24 hoursAn appraisal of the winter floods of 2015-2016, published on the first anniversary of Storm Desmond, reveals it ranks alongside the devastating flooding of March 1947 as the largest event of at least the last century.

About 100 people forced out of their homes and Upper Street area of north London borough closedDozens of people have been evacuated from their homes in north London after a water main burst, causing severe flooding.The water was at a depth of two metres in the basements of properties on Charlton Place in Angel, Islington, and about 100 people were evacuated, London fire brigade said. Continue reading...

Mayor’s proposed investment gets near levels seen in cycle-friendly nations such as Netherlands and DenmarkLondon’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has promised to spend £770m on cycling initiatives over the course of his term, saying he wants to make riding a bike the “safe and obvious” transport choice for all Londoners.Following criticism that Khan has not been as bold as his predecessor, Boris Johnson, in committing to new bike routes, and amid increasing worries about air quality in London, Khan’s office has set out what is described as a hugely ambitious programme to boost cyclist numbers. Continue reading...

But an analyst warns that it is not clear which part of the sprawling Indian conglomerate would receive the moneyThe conservative backbencher George Christensen has backed the idea of the controversial mining company Adani getting a $1bn loan from the Turnbull government for a rail line in his Queensland electorate.But an analyst has warned the government would have to conduct strict due diligence to ensure the loan was not funnelled through the Cayman Islands tax haven. Continue reading...

Not only is the government taking short cuts on climate change, it is setting future generations up for a massive cleanup bill

Llanberis, Snowdonia In a clearing, a black-headed beast with horns as magnificent as any fairytale faun, is munching grass next to an old red-painted winding houseThe glug-glug of bubbles on the surface is a sign of divers in the depths. I watch their dark shapes rippling slowly in the emerald water for a while, before taking a slippery slate staircase winding up through the still autumnal oak woodland surrounding the flooded Vivian quarry.In a clearing lit briefly by November sun, a brown-coated, blacked-headed beast with horns as magnificent as any fairytale faun, is munching grass next to an old red-painted winding house. It is a scene of storybook strangeness. The horned head turns slowly, fixing me briefly with a pair of yellow eyes, then returns indifferently to its business. Continue reading...

In response to Dr Robin Shipp’s letter about the unfair requirements for charging electric cars (3 December), I’d like to point out one more: that you can’t pay cash for a charge. Whether you pay with a smartphone (that tracks you whenever it is operating), or with a proposed swipecard (that would track you whenever you use it), it does you wrong by tracking your movements. You can fill your car with gasoline anonymously, paying cash; electric cars should offer the same.Related: Business secretary says electric vehicles at heart of industrial strategy Continue reading...

Exclusive: In less than four years the country has ‘spent’ almost 20% of its greenhouse gas allowance to 2050, analysis shows

Guardian Australia has partnered with NDEVR Environmental to produce a quarterly report calculating progress towards keeping global warming below 2C