Today’s top five climate change stories chosen by RTCC
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Source: Flickr/btting
1 – Carbon trading kicks off in Guangdong
Trading kicks off today in Guangdong, on what will be China’s largest carbon market. Prices have so far been in line with expectations, reports Reuters, as Beijing continues its drive to slow its rapid growth of greenhouse gas emissions. China wants to use markets to cut emissions to 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2020 per unit of GDP.
2 – Scrapping Australian carbon price to cost $7.4bn
Abolishing the carbon price in Australia will result in a $7.4bn deterioration in the budget position over the next four years, reports the Guardian, with the federal government setting aside more than $2bn in 2013-14 to buy back “free permits” allocated to Australia’s heavy emitters. The Coalition has been waging a war on the carbon price, saying it drives up consumer costs.
3 – Greenpeace protesters to walk free
An amnesty voted through the Russian Parliament means that the Greenpeace Arctic activists who were imprisoned for their protest against state oil company Gazprom will be able to walk free. The changes to the bill covers those facing trial who haven’t yet been convicted, Greenpeace told Bloomberg in an emailed statement. The law was passed unanimously in Moscow.
4 – Cattle are top global livestock emitters
Cattle are the biggest source of greenhouse gases, accounting for more than three-quarters of all emissions from global livestock, reports the BBC. A survey, described as the most detailed of its kind, identified Europe and the Americas as the world’s epicentres of beef production. Annually, the world produces 586m tonnes of milk, 124m tonnes of poultry and 59m tonnes of beef.
5 – Nepal prepares for climate adaptation
An initiative was launched in Nepal to train district officials on how to integrate adaptation to climate change into local development plans, reports the Himalayan Times. The is a nationwide effort to increase the capacity of local body officials, local planners and district line agencies in understanding the impacts of climate change and developing local adaptation solutions.