World
Ireland threatens to block Mercosur trade deal unless Brazil protects Amazon
Leo Varadkar said Ireland could vote against the free trade deal between South American countries and the EU over deforestation and wildfires concerns
Record 72,000 forest fires detected in Brazil this year
Brazil’s space research center INPE reported 9,507 new forest fires across the country, mostly in the Amazon basin, since last Thursday
Australia seeks to water down climate declaration at Pacific summit
An annotated draft Pacific Islands Forum statement shows the Morrison administration trying to quash references to 1.5C, carbon neutrality and coal development
Bolsonaro shrugs off German aid cuts, as deforestation surges
Brazil “doesn’t need” €35 million of international funds earmarked to protect the Amazon rainforest, the president insists
No-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the climate
Boris Johnson’s leadership increases the likelihood of a hard exit from the EU, shattering the bloc’s solidarity and empowering a radical deregulation agenda
China is expanding its UN presence, in belt and road push
UN farming chief is the latest top job to be filled from Beijing, as China promotes ‘ecological civilisation’ and promises to green its foreign investment drive
Indonesian government under pressure to stamp out toxic haze
Rampant forest fires are causing polluting smog to travel to neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, sending air quality plummeting in Southeast Asia
Stinky seaweed chokes American coast due to hotter oceans and deforestation
Sargassum is a natural occurrence on beaches in the Caribbean but warmer waters and the use of fertilisers has seen it proliferate dramatically in recent years
Trudeau announces protected marine area in Canada’s Arctic
The designation is part of a government push for better environmental protection and reconciliation with indigenous populations
Court blocks Polish coal plant, in win for climate campaigners
Client Earth successfully challenged the Ostrołęka C project on behalf of shareholders, arguing it was a bad financial bet as renewables become competitive
Ethiopia bids to plant four billion trees in green push
The African country claims to have broken a world record by planting 350 million trees in a day, as part of a collective effort to restore lost forests
Pacific islands criticise Australia’s carbon accounting dodge
Island leaders called out the banking of old carbon credits to meet future climate goals, a trick Australia is relying on in the absence of carbon-cutting policies
Marseille airport expansion stalled on climate grounds
France’s environment authority asked the developers to show how increased flights can fit with the country’s 2050 net zero emissions target
UK carbon price to plummet under no-deal Brexit
A proposed UK tax on heavy polluters would come in at nearly half the EU carbon market price, reducing the incentive to cut emissions
164 land defenders murdered in 2018, Global Witness reports
The Philippines overtook Brazil as the most dangerous place for activists and indigenous communities, according to the human rights watchdog
Former UK energy minister Claire Perry appointed Cop26 president
A champion of phasing out coal power internationally, Perry has been named to lead critical UN climate talks in 2020, which the UK expects to host
UN envoy urges India to raise climate ambition
Luis de Alba praised rapid expansion of renewable energy and pressed the government to go further, on a visit to Delhi
Zimbabweans work at night to beat hydropower shortage as drought bites
Low water levels at Kariba Dam mean power cuts lasting 16 hours a day in capital Harare, making it difficult for businesses to survive
Car boom brings gridlock misery to ‘green and happy’ Bhutan
Bhutan’s growing economy brings growing gridlock – and a potential threat to the country’s vaunted carbon-negative status
EU moots crackdown on deforestation through supply chains
The bloc is considering regulations to address the role of consumer demand for commodities like palm oil, soy and timber in driving forest clearance abroad