The Baku Cop29 talks were marked by division and self-interest, with rancorous meddling right until the end
Fiona Harvey is an environment editor at the Guardian
When I first visited Azerbaijan this spring, one fixture of the Baku skyline was unmissable. The bright orange of flaring – the product of the oil and gas extraction that makes up 90% of Azerbaijan’s export revenues – lit up the night sky, not far from the Olympic stadium, where nearly 200 nations would gather in November for the Cop29 climate summit.
Flaring burns methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and is a major source of carbon emissions. If all the world’s flared gas were captured instead, it could power sub-Saharan Africa. But that entails installing new equipment, so producers don’t bother.
Fiona Harvey is an environment editor at the Guardian
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
12/03/2024 - 10:55
12/03/2024 - 09:00
Survey finds 25 percentage point gender gap across all age brackets on whether nuclear power would be positive for the country, with majority of men saying it would
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New data points to a stark gender split in attitudes towards nuclear energy, with women much more likely to say they don’t support it or think the risks are too great.
Research company DemosAu surveyed 6,000 people on behalf of the Australian Conservation Foundation and found 26% of women thought nuclear energy would be good for Australia, compared with 51% of men.
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12/03/2024 - 09:00
As ICJ hears landmark climate case, Grenada’s PM says vulnerable nations expect a long, hard fight for aid
It’s a macabre picture: tombs, headstones and wreaths, lovingly selected by family members, floating into the oblivion of the ocean, and with them the remains of loved ones uprooted from their final resting place. Some are dragged back to land, washed up on beaches on the Grenadian island of Carriacou, transforming the beautiful Caribbean shoreline into a chaotic graveyard.
This disturbing reality, says Grenada’s prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, is a poignant example of the gravity of the climate crisis and its impact on his country.
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12/03/2024 - 08:26
Market share increases after strong demand within country offsets risks from western tariffs on Chinese-made EVs
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China’s share of the global electric vehicle market reached 76% in October, the country’s automotive trade body said, reflecting strong demand for EVs in the country even as western tariffs risk hobbling exports.
Between January and October, sales of EVs reached 14.1m units, according to the China Passenger Car Association, with 69% of those sales in China. In October, China’s share surpassed three-quarters.
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12/03/2024 - 07:34
Exclusive: Campaigners say company’s apparent abandoning of 2030 pledge is a ‘masterclass in greenwashing’
Coca-Cola has been accused of quietly abandoning a pledge to achieve a 25% reusable packaging target by 2030 in what campaigners call a “masterclass in greenwashing”.
The company has been previously found by researchers to be among the world’s most polluting brands when it comes to plastic waste.
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12/03/2024 - 07:33
Numbers of red and grey squirrels rising, survey finds, but more greys are present in last remaining red strongholds
Campaigners are concerned about the rising presence of grey squirrels in England’s last remaining strongholds of reds.
An annual distribution survey of about 250 sites in woodlands and gardens across northern England shows that occupancy figures for red and grey squirrels are increasing – but they are rising more steeply for greys.
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12/03/2024 - 06:00
The sprawling Florida mansion sits in one of the most vulnerable places in the US to climate-driven disasters
A sprawling Florida mansion set beside a powdery white sand beach overlooking the azure Gulf of Mexico is currently the most expensive property listed for sale in the United States, yours for a mere $295m.
It is also in one of the most vulnerable places in the country to climate-driven disasters and faces an almost inevitable flooding event in the coming years.
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12/03/2024 - 02:57
Carmaker, which has faced backlash over rebrand, will reveal production-ready version of Type 00 in late 2025
Experts’ verdict on Jaguar’s electric car launch
Jaguar unveils much-hyped electric car after online leak
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Jaguar’s design boss has said the car brand has shown “fearless creativity” as he unveiled a much-hyped electric vehicle that had attracted an online backlash over its unusual marketing campaign.
Gerry McGovern, who is in charge of design for Jaguar’s parent company, told a launch event on Monday in Miami: “Some may love it now, some may love it later and some may never love it. That’s what fearless creativity does.”
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12/03/2024 - 00:00
Recordings by biologist Heike Vester reveal how oil and gas exploration as well as cruises, fishing boats and even whale-watchers are adding to the din underwater
From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns – extremely loud blasts used in oil and gas exploration that can travel vast distances underwater.
And finally, dancing above it all – and at times drowned out by it – are the soaring vocalisations of whales.
Heike Vester at home in Bodø, Norway. Her love of whales comes partly from her interest in matrilineal societies. Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The Guardian
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12/02/2024 - 23:38
Fossil fuel giant’s lawyer says the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility is ignoring years of work by Santos
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Santos says the alleged greenwashing case against it represents a “biased retelling” of the company’s net zero roadmap and climate reports.
Neil Young KC, representing Santos, presented the company’s closing arguments in the federal court on Tuesday, in response to allegations of greenwashing by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR).
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