ECOSYSTEM MARKETPLACE: Oil palm, the prodigal plant, is coming home to Africa – What does that mean for forests?
Western and Central Africa have been cultivating oil palm for millennia, though the big money is flowing into Indonesia and Malaysia, which produce more than 80% of the world’s palm oil supply. Now Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil companies are expanding into African regions, and environmentalists are worried that could accelerate deforestation.
Read MoreCOMMENT: Paris goals can only be achieved in time with robust bottom-up action
Despite the scientific evidence, there are still nations that are either not convinced of the need to reduce emissions, or are unwilling to do so. But real demand for change is growing at ground level. Consumers around the world are paying greater attention to the environment and the climate, and making changes to their own lifestyles. They are also starting to ask uncomfortable questions of the businesses that supply them.
Read MoreBOOK – Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy
Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy combines the latest research and analysis on low-carbon energy solutions from electric vehicles to renewable energy. It is the first book to identify which specific policies, applied to the top 20 most-emitting countries, can have the largest potential impact to reduce emissions enough for a 50% chance of keeping global warming to a safe level.
Read MoreANNOUNCEMENT: UK to exit EU ETS under ‘no deal’ Brexit, says govt
The UK will be excluded from participating in the EU ETS under a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario, the government announced late on Friday.
Read MoreFOREST TRENDS: How blockchain can make carbon markets more accessible
As more companies and individuals are looking for tools to mitigate their impact on climate change, the idea of utilizing blockchain technology has been on the forefront of many conversations. It is one of the building blocks behind cryptocurrency and companies are looking to utilize blockchain technology as a means to streamline the development and sale of carbon credits.
Read MoreCOMMENT: Saskatchewan, Ontario and the constitutionality of a national carbon price
Having now each filed in court their arguments against the Canadian federal carbon price, Saskatchewan and Ontario have revealed their hands and their arguments are weak, writes Nathalie Chalifour, an associate professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa and a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars.
Read MoreCOMMENT: Why NZ’s ETS should have an auction reserve price
Emission prices have since recovered but no one knows if this will last. With consultation underway on improving the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS), the government should seriously consider a “price floor” to rebuild confidence in low-emission investment.
Read MoreCARBON FORWARD 2018: Will international carbon trade thrive under the Paris Agreement?
The world’s biggest carbon offset market is set to sunset in 2020, with governments at odds over how the UN CDM’s thousands of projects and billions of carbon credits should be subsequently treated under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Read MoreFOREST TRENDS: Illegal mining forces suspension of ground-breaking voluntary forest carbon project in Brazil
As the first indigenous-led conservation effort to be financed through the sale of carbon offsets, the Suruà Forest Carbon Project (PCFS in Portuguese) dramatically slowed deforestation and incubated sustainable livelihood programs in Brazil’s Sete de Setembro Indigenous Territory (TISS), but a dramatic surge in illegal mining activities throughout the region in which TISS is located has forced the Paiter-Suruà indigenous people and their partners to suspend the program indefinitely.
Read MoreCOMMENT: Australia is not on track to reach 2030 Paris target (but the potential is there)
While Australia is coming to terms with yet another new prime minister, one thing that hasn’t changed is the emissions data: Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are not projected to fall any further without new policies, writes Anna Skarbek of ClimateWorks Australia.
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