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Marrakech climate talks: US accepts petition calling for fossil fuel lobbyists to be excluded

Petition supports nations such as Ecuador and Venezuela that tried to initiate a conflict of interests policy

A petition calling for fossil fuel lobbyists to be excluded from the UN climate change negotiations has been forced into the hands of the US delegation in Morocco, where almost 200 nations are meeting to work out ways to implement the 2015 Paris agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The US delegation initially said it could not formally receive the petition signed by more than 500,000 people but later contacted Corporate Accountability International, agreeing to receive it on Wednesday.

Related: Global climate change action 'unstoppable' despite Trump

Related: Marrakech climate talks an emotional ride as reports show need to end coal power

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It’s time to invest in carbon farming on Aboriginal lands | Rowan Foley

Australian businesses can take action on climate change by supporting Indigenous carbon farming while contributing to sustainable development goals

There’s a touch of irony in the fact the Australian government has invested $200m in the international Green Climate Fund, a United Nations fund to assist developing countries in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change.

There is, however, no equivalent investment fund by the government, or corporate Australia, towards developing sustainable economies on Aboriginal lands through one of those mitigation practices, namely carbon farming.

Related: No politician can keep a promise to bring back jobs – especially not Donald Trump

Related: Automation will embed gender inequality at work – unless we fix it now

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Joseph Stiglitz: what the US economy needs from Donald Trump

Too many Americans feel left behind by globalisation. But Trump is unlikely to pursue the agenda his voters need. This is what he should do

Donald Trump’s astonishing victory in the US presidential election has made one thing abundantly clear: too many Americans – particularly white male Americans – feel left behind. It is not just a feeling, it can be seen in the data no less clearly than in their anger. And, as I have argued repeatedly, an economic system that doesn’t deliver for large parts of the population is a failed economic system. So what should President-elect Trump do about it?

Over the past third of a century, the rules of America’s economic system have been rewritten in ways that serve a few at the top, while harming the economy as a whole, and especially the bottom 80%. The irony of Trump’s victory is that it was the Republican party he now leads that pushed for extreme globalisation and against the policy frameworks that would have mitigated the trauma associated with it. But history matters: China and India are now integrated into the global economy. Besides, technology has been advancing so fast that the number of jobs globally in manufacturing is declining.

Related: Trumpism could be a solution to the crisis of neoliberalism

Related: The Oval Office will tame President Donald Trump

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Global climate change action 'unstoppable' despite Trump

UN’s Ban Ki-moon expresses hopes that the US president-elect will drop plans to quit a global accord aimed at weaning the world off fossil fuels

The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said on Tuesday that action on climate change has become “unstoppable“, and he expressed hopes that US president-elect, Donald Trump, would drop plans to quit a global accord aimed at weaning the world off fossil fuels.

At a meeting of almost 200 nations in Morocco to work out ways to implement the 2015 Paris agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions, Ban said US companies, states and cities were all pushing to limit global warming.

Related: Donald Trump presidency a 'disaster for the planet', warn climate scientists

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Malcolm Turnbull must address the health risks of climate change | Michael Marmot

The public health impacts of climate change are playing out in Australia while politicians ignore the evidence. Two reports out this week should change that

Last week, the Paris climate agreement officially entered into force, with the landmark global climate deal ushering in a new era of international climate diplomacy and sustainable development. This week, delegates from over 190 nations are convening in Morocco, seeking to build on the spirit of cooperation born in Paris, and working to convert the broad aspirational commitments into action.

While building on the architecture of the Paris agreement, national governments should keep the public health implications in mind.

Related: Fossil-fuel CO2 emissions nearly stable for third year in row

Related: Once the storm settles, a clearer picture emerges of government's energy goals | Katharine Murphy

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Drought, floods and water stress cost companies $14bn

A survey of 600 global companies released at the Marrakech climate change conference shows they are still not doing enough to mitigate water risks

Droughts, water scarcity and stricter environmental regulations cost businesses a reported $14bn (£11bn) this year, up from $2.6bn in 2015. Yet companies still aren’t doing enough to protect themselves from water risks, according to a new report.

Compiled by environmental non-profit CDP and released Tuesday at the climate summit in Marrakech, Morrocco, the report approached more than 1,200 of the largest listed companies around the world in sectors exposed to water risk. Just over 600 responded, meaning the $14bn figure is likely to be hugely underreported.

Related: How can we better value water as global shortages start to threaten economies?

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Influx of tropical fish proves 'catastrophic' for Australian kelp forests – video

Herbivorous tropical fish in the remains of a kelp forest in northern New South Wales, Australia. A University of NSW study found the disappearance of kelp from waters near Coffs Harbour coincided with a 0.6 degree temperature rise that had the ‘truly catastrophic’ effect of attracting increased numbers of hungry fish

Destruction of kelp forests by tropical fish shows impact of ocean temperature rises

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Wave energy: Carnegie launches world-leading hub in Cornwall

The Australian wave energy company’s new hub is the world’s largest and most advanced for developing offshore renewable energy technology

Carnegie Wave Energy’s offshore energy-generating infrastructure is purposefully inconspicuous. Its patented CETO buoys, which resemble large circular tanks, are tethered to an anchor in the seafloor and remain fully submerged, out of sight.

It’s a design feature that prioritises long-term survival in the ocean over efficiency in converting energy, says Michael Ottaviano, Carnegie’s managing director.

Related: 'The heat is there': is there a future for geothermal energy in Australia?

It’s win-win. They get something that’s cleaner, cheaper and costs them less than what they’re getting [in diesel]

Related: New generation wave energy: could it provide one third of Australia's electricity?

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Why the Arctic waters are reluctant to freeze

An exceptionally rapid melt this summer has led to unusually high water temperatures in the Arctic Sea, slowing the progress of fresh ice formation

Residents of the Alaskan city of Barrow (due to change its name to Utqiaġvik on 1 December) would normally be looking out across a frozen harbour by now, but this year the sea is reluctant to freeze.

Barrow’s average temperature for October 2016 was a balmy -1C, significantly warmer than the long-term average of around -8C. And over the North Pole the air has been a full 10C warmer than average of late.

Related: How warm seas powered two major hurricanes

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Destruction of kelp forests by tropical fish shows impact of ocean temperature rises

Deforestation near Coffs Harbour coincided with 0.6C temperature rise, which had ‘catastrophic’ effect of attracting fish

Herbivorous tropical fish have destroyed kelp forests in northern New South Wales, showing that even small increases in ocean temperature can lead to kelp deforestation, an Australian study has found.

The University of NSW study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday, found that the disappearance of kelp from waters near Coffs Harbour coincided with a threefold increase in the number of tropical fish in the region.

Related: How sea otters help save the planet

Related: Australia's vast kelp forests devastated by marine heatwave, study reveals

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