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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

California’s plans to shore up its power grid maybe coming to a fork in the road, with Democratic lawmakers seeking to go all in on renewables and rebuke Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) proposal to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility, a media outlet reported Monday.

Record-low California Carbon Offset (CCO) issuances are running up against strong demand ahead of the state’s first interim cap-and-trade deadline in the post-2020 era, while credits that provide direct environmental benefits to the state (DEBs) are continuing to trend upward in price, according to developers and market participants.

Gasoline sales in California in May rose to their highest levels so far this year but stayed beneath 2021 totals, while diesel consumption continued to decline from records posted in March, according to state data released Friday.

We are recruiting a Technical Director to support the work of this new entity. The candidate will report to the Executive Director and will be responsible for implementing the IT and technical aspects of the Climate Warehouse work programme.

Untreated human waste dumped in waters containing shellfish 29,000 times last year, Environment Agency data shows

English shellfish could be contaminated with sewage as untreated human waste was dumped 29,000 times by water companies last year in the water where they are cultivated.

The new statistics found sewage was dumped into waters containing shellfish for 207,013 hours in one year. The worst offenders were South West, Southern Water and Anglian Water. There are fears that this could be happening again this year.

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A senior carbon analyst has started work for a Swiss-based company investing in carbon offset projects that is also planning to move into compliance markets, Carbon Pulse learned on Monday.

A Dutch carbon offset firm has agreed to sell voluntary carbon offsets from a Paraguayan REDD forest protection project in a deal designed to ensure the scheme’s long-term viability.

Verra is creating the new role of Senior Program Officer, Energy Innovation to support the development of new methodologies for the global energy transition and other technological greenhouse gas (GHG) innovation opportunities. The selected candidate will be at the forefront of the voluntary carbon market and innovative approaches to emissions reduction and removal.   

The recovery in voluntary carbon market prices accelerated over the past week in the tailwind of the US Inflation Reduction Act that will shower £430 billion on an assortment of climate change measures, healthcare policies, and tax credits on the world’s largest economy.

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Population then exploded in what researches say was ‘the fastest colonisation rate for an introduced mammal ever recorded’

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The Australia-wide rabbit invasion resulted from a single introduction of just 24 animals in 1859, new research has confirmed.

Using historical and genetic data, scientists have pinpointed the origins of what they call “the fastest colonisation rate for an introduced mammal ever recorded”.

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Unusually the violet helleborine is only pollinated by wasps and is thriving thanks to nectar that is irresistible to the insects

A rare orchid that reproduces by getting wasps drunk is thriving in the gardens of Charles Darwin’s house after a two-year restoration programme.

The violet helleborine is entirely pollinated by wasps, which are usually not perceived to be the best pollinators. They’re regimented and meticulously clean themselves, scientists say, which makes the process of pollination a fairly futile prospect – there’s nothing for the pollen to cling to.

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Ofwat is criticised for failing to curb huge bonuses for CEOs of companies that pollute

Ofwat, the water regulator, is not using its full powers to clamp down on sewage pollution and leaks, ministers, MPs and charities have said.

The regulator has been criticised for giving water companies a “licence to leak” for years and not curbing massive bonuses for CEOs who preside over a system of pollution and chaos.

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The government says companies are responsible but ministers also face accusations of failing to act.

Million-pound salaries for bosses, billions for shareholders – all while sewage is dumped in our rivers and sea

Where there’s muck there’s brass. But rarely was muck filthier or money more brass-necked than in the case of the brown effluent pouring into the Channel off Seaford, or the green algae spreading over Windermere. The English water industry can make all the excuses it likes, but those who find themselves swimming in sewage tend to notice – and wonder why those responsible deserve million-pound salaries. Last year nine water chiefs pocketed over £15m between them, an annual rise of 27%.

The dumping of sewage into watercourses is caused simply by storage tanks overflowing. This is currently attributed by the industry to hot weather causing unexpectedly fast run-off. This is supposed to happen only exceptionally rarely. Southern Water has reportedly made four such dumps into the Channel in a week. In total 373,000 cases of sewage discharge were reported in 2021, even before this year’s heatwave. Something has gone wrong.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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Bee populations are in steep decline in UK but community funded projects have led to recovery of the ‘vital ecosystem engineers’

Encouraging numbers of bees have been recorded at a handful of locally funded wildflower projects in the South Downs, showing that populations can recover if given support.

For several decades, bee populations in the UK have seen a steep decrease owing to the stress of the climate emergency.

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EUAs edged back from recent highs early on Monday but stayed within range of Friday's record settlement as traders absorbed sharp increases in energy prices after Gazprom said the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would close for a brief maintenance.

The first solar farm to power one of Rio Tinto's huge iron ore mines begins commissioning, as does a new big battery on the same network.

The post Rio Tinto starts commissioning Gudai-Darri solar farm, and Tom Price battery appeared first on RenewEconomy.