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More than a thousand crows roost in Sunnyvale every night, ruffling locals’ feathers with caws and droppings

Each night, more than a thousand crows descend on Sunnyvale, California. In recent years a growing contingency of corvids have been roosting in the Silicon Valley town’s downtown district, filling the night air with a chorus of caws and painting the roads, Pollock-esque, with droppings.

The spectacle has failed to charm residents and local business owners. Vice-Mayor Alysa Cisneros said constituents had been complaining about the crows since she began campaigning for office in 2019. “In terms of the kinds of complaints I get on a consistent basis, crows are a top concern, right after speeding drivers,” she said.

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Africa’s unprecedented population growth will impact geopolitics, global trade, migration and almost every aspect of life. It’s time for a reimagining of the continent

In 2022 the world’s population will pass 8 billion. It has increased by a third in just two decades. By 2050, there will be about 9.5 billion of us on the planet, according to respected demographers. This makes recent comments by Elon Musk baffling. According to him, “the low birthrate and the rapidly declining birthrate” is “one of the biggest risks to civilisation”.

Fertility rates in Europe, North America and east Asia are generally below 2.1 births per woman, the level at which populations remain stable at constant mortality rates. The trajectory in some countries is particularly arresting. The birthrate in Italy is the lowest it has ever been in the country’s history. South Korea’s fertility rate has been stuck below one birth per woman for decades despite an estimated $120bn (£90bn) being spent on initiatives aimed at raising it. Japan started the century with 128 million citizens but is on course to have only 106 million by 2050. China’s population will peak at 1.45 billion in 2030, but if it proves unable to raise its fertility rate, the world’s most populous country could end the century with fewer than 600 million inhabitants. This is the “big risk” alluded to by Musk. The trouble is, his statement seems to imply that “civilisation” does not include Africa.

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Exclusive: Officers say cuts and operational decisions have made England’s regulator ‘toothless’

Staff at England’s Environment Agency say it has been cut back to such an extent that they cannot do their jobs and the regulator is no longer a deterrent to polluters.

Three officers at the EA have described to the Guardian and Ends Report how they are increasingly unable to hold polluters to account or improve the environment as a result of the body’s policies.

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Marine explorers find a "pristine" 3km coral reef at depths of 30m off the coast of Tahiti.

Australian Energy Regulator publishes draft guidelines for the introduction of solar export tariffs, setting strict rules for networks and safeguards for consumers – but leaving some things open to interpretation.

The post Regulator outlines “solar tax” rules, says onus on networks to prove they need it appeared first on RenewEconomy.

NSW planning department recommends expansion of Narrabri coal mine can proceed, despite conceding it's unclear how to assess its climate change impacts.

The post Policy gaps on climate impact of fossil fuels, NSW planning authorities concede appeared first on RenewEconomy.

As Australian offset prices rose to yet another record high on Thursday, there are increasing expectations that the Clean Energy Regulator could make fixed delivery deals optional in order to avoid project developers breaking contracts.

If we want to solve climate change, we first need to transform our economic thinking. Relying on research and development to bring down costs is not an option.

The post An energy revolution is possible, but only if leaders get imaginative about how to fund it appeared first on RenewEconomy.

We take a closer look at 2021 in the Australian carbon market "by the numbers," and weigh the implications for 2022 – an election year.

The post A closer look the Australian carbon market in 2021 – a year of records appeared first on RenewEconomy.

"Extraordinary:" Leading international weather body says 2021 still ranked among seven warmest years on record, despite cooling effects of consecutive La Niña events.

The post Even with La Niña, 2021 ranks as one of hottest years on record appeared first on RenewEconomy.

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

2021 was the sixth hottest year on record, despite the cooling effect of back-to-back La Niñas. Let’s reflect on the year that was, and what we can expect for this year and beyond. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

On a British island at the edge of the Antarctic is one of the most remote tourist spots in the world.

A growing number of people are changing to more environmentally-friendly jobs.

A London-based sustainability consultancy has agreed a merger with a Dutch-headquartered offset project developer and net zero authority.

US biofuel credit (RIN) values fell to a one-month low on Wednesday, as some participants attributed the slide to obligated entities potentially taking a breather in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) market.

Campaigners say thousands of incidents are not being investigated because of a lack of resources.

The Saskatchewan government on Wednesday announced the province will add five new sectors to its output-based pricing system (OBPS), though it still must petition the federal government to remove some of its largest-emitting sectors from coverage under Canada’s ‘backstop’ CO2 pricing system.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) will most likely have to follow a measured legislative process in order to withdraw from the RGGI cap-and-trade programme, though an eventual exit from the carbon market could be more orderly than originally feared, market observers and legal experts told Carbon Pulse.

The Doomsday Clock has never before been as close to midnight as it is now. There is scant hope of it winding back on its 75th anniversary. Jack Heinemann, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.