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The Australian Labor Party government is all but certain to have its 43% emissions reduction cut by 2030 signed into law next month, now the work begins on one of its key policy measures to meet that target – the Safeguard Mechanism.

Thousands more residents outside the original contamination zone may be drinking tainted water

A French industrial fabric producer that poisoned drinking water supplies with PFAS “forever chemicals” across 65 sq miles (168 sq km) of southern New Hampshire misled regulators about the amount of toxic substance it used, a group of state lawmakers and public health advocates charge.

The company, Saint Gobain, now admits it used far more PFAS than regulators previously knew, and officials fear thousands more residents outside the contamination zone’s boundaries may be drinking tainted water in a region plagued by cancer clusters and other health problems thought to stem from PFAS pollution.

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From US floods to drought in France, communities around globe are still feeling effects of July’s extreme weather

Central US states are still reeling from a week of extreme flooding events in the final days of July. Initially, the extreme rainfall into St Louis gave a quarter of the normal annual rainfall in just 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). A few days later, in eastern Kentucky, at least 10-12 inches (about 25-30cm) fell in the space of a few days, causing devastating flooding in the Appalachian region of the state.

The complex, numerous and steep valleys in the region enabled rainwater to quickly run down valley sides and build up on the limited and often built-up floodplains. Deforestation and historic mining activity in the region have also been mentioned as potential contributors. Both flooding events have been classified as one in 1,000-year events by the NWS.

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The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a bearded seal, peacocks and mating humpback whales

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

The Canadian federal government has argued the carbon allowances Koch Industries purchased in the shuttered Ontario cap-and-trade system aren't protected investments under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), legal documents released Tuesday revealed, marking the latest development in a years long dispute.

Industry angry and frustrated at the failure of the ESB to develop a credible policy, they say investments at risk and question the future of the body.

The post “Makes little sense:” ESB’s capacity market farce leaves projects in a financial hole appeared first on RenewEconomy.

New data shows coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef is at a record high, despite a disturbing decade of marine heatwaves, cyclones and floods. While the data is robust, it can be deceptive. Zoe Richards, Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A huge day for renewables as Albanese government starts process to declare Gippsland, in Victoria, as Australia’s first zone for offshore wind development.

The post “Momentous:” Labor begins process to declare Australia’s first offshore wind zone appeared first on RenewEconomy.

The people hardest hit by climate change are invariably those who are more vulnerable. We need to pay more attention to the root causes of vulnerability and address poverty and inequity. Bruce Glavovic, Professor in Natural Hazard Planning, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More than half of France's nuclear fleet are offline, its power prices are through the roof, and it faces a long-term supply problem.

The post France’s troubled nuclear fleet a bigger problem for Europe than Russia gas appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Will spring bring an end to the cold and the rain? Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices climbed on purchases believed to be generated from funds along with an uptick in broader market sentiment, while RGGI Allowances (RGAs) were relatively flat this week, as Pennsylvania’s future in the 11-state cap-and-trade programme remains mired in uncertainty.

A green group has sued Virginia's government to force it to release a document that the environmental organisation says contains an opinion from the state’s attorney general’s office indicating that Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) cannot withdraw Virginia from RGGI.

Regulators' interest in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) has grown alongside its bloom, with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) the latest US agency contemplating oversight through a variety of channels that stretch beyond derivative products.

The escalation of war in Europe and in other regions may hamper efforts to slash planet-warming gases, as newly beefed-up defence spending risks driving sectoral emissions to record highs.

Australia has a rich history of environmental protest. We shouldn’t threaten communities trying to speak out

Coming from Sri Lanka, where dissent has been violently quashed and stable government broke down, I know how important it is to sound the alarm when our democracy is being threatened.

My first experience of protest was watching my primary school teachers strike to gain better working conditions. The biggest was the rally to protest the war in Iraq in Melbourne. The most moving have been those to free asylum seekers from detention.

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Thames Head is now more than 2 miles downstream as forecaster warn of further high temperatures to come

The source of the Thames has dried up during the drought, with river experts saying it is the first time they have seen it happen while forecasters warn of further high temperatures to come.

The river’s source has shifted from its official start point outside Cirencester during the continuing dry weather and is now more than 2.4 miles (4km) downstream.

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A powerhouse is being created in the carbon market after Xpansiv, the leading platform for environmental markets, including the CBL platform for the voluntary carbon market (VCM), announced Thursday it is acquiring Evolution Markets, one of the largest brokerage firms.

As Guardian analysis reveals that human-caused global heating is driving more frequent and deadly weather disasters, there is no place for denialism any more

Revealed: how climate breakdown is supercharging toll of extreme weather

In November 2015, prolonged and heavy rainfall dumped 341mm (13.4in) of rain in Honister, Cumbria, within 24 hours. Just as in 2009 and again in 2013, when massive rainstorms inundated Cumbria and the West Country, lives were lost, thousands of homes were flooded, it took months to recover from and cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

But how far have these winter storms been caused by the climate crisis? Until 2015, the stock answer of government and meteorologists was that it was impossible to attribute the climate emergency to any particular weather event and that they were most likely extreme, once-in-a-century disasters and by implication not much for politicians to worry about.

John Vidal is a former Guardian environment editor

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