Opinion:
¶ “Last-Minute Bill to Extend Operation of California’s Diablo Nuclear Plant is Misguided” • The Union of Concerned Scientists opposes a bill (SB 846) that would extend the operation of Diablo Canyon, California’s last remaining nuclear power plant. The Diablo Canyon plant should retire, as it was scheduled to do, in 2025. [Union of Concerned Scientists]
Diablo Canyon nuclear plant (Doc Searls, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
World:
¶ “Pakistan Causes Less Than 1% Of Planet-Warming Gases. It’s Now Drowning Under The Climate Crisis” • Less than 1% of the world’s planet-warming gases come from Pakistan, EU data shows, but it is paying a hefty price for the climate crisis, not only with lives but destroyed buildings and bridges. Officials estimate the total bill will be $10 billion. [CNN]
¶ “Pakistan Floods Caused By ‘Monsoon On Steroids,’ Says UN Chief In Urgent Appeal” • The world is “sleepwalking” into environmental destruction, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned, as he made an appeal for $160 million for flood-ravaged Pakistan. Over 1,100 people have been killed and 33 million others impacted by flooding. [CNN]
People gathering for relief supplies during flooding, 2010
(Sgt Jason Bushong, US Army, public domain)
¶ “The Rise In Extreme Heat Is Taking A Toll On Our Well-Being. It’s About To Get Worse” • An analysis by Gallup in collaboration with Citi found that people who experienced extreme heat also reported a decrease in their sense of well-being at the same time. Globally, people experienced three times as many extreme heat days in 2020 as they did in 2008. [CNN]
¶ “Russia Shuts Nord Stream 1, Major Gas Pipeline To Europe” • Russia has halted gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline, saying repairs are needed. The Russian state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, said the restrictions on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would last for the next three days. Russia has already greatly reduced gas exports through the pipeline. [BBC]
Route of Nord Stream 1 (Samuel Bailey, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “AEMO Warns Of Power ‘Gaps’ In Australia’s Biggest Grid Within Three Years As Coal Exodus Gathers Pace” • Electricity supplies are forecast to fall short of demand within three years across Australia’s eastern grid, unless new renewable energy and transmission capacity is urgently brought online, a report by the Australian Energy Market Operator says. [ABC]
¶ “Monthly Rail Pass In Germany Cuts Carbon Emissions By 1.8 Million Tons” • On June 1, Germany started a program allowing people one month of unlimited travel on trams, buses, and regional train networks for €9. An analysis shows a reduction in trips by automobile that resulted in 1.8 million fewer tons of CO₂ entering the atmosphere. [CleanTechnica]
Deutsche Bahn (Andreas Stutz, Unsplash)
¶ “VW Group And Canadian Government Team Up To Secure Battery Minerals” • Rare earths and other battery minerals are very important on the geopolitical stage. China has gained a grip on minerals that drive clean technologies, along with many other applications. Volkswagen and Canada reached an agreement to open up new sources. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Auckland Welcomes Sparky, World’s First Full-Size Electric Tug Boat” • The world’s first full-size electric tug boat is now in service in Auckland, New Zealand. It is called Sparky, which was the first choice in an online naming contest. Sparky can perform up to four shipping moves on a single charge of batteries and can be recharged in about two hours. [CleanTechnica]
Sparky (Courtesy of Ports of Auckland)
¶ “UN Team Heads To Assess Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant” • A team of inspectors from the UN’s nuclear watchdog headed to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to assess safety and security issues at the Russian-controlled site. The team is to spend several days at the plant on a mission that is considered a “very complex operation.” [Voice of America]
US:
¶ “Kia EV6 Wins Winter Vehicle Award” • The New England Motor Press Association awarded the Kia EV6 “2022 Winter Vehicle Award For Best Electric Vehicle.” A Kia press release says, “EV6 was chosen by a cohort of more than 50 working journalists in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.” [CleanTechnica]
Kia EV6 (Hyundai Motor Group, Unsplash)
¶ “Tesla Won Big In California In 2nd Quarter” • In California, the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3 were #1 and #2 in the second quarter, but with the Model 3 was just 999 units above the Toyota Camry. The mass-market Tesla vehicles will have to work to hold onto their places, especially the Model 3 and its shorter, more compact body. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Maine’s High Court Rules That Voter Referendum Blocking Power Corridor Was Likely Unconstitutional” • Maine’s highest court has struck a blow against the campaign to prevent Central Maine Power from building a high-voltage transmission line in western Maine, ruling that a November 2021 referendum was likely unconstitutional. [WBUR]
Maine forest (Mark Olsen, Unsplash)
¶ “Drake Power Plant In Downtown Colorado Springs To Shut Down This Week” • Colorado Springs Utilities announced the Martin Drake Power Plant will shut down for good on September 1. This is twelve years ahead of schedule, and only a year after it was converted to burn natural gas. The plant is in downtown Colorado Springs. [KKTV]
¶ “Comcast Signs Renewable Energy Deals With Michigan Utilities” • Comcast has entered into agreements with Consumers Energy and DTE Energy to buy renewable energy, including wind and solar electricity, for Comcast Cable’s operations in the state of Michigan. Comcast has a stated goal of being carbon neutral by 2035. [Telecompetitor]
Have an agreeably alluring day.
geoharvey 
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