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Updated 2024-03-29 14:30
Billie Eilish criticises musicians for releasing multiple vinyl variants: ‘I can’t even express how wasteful it is’
The singer, who is known for her attempts to run her career sustainably, likened the practice to The Hunger Games - playing a game to get fans to keep buying moreBillie Eilish has criticised the practice of musicians releasing several vinyl variants of the same record in order to drive sales and earn them more money", likening it to The Hunger Games franchise: We're all going to do it because [it's] the only way to play the game."I can't even express to you how wasteful it is," Eilish, 22, told Billboard in an interview about her push to run her career in a sustainable and less environmentally impactful way. Continue reading...
Digested week: Germany has the right idea on dachshunds. Dogs should be cuddly | Lucy Mangan
Germans want to ban torture breeding' for extreme characteristics. Plus: don't even think about swimming in British waters this EasterI'll say this for the Germans: when they're right, they're so right. Word reaches us that dachshunds are to be banned in Germany. Continue reading...
Low-income California Latinos at higher risk from Parkinson’s-linked weedkiller
Analysis finds majority of paraquat, banned in 60 countries, is used in counties where Latinos make up 75% of the population or higherLow-income Latinos living in California are disproportionately threatened by paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide widely used on US cropland, a new analysis of state data finds.The notorious weedkiller is banned in more than 60 countries and for some uses in the US, like golf courses, because it is so dangerous. But the US government still allows its use on crops, putting agricultural workers or those living in communities near where it is spread at risk. Continue reading...
‘They kept us alive for thousands of years’: could saving Palestinian seeds also save the world?
Vivien Sansour, founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, believes biodiversity will save the planet in the climate crisisThe first year that the Hudson Valley Seed Company tried growing yakteen at their farm in upstate New York, the heirloom variety of Palestinian gourd quickly spread until its vines were sending their tendrils across a full acre of land. Born of a partnership with the artist, researcher and conservationist Vivien Sansour, that pilot plot was just one of many pieces of evidence supporting Sansour's thesis: that saving Palestinian heirloom seeds could benefit not just Palestinians, but could help feed an entire planet in crisis.Sansour is the founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, a project that began in 2016 to conserve Palestinian heritage and culture by saving heirloom seed varieties and telling the stories and history from which they emerged. Continue reading...
Bolivian Indigenous groups assert claim to treasure of ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’
Descendants of enslaved miners who dug up gold, silver and emeralds worth billions call on Colombia to halt plan to lift cargoIndigenous communities in Bolivia have objected to Colombia's plans to recover the remains of an 18th-century galleon believed to be carrying gold, silver and emeralds worth billions, calling on Spain and Unesco to step in and halt the project.Colombia hopes to begin recovering artefacts from the wreck of the San Jose in the coming months but the Caranga, Chicha and Killaka peoples in Bolivia argue that the excavation would rob them of their common and shared" heritage. Continue reading...
‘Ecocide in Gaza’: does scale of environmental destruction amount to a war crime?
Exclusive: Satellite analysis revealed to the Guardian shows farms devastated and nearly half of the territory's trees razed. Alongside mounting air and water pollution, experts says Israel's onslaught on Gaza's ecosystems has made the area unlivableIn a dilapidated warehouse in Rafah, Soha Abu Diab is living with her three young daughters and more than 20 other family members. They have no running water, no fuel and are surrounded by running sewage and waste piling up.Like the rest of Gaza's residents, they fear the air they breathe is heavy with pollutants and that the water carries disease. Beyond the city streets lie razed orchards and olive groves, and farmland destroyed by bombs and bulldozers. Continue reading...
‘He took five bullets and returned to work on plankton’: the double lives of Ukraine’s Antarctic scientists
When the research team at Vernadsky base are not defending their homeland, they are on the frontline of the climate crisisWhen Ukraine's Antarctic research and supply vessel Noosfera left Odesa on its maiden voyage on 28 January 2022, it passed Russian warships in the Black Sea. A month later, Vladimir Putin launched Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour. Noosfera has not been back since.A few weeks later, and Noosfera would have been an important symbolic target for Russia," said Vadym Tkachenko, a biologist who recently completed his second Antarctic winter at Ukraine's Vernadsky base. The ship now supplies both Ukrainian and Polish Antarctic bases from Chile and South Africa twice a year, at the start and end of the winter. Continue reading...
Week in wildlife – in pictures: pedalo hijinks and a raccoon doing a handstand
The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Extortionate Easter eggs and shrinking sweets: fears grow of a ‘chocolate meltdown’
Poor harvests in extreme weather conditions have led to a tripling of cocoa prices - but farmers have seen no benefitAround the world this holiday weekend, people will consume hundreds of millions of Easter eggs and bunnies, as part of an annual chocolate intake that can exceed 8kg (18lb) for every person in the UK, or 5kg in the US and Europe. But a global shortage of cacao - the seed from which chocolate is made - has brought warnings of a chocolate meltdown" that could see prices increase and bars shrink further.This week, cocoa prices rose to all-time highs on commodity exchanges in London and New York, reaching more than $10,000 a tonne for the first time, after the third consecutive poor harvest in west Africa. Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together produce more than half of the global cacao crop, have been hit by extreme weather supercharged by the climate crisis and the El Nino weather phenomenon. This has been exacerbated by disease and underinvestment in ageing plantations. Continue reading...
Vegetables are losing their nutrients. Can the decline be reversed?
A process called biofortification puts nutrients directly into seeds and could reduce global hunger, but it's not a magic bulletIn 2004, Donald Davis and fellow scientists at the University of Texas made an alarming discovery: 43 foods, mostly vegetables, showed a marked decrease in nutrients between the mid and late 20th century.According to that research, the calcium in green beans dropped from 65 to 37mg. Vitamin A levels plummeted by almost half in asparagus. Broccoli stalks had less iron. Continue reading...
Thames Water investors pull plug on £500m of funding amid standoff with regulator
Decision increases concerns about financial future of UK's biggest water firm and increases prospect of nationalisation
‘Being so helpless is hard to describe’: can rescuers win the race against time to save an orphaned orca?
Experts are trying everything from drums to whale calls to lure kiisaiis - or Brave Little Hunter - out of the Canadian lagoon she has been trapped in since the stranding death of her motherAs a two-year-old orca calf circled a lagoon off the west coast of Canada on Monday, she heard a comforting sound resonating through the unfamiliar place in which she found herself: the clicks and chirps of her great-aunt.But the calf, named kiisaiis (pronounced kwee-sahay-is, which roughly translates as Brave Little Hunter) by local First Nations people, could not locate another whale in the shallow waters. The calls, broadcast from speakers placed underwater, were part of a complex and desperate operation still under way to try to save the stranded calf. Continue reading...
‘We’d like to shoot them all’: growing army of wolfdogs raises hackles across Europe
Experts say the hybrids risk polluting' the genetic stock, but scientists disagree on how to deal with them. In Piedmont, Italy, the sight of a blond wolfdog signals the risk of another new litter
Surge of new US-led oil and gas activity threatens to wreck Paris climate goals
World's fossil-fuel producers on track to nearly quadruple output from newly approved projects by decade's end, report findsThe world's fossil-fuel producers are on track to nearly quadruple the amount of extracted oil and gas from newly approved projects by the end of this decade, with the US leading the way in a surge of activity that threatens to blow apart agreed climate goals, a new report has found.There can be no new oil and gas infrastructure if the planet is to avoid careering past 1.5C (2.7F) of global heating, above pre-industrial times, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has previously stated. Breaching this warming threshold, agreed to by governments in the Paris climate agreement, will see ever worsening effects such as heatwaves, floods, drought and more, scientists have warned. Continue reading...
From a graceful turn to a dangerous toy: the World Nature Photography awards 2024 – in pictures
The World Nature Photography award winners have been announced from a pool of entries from all corners of the globe - including a baby elephant in Kenya and an owl-like plant in Thailand. The top award and cash prize of $1,000 went to Tracey Lund from the UK for her image of two gannets under the water off the coast of the Shetland Islands. Lund and her fellow winners were drawn from thousands of images Continue reading...
Macron calls proposed EU-Mercosur trade pact ‘very bad deal’ lacking strong climate commitments
French president tells Brazil forum both parties need to be much stronger' on biodiversity and climateEmmanuel Macron has called a proposed trade agreement between the EU and South America's Mercosur bloc a very bad deal" that lacks proper climate considerations.As it is negotiated today, it is a very bad deal, for you and for us," the French president told Brazilian businessmen in Sao Paulo on Wednesday while on a three-day trip to Brazil, Latin America's largest economy. Continue reading...
Phoenix passes landmark rule requiring heat protection for outdoor workers
Unanimously passed ordinance makes employers give contractors access to rest, shade, water and air conditioning in hottest US cityPhoenix, Arizona, passed a landmark rule this week that will provide protections from extreme heat for thousands of outdoor workers in the hottest US city.In a unanimous 7-0 vote, Phoenix city council passed an ordinance on Tuesday requiring employers to provide access to rest, shade, water and air conditioning, as well as training on recognizing signs of heat stress. The rule applies to city contractors and their subcontractors who work outdoors, including construction and airport workers. Continue reading...
Water companies in England face outrage over record sewage discharges
Call for environmental emergency to be declared after data reveals 105% rise in raw sewage discharges over past 12 months
Plant-heavy ‘flexitarian’ diets could help limit global heating, study finds
Global adoption of diet low in meat would aid health, land and food systems as well as reducing emissions, researchers sayA global shift to a mostly plant-based flexitarian" diet could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help restrict global heating to 1.5C, a new study shows.Previous research has warned how emissions from food alone at current rates will propel the world past this key international target. Continue reading...
A Kentucky mining disaster killed dozens and destroyed homes. Will a lawsuit bring change?
Chase Hays and more than 50 neighbors are suing Blackhawk Mining after a silt retention pond burst and killed 43 peopleChase Hays knew it was time to evacuate when he saw his neighbor's home float through his front yard. It was just after midnight on 28 July 2022, and Lost Creek, Kentucky, was experiencing a catastrophic rainstorm.As Hays would later learn, the rains caused a silt retention pond to burst at a nearby mine, sending a torrent of rainwater and sediment down the mountain. Continue reading...
Regulators urged to act over water companies’ record sewage discharge
Government asked to put people and planet before profits' as analysis shows potential illegal discharging of raw sewage
Brown bear that attacked five people shot dead, says Slovakian minister
Drone used to identify animal that went on rampage in northern Slovakia this month, says Toma TarabaA brown bear has been killed by an armed patrol after drone technology identified it as the animal that injured five people during a rampage in a town in northern Slovakia this month, the country's environment ministry has said.The environment minister, Toma Taraba, said the bear, which left a 49-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man needing hospital treatment and three other victims including a 10-year-old girl with cuts and bruises, was shot dead late on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Sellafield’s head of information security to step down
Richard Meal is second senior leader to depart following Guardian investigation into failings at UK nuclear waste siteA former Royal Air Force officer who has led Sellafield's information security for more than a decade is to leave the vast nuclear waste site in north-west England, it can be revealed.Richard Meal, who is chief information security officer at the Cumbrian site, is to leave later this year. Continue reading...
NSW may be forced to pay $150m a year to extend life of coal-fired plant, energy expert predicts
If ever there was a perfect case-study of the negative impacts on taxpayers of privatisation of strategic public assets, Eraring is it', Tim Buckley says
Millions go hungry as a billion meals binned every day, says UN report
UN Food Waste Index report also finds global food wastage is big contributor to climate crisisMore than a billion meals are thrown away every day, in poor countries as well as rich ones, despite more than 730 million people living in hunger around the world.About a fifth of food is wasted, sometimes through profligacy or poor planning, sometimes from a lack of access to refrigeration or storage, according to the UN Food Waste Index report, published on Wednesday, at a global cost of about $1tn a year. Continue reading...
Northumberland’s Farne Islands reopen to tourists after bird flu outbreak
Boats had been barred from landing since July 2022 owing to virus, which has ravaged populations of seabirdsThe puffins started arriving two weeks ago - and now there are thousands of them fizzing around in a mad frenzy. They have joined kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and shags. Soon Arctic terns will arrive after their epic journey across the world from the Antarctic.This week humans arrived after a two-year ban from the Farne Islands in Northumberland, one of the UK's most important sanctuaries for breeding seabirds. Continue reading...
Extreme heat summit to urge leaders to act on threat from rising temperatures
IFRC and USAid staging conference to draw attention to risks and share best practice in disaster alerts and responseTwo of the world's biggest aid agencies will host an inaugural global summit on extreme heat on Thursday as directors warn that the climate crisis is dramatically increasing the probability of a mass-fatality heat disaster.The conference will highlight some of the pioneering work being done, from tree-planting projects to the development of roof coverings that reduce indoor temperatures. Continue reading...
The Connecticut residents holding a rent strike amid lead poisoning crisis
They thought their redeveloped 19th-century building was safe - but after learning it still contained toxic levels of lead, they formed a tenants unionKaty Slininger was one of dozens of residents who moved into the Lofts at the Cargill Falls Mill in Putnam, Connecticut, shortly after it opened in late 2020, enticed by the historic charm of the building and affordability of an apartment in an area with significant affordable housing shortages.The building is a redeveloped 19th-century mill that opened in 2020 after government subsidies contributed millions of dollars in grants and tax credits to its renovation and was hailed by local officials as a boon to the local economy. Continue reading...
Asda, Asos and Boohoo must avoid ‘greenwashing’ after crackdown
Retailers will have to file regular reports to UK regulator after concerns over environmental claims
Study of UK’s top bamboo loo rolls show some are made from other woods
Some ecologically sound' brands contain as little as 2.7% of the eco-friendly paper alternativeIn the bathrooms of the ecologically conscious, bamboo toilet paper is the new bottom line - a supposedly green alternative to the bog-standard pulp-based loo roll that requires the chopping down of 1m trees a year, just to be flushed down the pan.But findings from consumer watchdog Which? will wipe away that smug feeling: samples of three out of the five of the UK's top bamboo brands were actually made from other woods, some of them heavily implicated in deforestation. Continue reading...
Lizard peninsula recovery project aims to save ‘microhabitats’
Natural England-backed scheme at most southerly tip of UK will nurture lichens, liverworts and wildflowersThe landscape at the most southerly tip of mainland Britain is expansive and grand: rolling heath and grasslands, spectacular cliffs, crashing waves.But a recovery project funded by Natural England is focusing on unique and vital microhabitats" found in sometimes overlooked spots on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Continue reading...
Boat Race organisers warn rowers not to enter water after E coli discovery
‘Tone-deaf’ fossil gas growth in Europe is speeding climate crisis, say activists
Just 2% of continent's gas capacity has planned retirement date despite pledges to decarbonise, study showsEurope's tone-deaf" expansion of fossil gas is accelerating climate breakdown and increasing reliance on hostile regimes, campaigners have warned.Just four of Europe's gas-fired power plants have a retirement plan and new projects will increase the continent's gas generation capacity by 27%, according to analysis from the campaign group Beyond Fossil Fuels. Continue reading...
New blow to British smart meter rollout as number of faulty machines leaps to 4m
Fears of overcharging on bill grows after jump from 2.7m machines is blamed on reporting errors from energy providersNearly 4m energy smart meters in homes and businesses are faulty, government figures have shown, in a further blow to the troubled" rollout of the technology.Data from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reported that, at the end of last year, 3.98m meters in Great Britain were not working properly. Continue reading...
Rare fungus to be moved from Scotland to England in hopes to save species
Exclusive: Fingers of willow gloves, found in only two woodlands, will be rushed to Cumbria and tied to new treesFingers of a critically endangered fungus will this week be removed from its last sites in Scotland and fixed to trees in three woodlands in England to save it from extinction.Willow gloves, which resembles the fingers of washing-up gloves and grows on dead trees, is found only in two woodlands, and the vast majority is living on just one fallen tree. Continue reading...
Calls for international criminal court to end ‘impunity’ for environmental crimes
Campaigners say activities leading to severe environmental harm usually also violate human rightsThe international criminal court (ICC) has been urged to start investigating and prosecuting individuals who harm the environment.Academics, lawyers and campaigners from around the world have sent expert opinions to the court outlining what they call its current regime of impunity" for serious environmental crimes. Continue reading...
Eyes in the sky: why drones are ‘beyond effective’ for animal rights campaigners around the world
Inexpensive and easy to use, drones are proving invaluable for activists monitoring illegal fishing, hunting and deforestation - as well as keeping tabs on zoos and aquariumsLate last year, UrgentSeas received an anonymous tip from a former employee at the Miami Seaquarium about animal tanks away from public view. The advocacy group went to investigate.In November, they posted a short clip of what they found by flying a drone over the property: an elderly manatee living alone in a decaying private pool. Within a month, the clip had been watched millions of times and the outcry had grown so intense that the US Fish and Wildlife Service moved the manatee, Romeo, and his mate, Juliet, to a sanctuary. Continue reading...
‘Cautious optimism’ as penguins test positive for bird flu but show no symptoms
Asymptomatic cases may seem reassuring for the penguins, but scientists fear they could act as Trojan horses' for other speciesAdelie penguins in Antarctica are testing positive for bird flu without showing outward signs of disease, according to researchers who travelled around 13 remote breeding sites on an ice-breaking cruise ship.Since bird flu arrived in the region this year, there have been concerns about the virus reaching the Antarctic's fragile penguin populations. In November last year, researchers warned in a pre-print research paper that if the virus caused mass mortality in these colonies, it could signal one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times". Continue reading...
Labor unveils watered-down fuel efficiency standard that eases emission rules for large SUVs
Bill to be introduced to parliament this week will incentivise carmakers to import cleaner vehicles
Reported plan to move Sydney’s Rosehill racecourse to endangered bell frog habitat surprises conservationists
Horse racing industry insiders said to be pushing for Sydney track to be moved to former brickpit in Olympic Park - a sanctuary for an unlikely urban survivor
MPs and activists challenge claim North Sea oil and gas supports 200,000 jobs
Government has repeatedly used figure to justify more fossil fuel developments despite climate crisisAre 200,000 jobs really supported by the oil and gas industry in the North Sea? Campaigners and MPs are questioning the longstanding government claim.Ministers have repeatedly used the 200,000 jobs figure as justification for pushing ahead with more fossil fuel developments despite the escalating climate crisis and widespread opposition from scientists and energy experts. Continue reading...
Orca stranded off Canada’s west coast dies despite efforts to save her
Residents and marine officials in British Columbia hope a changing tide will save her orphaned calfA killer whale stranded off Canada's west coast has died despite efforts to rescue her, but residents and marine officials hope a changing tide will save her orphaned calf.On Saturday, members of the Ehattisaht First Nation, a coastal community along the north-western reaches of Vancouver Island, spotted an orca trapped on a rocky outcropping. Continue reading...
Asian hornet may have become established in UK, sighting suggests
Predatory species, which poses huge danger to bee populations, spotted on 11 March, indicating winter stayAsian hornets may have become established in the UK after the earliest-ever sighting of the predatory insect was recorded by the government this month.This is a dangerous development for Britain's bee population and could have a knock-on effect on agriculture that needs the pollinators, because once hornets are established it is almost impossible to eliminate them. Continue reading...
US to spend $6bn to reduce carbon footprint of steel, ice cream and mac and cheese
Funding will go to recipients in more than 20 states in industrial sector, which is responsible for roughly 25% of US emissionsThe Biden administration announced a record $6bn in funding Monday to decarbonize US industry facilities including plants that make cement and concrete, iron and steel, and food production plants including ones which make mac and cheese, and ice cream.The industrial sector is responsible for roughly 25% of all the nation's emissions, and has proven difficult to decarbonize due to its energy-intense, large-scale operations.Constellium in Ravenswood, West Virginia, is going to operate a first-of-its-kind zero-carbon aluminum casting plant and install low-emission furnaces that can use clean fuels such as hydrogen. The company produces aluminum for a range of products including cars and planes.Kraft Heinz will install heat pumps, electric heaters and electric boilers to decarbonize food production at 10 facilities, including in Holland, Michigan, where it makes mac and cheese.Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation in Middletown, Ohio, will retire one blast furnace, install two electric furnaces, and use hydrogen-based ironmaking technology. The project aims to eliminate 1m tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year from the largest supplier of steel to the US automotive industry.Heidelberg Materials US Inc will build a system that captures and stores carbon underground at its plant in Mitchell, Indiana. The project aims to capture at least 95% of the carbon dioxide released by the cement plant, which will prevent 2m tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading...
Nissan to cut cost of making electric cars by nearly a third by 2030
Japanese carmaker aims to take on Chinese rivals, launching 16 EVs in the next three years
Labor and Coalition cut short debate on offshore gas bill labelled ‘window dressing’
First Nations activists call legislation a betrayal' while Greens leader tells parliament Labor are climate con artists'
Changes in Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets: in pictures
Turkey's eighth national Antarctic science expedition is seeking answers to questions about the future of the world with 22 different projects on the continent. Anadolu Agency's photojournalist Sebnem Coskun is documenting the expedition's scientific research, climate change impacts and life in the region to share the findings with the world.
Blue Mountains welcomes new $10m Grand Cliff Top Walk after years of track closures
The two-day 19km-long track is a tourism boost to the area, which was hit hard by bushfires and La Nina
‘Nobody can hold a candle to it’: David Attenborough backs BBC’s nature shows
Presenter, whose series Mammals airs on Sunday, says broadcaster has changed opinions on conservation the world overSir David Attenborough has said the BBC's natural history programmes have helped world opinion change" about conservation, as his latest series, Mammals, highlights the damage overcrowded" game reserve tourism has on cheetahs - which he says we are in danger of loving to death".In the same way Blue Planet II raised awareness of plastics, the six-part BBC One programme is likely to prompt questions about safari holidays through footage of large numbers of tourist-filled trucks chasing views of hunting cheetahs making a kill - which can often result in the animals leaving the meat and cubs dying. Continue reading...
How birdwatching’s biggest record threw its online community into chaos
In late 2023, Peter Kaestner was about to log his 10,000th bird species seen in the wild. Then Jason Mann showed upIn late 2023, 70-year-old birder Peter Kaestner was within striking distance of a goal that had never been accomplished: seeing more than 10,000 different species of birds in the wild.Such a record had previously been unthinkable, but with new technology facilitating rare bird sightings, improved DNA testing identifying a growing number of bird species, and public listing platforms making it easier to keep track of and share findings, more super-birders are inching towards the five digits. Continue reading...
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