Stations secure all-time high price of 65 a kW per year for 2027-28 in capacity market' auctionBritain's power stations are to command record prices to keep the lights on later this decade, amid concerns over a lack of electricity supply to meet a boom in demand.Plants secured an all-time high price of 65 a kilowatt per year for 2027-28 in a capacity market" auction to supply power, outstripping the 63 per kW a year planned for 2026-2027, National Grid's electricity system operator said. Continue reading...
Crucial' UN resolution attempts to avoid repeat of injustices produced by Africa's fossil fuel sectorIn an attempt to avoid the injustices and extractivism" of fossil fuel operations, African leaders are calling for better controls on the dash for the minerals and metals needed for a clean energy transition.A resolution for structural change that will prioritise equitable benefit-sharing from extraction, supported by a group of mainly African countries including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Chad, was presented at the UN environmental assembly in Nairobi on Wednesday and called for the sustainable use of transitional minerals. Continue reading...
Scientists confirm sighting of two same-sex marine giants copulating in amorous encounter off Hawaii coastHumpback whales have been observed having sex for the first time, with this landmark moment having an interesting twist - the two whales were male.Despite decades of research on humpback whales, sightings of the male's penis have been rare. Copulation by the species had not been documented by people - until now, when two photographers captured images of a sexual encounter between two whales off the coast of Hawaii. Continue reading...
Nations should be cutting emissions to meet Paris agreement, says Michel Forst after year-long inquiryEuropean nations must end the repression and criminalisation of peaceful protest and urgently take action to cut emissions in line with the Paris climate agreement to limit global heating to 1.5C, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders has said.After a year-long inquiry that included gathering evidence from the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, Michel Forst said the repression faced by peaceful environmental activists was a major threat to democracy and human rights. Continue reading...
Allowing people to use multiple electricity providers could unleash the potential of EVs, solar panels and even hot water systems to feed back into the grid
Unseasonably warm temperatures, strong winds and dry grasses fuel the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in the stateThe main facility that assembles and disassembles America's nuclear arsenal reopened on Wednesday morning after shutting down its operations on Tuesday night as fires raged out of control in Texas.The Pantex site in Amarillo in north Texas announced on Facebook that staff should come to work for normal shift operations after it had paused operations. Continue reading...
Two companies are applying to build farm in 1 sq km zoned-off area off Port Quin close to Port IsaacPeople who live, work and surf on one of Cornwall's most famous stretches of coastline have reacted with consternation to plans to create a large seaweed farm 600 metres from the shore.Two companies, Biome Algae and Camel Fish, are applying to build the farm in a 1 sq km zoned-off area just off the north coast, not far from Padstow, known for being the home of the celebrity chef Rick Stein's seafood empire. It is also close to Port Isaac, where the comedy drama Doc Martin is filmed, and the popular surfing beach at Polzeath. Continue reading...
by Stephen Starr in Port Clinton, Ohio on (#6JYWN)
This winter's mild temperatures, a result of climate change, have wrecked plans and disrupted local economies in the regionAs a child in the 1990s, Joseph Kuzma remembers how he and his father would - around this time of year - drive their truck out on to Lake Erie and set up a mini camp right on the ice.We'd stay out there all weekend in an ice shanty. Catch fish, cook it and sleep in bunks on the ice," he said. He also recalled sitting next to his brother when he drove a dump truck from the nearby island of Put-In-Bay to the mainland atop the lake ice, remarking: We would have 6in to 8in of ice." Continue reading...
Agriculture agency set aside nearly $3bn to give to farmers who cut emissions, but about $1.9bn spent on practices not doing thatMore than half of federal funding for climate-smart" agriculture in the US goes to farming practices that are unlikely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - and in some cases, would even increase them, according to a new report by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG).The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) set aside more than $3bn to give to farmers who practice climate-smart" agriculture, but roughly $1.9bn of it is being spent on practices that experts say aren't actually combating the climate crisis. Continue reading...
US climate chief hits out at disinformation' and demagoguery' being used as tactics by special interests to delay actionThe populist backlash against net zero around the world is imperilling the fight against climate breakdown and must be countered urgently or we face planetary destruction beyond comprehension", the US climate chief, John Kerry, has warned.He hit out at the rise of disinformation" and demagoguery" which he said were damaging the transition away from fossil fuels, and being used as tactics by special interests to delay action. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6JYNZ)
Southwark asks residents to invest as little as 5 to help fund eco-projects such as cycle hangars and school upgradesDeep cuts to government funding have led a council in south London to ask its residents to invest their own money, for a financial return, to build cycle hangars, LED street lighting and green upgrades at schools and leisure centres.Amid a financial crisis hitting town halls across England, councillors in Southwark have resorted to a crowdfunding scheme to raise 6m over the next six years to help fund climate-friendly projects. Continue reading...
UK's largest water company also calls for dividend payouts and lower fines for breaches to avoid taxpayer bailoutThames Water has been lobbying the government and regulators to let it increase bills by 40%, pay lower fines for breaches and keep paying out dividends as part of efforts to avert a taxpayer bailout, according to a report.The UK's largest water company was trying to strike a deal with the watchdog Ofwat that would give it permission to charge customers more to avoid having to be taken over by court-appointed special administrators, the Financial Times reported. Continue reading...
Indian conglomerate says gigafactory in Bridgwater will bring about 4,000 jobs to regionThe Indian conglomerate Tata has confirmed Bridgwater in Somerset as the site of its new 4bn battery factory, which will bring about 4,000 jobs to the region.Tata's battery business, Agratas, said it had bought land at the Gravity Smart campus off the M5, just outside the town. Continue reading...
Populations were recovering, but a new study reveals that numbers dropped by 20% coinciding with a period of record temperatures in the North PacificIn 1972, a humpback whale nicknamed Festus was first spotted off the mountainous coast of south-east Alaska. He returned each summer for 44 years, entertaining whale watchers, local people and biologists as he fed in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the North Pacific before returning to Hawaii to breed during the winters.But in June 2016, Festus was found floating dead in Glacier Bay national park. The primary cause of death was starvation, which scientists believe was likely caused by the most extreme marine heatwave on record. New research, published on Wednesday by Royal Society Open Science shows the humpback population in the North Pacific declined by 20% between 2013 and 2021 after warmer water upended the ecosystem. Continue reading...
Hanah Lahe is just 24 but she is already a leading voice for change in the former Soviet Baltic stateHanah Lahe can't remember the fall of the iron curtain. Estonia's youngest MP grew up surfing the web and consuming American television. Just nine years before her birth, it was all so different. When borders reopened after the end of Soviet rule in 1991, Estonians rushed to stare at bananas, enthralled by the arrival of this new, exotic fruit.People were standing in line sometimes not even to buy, but just to have a look at them. Those who would buy them would not even eat them because it was such a big thing," says Lahe, 24, recounting a story her grandmother told her. When a plastic bag from another country that had a big brand name arrived, people would use it all the time." Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#6JYA1)
Rail Delivery Group said it hopes analysis will allow businesses to make greener travel choicesTravelling by train on Britain's busiest business routes generates less than half the carbon emissions of a battery electric car, according to detailed analysis from the rail industry.Certain journeys on the greenest, fullest electric trains produce as little as one-fifteenth of the COper person compared with the footprint of a sole occupancy petrol or diesel car, the data shows. Continue reading...
The Eurasian eagle owl who escaped from Central Park Zoo, was an inspiring sight for his many fans in his year of freedomHe had an adventurous spirit of curiosity about what lay beyond," said Jacqueline Emery, remembering Flaco with tears in her voice.In his short year of freedom after he escaped from a city zoo, the non-native Eurasian eagle owl with piercing orange eyes captivated many New Yorkers - and fans far and wide. Continue reading...
Proposed legislation would crack down on diesel-powered liners by requiring them to connect to city's power grid when dockedEfforts to regulate how cruise ships operate in New York City waterways have locals speaking out about the negative effects the vessels have had on their communities - and their health.More than 200 cruise ships dock in New York each year, bringing an estimated 1.3 million passengers and $420m in tourism spending to the city. But the industry takes an environmental toll: just one cruise ship docked for a day at port can emit diesel exhaust equivalent to 34,400 idling trucks. Continue reading...
Waste flowed into Hampshire stream for 20 hours because of faulty equipment at pumping stationA water company has been fined 330,000 after raw sewage escaped into a stream in Hampshire for up to 20 hours, killing about 2,000 fish including brown trout.Waste flowed into Shawford Lake Stream on the edge of the South Downs because of faulty equipment at a pumping station. Continue reading...
Six airports put UK capital ahead of Tokyo and Dubai, with Heathrow second-worst global airport for climate impactThe planes taking off and landing at London's six airports expose the city's inhabitants to the equivalent of 3.23m cars' worth of harmful nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions every year. In Tokyo and Dubai, residents are exposed to 2.78m cars' worth of emissions from air traffic.These three cities are the world's worst affected by air pollution from aviation, according to new research tracking the air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions of cargo and passenger flights from airports around the world. Continue reading...
Environment Agency objects to plans for 1,450 new homes, saying Thames Water's Oxford plant cannot cope with more demandA major housing development should be blocked because underinvestment by Thames Water in the sewage system means it is unable to cope with the pressure of an increased population, the Environment Agency has warned.Thames Water's treatment plant in Oxford has been illegally discharging sewage for six years, causing significant risk to the rivers and environment from pollution, the EA has said. Continue reading...
Sales fell 5% over 14 countries for which data exists, according to the European Heat Pump AssociationEurope's heat pump market has hit a slump, industry data shows, holding up the continent's efforts to heat its homes without polluting the planet.Manufacturers in most markets sold fewer heat pumps in 2023 than they did the year before, according to the lobby group European Heat Pump Association (EHPA). Total sales fell 5% over the 14 countries for which data exists, bucking a trend of accelerating growth that peaked in 2022 when Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices soaring. Continue reading...
As the Arctic warms, devastating the climate and ecosystems, an old idea used to create skating rinks could be deployed to restore melting ice caps, despite scepticism from some expertsEvery winter when the temperatures drop, the IJsmeester (ice master) in villages around the Netherlands carefully starts to flood a field with water to form enough thin layers of ice to create a perfect outdoor skating rink.Now a Dutch startup wants to use the same technique to help solve a major ecological problem: melting Arctic ice and its devastating effect on the climate. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6JXS2)
Green businesses and jobs are booming - in stark contrast to the national economy - but political U-turns risk future growthThe UK's net zero economy grew by 9% in 2023, a report has revealed, in stark contrast to the 0.1% growth seen in the economy overall. Nevertheless, the report pointed out that strong future growth from green businesses was being put at risk by government policy reversals, lack of investment and competition from the EU and US.Thousands of new green companies were founded in 2023 and overall the sector was responsible for the production of 74bn in goods and services and 765,000 jobs, according to the report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Continue reading...
Spanish city acts to protect ornate Plaza de Espana, used as a location for Star Wars' Phantom Menace filmTourists visiting the southern Spanish city of Seville may soon have to pay a fee to explore the wide, ornate Plaza de Espana, the city hall said, as part of plans to control tourist overload in a public open space.We are planning to close the Plaza de Espana and charge tourists to finance its conservation and ensure its safety," the city's mayor, Jose Luis Sanz, wrote on X, accompanied by a video showing missing tiles, damaged facades and street vendors occupying alcoves and stairs. Continue reading...
Fears for penguin colonies after the discovery of the highly contagious H5N1 virus in two dead skuasBird flu has reached mainland of Antarctica for the first time, officials have confirmed.The H5N1 virus was found on Friday in two dead scavenging birds called skuas near Primavera Base, the Argentinian scientific research station on the Antarctic peninsula. Continue reading...
Bathing water status means government is obliged to test water quality throughout summerTwenty seven new bathing sites are being considered for England, but campaigners have said that swimming remains dangerous in many areas because of the pathogens caused by sewage dumping.If all of these sites are granted, it will be the largest ever number of bathing sites in rivers, lakes and coastal areas approved in one year. Activists campaign for bathing water status because it means the government is obliged to test the quality of the water throughout the summer months.Church Cliff beach, Lyme Regis, DorsetCoastguards beach, River Erme, DevonConiston boating centre, Coniston Water, CumbriaConiston Brown Howe, Coniston Water, CumbriaLittlehaven beach, Tyne and WearManningtree beach, EssexMonk Coniston, Coniston Water, CumbriaRiver Avon at Fordingbridge, HampshireRiver Cam at Sheep's Green, Cambridge, CambridgeshireRiver Dart estuary at Dittisham, DevonRiver Dart estuary at Steamer Quay, Totnes, DevonRiver Dart estuary at Stoke Gabriel, DevonRiver Dart estuary at Warfleet, Dartmouth, DevonRiver Frome at Farleigh Hungerford, SomersetRiver Nidd at the Lido leisure park in Knaresborough, North YorkshireRiver Ribble at Edisford Bridge, LancashireRiver Severn at Ironbridge, ShropshireRiver Severn at Shrewsbury, ShropshireRiver Stour at Sudbury, SuffolkRiver Teme at Ludlow, ShropshireRiver Tone in French Weir Park, Taunton, SomersetWallingford beach, River Thames, BerkshireDerwent Water, Crow Park, Keswick, CumbriaRiver Wharfe at Wetherby Riverside, West YorkshireGoring beach, Worthing, West SussexWorthing Beach House, Worthing, West SussexRottingdean beach, Rottingdean, East Sussex Continue reading...
Researchers say the number of Americans exposed to unhealthy air will rise by 50% by the middle of the centuryVast swaths of the continental US will be exposed to unhealthy, polluted air by 2054, according to an alarming new report.Researchers at First Street Foundation, a non-profit that analyzes climate risk, found that one in four Americans are already exposed to air that is deemed unhealthy" by the Air Quality Index (AQI), which provides daily air quality readings. That number is expected to grow by 50% in the next few decades, with an estimated total of 125 million Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution by the middle of the century. Continue reading...
Verdi union in unusual alliance with Fridays For Future, founded by Greta Thunberg, over common goalsPublic transport workers across Germany are joining forces with climate activists for a week of strike action culminating in a collective nationwide walkout and climate protest on Friday.One of Europe's largest trade unions, Verdi, which represents the majority of public transport workers in Germany, is collaborating with the youth-led Fridays for Future in what the organisations themselves admit is an unusual partnership, but one born out of recognition of their overlapping goals. More action on climate change requires greater investment in public transport, they argue. Continue reading...
Population has spread from small area of East Anglia to become established in Cambridgeshire, Kent and HerefordshireA rare dragonfly is no longer considered endangered after spreading its wings across England, but conservationists have said its wetland habitat is still at risk from climate breakdown.The Norfolk hawker, known for its bright green eyes and golden body, went extinct from the Cambridgeshire Fens in 1893 and became confined to east Norfolk and east Suffolk. It is thought this was caused by the draining of its preferred habitat of ponds and marshes for agriculture over the centuries. It has since been almost entirely restricted to the Norfolk Broads. Continue reading...
Near flooding of Henley-on-Thames building prompts decision to tell the story of climate crisisFrom the reconstructed riverside of The Wind in the Willows to an historic Georgian rowboat used in the inaugural Oxford-Cambridge race, the exhibits at the River and Rowing Museum celebrate the importance of British rivers.But the award-winning building in Henley-on-Thames - designed by the modernist architect David Chipperfield - is facing a significant threat from the very river beside which it resides. Continue reading...
Cianni brothers aim to change minds with Italy's first company to produce flour from crickets for human consumptionGo on, try it, it is good," said Jose Francesco Cianni as he handed over a packet containing a light brown powder with a crispy texture. I would even say it is really good."Sitting in his office in a pristine warehouse-like building, down the corridor from five rooms where millions of crickets are being bred, Cianni is in jubilant spirits. Continue reading...
London minister Greg Hands embroiled in congestion and pollution debate with constituents over scheme in election battlegroundWhen the Tory minister Greg Hands criticised a trial scheme in his constituency to block the use of residential roads as rat runs, he might have expected to win some votes and boost his party's pro-car agenda.Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a charged and divisive debate in his Chelsea and Fulham constituency, with a backlash from some Tories who back measures to curb traffic and introduce clean-air neighbourhoods. Continue reading...
The extent of ice floating around the continent has contracted to below 2m sq km for three years in a row, indicating an abrupt critical transition'For the third year in a row, sea ice coverage around Antarctica has dropped below 2m sq km - a threshold which before 2022 had not been breached since satellite measurements started in 1979.The latest data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center confirms the past three years have been the three lowest on record for the amount of sea ice floating around the continent. Continue reading...
The bird escaped last year after vandals damaged his enclosure at Central Park ZooThe Eurasian eagle owl named Flaco, which escaped New York City's Central Park Zoo last year, has died after crashing into a building in Manhattan, officials said late on Friday.Flaco went down after striking a building on West 89th Street and people reported the injured owl to the Wild Bird Fund (WBF), a statement from the Central Park Zoo said. WBF staffers soon found Flaco unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene. Continue reading...
Research from a now discredited scholar continues to stoke the belief that the sugary drink is better than no milk at allThis spring, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to weigh in on one of the most heated arguments in school nutrition: whether chocolate milk belongs in the cafeteria.The USDA is eyeing a proposal to allow flavored milk only at high schools starting in the 2025-2026 school year; children in grades K-8 would have access to fat-free or low-fat unflavored milk. The agency reviews national dietary guidelines every five years, and the milk question has generated hundreds of comments from parents concerned about sugar consumption; nutritionists; school workers who believe any milk is better than none; and the dairy industry, which has stoked that belief. Continue reading...
Magnificent' tree in Lilliput, Poole, planted more than 50 years ago, became an attraction due to its pink flowersA magnolia tree believed to be Britain's tallest has been felled after it was found to be in decay.It was feared the 18-metre (60ft) tree, which attracted visitors to the area when it bloomed, would fall and damage the house in Poole, Dorset in whose garden it stood - or neighbouring properties. Continue reading...
Benefits would quickly follow reductions in air pollution from traffic and home heating, argues European Environment AgencyApproximately 238,000 air pollution deaths could be avoided each year if the EU27 countries actually met World Health Organization guidelines for air pollution, according to figures from the European Environment Agency. And more than 400,000 deaths could be avoided if particle air pollution could be avoided completely.On 20 February the EU Council agreed new legislation for clean air for 2030 and beyond. As EU countries work towards these new legal limits, a new study has estimated the benefits that could quickly arise with reductions in air pollution from traffic and home heating. Continue reading...
The environment minister Susana Muhamad says nature is a pillar' of fighting the climate crisisThe next round of global biodiversity negotiations will put nature at the heart of the international environment agenda, Colombia's environment minister has said, as the country prepares for the Cop16 summit.Susana Muhamad, Colombia's environment minister, who is expected to be the Cop16 president, said the South American country would use the summit to ensure nature was a key part of the global environmental agenda in the year building up to the climate Cop30 in the Brazilian Amazon in 2025, where countries will present new plans on how they will meet the Paris agreement. Continue reading...
Dismissal of concept already recognised in UN declarations described as shameful, contradictory and undemocraticThe UK government can never accept that nature or Mother Earth has rights, a British government official from the environment department has told the UN.The dismissal of a concept that has already been recognised in UN declarations and is a fundamental belief of many Indigenous communities was described by critics as shameful, contradictory and undemocratic. Continue reading...
Nearly 40% of all food grown annually in the US goes unsold or uneaten. These companies are getting salty about food wasteWhen Kaitlin Mogentale was studying environmental science at the University of Southern California, she watched a friend juice a carrot and noticed the waste it produced - and wondered what was happening to all of the pulp from Los Angeles's juice shops. She later learned that most of it was being sent to landfills, where food waste contributes to more methane emissions than any other landfilled matter.I was a college student, very young and naive, and I think that's the recipe you need to get into the business," said Mogentale, who founded Pulp Pantry, makers of fiber-filled Pulp Chips, which are created from the leftover pulp from cold-pressed juice. Mogentale said the company goes to juice-production facilities and collects 10,000lb (4,536kg) of pulp at a time - one day's worth of leftovers - then transfers it in temperature-controlled trucks back to its manufacturer to make the chips. Continue reading...
Conservative majority appears unsympathetic to environmental agency's good neighbor' rule for areas downwind of smog sourcesThe supreme court's conservative majority seemed skeptical on Wednesday as the Environmental Protection Agency sought to continue enforcing an anti-air-pollution rule in 11 states while separate legal challenges proceed around the country.The EPA's good neighbor" rule is intended to restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution. Continue reading...
Scientists are investigating reports of dying coral from Lizard Island in the north to Heron Island in the southScientists are reporting corals are bleaching white and dying from rising ocean temperatures across a more than 1,000km stretch of the Great Barrier Reef.The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science were preparing on Thursday to carry out surveys from a helicopter across the southern section of the reef. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian