Environment | The Guardian

Stakes high as officials discuss summit's key question of how much rich countries should pay for developing nations to cope with climate crisis and decarbonize their economiesThe draft text really is not going down well at Cop29 this morning. My colleague Patrick Greenfield has just been listening to the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra who said it is clearly unacceptable" in its current form.Speaking at a press conference in Baku this morning, Hoekstra was asked for reaction to the lack of a clear figure on the climate finance - which currently just has an X" for the target on the new collective quantified goal (NCQG).It is clearly unacceptable as it stands," said Hoekstra, giving little else away.There will be no cover text at Cop29, the host country's lead negotiator repeated on Wednesday. For Cop aficionados, that might seem extraordinary - the cover text has been a key document in several recent Cops.At Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021, for instance, the cover decision text contained the crucial resolutions to limit global heating to 1.5C and to phase down" coal (not phase out", at the last minute insistence of China and India). Continue reading...

On Qikiqtaruk, off Canada, researchers at the frontier of climate change are seeing its rich ecology slide into the sea as the melting permafrost leaves little behind

Exclusive: Trail would help region with few areas where people can walk in countryside, report saysA new trail along the east coast of England should be created, a Tory thinktank has said, because farmland is preventing those who live there from having access to nature.A report from Onward has found that in most rural areas, people enjoy extensive rights-of-way networks. But across the east of England, there are many areas where people have barely anywhere they are allowed to walk in the countryside. This, the report says, is because of large areas of high-grade farmland in that area, but also because Lincolnshire has the largest backlog for recognition of historical but unrecorded rights of way, with more than 450 outstanding applications. Continue reading...

Powerful storm is predicted to be strongest region has seen this season, causing life-threatening' conditionsA set of powerful storms that could rank among the strongest in decades will slam British Columbia, thepacific north-west, and northern California this week, with torrents of rain, inches of snow in high altitudes and damaging winds. The region is bracing for widespread power outages and flash flooding, with extreme rainfall that could linger until the weekend.After a relatively mild autumn, these rains are part of a familiar pattern caused by atmospheric rivers - strong storm systems that can bring both relief and ruin. Continue reading...

Powerful storm is predicted to be strongest region has seen this season, causing life-threatening' conditionsA set of powerful storms that could rank among the strongest in decades will slam British Columbia, thepacific north-west, and northern California this week, with torrents of rain, inches of snow in high altitudes and damaging winds. The region is bracing for widespread power outages and flash flooding, with extreme rainfall that could linger until the weekend.After a relatively mild autumn, these rains are part of a familiar pattern caused by atmospheric rivers - strong storm systems that can bring both relief and ruin. Continue reading...

As Cop29 in Azerbaijan reaches final stages, countries try to shore up support for conference where question of limiting global heating will be keyAustralia is locked in a standoff with Turkey over which will host vital UN climate talks in 2026, where the question of whether the world can limit global heating in line with scientific advice is likely to be decided.Australia's government wants to host the summit in partnership with Pacific nations, which are among the countries most threatened by climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Ukraine's environmental protection minister, Svitlana Grynchuk, and the Palestinian chair for the environmental quality authority, Nisreen Tamimi, raised the alarm on the ecological impact of war in their countries and beyond. Grynchuk said Russia's 'unlawful reporting' of its carbon emissions on Ukrainian territory was undermining the integrity of the Paris agreement. Tamimi said the rebuilding effort in Gaza would release an estimated 30m tonnes of carbon dioxide

Communities on Parana River fear privatisation of waterway operations will destroy way of lifeRiver communities in Argentina fear that Javier Milei's plans to privatise operations on a key shipping route could lead to environmental damage and destroy their way of life.Since taking office almost a year ago, the self-styled anarcho-capitalist" president has pledged to privatise a number of the state's assets. The latest is the Paraguay-Parana waterway - a shipping route of strategic importance for Argentina and its neighbours. Continue reading...

Talks aren't just about figures on paper, they're about people's lives', says Climate Action International as talks reach critical final daysEarlier today I posted about an excellent piece colleagues at the Guardian have published tracking how Earth's heating has led to rising sea levels and extreme weather - and yet there is no sign of emissions slowing.Unfortunately I did not include a link to the piece [it was early UK time!] so here it is [and as I said original if negotiators at Cop need any motivation to reach a deal they could do worse than read this] Continue reading...

OECD complaint alleges top firm has increased investments in companies implicated in environmental devastationBlackRock, the world's biggest asset management company, faces a complaint at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for allegedly contributing to environmental and human rights abuses around the world through its investments in agribusiness.Friends of the Earth US and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil accuse BlackRock of increasing investments in companies that have been implicated in the devastation of the Amazon and other major forests despite warnings that this is destabilising the global climate, damaging ecosystems and violating the rights of traditional communities. Continue reading...

Chris Uhlmann says power costs are soaring while renewables are falling short, but do the pair have anything in common?

Interviews and analysis of court documents show how the world's most prestigious consulting firm quietly helps fuel the climate crisisTwo giant, mirrored walls are set to rise out of the sands of the Arabian desert. They will run parallel for more than 100 miles from the coast of the Red Sea through arid valleys and craggy mountains. Between them, a futuristic city which has no need for cars or roads will be powered completely by renewable energy.This engineering marvel, its creators say, will usher in a revolution in civilization". It's the jewel in the crown of a $500bn Saudi government project known as Neom, turning a vast scrubland into a techno-utopia and world-class tourist and sporting destination. Perhaps a harbinger for the end of oil, it will supposedly put the powerful petrostate at the forefront of the energy transition. For American consulting giant McKinsey & Company, its advising on this project appears to be making good on the firm's green promises. Continue reading...

Save Our Safer Streets crowdfunds to challenge Lutfur Rahman over scrapping three LTNs in London boroughThe mayor of Tower Hamlets is facing a judicial review this week over his decision to remove three low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the east London area of Bethnal Green.The campaign group Save Our Safer Streets (SOSS) says the LTNs are vital to protect children in deprived areas from pollution and the risks of heavy traffic. Continue reading...

Researchers found no difference in the diversity of species in urban meadows compared with those in rural settingsSmall patches of wildflowers sown in cities can be a good substitute for a natural meadow, according to a study which showed butterflies, bees and hoverflies like them just as much.Councils are increasingly making space for wildflower meadows in cities in a bid to tackle insect decline, but their role in helping pollinating insects was unclear. Researchers working in the Polish city of Warsaw wanted to find out if these efforts were producing good results. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan says project will be able to power more than 51,000 homes and include 119MW solar facility and 100MW two-hour battery

Targeting of substations connected to three working nuclear plants risks nuclear catastrophe in Europe, says Greenpeace

Strongest atmospheric river seen by California, Washington and Oregon this season knocks out power and downs trees

From my perspective as a 12-year-old, it's devastating that the protest is getting such a negative reaction from the NSW government

Australia and Turkey are both lobbying to host Cop31, the world's annual United Nations climate change negotiations planned for 2026. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said Australia wants to co-host Cop31 'in partnership with our Pacific family'. Bowen also announced a $50m contribution to loss and damage caused by the climate crisis.

Without action on climate crisis, far greater numbers will also experience floods, wildfires and droughts, according to reportEight times as many children around the world will be exposed to extreme heatwaves in the 2050s, and three times as many will face river floods compared with the 2000s if current trends continue, according to the UN.Nearly twice as many children are also expected to face wildfires, with many more living through droughts and tropical cyclones, according to the annual state of the world's children report. Continue reading...

Endangered whale measuring 47ft washes up in Anchorage as scientists seek explanation for animal's deathAn endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal trail in Alaska's largest city has attracted curious onlookers while biologists seek answers as to what caused the animal's death.The carcass found over the weekend near Anchorage was 47ft (14.3 meters) long - comparable to the width of a college basketball court - and is believed to be that of a female. Barbara Mahoney, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologist examining the whale, told the Anchorage Daily News the whale was probaby one to three years old. Continue reading...

Years long fight by local tribes has paid off after four dams, which had blocked passage for fish for decades, came downA giant female Chinook salmon flips on her side in the shallow water and wriggles wildly, using her tail to carve out a nest in the riverbed as her body glistens in the sunlight. In another moment, males butt into each other as they jockey for a good position to fertilize eggs.These are scenes local tribes have dreamed of seeing for decades as they fought to bring down four hydroelectric dams blocking passage for struggling salmon along more than 400 miles (644km) of the Klamath River and its tributaries along the Oregon-California border. Continue reading...

Prime minister says government is taking balanced approach amid protest in Westminster over proposed inheritance tax changes

Jeremy Clarkson tells Westminster protest that government should admit plans weren't thought out and are a mistake'In an interview with the BBC, Steve Reed, the environment secretary, defended imposing inheritance tax on some farms when Labour said in opposition that it was not planning to do that. Asked why the government changed its mind, he replied:After we won the election, we discovered that the Conservatives have left a 22bn black hole in the public finances. And if we want to fix our National Health Service, rebuild all schools, provide the affordable housing that rural communities and across the country rely on, then we've had to ask those with the broader shoulders to pay a little bit more.I'm sure we all feel betrayed because of the state that the Conservatives left the economy in. A 22bn pound black hole isn't a small problem. It's massive, and fixing that is necessary if we want to stabilise the economy and rebuild our public services. Continue reading...

Cop29 presidency announces new drive to cut methane emissions from waste dumps as G20 reaffirms transition from fossil fuelsThe UK government has conceded that Australia was mistakenly included on a list of countries that were expected to sign up to a US-UK civil nuclear deal agreed at Cop29 on Monday, writes Adam Morton, Guardian Australia's climate and environment editor.The Albanese government flatly denied media reports on Tuesday that it would join the UK and the US in a collaboration to share advanced nuclear technology. The UK and the US announcement said they would speed up work on cutting-edge nuclear technology", including small modular reactors, after inking a deal at the Cop29 UN climate summit in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.We urge them to use the G20 meeting to send a positive signal of their commitment to address the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leaders warn cost savings will lead to mass redundancies and that spaces could become paper parks'England's national parks face a 12% real-terms cut to their budget which would lead to mass redundancies of wardens and the closure of visitor centres and other facilities, park leaders have warned.The chief executives told the Guardian that soon the spaces would become paper parks" designated by a brown sign on the motorway" and they will have to turn the lights off, close the doors and put up closed signs" if the cuts go ahead. Continue reading...

An update on our progress from the Guardian's head of sustainability

Refurbishing an old building is subject to full VAT, but it isn't if you build a polluting new one. The government's priorities are all wrongYou can damn oil companies, abuse cars, insult nimbys, kill cows, befoul art galleries. But you must never, ever criticise the worst offender of all. The construction industry is sacred to both the left and the right. It may be the world's greatest polluter, but it is not to be criticised. It is the elephant in the global-heating room.It's hard not to feel as though we have a blind spot when it comes to cement, steel and concrete. A year has now passed since the UN's environment programme stated baldly that the building and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases". The industry accounts for a staggering 37% of global emissions", more than any other single source. Yet it rarely gets the same attention as oil or car companies.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Experts say mix of taxes with development bank and private funding can provide $1tn a year needed by 2030Raising money needed to tackle the climate crisis need not be a burden on overstretched government budgets, leading economists have said.The sums needed - approximately $1tn a year by 2030 - are achievable without disruption to the global economy, and would help to generate greener economic growth for the future. Continue reading...

When exploring wrecked warship the London I can barely see six inches ahead, but I've dived 500 times to document and save the secrets of this vessel built by Oliver CromwellWhen I dive to the shipwreck of the London, a warship which was accidentally blown up in the murky waters of the Thames estuary in 1665, I dive in darkness. I can barely see six inches in front of me. And if I turn my torch off, I cannot see anything at all.But I love it. I've dived to the London about 500 times and I only have to feel certain timbers of the wreck, and I know where I am. Continue reading...

Small island states must continue to be protected by special circumstances and need access to sufficient climate-based finance, Palau's president writesA week into Cop29 negotiations, we're not moving fast enough - or anywhere for that matter - on some key issues.Climate finance, or more specifically the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) to replace the current $100bn a year goal, and the work to operationalise the loss and damage fund, are key expected outcomes here in Baku. Continue reading...

Marine scientists say one area around Cooktown and Lizard Island had lost more than a third of its live hard coral after bleaching event

When the heat is on, the onus should be on the Coalition to explain why they don't support measures to ensure their newly discovered battlers have access to rooftop solar

Sherry Rehman says rich nations should pay internationally determined contributions' to help poorer and worst-affected countriesAmid the endless politicking and inscrutable arguments at the UN climate negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month, it can be hard to remember what is at stake. That's why Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's former climate change minister, is calling on global leaders to keep an eye on the big picture".We're here for life and death reasons," Rehman said. Continue reading...

Cop29 president calls for faster action as progress to agree a climate finance deal slows

UN climate chief addresses climate summit with no agreement in sight on how to help developing countriesCountries meeting in Azerbaijan to discuss a new global financial settlement for tackling the climate crisis must cut the theatrics" and get down to serious business, the UN has said.The UK and Brazil have been drafted in to try to break a logjam at the Cop29 climate summit, which entered its second week on Monday with no agreement in sight on the key issue of how to channel at least $1tn a year to developing countries. Continue reading...

As the US grapples with smoky skies, Trump is solidifying an anti-science agenda - here are the challenges aheadIn the days that followed Donald Trump's election win, flames roared through southern California neighborhoods. On the other side of the country, wildfire smoke clouded the skies in New York and New Jersey.They were haunting reminders of a stark reality: while Trump prepares to take office for a second term, the complicated, and escalating, wildfire crisis will be waiting. Continue reading...

US climate envoy says Trump won't derail progress as GOP argues for increasing oil and gas production at UN talksThroughout the UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, in recent days, US officials have maintained a studiously sunny disposition, saying that the Republican president-elect, Donald Trump, will not derail climate progress.The US climate envoy, John Podesta, said the fight for a cleaner, safer" planet will not stop under a re-elected Trump even if some progress is reversed. The energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm, said: The absence of leadership in the White House does not mean that this energy transition is stopped." And Joe Biden's climate and energy assistant, Jacob Levine, told reporters that the president's climate policies had sparked an unstoppable clean energy revolution". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Company relies on obsolete tech and there are troubling security gaps, Guardian investigation suggests

A kingfisher with a long, dagger-shaped beak. Soft white feathers on its belly, iridescent blue opal spots on its wingsI walked out of my kitchen on an overcast morning last week, feeling depressed, trying to think my way around the US election result somehow towards acceptance - or a totally different reality.I walked to the garden, carrying a load of laundry. And perched on the top edge of a chair was a fat, fluffy laughing kookaburra. It looked at me, I looked at it. A large kingfisher with a long, dagger-shaped beak. The corners of its beak turn upwards so that it looks as though it is smiling slightly. Soft white feathers on its belly, iridescent blue opal spots on its brown wings. Continue reading...

Scientists say goal to keep world's temperature rise below 1.5C is not going to happen despite talks at Cop29 in BakuThe internationally agreed goal to keep the world's temperature rise below 1.5C is now deader than a doornail", with 2024 almost certain to be the first individual year above this threshold, climate scientists have gloomily concluded - even as world leaders gather for climate talks on how to remain within this boundary.Three of the five leading research groups monitoring global temperatures consider 2024 on track to be at least 1.5C (2.7F) hotter than pre-industrial times, underlining it as the warmest year on record, beating a mark set just last year. The past 10 consecutive years have already been the hottest 10 years ever recorded. Continue reading...

Loved by tourists, elephants are, however, often loathed by farmers. Elephant conservation has been a been a success in Tsavo in Kenya, with their number increasing by about 6,000 in the mid-1990s to almost 15,000 in 2021. The human population has also grown, encroaching on grazing and migration routes for the herds, with resulting clashes becoming the No 1 cause of elephant deaths. But a long-running project by the charity Save the Elephants offered an unlikely solution: deterring some of nature's biggest animals with some of its smallest: African honeybees Continue reading...

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Environmentalists say appointment of Liberty Energy's Chris Wright highlights US interests driving fracking' in Northern Territory

Manufacturers want ministers to ease EV mandate, which would mean energy firms losing outBig UK businesses including Ovo, SSE and BT Openreach are urging the government to stick to current electric car targets as struggling carmakers pile pressure on ministers to relax the rules before industry talks this week.The businesses said the zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces carmakers to sell greater numbers of electric cars each year, is an essential part of the plan to reduce the carbon and air pollution emissions caused by vehicles on Britain's roads. Continue reading...

Extremists including Tommy Robinson associates latch on to event but organisers say they want it to be nonpoliticalFar-right groups are seeking to hijack a farmers' protest in London against tax changes introduced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.Extremists, including close associates of Tommy Robinson, have been using social media to urge supporters to turn up at the protest on Tuesday, as farming leaders sought to remind those attending of their responsibilities. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Senior managers say they are forced to press ahead with orders for vital items without approval

Jochen Flasbarth called on Cop29 delegates to press on as world faces increasing crises and drop in solidarityGovernments meeting to forge a global settlement on climate finance must get over their differences this week and come to a deal - because if talks carry on until next year they stand little chance with Donald Trump in the White House, the German development minister has said.Jochen Flasbarth, one of the most influential ministers at the UN Cop29 summit, said that if the final days of the summit did not produce a breakthrough countries would face a much tougher prospect. Continue reading...

Brown bears, introduced into Trentino province 20 years ago, have begun to clash with the local human populationFranca Gherardini used to cherish the sublime views from her home in Caldes, a village surrounded by forests on the slopes of the Brenta Dolomites in northern Italy's Trentino province.But now she tries to shut out the scene as much as possible, rolling down the window canopy in the morning to avoid looking towards the area where her son, Andrea Papi, 26, was killed by a bear. Continue reading...

The grim negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan, have shown the need for reform of the UN annual global climate talksGlobal emissions continue to increase, carbon sinks are being degraded and we can no longer exclude the possibility of surpassing 2.9C of warming by 2100." It is a bleak assessment of our planet's future and could have been made by just about any environmental organisation on Earth.In fact, they are the views of an international group of climate experts that highlight, in sharp detail, the manifest failings of the UN's annual Cop climate summits, whose 29th iteration is now being staged in Baku, Azerbaijan. These talks, they said last week, are no longer fit for purpose and need an urgent overhaul. Continue reading...