Environment | The Guardian

About 270,000 people died in Liberia's timber trade-fuelled civil war. I helped to rebuild and protect its forests. Now Europe is threatening to undermine all our hard workIt is sad when a ruthless military dictator funds his government by destroying ecologically important rainforest, logging tropical trees and displacing and robbing the people who live in and depend on the forests for their livelihoods and culture.This happened in my country, Liberia. Continue reading...

Mayor to make major policy shift and say scale of housing crisis requires breaking tabooSadiq Khan is announcing plans to build on parts of London's green belt, in a dramatic shift in housing policy aimed at tackling the most profound housing crisis in the capital's history".In a major speech on Friday, the mayor of London is expected to say the scale of the challenge, which could need about 1m new homes built in the next decade, requires a break from longstanding taboos. Continue reading...

Healesville sanctuary releases 21 critically endangered birds in hopes a new wild population will thrive

Voters have spoken with clarity. We want a renewable-powered future

Judge grants payments between $5,000 and $104,000 after second world war-era tank leak contaminated water supplyA federal judge has awarded more than $680,000 to 17 families who say they were sickened by a leak from a second-world-war era fuel tank into a US navy drinking water system in Hawaii in 2021.The bellwether cases set the legal tone for another 7,500 military family members, civilians and service members whose lawsuits are still awaiting resolution. Continue reading...

US agency will no longer update major weather database in latest showing of Trump's influence on climate resourcesThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) will no longer track the cost of climate crisis-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heatwaves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change.Noaa falls under the US Department of Commerce and is tasked with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring. It is also parent to the National Weather Service. Continue reading...

Richard Di Natale says party can regain lost seats, while Bob Brown and Christine Milne praise Adam Bandt's leadership against nasty misrepresentations'

Sacred site of the Arabana people could get its most significant top-up in a generation as floods spread across the outback

Producers promoted chemical recycling - processes used to break plastics into constituent molecules - but knew of limitationsPlastic producers have pushed advanced recycling" as a salve to the plastic waste crisis despite knowing for years that it is not a technically or economically feasible solution, a new report argues.Advanced recycling, also known as chemical recycling, refers to a variety of processes used to break plastics into their constituent molecules. The industry has increasingly promoted these technologies, as public concern about the environmental and health effects of plastic pollution has grown. Yet the rollout of these technologies has been plagued by problems, according to a new analysis from the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group. Continue reading...

With less than a month before the start of the 2025 hurricane season, residents are still recovering from catastrophic damage from the past two yearsIdalia. Debby. Helene.Not visiting friends, not neighbors. All hurricanes that have not yet faded into memory for the residents of Taylor county in Florida, where all three powerful storms hit in just two years. Continue reading...

Commoners say restrictive grazing may be raising risk of fires like one that scorched 500ha of moorlandThe spot where the wildfire broke out could hardly have been worse. Cut Hill is one of the remotest and highest peaks on Dartmoor, miles from any road, a place of tussocky, ankle-turning terrain.And the weeks of hot weather meant the molinia, the moorland grass, was as tinder dry as farmers can remember it at this time of year. Once it took hold, on Sunday, the fire raged. Continue reading...

The University of Queensland system is intended to give policymakers idea of how species traverse the oceans and what it will take to save them

Fossil fuel company retains chosen board members, with former Shell executive Ann Pickard re-elected at meeting interrupted by whistle-blowing activists

Fast and unplanned growth of cities providing ideal conditions for the creatures to thrive, say researchersScorpions are taking over" Brazilian cities, researchers have warned in a paper that said rapid urbanisation and climate breakdown were driving an increase in the number of people being stung.More than 1.1m stings were reported between 2014 and 2023, according to data from the Brazilian notifiable diseases information system. There was a 155% increase in reports of stings from 2014 to 2023, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. Continue reading...

Mount Augustus snail, among largest in world, can live for decades and eats slugs and earthworms

New York Times reports Elon Musk's Doge agency has created spreadsheet of federal grants earmarked for cutsThe Trump administration is reportedly eyeing dozens of grants across the National Park Service for termination, according to reporting from the New York Times, one of several moves destabilizing the US's investment in public lands.According to the newspaper, staff members at Elon Musk's unofficial department of government efficiency" have created a spreadsheet of federal grants earmarked for cuts, with total funding cuts amounting to some $26m. Continue reading...

Exposure to small particulate matter from fires contributes to thousands of annual deaths in US, according to studyWildfires driven by the climate crisis contribute to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic costs from wildfire smoke in the United States, according to a new study.The paper, published on Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, found that from 2006 to 2020, the climate crisis contributed to about 15,000 deaths from exposure to small particulate matter from wildfires and cost about $160bn. The annual range of deaths was 130 to 5,100, the study showed, with the highest in states such as Oregon and California. Continue reading...

Loss of the vast Hornsea 4 offshore wind project is bad news but it reveals a big flaw in setting a deadline

First stage of initiative will introduce keystone' species to beaver enclosures in Derbyshire and NottinghamshireElk could return to the UK after 3,000 years under plans by the Wildlife Trusts to reintroduce the keystone" species into Britain's landscapes.The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust wants to introduce elk into two existing beaver enclosures in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, with the hope of demonstrating that the large semiaquatic deer should be released to roam free in the wild. Continue reading...

Environment Agency recommends rationing water as UK sees driest start to spring in 69 yearsCrops are already failing in England because of drought conditions this spring, farmers have said.People should start to ration their water use, the Environment Agency said, as water companies prepare for a summer of drought. The government has also asked the water CEOs to do more to avert water shortages, and the EA said hosepipe bans are on the horizon if a significant amount of rain does not fall. Continue reading...

Reported closure of program for home appliances comes amid president's hatred of water-conserving showersUS customers could face higher energy bills, experts have warned, amid reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to end the Energy Star program whose blue labels have certified energy efficiency on home appliances for more than 30 years.If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way," said Steven Nadel, executive director of the non-profit research organization the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Continue reading...

Characterised by darkness and cold temperatures, the extreme environment of Antarctica's deep sea is largely unexplored. Now, after a special marine science voyage, a team aboard Australia's national icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, has collected some remarkable species from the waters around the Denman Glacier

Australian Ethical, which holds $56m worth of QBE shares, calls on insurer to overhaul its policies which allow it to underwrite oil and gas projects without restriction before AGM

A Russian drone attack has inflicted tens of millions of pounds of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to experts. The photographer Julia Kochetova has gained access to the area Continue reading...

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation's energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 - enough to power 28m homes - was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy - enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, according to the federal data used to produce the report.The amount of utility-scale battery storage in the US grew 63% from 2023 to 2024 - and a more than 80-fold increase over the past decade.Nearly 3.3m electric vehicles were on US roads at the end of 2023 - a 25-fold increase from 2014. The number of electric vehicle charging ports, meanwhile, grew to more than 218,000 at the end of 2024 - six times more than there were in 2015 and a 24% increase from just the year before. Continue reading...

Jaguars, giant armadillos and ocelots among species threatened by shrinking habitat in one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the worldIn the Gran Chaco forest, vast green expanses - home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys - have turned to fields of dust. The forest once brimmed with life, says Bashe Nuhem, a member of the Indigenous Qom community, but then came a road, and soon after that logging companies. It was an invasion. Loggers came without any consultation and families moved away. Those that stayed were left with only a cemetery of trees," she says.The Gran Chaco is South America's second-largest forest after the Amazon; its 100m hectares (247m acres) stretch across Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. It is also one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world - host to more than 3,400 species of plants, 500 birds, 150 mammals, 120 reptiles and 100 amphibians. Continue reading...

Party intends to block projects despite net zero industries contributing nearly 1bn to local economy, analysis shows

Trials will test ways to block sunlight and slow climate crisis that threatens to trigger catastrophic tipping pointsReal-world geoengineering experiments spanning the globe from the Arctic to the Great Barrier Reef are being funded by the UK government. They will test sun-reflecting particles in the stratosphere, brightening reflective clouds using sprays of seawater and pumping water on to sea ice to thicken it.Getting this critical missing scientific data" is vital with the Earth nearing several catastrophic climate tipping points, said the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria), the government agency backing the plan. If demonstrated to be safe, geoengineering could temporarily cool the planet and give more time to tackle the root cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

On average, five fatal whale strikes occur in the country's waters each year, the highest in the world - and just a fraction of the total number killed, say researchers

Paper in Nature Climate Change journal reveals major role wealthy emitters play in driving climate extremesThe world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of global heating since 1990, driving droughts and heatwaves in the poorest parts of the world, according to a study.While researchers have previously shown that higher income groups emit disproportionately large amounts of greenhouse gases, the latest survey is the first to try to pin down how that inequality translates into responsibility for climate breakdown. It offers a powerful argument for climate finance and wealth taxes by attempting to give an evidential basis for how many people in the developed world - including more than 50% of full-time employees in the UK - bear a heightened responsibility for the climate disasters affecting people who can least afford it. Continue reading...

Orsted cancels fourth stage of Hornsea project off Yorkshire coast, which was set to include enough turbines to power 1m homesThe world's biggest wind power developer has cancelled plans for one of the UK's largest offshore windfarms in a significant blow to the government's green energy targets.The Danish wind power company Orsted said the Hornsea 4 project no longer made economic sense because of soaring costs in the industry's global supply chain, after it won a government contract two years ago. Continue reading...

Data suggests pollution from energy is falling again after previously stalling, but experts say faster growth needed to achieve Labor goal of 82% renewable electricity by 2030

Emissions from abandoned coalmines, oil and gas wells globally are larger than any single country except China, the US and RussiaAbandoned coalmines and oil and gas wells are now one of the biggest sources of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, new data shows, and little effort is being made to clean them up.The methane emissions from abandoned fossil fuel infrastructure now exceed those from Iran, and if considered as a country would be the fourth biggest source in the world, behind China, the US and Russia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government and water firms preparing for possible shortages as dry weather is expected to continueEngland is heading towards a drought this summer unless there is significant rainfall soon, as reservoir water levels dwindle.The government will on Wednesday convene the National Drought Group of water companies, farming groups and other experts to prepare for what is expected to be a dry summer with potential water shortages. Continue reading...

Incident in 2021, during which the defendant said he was attacked by a brown bear, sparked fierce criticismAn 81-year-old French hunter has avoided jail after killing an endangered female bear that attacked him in the Pyrenees in 2021, in an incident that sparked fierce criticism from environmental associations.The defendant, who said he had no choice but to open fire when a brown bear attacked him while he was boar-hunting in the mountain range separating France and Spain, was given a four-month suspended jail sentence. Continue reading...

Researchers call for urgent action as fragments of plastic found in human brains and pollute food, water and airThe UK is falling behind on international efforts to tackle microplastics, scientists have said, as the pollutants continue to infiltrate food, ecosystems and human bodies.The tiny fragments of plastic have been found in human testicles and brains, and they burrow into plants, inhibiting their ability to photosynthesise. The impact on human health is largely unknown, but they have been linked to strokes and heart attacks. Continue reading...

Horsham local Glenn Coffey says he witnessed large numbers of sick birds falling out of trees and drowning in Wimmera river

Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbersThe aviation industry is failing dramatically" in its efforts to tackle its role in the climate crisis, according to a newly formed group of aviation professionals.They say they are torn between their passion for flying and their concern for the planet and are calling for a fundamental transition of the industry, including controlling flight numbers. Continue reading...

Lawsuit also filed over administration's cuts to health and human services that destroy life-saving programsA coalition of Democratic state attorneys general sued on Monday in an attempt to block Donald Trump's move to suspend leasing and permitting of new wind projects, saying it threatens to cripple the wind industry and a key source of clean energy.Seventeen states and the District of Columbia argued, in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, that the decision by the Republican president's administration to indefinitely pause all federal wind-energy approvals was unlawful and must be blocked. Continue reading...

Governor is expected to sign the green fee', which adds 0.75% levy to state's existing tax on short-term lodgingLawmakers in Hawaii have passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state's lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against natural disasters fueled by the climate crisis.Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, supports the creation of the so-called green fee", and is expected to sign it. Continue reading...

The $160m makeover to the park's north side is part of a long-term project to address years of neglect Continue reading...

After a landslide election win, there will never be a better chance to shake off old policy impasses and deliver a more ambitious plan for the environment

Doug Paulley and Kevin Jordan say their lives being ruined, and lack of effective strategy infringes their human rightsTwo men who say they are being failed by the UK's flawed response to climate breakdown are taking their case to Europe's top human rights court.Doug Paulley and Kevin Jordan say their lives have been ruined by the rising temperatures and extreme weather caused by the climate crisis, and that the government's response fails to respect their human rights. Continue reading...

Layoffs and funding cuts to Fema and Noaa will impact how they predict and respond to disasters, warns professor Samantha MontanoThe Trump administration's sweeping cuts to disaster management will cost lives in the US, with hollowed-out agencies unable to accurately predict, prepare for or respond to extreme weather events, earthquakes and pandemics, a leading expert has warned.Samantha Montano, professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and author of Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, said the death toll from disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and water pollution will rise in the US unless Trump backtracks on mass layoffs and funding cuts to key agencies. That includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), whose work relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which is also being dismantled. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Surprise challenger Zack Polanski says party can learn from success of Nigel Farage and Reform UKA leading Green has launched a surprise campaign to oust Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as party leaders, saying the party needs to be less timid and transform itself into a radical, mass-membership eco-populism" movement.Zack Polanski, who has been deputy leader since 2022 and serves as a London assembly member, will challenge Denyer and Ramsay this summer despite them taking the party to its best-ever general election result last year, winning four seats. Continue reading...

Gen Z want the government to address the big structural problems: housing supply, inequality and climate

Seventh season of hit slow TV' show followed annual trek of moose (or elk) heading to summer pasturesFor thousands of years, moose have crossed rivers, navigated thawing forests and quietly followed ancient trails toward their summer pastures in northern Sweden.A 24-hour live stream gave millions of viewers front-row seats to watch every unhurried step of the journey. Continue reading...

US researchers link BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, Whitehaven Coal and Woodside Energy to specific climate harms over three decades

Zinc Nacional will move most polluting' operations after joint investigation found heavy-metals pollution in area

Exclusive: Treasury threat an example of scare tactics' to help force through private sector deal, sources suggestWhitehall officials have been at loggerheads over the fate of Thames Water since the Treasury told the environment department that it would have to meet the cost of a multibillion pound temporary nationalisation.Britain's biggest water company recently came within days of running out of money. Thames is in a desperate race to find a buyer willing to inject cash, with the US private equity firm KKR in pole position. Continue reading...