Environment | The Guardian

As the climate crisis has deepened, protesters have become more confrontational - and their ambitions have grownThe head of ExxonMobil told to eat shit" as he was about to receive an award. A US senator and coal boss called a sick fuck", almost sparking a brawl. Theatre shows interrupted. As the climate crisis has deepened, protests aimed at those deemed responsible are becoming starkly personal, and often confrontational.At the vanguard of this new style of in-your-face activism is Climate Defiance, a group of just a handful of core staffers now marking its first birthday following a year of disrupting, often crudely, the usually mundane procession of talks, speeches and panels that feature Joe Biden administration officials, oil company bosses and financiers. Continue reading...

Broad terms of subpoenas a chilling' precedent that could undermine future climate litigation, legal experts say

Authorities are rushing to save more than 150 whales from a mass stranding at a beach in Western Australia's south-west. Four pods have spread across roughly 500 metres at Toby Inlet near Dunsborough and 26 of these have died, Parks and Wildlife Service Western Australia confirmed. Wildlife officers, marine scientists and veterinarians are on site assessing the conditions of the whales that have become strandedSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Brazil, Germany, Spain and South Africa sign motion for fairer tax system to deliver 250bn a year extra to fight poverty and climate crisis

Proliferation of hubs for online shopping disproportionately sited in low-income neighborhoods or communities of colorHundreds of mega-warehouses have been built in Illinois for online shopping in recent years and the rise in delivery trucks is polluting neighborhoods already burdened with poor air quality, a new study says.Two million people in Illinois live within a half-mile of large warehouses, which are disproportionately located in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Continue reading...

Study confirms Philip Morris International, Danone, Nestle, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are worst offendersFewer than 60 multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world's plastic pollution, with five responsible for a quarter of that, based on the findings of a piece of research published on Wednesday.The researchers concluded that for every percentage increase in plastic produced, there was an equivalent increase in plastic pollution in the environment. Continue reading...

Campaigners fear growth duty will hamper water regulator's ability to crack down on companies in poor financial stateThe Conservatives have pushed through a duty on the water regulator to prioritise growth, which experts have said will incentivise water companies to value their bottom lines over reducing sewage pollution.Campaigners fear this move will weaken Ofwat's ability to crack down on water companies as it may force the regulator to consider a company's financial situation and the impact on its growth if the firm is heavily fined for polluting. Continue reading...

The divestment movement has a long history among US student activists, including in the overlapping movements of todayCameron Jones first learned about fossil fuel divestment as a 15-year-old climate organizer. When he enrolled at Columbia University in 2022, he joined the campus's chapter of the youth-led climate justice group the Sunrise Movement and began pushing the school in New York to sever financial ties with coal, oil and gas companies.The time for institutions like Columbia to be in the pocket of fossil fuel corporations has passed," Jones wrote in an October 2023 op-ed in the student newspaper directed toward the Columbia president, Minouche Shafik. Continue reading...

Newberry county sheriff's office reassures people siren-like roar is male cicadas singing to attract mates after a decade dormantEmerging cicadas are so loud in one South Carolina county that residents are calling the sheriff's office asking why they can hear sirens or a loud roar.The Newberry county sheriff's office sent out a message on Facebook on Tuesday letting people know that the whining sound is just the male cicadas singing to attract mates after more than a decade dormant. Continue reading...

Gas and coal accounted for just 2.4% of power generation for an hour last week, data shows, amid zero-carbon grid' plansThe share of Great Britain's electricity generated by burning fossil fuels plummeted to unprecedented lows this month, ahead of plans to begin running a zero-carbon grid" for short periods from next year.Electricity generated by burning gas and coal fell to a record low of just 2.4% for an hour at lunchtime on Monday 15 April, according to an analysis of data from National Grid's electricity system operator (ESO). Continue reading...

British Medical Association says decision to take Dr Sarah Benn off medical register for five months sends worrying message'Doctors groups are calling for urgent consideration of the rules for medical professionals who take peaceful direct action on the climate crisis, which they say is the greatest threat to global health", after a GP was suspended from the register for non-violent protest.Dr Sarah Benn, a GP from Birmingham, was taken off the medical register for five months on Tuesday by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC), over her climate protests. The tribunal said Benn's fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct. Continue reading...

High winds, rains, winter storms and tropical cyclones accounted for 80% of power interruptions over the last 20 yearsPower outages in the US are rising, as climate-related extreme weather strain an already burdened energy grid.Over the last decade, severe storm outages increased by 74% compared with the previous 10 years. Continue reading...

2.2bn-worth of oil processed in China, India and Turkey - to whom Russia supplies crude - was imported in 2023, data showsThe UK has been accused of helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine" by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels.Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to 2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from 434.2m in 2021. Continue reading...

A dawn chorus of flutes, whistles and chirps once flowed through my Cambridge window, but there has been a shocking collapse in birdlife. What can be done?Every year from February through to June, the early morning chorus of birdsong is one of the most evocative manifestations of spring. During late winter I open the bedroom window before going to sleep, to hear that incredible mix of flutes, whistles and chirps that begin before first light, when I wake. I listen for the layers of song that simultaneously come from close by and far away.This year though, the dawn chorus that once was the soundtrack for spring in central Cambridge has collapsed. It was noticeably quieter in 2023, and this year strikingly so. Blackbirds are depleted and song thrushes no longer heard at all. The dunnocks - once one of the most common garden songsters - have disappeared, as have the chaffinches, whose early February song was among the first audible confirmations of lengthening days. The cheery chatter of house sparrows is absent and the once familiar sound of coal tits has fallen silent. Long-tailed tits are now rare, and so far this year I've heard no blackcaps. Great and blue tits, robins and goldfinches, are still present, but down in number. Continue reading...

We don't have to reflexively use refined sugar to sweeten. Dates often do the trick - in a way that's healthier for us and the planetWhen I attended pastry school in Paris a couple of years ago, granulated sugar appeared in nearly every tart, cookie or mousse recipe we learned. Only a few desserts used honey or maple syrup in its place.That's no surprise. Granulated sugar is dessert's chief sweetener and also its secret pinch-hitter. It's worth being specific: granulated sugar is nearly pure sucrose, and its unique powers have made it the standard for sweetening. It makes baked goods moist. It makes cakes and cookies tender. It combines with butter to make frostings fluffy and whips up with egg whites like nobody's business (hence the cloud-like loft of meringue). Continue reading...

American Lung Association's State of the Air report states nearly 131 million people are exposed to ozone and particle pollutionNearly four in 10 people in the US are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, a new report has found. Four of the five most polluted cities are in California, where wildfires, drought and extreme heat are driving the rise in hazardous air quality.More than 131 million people are exposed to harmful ozone and particle (PM 2.5) pollution, according to the American Lung Association's annual State of the Air report. That figure, which incorporates new, more stringent federal standards for particle pollution, represents an 11.7 million increase from the previous year. Continue reading...

From ancient olive groves to root vegetables, foreign pests introduced via the bloc's open import system are causing damage worth billions - and outbreaks are on the riseThe plants slowly choke to death, wither and dry out. They die en masse, leaves dropping and bark turning grey, creating a sea of monochrome. Since scientists first discovered Xylella fastidiosa in 2013 in Puglia, Italy, it has killed a third of the region's 60 million olive trees - which once produced almost half of Italy's olive oil - many of which were centuries old. Farms stopped producing, olive mills went bankrupt and tourists avoided the area. With no known cure, the bacterium has already caused damage costing about 1bn.The greatest part of the territory was completely destroyed," says Donato Boscia, a plant virologist and head researcher on Xylella at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Bari. Continue reading...

The biggest cities in the US are mourning animals who fostered a rare sense of connection. Art is preserving their legaciesWorking near Central Park, one New Yorker regularly witnessed one of its most beloved residents: Flaco the owl, who became a celebrity after escaping the nearby zoo. The woman took the bird's message to heart, re-evaluated her life and decided to quit her job. Now, she's one of dozens with a Flaco tattoo.They'll be walking around the rest of their lives, that name and owl on their arm," says Duke Riley, an environmental artist who spearheaded a special sale at his tattoo parlor this month. Customers flocked to East River Tattoo in Brooklyn, where, for $150, they could walk away with ink memorializing Flaco. The line stretched around the block, Riley says. Continue reading...

The dystopian picture of renewables painted by the opposition leader is full of inconsistencies, partial truths and misinformation

Sarah Benn is first of three GPs facing disciplinary tribunals this year over climate activismA doctor who went to jail after a series of climate protests has been taken off the medical register for five months - and still faces being permanently struck off.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) - the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC) - suspended Dr Sarah Benn on Tuesday, having found last week that her fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct. Continue reading...

Trudi Warner on a year being pursued by government lawyers determined to prosecute her over a jurors' rights protestTwo days before Trudi Warner faced court under threat of a contempt of court prosecution, she fell off her bike and ruptured the tendons in her hand.Now the hand is black and blue, tightly bandaged, and requires surgery. It is an indication that 69-year-old Warner, who spent her working life as a child social worker and has committed her retirement to climate action, is not as tough and unflappable as her demeanour suggests. Continue reading...

As diplomats search for a deal to curb the world's growing problem of plastic, piles of bottles, buoys, nets and packaging keep building up in what should be a pristine environmentAs our small fishing boat slows to a halt in a shallow bay south-east of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, in the Galapagos Islands, a green turtle surfaces next to us, followed by a second, then a third a few metres away. A spotted eagle ray glides underneath the vessel.The skipper, Don Nelson, steps on to the black volcanic reef, slippery with algae. We follow, past exposed mangrove roots and up on to higher ground. Pelicans swooping into the trees and small birds, perching on branches, ignore our approach. Continue reading...

Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK is hopeful impasse can be overcome at treaty negotiations in OttawaAs UN talks begin to agree the first global treaty to reduce soaring plastic waste, the chair of the meetings has said he is confident countries will come together to secure an agreement.Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, admitted it would be a challenge to overcome an impasse that has emerged between countries which produce plastic and others that have ambitions to tackle plastic pollution over its whole life. But Valdivieso, who will chair the UN intergovernmental negotiations on a future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution in Ottawa, Canada, this week, said: We have to face those challenges and work with them. Compromise is an important word that we need to take into account. Continue reading...

Claire O'Neill, a former climate minister, says PM's move was to try and create political division and dividing lines'The UK government's decision to weaken some of its climate commitments was a retrograde step" that would set back vital cross-party action to cut carbon emissions, Claire O'Neill, a former Conservative climate minister, has said.O'Neill, who was known as Claire Perry when she served as a minister under David Cameron and Theresa May, said the rolling back of emission reduction efforts by Rishi Sunak appeared to be a ploy for political advantage. Continue reading...

Plea from health officials comes after several snake bite victims arrived at emergency departments with the reptile

The Yalmy galaxias is on the verge of disappearing for ever' and Labor on the brink of failing to meet its zero extinctions target

Funds will be targeted at disadvantaged areas to create 200,000 jobs, after last week's oil and gas lease restrictions in AlaskaJoe Biden marked Monday's Earth Day by announcing a $7bn investment in solar energy projects nationwide, focusing on disadvantaged communities, and unveiling a week-long series of what the White House say will be historic climate actions".The president was speaking at Prince William Forest Park, in Triangle, Virginia, touting his environmental record and unveiling measures to tackle the climate crisis and increase access to, and lower costs of, clean energy. Continue reading...

Chris Stark says populist response and culture war around the term is inhibiting environmental progressThe concept of net zero" has become a political slogan used to start a dangerous" culture war over the climate, and may be better dropped, the outgoing head of the UK's climate watchdog has warned.Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said sensible improvements to the economy and people's lives were being blocked by a populist response to the net zero label, and he would be intensely relaxed" about losing the term. Continue reading...

Organizers at Columbia, Tulane and the University of Virginia write to attorneys general arguing schools' investments are illegalCampus organizers at three universities filed legal complaints on Monday arguing that their schools' investments in planet-heating fossil fuels are illegal, the Guardian has learned.The students from Columbia University, Tulane University and the University of Virginia each wrote to the attorneys general of their respective states calling on them to scrutinize their universities' investments. They accuse their universities of breaching the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, a law adopted by 49 states that requires non-profit institutions to consider their charitable purposes" when investing, and exercise prudence" and loyalty". Continue reading...

Results highlight the difficulties government faces in selling energy transition to sceptical public

Historic hearing will receive submissions from people whose human rights have been affected by climate changeJulian Medina comes from a long line of fishers in the north of Colombia's Gulf of Morrosquillo who use small-scale and often traditional methods to catch species such as mackerel, tuna and cojinua.Medina went into business as a young man but was drawn back to his roots, and ended up leading a fishing organisation. For years he has campaigned against the encroachment of fossil fuel companies, pollution and overfishing, which are destroying the gulf's delicate ecosystem and people's livelihoods. Continue reading...

Trudi Warner was accused of contempt for holding placard reminding jurors of right to acquit based on conscienceA high court judge has thrown out an attempt by the government's most senior law officer to prosecute a woman for holding a placard on jury rights outside a climate trial.Mr Justice Saini said there was no basis for a prosecution of Trudi Warner, 69, for criminal contempt for holding a placard outside the trial of climate activists that informed jurors of their right to acquit a defendant based on their conscience. Continue reading...

Embattled water supplier promises to invest up to 3bn more over the next five years

Swallows, cuckoos, curlews - so many species have dwindled or disappeared completely, and people are mourning their lossRead more: World faces deathly silence' of nature as wildlife disappears, warn expertsThe sounds of our natural world are changing dramatically. Earth's wildlife populations have plunged by 69% in fewer than 50 years. Fading along with them are many of the distinctive soundscapes of nature: the night-time calls of mammals, morning chorus of birds and buzz of insects.This global story is stitched together by many local stories of loss. We spoke to readers about how natural sounds are changing where they live. Continue reading...

Four-metre animal found during spotlight searches near Saibai Island on Friday night and humanely euthanised' a day later

Risk of fire ants spreading at another level' after detection in Oakey, Queensland, says chair of NSW Farmers' biosecurity committee

Scheme is part of effort to reduce staggering' quantities of textiles going to landfill or incineratorInstead of throwing stained, ripped and misshapen clothing in the bin, Britons are being asked to stick the dregs of their wardrobe in the post in a trial aimed at tackling the staggering" quantity of textiles sent to landfill or are incinerated each year.A third of consumers do not know what to do with tops, dresses and trousers that can no longer be worn, figures show, with a similar number admitting to putting such items in their household waste bin. Continue reading...

Europeans are dying from hot weather 30% more than they did two decades ago, report findsScorching weather has baked Europe in more days of extreme heat stress" than its scientists have ever seen.Heat-trapping pollutants that clog the atmosphere helped push temperatures in Europe last year to the highest or second-highest levels ever recorded, according to the EU's Earth-watching service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Continue reading...

Norway's KLP and the UK's LGIM among those who say they have concerns over energy giant's carbon transition goals

The map app will soon advise users in Sydney and Melbourne on public transport or walking alternatives to their driving plan

Resolution Foundation calls for fourfold increase in renewable power investment to reduce pressure on household billsA permanent shift to higher interest rates could add billions of pounds to the UK's renewable energy transition, a leading thinktank has warned.Borrowing costs have soared since the easing of pandemic lockdowns and Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the world's leading central banks raised interest rates to tackle inflation - pushing up the costs of investment in infrastructure across advanced economies including for green power generation schemes. Continue reading...

Officials urge municipalities to begin emergency planning after major rivers and reservoirs threaten to overflowMajor rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China's Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people.Calling the situation grim", local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, the state broadcaster CCTV news said on Sunday. Continue reading...

Louisiana State University allowed Shell to influence studies after a $25m donation and sought funds from other fossil fuel firms

Restaurants are serving more unusual cuts of meat, with animal heads staring up at diners to teach them about their foodOffal has become a staple on restaurant menus across the UK, with cheaper cuts attracting chefs with sustainability goals and tight budgets, boosted by the influence of nose-to-tail pioneers such as Fergus Henderson at StJohn in London. Now many are going further, creating dishes with animal heads staring at diners from their plates.At Fowl in central London, which describes itself as a beak-to-feet chicken restaurant", the Sunday roast comes complete with chicken claws. At Manteca in Shoreditch, east London, you might find half a pig's head, clearly identifiable, on your table. Newly opened Camille in Borough Market, south London serves a chicken-neck sausage, including the bird's head. Continue reading...

Campaigners call for the whole regulatory system to be replaced after Observer analysis finds watchdog spent more than 25m with consultanciesThe water industry regulator has spent 26.7m on business consultants in the past five years, including several companies that have simultaneously worked for private water firms, the Observer can reveal.The findings prompted environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey to call for Ofwat to be abolished as fellow campaigners said there appeared to be no dividing line between those who are meant to enforce the law and those who routinely break it". Continue reading...

Our climate is influenced not just by Pacific weather patterns but by the Indian and Southern oceans, as well as global heating trends

Chris Stark, head of the Climate Change Committee, says Tories' decision to dilute key green policies has had huge diplomatic impactRishi Sunak has given up Britain's reputation as a world leader in the fight against the climate crisis and has set us back" by failing to prioritise the issue in the way his predecessors in No 10 did, the government's green adviser has warned.Chris Stark, the outgoing head of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that the prime minister had clearly not" championed the issue following a high-profile speech last year in which he made a significant U-turn on the government's climate commitments. The criticism comes after Sunak was accused of trying to avoid scrutiny of Britain's climate policies by failing to appoint a new chair of the CCC. Continue reading...

Organisers say 50,000 turn out to call for limit on tourist numbers, saying model makes life unaffordable and puts strain on resourcesTens of thousands of people are protesting across the Canary Islands to call for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago's tourism strategy and a freeze on visitor numbers, arguing that the decades-old model has made life unaffordable and environmentally unsustainable for residents.The protests, which are taking place under the banner Canarias tiene un limite" - The Canaries have a limit - are backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, WWF, Ecologists in Action, Friends of the Earth and SEO/Birdlife. Continue reading...

Recordings of healthy fish are being transmitted to attract heat-tolerant larvae back to degraded reefs in the MaldivesAn underwater experiment to restore coral reefs using a combination of coral IVF" and recordings of fish noises could offer a beacon of hope" to scientists who fear the fragile ecosystem is on the brink of collapse.The experiment - a global collaboration between two teams of scientists who developed their innovative coral-saving techniques independently - has the potential to significantly increase the likelihood that coral will repopulate degraded reefs, they claim. Continue reading...