Delayed consultation could lead to heat pumps being installed as standard in newbuilds in England from 2025The UK government has formally backed plans to ban gas and hydrogen-ready" boilers from newbuild homes in England from 2025, in a long-delayed consultation on low-carbon building standards.The proposals could mean heat pumps being installed as standard as part of measures to make all new homes net zero ready" from 2025. Continue reading...

Summit president hails historic package to accelerate climate action' but critics decry litany of loopholes' in final textNearly 200 countries at the Cop28 climate summit have agreed to a deal that for the first time calls on all nations to transition away from fossil fuels to avert the worst effects of climate change.After two weeks of at times fractious negotiations in the United Arab Emirates, the agreement was quickly gavelled through by the Cop28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, on Wednesday morning. He received an ovation from delegates and a hug from the UN climate chief, Simon Stiell. Continue reading...

Activists at Cop28 have highlighted what they see as loopholes and insufficient progress after UN climate negotiators directed the world on Wednesday to transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels in a move the president of the talks called historic, despite the concerns of many observers. Within minutes of opening the session, Sultan Al Jaber gavelled approval of the central document - the global stocktake that says how off-track the world is on climate and how to get back on - without asking for comments

Coalition alleges glyphosate, the most heavily applied herbicide in history, does not meet required safety standard set by federal lawCiting new scientific research, a coalition of farm worker, public health and environmental advocates on Wednesday filed a legal petition with US regulators demanding they immediately suspend authorization for the controversial weed-killing chemical called glyphosate.The petition, filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), alleges that the chemical does not meet the required safety standard set by federal law and the EPA has no valid assessment demonstrating otherwise". Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereWe are shortly expecting a plenary to take place. The plenary sessions are the decision-making sessions of the Cops. They can be formal, in which a final decision will be made at the end, or informal (also called stocktaking), in which the purpose is to get reaction to the text before a new version is worked on. This one is informal to begin with, according to the UNFCCC, which suggests we may still be some time away from the end of this Cop.In practice, the plenaries means every country gets a chance to share their view of the new text in an open forum, with discussion and debate taking place in the hope of reaching a final agreement. Sometimes this can be quite dramatic, and it is a rare moment in which countries from around the world, developed and developing, have to listen to each other. We will be following it live and posting excerpts from the country delegate speeches, as well as ongoing wider reaction to the text.If this text is adopted ... it will show a collective recognition that we must turn away from fossil fuels and move towards a cleaner future. Champions for this vision - both small island states and major economies - have worked tirelessly overnight. However, it is clear that not everyone is ready to admit the truth of what's needed. This text alone might help avoid disaster in Dubai but it does not avoid disaster for the planet."I suspect that the language in this new draft text on the Global Stocktake, calling for countries to contribute to a transition away from fossil fuels in energy to achieve net zero by 2050, will be too weak for some Parties.For the first time in three decades of climate negotiations the words fossil fuels have ever made it into a Cop outcome. We are finally naming the elephant in the room. The genie is never going back into the bottle and future Cops will only turn the screws even more on dirty energy.Although we're sending a strong signal with one hand, there's still too many loopholes on unproven and expensive technologies like carbon capture and storage which fossil fuel interests will try and use to keep dirty energy on life support. Continue reading...

Some say the deal is historic, others that it is weak. We look closely at the text for the truth of the matterThe decision text from Cop28 has been greeted as historic", for being the first ever call by nations for a transition away" from fossil fuels, and as weak and ineffectual" and containing a litany of loopholes" for the fossil fuel industry. An examination of the text helps to explain this contradiction.Limiting global warming to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels] with no or limited overshoot requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035 relative to the 2019 level and reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. [Countries] further recognise the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5C pathways.Tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.Accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power.Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.Accelerating zero- and low-emission technologies, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture and utilisation and storage (CCUS), particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and low-carbon hydrogen production.Phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible.Recognises that transitional fuels can play a role in facilitating the energy transition while ensuring energy security.Results-based payments for policy approaches and positive incentives for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. Continue reading...

Student pressure pushes higher education institutions to commit to divesting from fossil fuelsMore UK universities are cutting ties with the fossil fuel industry in response to student campaigns, according to the annual survey of sustainability in higher education.The student network People and Planet has published its sustainability university league showing that 72% of the universities it surveyed have committed to divesting from fossil fuels - up from 65% last year. Continue reading...

Mike Johnson's creationist beliefs clash with environmental realities in a district where many residents hold deep concerns about pollutionMike Johnson was a few months away from assuming elected office in late 2014 when he was confronted with an impassioned appeal by the man he would later pay tribute to in his first speech as House speaker: his father Patrick.The elder Johnson, a former firefighter in the Louisiana city of Shreveport, had survived a near fatal industrial explosion when Mike was 12 years old, a defining event in both men's lives. He had just joined a local community environmental group, working to fight against US government plans to burn - in the open air - over 15m pounds of toxic munitions. It had thrust Patrick and his future wife Janis Gabriel on to the frontlines of Louisiana environmental advocacy. Continue reading...

It may seem incredible, but it has taken 30 years of summits to come up with an agreement on the future of fossil fuels

The Cop28 climate summit has approved a deal that its supporters said would, for the first time, push nations away from fossil fuels to avert the worst effects of climate change. The final text avoided the words 'phase out' and 'phase down', which had been the source of much debate among countries, instead referring to a need to 'transition away' from fossil fuels. Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, the president of the summit, said: 'It is a balanced plan that addresses emissions ... it is built on common ground. It is strengthened by full inclusivity. It is a historic package to accelerate climate action. It is the UAE consensus' Continue reading...

Forever chemicals' at Dutch resorts comparable to high concentrations detected along Belgian coast, study findsThe Dutch government has warned people to stop children and pets swallowing foam at the seaside, after a study showed forever chemicals" were concentrated in the spume.After research into foam at the Belgian seaside showing a concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - used widely for their waterproofing qualities but difficult to destroy - the Dutch public health institute RIVM measured the coast in Zeeland, north and south Holland in April and August. Continue reading...

Supporters say carbon credits can fund solutions, but others say they allow companies to avoid reducing emissionsGovernment officials, conservation organisations and industry groups have sought to revive confidence in the unregulated voluntary carbon market at Cop28 amid concerns it does little to mitigate the climate crisis or the destruction of nature.Supporters of carbon markets say that through buying high-quality credits, countries and companies can transfer some of the billions of dollars required to fund nature-based solutions, support Indigenous communities, phase out coal power, and pay for new renewables in developing countries. Initiatives are under way to certify successful carbon projects and curb greenwashing claims from companies that buy credits, although there is disagreement about the appropriate role of offsets in a company's sustainability efforts. Continue reading...

Latest draft does not include a commitment to phase out or phase down fossil fuels, as many countries, civil society groups and scientists have urged

New iteration of flagship vehicle is JLR's first foray into building electric cars in UKBritish carmaker Jaguar Land Rover has begun road testing prototypes of its electric Range Rover, in its first foray into building electric cars in the UK as it tries to catch up with rivals.JLR, which makes the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, said it had opened a waiting list for pre-orders of the new Range Rover, its flagship vehicle, which is seen as a crucial step towards its electric future. Continue reading...

Development plans to pave over allotments in Isleworth rejected on grounds it would harm heritage assetsLocal campaigners fighting to preserve a 1.2-hectare space in west London that is under threat from one of Britain's oldest aristocratic families have landed a victory in a long-running saga to turn the green space into flats.Development plans to pave over much of the Park Road allotments in Isleworth were rejected by the Planning Inspectorate on Tuesday, on the grounds that it would harm protected local open space and heritage assets - and would be detrimental to allotment provision in an area where demand outstripped supply. Continue reading...

Sultan Al Jaber, the Cop president, engaged in shuttle diplomacy past deadline to finalise text on fossil fuelsThe hosts of the Cop28 climate summit will make a last-ditch attempt on Wednesday to forge a fresh deal on the future of the climate, after their original attempt was roundly rejected by rich and many poor countries.A new text laying out a potential deal on fossil fuels was under preparation for more than 24 hours, as the fortnight-long talks stretched nearly a day past their official deadline of Tuesday morning in Dubai. Continue reading...

Developing countries argue they don't lack ambition when it comes to phasing out fossil fuels - it's all about the meansWhy do some developing countries appear to be resisting a fossil fuel phase-out? The answer is fundamentally about implementation - how countries struggling to eradicate poverty and provide basic services (including energy) for their people fund the transition away from fossil fuels.The means of implementation" has become a sticking point at the talks, with developing countries united in demanding that developed countries honour their legally binding obligations under the Paris agreement. Developing countries that have contributed so little to the climate crisis but are suffering the worst impacts argue that a phase-out must be centred around equity, which means it must be fast, fair, funded and forever". Continue reading...

The first study to quantify what our felines eat on a global scale finds they have a significant impact on wildlifeCats may be adored human companions, but they are also highly effective killers, according to a study that shows they eat more than 2,000 species globally - including hundreds that are of conservation concern.Since domestication 9,000 years ago, house cats have spread to all continents except Antarctica. In the paper, published in Nature Communications, researchers describe them as amongst the most problematic invasive species in the world". Continue reading...

Sharing recipes and making food from their homeland has become a means of asserting their identity and connecting with their people as the Israeli assault of Gaza continuesWhen Heifa Odeh first moved to Chicago, she felt homesick for her mom's Palestinian cooking and a desire to master the dishes she grew up with - so she started writing down her mom's recipes and sharing them online. Whether she was whipping up stuffed grape leaves or hand-shaping shish barak (meat dumplings cooked in yogurt), she simply wanted to evoke the tastes of her mother's kitchen and the frequent summer trips her family would take to Palestine.But as the years passed and she built a successful food blog called Fufu's Kitchen and later published a cookbook called Dine in Palestine, she started to see sharing Palestinian recipes as something more: an assertion of identity and connection to a land and people under threat. That's never felt more crucial to her than in the last two months, as more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces to date, following a Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis. Continue reading...

Eastern Green Link 1 has been designed to carry enough clean electricity to power 2m UK householdsOne of Britain's biggest power grid projects has awarded contracts worth 1.8bn for a 190km subsea electricity superhighway to bring renewable power from Scotland to the north of England.National Grid and Scottish Power plan to begin building the transformative" 2.5bn high-voltage power line along the east coast of the country from East Lothian to County Durham from 2025. Continue reading...

Watchdog finds 86 foundations, including New Venture Fund and Pew Charitable Trusts, that share firms with fossil fuel companiesDozens of US charities, including ones prioritizing climate action, are employing lobbying firms who also work for fossil fuel companies, new data shows.Pew Charitable Trusts work on environmental issues while sharing a lobbying firm with Chevron. New Venture Fund's priorities include a range of conservation, climate, and energy issues", yet it employed lobbying firms representing oil and gas companies in six states since the beginning of 2022. And Ballmer Giving funds climate and Indigenous rights programs, yet represents a company building fossil fuel infrastructure on tribal land. Continue reading...

Raw sewage held in open tanks in Camberley for six months during hottest summer on recordMore than 200 tankers of raw sewage were driven to a Surrey town and left there for six months, causing a nightmare" for residents after all of Thames Water's 360 treatment plants reached critical capacity.Thames Water has apologised but is refusing a request from Surrey councillors to make a financial acknowledgement to the community by reducing bills for 11,000 people. Continue reading...

Scientists are still puzzled by these tragic events, usually involving pilot whales. Vital clues, however, may lie in the tight-knit social ties that give each pod a unique cultureIn July this year, responders scrambled to Traigh Mhor beach on the Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland, to reach a stranded pod of long-finned pilot whales. Most had already died. One was refloated and survived. The others were put down with a rifle.It was one of the UK's largest mass stranding events (MSE), and the team retrieved samples from the organs and tissues of every pod member. Though exhausting and upsetting, the work revealed an unparalleled and puzzling insight into an entire whale community.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says current incentives are distorting world trade and hampering fight against climate breakdownGovernments must start to distinguish between the good subsidies they need to fight the climate crisis and the bad ones that are increasing greenhouse gas emissions, the world's trade chief has said.Subsidies and other incentives to burn fossil fuels and encourage poor agricultural practices, amounting to about $1.7tn a year, are distorting world trade and hampering the fight against climate breakdown, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organization, told the Guardian. Continue reading...

A symbol of spring and rebirth, the robin is a favourite of gardeners and inspiration for poets and dreamersWhat is it about the poem Who killed Cock Robin?" It is so sad, and so coolly dark: a miniature drama played out in the shade of a single tree. The sparrow confesses right away, and nobody minds. The fly - I, said the fly, with my little eye, I saw him die" - is a witness of whom no questions are asked. Everyone seems eager for the burial, eager to help, insincere in their mourning, a-sighing and sobbing".Everything is small. The fish catching blood in his little dish", the rook playing parson with his little book". The death of a little bird, and a funeral for a bird the size, and almost the shape, of an orange, and weighing no more than an orange segment.One of the electrons migrates a few nanometers away, where it feels a slightly different magnetic field than its partner. Depending on how the magnetic field alters the electron's spin, different chemical reactions are produced. In theory, the products of many such reactions across a bird's eye could create a picture of Earth's magnetic field as a varying pattern of light and dark. Continue reading...

UN organizers allow groups that have obstructed fossil fuel regulations and other climate action to attend, watchdog findsInfluential industry trade groups, thinktanks and public relations agencies with a track record in climate denialism and misleading the public have been given access to the UN climate talks in Dubai, the Guardian can reveal.Corporate Accountability, a transparency watchdog, has found that UN organizers greenlighted access to groups that have obstructed fossil fuel regulations and other climate action, giving them the same or greater access to the international negotiations as Indigenous communities, human rights groups and climate justice organizations. Continue reading...

Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, says umbrella group of countries is united in saying draft agreement is too weakA group of countries including Australia, the US, the UK, Canada and Japan have said they will not be a co-signatory" to death certificates" for small island states, and have demanded a stronger agreement at the Cop28 summit to deal with fossil fuels and address the climate crisis.A statement delivered by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, on behalf of what's known as the umbrella group of countries, came as tensions flared at the United Arab Emirates over the text of a draft deal proposed by the summit presidency. Continue reading...

Genesis B v EPA is the latest in a series of youth-led constitutional climate cases brought by non-profit law firm Our Children's TrustEighteen California children are suing the US Environmental Protection Agency over its role in the climate crisis.In a lawsuit filed on Sunday, plaintiffs between the ages of eight and 17 allege the federal body intentionally" allows dangerous levels of planet-heating emissions from vehicles, power plants, fossil fuel wells and other pollution sources, despite knowledge that doing so endangers children's health and welfare. Continue reading...

Text now being considered by governments calls for reducing both consumption and production of fossil fuels'A draft deal to cut global fossil fuel production is grossly insufficient" and incoherent" and will not stop the world from facing dangerous climate breakdown, according to delegates at the UN's Cop28 summit.The text put forward by the summit presidency after 10 days of wrangling was received with concern and anger by many climate experts and politicians, though others welcomed elements of the draft including the first mention in a Cop text of reducing fossil fuel production. Continue reading...

EU's climate commissioner says there must be deeper discussions with many other partners'. This live blog is closed

Global heating, pollution, overfishing and falling water levels among factors hitting populations, finds IUCN red list studyNearly a quarter of the world's freshwater fish are at risk of extinction due to global heating, overfishing and pollution, according to an expert assessment.From the large-toothed Lake Turkana robber in Kenya to the Mekong giant catfish in south-east Asia, many of the world's freshwater fish are at risk of disappearing, the first International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list assessment of the category has found. Continue reading...

Broadcaster and RSPCA president says moratorium needed as mortality rates jump, while activists question charity's role in certifying farmsNaturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham has called for a halt to the expansion of the Scottish salmon farming industry, as official figures suggest salmon mortality in the country's farms hit record levels this year.Packham, the president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), described the growing industry as catastrophic" for fish welfare and Scotland's environment. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report finds agency did not properly investigate event that killed hundreds of fish in Cunsey Beck in 2022An independent report into an investigation by the Environment Agency into serious pollution of a stream feeding into Windermere has found a series of errors by the watchdog.As a result, the agency never identified the cause of the toxic event which killed all life within the waterway.No clear, systematic approach to the investigation with regards identifying and eliminating potential sources.The absence of documented witness interviews.A limited number of sampling locations on Cunsey Beck.A failure to carry out postmortems on the dead fish. Continue reading...

Top climate scientist says carbon sinks such as forests and wetlands vital to keeping temperature rise below 1.5C

A report by the UK Health Security Agency warns that extreme heat could bring a host of tropical diseases transmitted by insectsThe climate crisis could cause up to 10,000 extra deaths in the UK every year by the 2050s as a result of extreme heat and bring a host of tropical diseases, a stark report has warned.The worst-case scenario, published in a damning document by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Monday, would see average temperatures rise by 4.3C, bringing an estimated twelvefold rise in heat-related deaths by 2070. It adds that deaths could increase by one-and-a-half times in the 2030s. Continue reading...

Sultan Al Jaber calls for countries to come together amid disagreements over the future of climate action China would like to see agreement to substitute renewables for fossil fuels'There is some more food-related news from the conference today, writes Fiona Harvey.The Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF) launched on Sunday, a group that's being called the high ambition coalition for food". It has Brazil, Sierra Leone and Norway as co-chairs, and other prominent members include Rwanda and Cambodia.Strengthen national visions and food systems transformation pathways, inclusive of 10 priority action areas and consistent with science-based targets.Update Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in line with these updated National Food System Transformation Pathways and/or Implementation Plans, by 2025 at the latest.Report annually on targets and priority intervention areasPeasant family farmers, Indigenous and local communities, forest collectors, pastoralists, fisherfolk, and agricultural workers, are among the populations most harshly affected by climate change worldwide. Yet they are also the central actors who can sustainably transform food systems. Supporting their livelihoods through specifically tailored public policies is essential to achieve an agroecological transition towards healthy, resilient and sustainable food systems."Let's face it: climate summits are broken. The delegates talk and talk, while Earth systems slide towards deadly tipping points. Since the climate negotiations began in 1992 more carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels has been released worldwide than in all preceding human history. This year is likely to set a new emissions record. They are talking us to oblivion. Continue reading...

Sultan Al Jaber urges nations to be flexible as talks reach impasse over whether to phase out or phase down fossil fuelsMinisters and negotiators must come to the vital final meetings of Cop28 without prepared statements, without rigid red lines, and be prepared to compromise, the president of the UN climate summit has said.Sultan Al Jaber, whose position is now pivotal to the talks as they enter their final days, on Sunday convened a majlis of all countries, a meeting in the traditional form of an elders' conference in the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...

One such project in Black Mesa, Arizona, is awaiting initial permits and has sparked fears over water use in an area already grappling with accessibility to itNavajo Nation environmentalists are opposing a self-described jet-setter" and French millionaire's plans for a massive hydropower project they claim will adversely affect the land, water, wildlife, plants and cultural resources of the largest land area held by Indigenous American peoples in the US.The hydropower project in Black Mesa, Arizona, is awaiting approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) for preliminary permits and has incited fears over water use in an area already struggling with water accessibility issues. Continue reading...

Targets include cutting methane emissions from livestock by 25%, halving food waste and managing fisheries sustainably by 2030

Ted O'Brien declares global climate summit the nuclear Cop' despite only 11% of nations backing the pledge

But country's climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, would not say whether it would support phase-out wording in climate deal

Distraught homeowners in Hemsby write farewell messages on houses affected by coastal erosionThe demolition of five seaside houses has begun in Norfolk after coastal erosion put them at risk of collapsing on to the beach below.Distraught homeowners in Hemsby wrote farewell messages on their houses before workers began demolishing one house on Saturday. Gone but not forgotten" was scrawled on one seafront property. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereThe other day, our eagle-eyed reporter Patrick Greenfield spotted former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng striding through the Cop complex.We all wondered what on earth Kwasi, who was at the top of a government which tried to overturn the UK's fracking ban, could be doing at Cop, and whether the chancellor who crashed the UK economy was a vital part of the negotiating team. Continue reading...

Climate activists likely to be concerned by another fossil fuel-reliant country taking over summit presidencyAzerbaijan has been announced as the host of next year's climate summit after fraught negotiations.Under UN rules it was eastern Europe's turn to take over the rotating presidency but the groups need to unanimously decide on the host. Russia had blocked EU countries and Azerbaijan and Armenia were blocking each other's bids. Continue reading...

Continent's chief negotiator says an agreement for fair and equitable funding is a matter of life and death

UK's former climate chief Alok Sharma says phase-out crucial to limit global warming to 1.5CFailure to agree a phase-out of fossil fuels at the UN Cop28 climate summit would push the world beyond the crucial 1.5C temperature limit and into climate breakdown, the UK's former climate chief has warned.Alok Sharma, who was president of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, said it was vital that governments made a clear commitment in the next few days to eliminate coal, oil and gas. Continue reading...

Guerrilla leader turned president says, faced with having to reduce their carbon consumption, upper classes fear the barbarians are coming'Middle-class fears of losing a high standard of living because of green policies is driving the rise of the far right across the world, the president of Colombia has warned.In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian at the Cop28 UN climate summit, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftwing president, said the world had to find carbon-free ways of being prosperous, and that his country's rich biodiversity would be the basis of its wealth after phasing out fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Exclusive: freedom of information request reveals ministers rejected plan to make pledge legally bindingThe UK government has no plans to meet its target for everyone to live within a 15-minute walk of a green space, the Guardian can reveal.Ministers have also scrapped an idea to make the target for access to nature legally binding, a freedom of information request submitted by the Right to Roam campaign shows. Continue reading...

Food and agriculture firms have sent three times as many delegates to the climate summit as last yearLobbyists from industrial agriculture companies and trade groups have turned out in record numbers at Cop28, with three times as many delegates representing the meat and dairy industry as last year.Representatives are present from some of the world's largest agribusiness companies - such as the meat supplier JBS, the fertiliser giant Nutrien, the food giant Nestle and the pesticide company Bayer - as well as powerful industry lobby groups. Continue reading...

Australia's climate minister flags difficulties around any final wording but hails important symbol' as talks intensify in Dubai