Environment | The Guardian

Forecasts suggest highs of 35-38C and even 39C in Seville, easily surpassing the peak of 37.4C set in 2011For much of Europe, April so far has been rather cold and reasonably wet in places. However, Spain has remained very dry and very warm, retaining the subtropical air that has led to forest fires and a widespread drought. Plumes of heat from the tropics are expected to continue to affect the country throughout the coming days, threatening the April maximum temperature record.The highest temperature ever recorded in Spain for the month is 37.4C (99.3F) in Murcia on 9 April 2011. Forecasts suggest that on 26 April temperatures will widely reach 35-38C, and Seville may even hit a maximum of 39C. For comparison, the April high in Seville stands at 35.4C. It is possible that records for the month will not only be broken next week, but smashed. Continue reading...

John Price jailed after admitting ‘wanton’ destruction of one of UK’s most unspoiled riversA farmer has been jailed for “the worst case of riverside destruction” seen by environmental authorities after ripping up 1.5km of the River Lugg in Herefordshire, wrecking the habitats of otters, kingfishers, trout and salmon.Following the first prosecution under the farming rules for water legislation, John Price was jailed for 12 months, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £600,000 and disqualified from being a director of a limited company for three years after admitting seven charges related to his “wanton” destruction of one of the country’s most unspoiled rivers. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including a sleepy sloth and a black-backed jackalAn image from this gallery has been removed as it did not meet our editorial standard Continue reading...

Plans to create green space cancelled because soil contamination levels pose risk to human healthPlans to plant a new woodland have been cancelled after local councillors discovered a field was so saturated with sewage the soil could be too toxic for the trees.The woodland was to have been planted in a council-owned field located by Otterspool Road in Romiley, Greater Manchester. Officials hoped the woodland would improve the environment, provide green space and encourage wildlife habitats. Continue reading...

Coalition of groups behind Big One demonstration intend focus on collective expression, with disobedience on holdPeople do not need to glue themselves to anything in order to protest about the climate crisis this weekend, say the organisers of a large-scale planned climate emergency action.The Big One, planned by a coalition of groups brought together by Extinction Rebellion to coincide with Earth Day on Saturday, will be four days of protest and events that they say will be “family friendly” and “engaging”. Continue reading...

Greg Ovens’s popular outdoor survival videos used as evidence against him in case centred on Alberta’s Banff national parkAn arrest warrant has been issued for a US YouTuber for illegally fishing in a Canadian national park, and his partner has been fined $6,000, after a judge condemned their “reckless” outdoor survival videos.The popularity of the videos highlights an increasingly lucrative online niche, with millions tuning in to watch avid outdoors people test their skills and mettle in harsh conditions. A number of television shows have further popularized the genre and inspired a growing share of the public to venture into the hinterlands. Continue reading...

Bill due before Bundestag in June would encourage homeowners to switch to renewablesGermany plans to ban the installation of most oil and gas heating systems from next year, with proposals approved on Wednesday triggering angry divisions in the cabinet.The radical plans are designed to transform Germany’s heating systems in an attempt to meet net zero emission targets that critics have called unworkable and discriminatory. About half of Germany’s 41m households currently use natural gas heating, and almost a quarter use heating oil. Continue reading...

Figures come despite claims firms cannot afford to comply with planned EU pollution rulesEurope’s top five carmakers have more than doubled their profits since 2019 despite claiming that they cannot afford to comply with planned EU pollution rules, analysis reveals.The European auto industry’s “big five” – BMW, Mercedes, Renault, Stellantis and Volkswagen – collectively pocketed €64bn in profits by selling fewer cars, yet at more expensive prices, according to the study by Transport and Environment (T&E), a green thinktank. Continue reading...

The 2023 total solar eclipse is captured through telescopes at the Perth Observatory and Learmonth Solar Observatory, south of Exmouth on the west coast of Australia. A total solar eclipse was visible in some parts of the world, including Exmouth and Barrow Island in the Ningaloo region of Western Australia, eastern regions of Timor-Leste and West Papua in Indonesia► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Women face barriers in the sector, including harassment and exclusionary unions, but they would help resolve a crucial labor shortage and could also help close the gender wage gapAs a child, Cora Saxton liked to make things – forts, whittled wood carvings, a flying saucer even – so when she became an electrician at 49, it felt like a perfect fit.“I like the puzzle-solving and being able to look back at the end of the day and see the physical result of your hard work,” she said. Continue reading...

Thirteen years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, documents shed light on the company’s response and ‘scorched earth’ legal tacticsAfter 18 rounds of chemotherapy, Samuel Castleberry is tired.If it were up to him, he’d still be working his trucking job. The 59-year-old was making a decent living and felt fit. But in June 2020, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has already spread to his liver. Now he gets out of breath wheeling his garbage can to the curb at his home in Mobile, Alabama. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigners say industry-led approach is failing and stronger laws are needed

Move suggested to tackle rise in plastic grass and paving, which exacerbate wildlife loss, flooding and summer heatEco-friendly gardeners should be given a cut in their council tax, scientists have recommended, as research shows cities may have lost as much as 50% of their green garden space over the past two decades.Paving over gardens and using plastic grass has become a trend in recent years, which contributes to rising urban temperatures and biodiversity decline. Continue reading...

The town of Exmouth in Western Australia was one of the only places in the world to see the totality of Thursday’s astronomical phenomenon

People in the sleepy port of Piombino are concerned about the effects of the hurriedly installed regasification unit on its marine ecosystemPiombino is a small seaside town in Tuscany. It is known for a few modest things – its picturesque historic centre, with walls designed by Leonardo da Vinci, and as the place where ships leave for Sardinia. Now, however, it is also known for something new, something that has set off a heated political debate in an otherwise sleepy municipality: a ship.Calling the Golar Tundra, which docked here at in March, a ship is not technically accurate. It’s actually a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), whose job is to take liquefied gas (LNG) transported by carriers, return it to a gaseous state and then feed it into the gas network. It will begin operation in May, and Italy’s government wants to “park” it in Piombino’s port for at least three years. But the town’s citizens, and mayor, have other ideas. Along with environmental activists from across Italy, they have set out to block the project. Continue reading...

High production costs for farmers lead to ‘worrying and worsening’ decline in new birthsThough they grace the pictures of children’s books and appear in nursery rhymes, the UK’s traditional pig breeds are at risk of dying out.With the pig market failure causing a shrinkage of the British pork industry, owing to farmers being offered less than the cost of production for their products, the UK pig population has fallen from about 8 million in the 1990s to just over 5 million today. Continue reading...

Sales of battery EVs also overtook conventional petrol hybrids in all categories, peak motoring body says. ‘The shift is on’

An avian alert | Serge Gainsbourg’s best song | Longer John Silver | Voter ID | Woke WindsorMark Cocker’s eloquent article (Look up, listen, and be very concerned. Birds are vanishing – and their crisis is our crisis, 17 April) should be required reading for Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, and for all those working for Defra, and all farmers and landowners in this country. It brought me to tears.

Canadian youth activists’ case nevertheless dismissed as judge rules province’s policies do not violate Charter rightsA judge has warned that Ontario’s weak climate plans will “increase the risk of death” for Canada’s young people – but dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group worried that government inaction on global heating threatens their futures.Justice Marie-Andrée Vermette of Ontario superior court issued a decision on Tuesday that found that while both young people and Indigenous peoples bear the brunt of climate change, government failures to react were not a breach of their rights. Continue reading...

Tree to Me aims to give authors more say in reducing the environmental impact of physical books, including from the manufacture of paper, transportation and the use of chemicalsA new campaign has been launched to help authors hold publishers to account when it comes to sustainability.Tree to Me has been created by the Society of Authors, which says the campaign “adds authors’ voices to efforts to achieve net zero in the publishing industry”. Continue reading...

Scientists raise alarm over avian influenza strain’s unprecedented deadliness and reach from farmed poultry and wild birdsThe current strain of the avian influenza, which has been decimating bird populations globally, is perilously different than previous disease outbreaks, according to US researchers who are calling for urgent action.A new study led by a team from the University of Maryland found that the current strain of the disease that is killing millions of birds is “different” from previous decades, with birds dying in unprecedented numbers. Continue reading...

While committing to a fuel-efficiency standard is an important step, a shift to clean cars alone won’t get us where we need to be

Report shows anxiety over the environment is prominent among teenagers, such as Ruby Bron who feels ‘helpless’ about future

Shadow infrastructure minister says road user charging should not be ruled out and accuses government of ‘stalling’ with consultation

EPA to use statutory powers to investigate whether conditions in Darling-Baaka River breach state environment laws

CEO Meg O’Neill says developing new supply is necessary to keeping ‘energy affordable and reliable as we transition to a lower carbon future’

Floods caused by Storm Dennis in February 2020 upended the lives of many residents of Rhondda Cynon Taf in South Wales Continue reading...

Money could come from carbon markets, donor countries and philanthropists, but radical action is also needed from legislatorsAt least $130bn (£100bn) a year is needed to protect the most at-risk areas of tropical forest by the end of the decade, alongside reductions in beef and dairy consumption and government bans on deforestation, a thinktank has warned.From the Amazon to the Siberian taiga, financing dedicated to forests must be rapidly scaled up if governments are to meet their target of halting and reversing deforestation by the end of this decade, a nonbinding aim agreed by more than 140 world leaders at Cop26 in 2021, which is crucial to limiting global heating well below 2C and halting biodiversity loss. Continue reading...

Royal British Legion’s new poppy has 40% smaller carbon footprint and will be recyclable in household waste collectionsThe poppies sold by the Royal British Legion to commemorate Remembrance Sunday each year will in future be made entirely from paper.In the biggest shake-up to the emblem’s design for 28 years, the stem and centre of the poppies will now be recyclable in household waste collections. Continue reading...

American Lung Association’s study also found great disparity between coasts, with 10 of 11 most polluted counties in CaliforniaThe climate crisis has upended progress on improving air quality, with one in three Americans currently living in areas with harmful levels of pollutants known to increase the risk of medical emergencies, pregnancy complications and premature death, new research reveals.Almost 120 million people in the US are still exposed to unhealthy levels of soot and smog, according to the annual report by the American Lung Association (ALA), which found that people of color are almost four times more likely to live in the most polluted places than white Americans. Continue reading...

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Labor support for recommendations is a ‘huge blow’ to companies trying to frack in the NT

Griffith University researcher captures video of five whales doing ‘bizarre rolls’ on the sea floor as they exfoliate and socialiseWhales have been caught on camera enjoying a marine version of a day spa, returning to their favourite spot off the Gold Coast to scratch off itchy skin and parasites, and catch up with their cetacean buddies.Griffith University whale researcher Dr Olaf Meynecke and his colleagues were trying to shed light on the behaviour of competing pods of humpbacks that use Gold Coast waters to rest, breed and socialise. Continue reading...

Scientists operating a submersible have discovered deep-sea coral reefs in pristine condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galapagos marine reserve. Diving to depths of 600 metres (1,970ft), to the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago, the scientists witnessed a breathtaking mix of deep marine life. This has raised hopes that healthy reefs can still thrive at a time when coral is in crisis due to record sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification

Reusables have 25% less global heating potential, finds UK government report, but overall picture is mixedEnvironmental campaigners are calling on the UK government to take action after new analysis found a significant difference between the carbon footprints of washable and disposable nappies.Reusable nappies have 25% less global heating potential compared with single-use nappies, according to a report commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Continue reading...

NSW environment agency took almost a month to release full results of six water samples taken from Darling-Baaka River five days after event

Report highlights environmental and economic impacts of algae threatened by climate crisis, overfishing and pollutionAlmost a third of the globe’s coastal environments rely on kelp to reduce local pollution and sustain fisheries that provide billions of dollars in benefits, according to a new study.But the climate crisis, overfishing, invasions of voracious sea urchins and pollution are putting at risk the world’s kelp forests, threatening the economic benefits they provide and the huge array of species they support. Continue reading...

London-listed Serabi Gold extracting gold without approval of Brazilian land registry and Indigenous communitiesA London-listed company has been mining gold in the Amazon rainforest without approval from the Brazilian land agency or the consent of nearby Indigenous communities, according to an investigation by the Guardian and partners.Serabi Gold has been blasting 4.5 metre-wide tunnels and trucking ore from the Coringa project site in Pará state. But interviews with land agency officials and documents seen by the Guardian, Unearthed and Sumaúma indicate that ownership of the area is disputed and the land was allegedly occupied by illegal land-grabbers. Continue reading...

Government introduced restrictions last year in attempt to curb spread of bird fluBritish free range eggs will soon start returning to supermarket shelves, following the lifting of restrictions introduced last year by the government in an attempt to curb the spread of bird flu.A legal requirement for poultry and other captive birds to be kept indoors was introduced in England last November, and in Wales the next month, in response to the UK’s largest outbreak of avian influenza. Continue reading...

Officials announce 45-day ban on harvesting elvers in provinces of Nova Scotia and New BrunswickCanada has temporarily shut down its baby eel fishery following a string of attacks on harvesters, as well as mounting concerns over widespread poaching of the threatened fish.Officials from the department of fisheries and oceans on Saturday announced a 45-day ban on harvesting the young eels, called elvers, in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, shuttering the lucrative C$50m (£30m) market. Continue reading...

Diving to 600m, researchers find reefs full of octopus, lobster and fish, raising hopes for corals’ survival amid rising sea temperaturesScientists operating a submersible have discovered deep-sea coral reefs in pristine condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galápagos marine reserve.Diving to depths of 600 metres (1,970ft), to the summit of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago, the scientists witnessed a breathtaking mix of deep marine life. This has raised hopes that healthy reefs can still thrive at a time when coral is in crisis due to record sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification. It also showed the effectiveness of conservation actions and effective management, they said. Continue reading...

Kit Harington and Rose Leslie attend ‘couples therapy’ in Richard Curtis film for Make My Money MatterThe Game of Thrones stars and real-life couple Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are co-starring in a Richard Curtis short film highlighting the “toxic relationship” between UK high street banks and the fossil fuel industry.The Couples Therapy film is part of Curtis’s Make My Money Matter campaign to raise awareness of how consumers’ cash may be financing industries that are destroying the planet. Continue reading...

The Bristol-based charity Forest of Avon Trust has recently acquired 100 acres of grazed farmland near the village of Pensford in Somerset, to create the Great Avon Wood. Alongside charity partners Avon Needs Trees, the aim is to plant more than 40,000 trees supplied by the Woodland Trust over the next three years, resulting in a green corridor of three linked woodland sites. The first step is an army of volunteers … Continue reading...

Hampton Court flower show to feature gardens using creative methods to mitigate against heatwavesWilting flowers, dried-up soil and sweltering tents have become the norm at flower shows in England as the country faces more frequent heatwaves and droughts in summer.Now, “desert gardens” featuring cacti and other succulents are being used at top shows as horticulturists struggle with a changing climate.The pretty, pink palm-like shrub Cordyline australis brings some colour while being tolerant to heat.Juniperus conifers are drought-tolerant and many varieties have an attractive gold hue.The Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum, has heart-shaped leaves and does not need too much water.Jasmine plants provide pretty little flowers and a heady scent, and are also able to grow in warm climes.The Abelia × grandiflora is recommended by the RHS as it provides dainty, well-scented flowers over a long period in summer, and tolerates heat well. Continue reading...

Unique ecosystem on the brink of collapse due to climate crisis and mismanagement, says conservation group American RiversA 277-mile stretch of the Colorado River that snakes through the iconic Grand Canyon is America’s most endangered waterway, a new report has found.The unique ecosystem and cultural heritage of the Grand Canyon is on the brink of collapse due to prolonged drought, rising temperatures and outdated river management, according to American Rivers, the conservation group that compiles the annual endangered list. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Conservation group Action for Dolphins has lodged a complaint with police, demanding the meat be removed from saleMarine conservation campaigners have lodged a complaint with police demanding that “toxic” dolphin meat be removed from sale in Japan, after a test showed a sample contained levels of mercury up to 100 times higher than the government’s recommended safe level.Action for Dolphins (AFD), a nonprofit based in Australia, filed the complaint with police in central Japan this month, amid expert warnings that regular consumption of dolphin meat could threaten the health of consumers. Continue reading...

Change to bill says opening and licensing of new coalmines by the Coal Authority to be prohibitedAn amendment to the energy bill currently going through the House of Lords means that it will not be possible to open a new coalmine in England.The amendment may still be reversed in the House of Commons, but it marks the growing frustration of politicians as they press the government to move faster and harder on the climate crisis. Continue reading...