Environment | The Guardian

Eco-friendly British produce could become unaffordable luxury if low quality imports still allowed, say farmersTightening environmental standards for British farmers while importing food produced to lower standards risks making eco-friendly food an unaffordable luxury item, farmers have said.At the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday, the environment secretary, Steve Barclay, announced that the government would consult on a new labelling scheme that would single out food produced to UK standards, allowing consumers to choose more environmentally friendly food. Continue reading...

Statement is clearest sign yet party is willing to drop one of its flagship policies in face of Conservative attacks

Ministers have previously claimed oilfield development will improve domestic energy security and help consumersThe UK government has admitted that oil from the controversial Rosebank field will be sold on the international market rather than to UK consumers.Ministers have repeatedly claimed developing the huge oilfield off Shetland will improve UK energy security and help UK consumers, overriding concerns from climate experts and their own advisers. Continue reading...

Several species have vanished across swathes of the continent - and scientists say their disappearance holds unknown risks for humansAfrica's birds of prey have experienced a widespread population collapse that risks unforeseen consequences for humans, according to a new study.Tropical raptor species including the martial eagle, the bateleur and the dark chanting goshawk have vanished from swathes of the African continent over the past 40 years, new analysis shows, as many wild areas were converted to farmland. Several African birds of prey are on track to become locally extinct in many countries this century. Continue reading...

The first time I met a great ape in the wild I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to studying primates. Then I saw something that changed our understanding foreverI was born in Ngomboku village, surrounded by the lush, evergreen forests of what is now the Bakossi national park in Cameroon. My parents were primary school teachers and they moved between villages every few years, so I saw many different places. I got really interested in maps and ended up studying geography.In 2004 I went into the Ebo forest in west Cameroon for the first time. I remember that day clearly - listening to the dense canopy of trees vibrating in the wind, the sight and crowing of colourful birds and monkeys. I had never heard or seen anything like it before. Little did I know that a year later I would see something in that forest that would change our understanding of chimpanzee culture" for ever. Continue reading...

Expert says if you see a snake you should leave it alone and call for a professional catcherWhen Tennille Bankes walked into a toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, she was greeted by the scaly tail of a spotted black snake peaking out beneath a closed lid.The wildlife carer and snake catcher was called by police to the public bathroom after a local, surprised by the reptile, summoned them for help. Continue reading...

Police call wildlife carer and snake catcher Tennille Bankes to a public toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, after a local is surprised by a spotted black snake in the toilet bowl. As Bankes lures the serpent out, she explains that they have a 'natural instinct to go into holes' and that toilets offer a place to cool down and the chance of a snack, due to the frogs that also take refuge there to escape the heat Continue reading...

Exclusive: Badger Trust analysis comes 10 years after government started culls in England against scientific adviceImproved cattle testing, better financial and mental health support for farmers, and cattle and badger vaccination will more effectively tackle bovine TB in cattle than culling badgers, according to a report.The review of evidence by the Badger Trust comes after 10 years of culling in England killed 210,237 badgers, costing 58.8m, without a significant easing of cattle TB. Continue reading...

Data shows 2023 had second-highest record of rooftop solar installations as small-scale solar continues to growQuarterly installations of new solar panels reached a record at the end of 2023, with Australian households more than three times as likely to have a photovoltaic system as a back yard swimming pool.Households and businesses added 921 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity in the December quarter, according to SunWiz, an industry data group. Continue reading...

Committee finds British consumers contributing particularly highly to destruction of world's forestsUK consumption is having an unsustainable" impact on the world, and contributing particularly highly to deforestation, a report by MPs has found.Products such as soya, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather may be products of deforestation, and the environmental audit committee has found that the UK's deforestation footprint per tonne of product consumed is higher than that of other countries including China, calling it unsustainable". A deforestation footprint is similar to a carbon footprint. It signifies how much deforestation occurs per tonne of product consumed. Scientists have worked out the deforestation footprints of various countries by analysing trade patterns for goods which are linked to high levels of forest destruction. Continue reading...

Heavy flooding plagued Loughborough in Leicestershire on Wednesday as hundreds of flood warnings were in place across the country. Dozens of homes were flooded when the Grand Union canal began overflowing. John Brailsford, 67, said: 'These are the worst floods I've seen in 38 years of living here. The river sometimes bursts its banks but that's further away and we were told the canal would never flood. It's very severe. I saw police, fire and ambulance crews all along the streets, some with dinghies which have been rescuing people'

Vineyard Wind development, off Massachusetts coast, starts to deliver power to New England grid in moment hailed as historic'The US's first large-scale offshore wind project, located off the coast of Massachusetts, has started producing power for the first time, delivering a boost to Joe Biden's ambitions of a proliferation of coastal wind turbines to help combat the climate crisis.The first wind turbine in the Vineyard Wind development started to whirr on Tuesday, delivering around 5MW of power to the New England grid. The operator of the project said it expects to have five turbines operational in the early part of this year, before eventually having 62 turbines as part of the project, which will produce enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel firms took the mask off' as they reneged on climate pledges and doubled down on expansion of planet-heating energyThroughout 2023, the hottest year in recorded history, fossil fuel giants doubled down on their planet-heating business models.The moves flew in the face of oil and gas companies' promises to tamp down

Researchers using AI and satellite imagery find 75% of industrial fishing is not being publicly tracked, while wind turbines now outnumber oil platformsResearchers have created the first global map of the industrial use of the ocean, using space technology and AI to reveal the emergence of a new industrial revolution".A study led by Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and published in Nature found that 75% of the world's industrial fishing vessels, mainly operating in Africa and south Asia, are dark" or not publicly tracked. More than a quarter of the activity of transport and energy vessels is also missing from public tracking systems, it found. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Submissions seen from companies on both sides of zero-emission vehicle mandateSeveral of the world's biggest carmakers lobbied the UK government to try to weaken or delay rules to accelerate electric car sales and cut Britain's carbon emissions.Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Nissan were among the companies to ask for delays in enforcement of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that obliges them to sell increasing proportions of electric cars or face heavy fines, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Photograph taken at wildlife reserve shows baby nestled with his mother after his returnA baby elephant who was separated from his mother and the rest of his herd in a wildlife park in Tamil Nadu, south India, has been reunited with them by park officials.An aerial photograph taken by officials shows the mother and calf, three days later, enjoying a nap on a slight incline with the baby nestled in the nook of his mother's chest. Continue reading...

UK's busiest private jet airfield announced plans to double weekend flights weeks after campaign group chair received injunctionFor four years, Colin Shearn, a 62-year-old retired corporate executive, led the Farnborough Noise Group, a watchdog for locals worried about the operations of Farnborough airport, the UK's busiest private jet airfield.Then, one day in August, police came knocking at his door. Continue reading...

Dozens rescued from flood waters and thousands remain without power as BoM warns of wild weather in Melbourne, south-east NSW and QueenslandThe first week of 2024 is off to a wild start, with storms continuing to lash Australia's east coast and a heatwave baking the north of the continent.Thunderstorms were headed for central Victoria on Wednesday and were forecast to become widespread over the eastern half of the state. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel plants contributed about a third of electricity supplies in 2023 and renewables a record 42%The amount of electricity generated by the UK's gas and coal power plants fell by 20% last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957.Not since Harold Macmillan was the UK prime minister and the Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time has the UK used less coal and gas. Continue reading...

Current outbreak, which started in 2021, is estimated to have killed millions of wild birds and thousands of mammals globallyA polar bear has been killed by bird flu as the highly contagious H5N1 virus spreads into the most remote parts of the planet.The death was confirmed in December by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. This is the first polar bear case reported, for anywhere," Dr Bob Gerlach, Alaska's state veterinarian, told the Alaska Beacon. Continue reading...

Such a warm year would have occurred once in 500 years without global heating, Met Office scientists sayThe UK had its second-hottest year on record in 2023, according to provisional data from the Met Office, as the climate crisis continued to deliver elevated temperatures.Such a warm year would have occurred only once in 500 years without human-caused global heating, the scientists said. The heat peaked in June and September, both record hot months in a series dating back to 1884. The UK's 10 warmest years have all occurred since 2003. Continue reading...

Australia, along with Russia, remains one of the few countries in OECD without fuel efficiency standardThe federal government is facing pressure to stop idling" and swiftly introduce new laws that will encourage carmakers to produce cleaner vehicles as Australia eyes its 2030 emissions reduction targets.Automotive industry bodies and environment advocates say the European-style fuel efficiency standards would offer consumers greater choice of cleaner cars that are cheaper to run amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Continue reading...

From beginner tips to pro maneuvers, and solo moves to community undertakings, these changes will help you cut down on food waste this yearNobody wants to be told what to eat when food connects us to culture, heritage, family and identity. But the numbers are hard to ignore: beef has a larger climate impact by far than any other commonly eaten food. If you're not ready to swear off burgers or galbi entirely, start small by swapping one serving of beef each week with one serving of chicken - you'll save 0.71 tons of CO a year per person. Continue reading...

Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker received the longest sentences given to non-violent protesters in UKLast year, Morgan Trowland was one of two Just Stop Oil protesters sentenced to more than two and a half years in prison for scaling the Dartford crossing.The sentences handed down to Trowland and Marcus Decker are the longest sentences yet given to non-violent protesters in the UK. Now, after his release on licence last month, Trowland says the 13 months he spent behind bars hardly felt like punishment at all. Continue reading...

Cameras capture 120 tigers in year to April 2023, but extinction risk remains in neighbouring countriesThe number of tigers spotted by hidden cameras in the core of Thailand's biggest conservation area rose last year, while a rare sighting of a mother and her cubs has spread hope that the species is breeding in new areas.Camera traps in Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries captured 120 tigers during an exercise that concluded in April 2023, up from 100 the previous year. Continue reading...

Nicholas Boys Smith says we have fallen out of love with the future' and failed to build enough homesNot all of the green belt should be preserved in aspic for ever", the government's building design tsar has said, as he warned that with all but the highest earning young people priced out of buying, desperation ... to get more homes built is just going up".Nicholas Boys Smith, a former Tory adviser appointed by Michael Gove to run the Office for Place, which will advise on planning for new communities, said not all of the green belt of low or no agricultural or amenity quality" should be protected for ever. Continue reading...

BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies to distribute more than $100bn despite public outrageThe world's five largest listed oil companies are expected to reward their investors with record payouts of more than $100bn (79bn) for 2023 against a backdrop of growing public outrage at fossil fuel profits.The five super-majors" - BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies - showered shareholders with dividend payments and share buybacks worth $104bn in the 2022 calendar year, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Continue reading...

Sea sparkles' appeared at Hobart's waterfront, the NSW mid-north coast and Sydney's Manly, with hundreds delighting in the natural phenomenonRevellers along the Hobart waterfront welcomed in the new year with the glow of fireworks in the sky - and bright, blue bioluminescence lighting up the ocean.With an easterly wind bringing the sea sparkle" to the east coast, onlookers were treated to a truly glowing end to 2023.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Poor state of critical assets in many parts of country leaves thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to stormsMinisters have been told they will be punished" by voters after analysis revealed the decline of vital flood defences across England.The proportion of critical assets in disrepair has almost trebled in the West Midlands and the east of England since 2018, leaving thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to storms. Continue reading...

The Department of Primary Industries is investigating after protected fish species allegedly killed in CronullaThe killing of a protected fish species by a spear fisher in Sydney over the weekend is being investigated.According to local reports, onlookers were left outraged after an endangered blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) was allegedly speared and killed at Oak Park in Cronulla on Saturday. Continue reading...

Pioneering initiative to consider children's addresses after coroner ruled air pollution a factor in death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, nineDoctors at Great Ormond Street are being encouraged to consider air pollution levels at their patients' home addresses when assessing the causes of their illnesses, under an innovative pilot scheme.Data showing the average annual air pollution rates at patients' postcodes has been embedded in patients' electronic files, so that clinicians can help families understand whether their child has been exposed to elevated risk. Continue reading...

Nathan Baring of Alaska is part of a group of young activists suing the US, which they say willfully ignored' dangers of fossil fuelsNathan Baring is a third-generation Alaskan and climate activist. He is also a plaintiff in Juliana v United States, a lawsuit brought by 21 young Americans who say the US government willfully ignored" the dangers of burning fossil fuels, which violated the plaintiffs' constitutional rights to life, liberty and property, and failed to protect public trust resources. If successful, the case could result in a declaration that the nation's pro-fossil fuel policies are unconstitutional, which the plaintiffs hope could lead to policy changes.The case, first filed in 2015, has faced numerous obstacles, including a dismissal in 2020 by a US court of appeals. The plaintiffs' lawyers amended their case, and in June a federal judge in Oregon ruled the lawsuit can finally proceed to trial. A date has not yet been set. Continue reading...

Warming seas and overfishing are taking their toll on the UK's favourites, so play your part in nursing populations back to healthIn a year of record-breaking temperatures and marine heatwaves threatening our already depleted seas, conservationists, supermarkets and even musicians, including Icelandic singer Bjork, have spoken out over dwindling wild fish populations.Oceana, a US-based NGO, reported that half of Britain's largest wild fish populations, including North Sea cod, are either overfished or in a critical state; supermarkets criticised the UK, Norway and EU for failure to reach agreement over sustainable mackerel fishing; and Blue Marine Foundation, another charity, is taking the UK government to court for illegally squandering" fish populations by ignoring scientific advice on those shared with the EU and Norway. Continue reading...

The infamous A30 summer holiday bottleneck will go when eight miles of dual carriageway opens in March. But for some, the cost is too highAs cars and lorries snail interminably along the A30 in Cornwall - the county's notorious trunk road - the words of the furious driver in John Betjeman's poem, Meditation On The A30, seem befitting: I can't go on crawling like this!"Such frustrations are especially acute in summertime when tourists compete with hauliers, tractors and local residents for space on the asphalt, many of them en route to the coastal hotspots of Perranporth and St Ives. But those days could soon be gone. Continue reading...

Protests, natural disasters and First Nations pride were among the memorable images from the past year taken by Australia's wire agency photographers

A group of 10 orcas has been seen leaping into the air to catch prey, delighting watchers and experts for the past two weeksExperts and whale watchers have been dazzled by a series of orca sightings off the southern California coast that are being described as extremely rare".A group of 10 whales - including a calf just a few months old - has been spotted for the past two weeks off the coast of southern California, between Oxnard and San Diego. Images from social media show the giant creatures leaping into the air to catch dolphins and coming within feet of boats full of eager viewers. Continue reading...

Fewer than 150 Malayan tigers remain in the wild. That's why 2,500 volunteers from 38 countries have joined a boots-on-the-ground initiative to protect themBraving bloodsucking leeches and the blazing Malaysian sun, four volunteers trudge along the heavily forested Marcus trail in Malaysia's Sungai Yu ecological corridor, which plays a crucial role in connecting the two largest forested landscapes in the country - the Titiwangsa mountains and the 130-million-year-old Taman Negara rainforest, the largest national park in the country.The trek is part of a boots-on-the-ground initiative called the Cat Walk, which engages volunteers in anti-poaching patrols and reforestation work for the conservation of the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), a sub-species found only in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia. Continue reading...

Cautious optimism among experts that emissions from energy use may have peaked as net zero mission intensifiesGlobal efforts to slow a runaway climate catastrophe may have reached a critical milestone in the last year with the peak of global carbon emissions from energy use, according to experts.A growing number of climate analysts believe that 2023 may be recorded as the year in which annual emissions reached a pinnacle before the global fossil fuel economy begins a terminal decline. Continue reading...

Disastrous events included flash flooding in Africa and wildfires in Europe and North AmericaThe hottest year in recorded history casts doubts on humanity's ability to deal with a climate crisis of its own making, senior scientists have said.As historically high temperatures continued to be registered in many parts of the world in late December, the former Nasa scientist James Hansen told the Guardian that 2023 would be remembered as the moment when failures became apparent. Continue reading...

Many homes in Jimboomba are still without power. Now temperatures are nearing 40C, and more storms are forecastInside an unassuming hall in Jimboomba, north-west of Queensland's Gold Coast, Sarah Weir is offering a reprieve from the heat, cool drinks and food, wifi, and even her shoulder to cry on.There's been some tears," she says. Continue reading...

Hawaii hardest hit by loss of eight birds, with an Ohio catfish, a Pacific fruit bat and eight freshwater mussels also disappearingThe Kauai , a small black and yellow bird with glossy feathers and a haunting song, was the last surviving member of the Hawaiian honeyeaters. This year, it was officially declared extinct.The was one of 21 species that the US Fish and Wildlife Service removed from the endangered species list in 2023 because they had vanished from the wild. Gone is the little Mariana fruit bat - also known as the Guam flying fox - and the bridled white-eye, which was once one of the most common birds on that island. So too, are the Scioto madtom, a diminutive, whiskered catfish that lived in Ohio, and the Bachman's warbler, which summered in the US south and wintered in Cuba. Eight freshwater mussels in the south-east are officially extinct, as are eight Hawaiian birds. Continue reading...

Local government proposal to revive 1980s M-Bahn described as energy-hogging and vain fantasy projectPlans for a driverless magnetic train that would swoop through Berlin and carry passengers and goods are under way as part of the local government's attempts to boost the German capital's green credentials.The project, put forward by the city's new conservative-led government, is said to have sufficient political backing and, say its backers, would help Berlin achieve its goal to become net zero by 2045. Continue reading...

Conservationists say government strategy to recover England's degraded temperate rainforest is a good start but want a target to double the area by 2050Conservationists have praised the launch of a new government strategy to revive the remaining fragments of the vast temperate rainforests that were once one of the jewels of Britain's nature crown".Temperate rainforest, also known as Atlantic woodland or Celtic rainforest, once covered most of western Britain and Ireland. The archipelago's wet, mild conditions are ideal for lichens, mosses and liverworts. But centuries of destruction have meant that only small, isolated pockets remain. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Conservationists celebrated findings but warned that species and habitats are in overall decline in BritainSpectacular feeding frenzies of Atlantic bluefin tuna, surging numbers of glowworms, and a record-breaking breeding season for pied flycatchers are among the British wildlife highlights of 2023.But conservationists warned that overall wildlife continued to decline, with one in six species at risk of extinction - and that wildlife was being challenged in new ways by global heating, disease and other destructive human activities. Continue reading...

Khai Cowley, 15, was killed by a suspected great white shark off Ethel beach on the Yorke PeninsulaA teenage boy killed in a shark attack off the coast of South Australia has been remembered as a talented and dearly loved member of the surfing community.The 15-year-old, identified by friends and a family member as Khai Cowley, was mauled by a suspected great white while surfing off the remote Ethel beach on the Yorke Peninsula west of Adelaide about 1.30pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Bella Nilsson's company NMT Think Pink accused of illegally dumping tens of thousands of tonnes of wasteEleven people have been charged by a Swedish court in what is being billed as potentially the country's worst environmental crime in half a century.NMT Think Pink - a previously celebrated waste management company known for its trademark pink rubbish bags - is accused of illegally burying and dumping tens of thousands of tonnes of waste at 21 sites across 15 municipalities around Sweden, in what prosecutors described as a very serious crime". Continue reading...

In a year of historic storms, drought and the aftermath of wildfires, a Guardian reporter hit the road to see how three popular routes are faringThe romance of the American road trip has lured travelers into their cars over the last century, offering a break from itineraries and access to wild landscapes across the west. These adventures also provide one of the only ways I can visit the far-flung places I love most.They are places that are rapidly changing. From the coast to the mountains, the forest to the desert, California's long drives offer a frontline view of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Air quality improvements 2019-2022 from lowering vehicle emissions came even before scheme's expansion to whole of cityMore toxic air pollution has been averted by London's ultra-low emission zones than is produced by the capital's airports or its river and rail transport combined, according to a new analysis of the effects of the Ulez.The report showed that improvements in air quality between 2019 and 2022 from lowering motor vehicle pollution - even before the expansion of the Ulez throughout the capital since August - rivalled the potential savings from entirely cleaning up London's aviation or industrial and commercial heat and power generation. Continue reading...

Most tourists probably don't know anything about the crazy, wacky communities on the sea floor. It's an explosion of colour, it really looks like an art gallery down thereEverything down on the seafloor is amazing to me. When you think of Antarctica, you think of penguins, whales, sea and ice in a stark landscape. I love the charismatic megafauna but there are so many other interesting things in Antarctica - life on the seafloor rivals that of the Great Barrier Reef.The view above the surface is quite monochrome but underneath the organisms are oranges, yellows, pinks - there is a coral that is psychedelic purple! Most tourists that go to Antarctica probably don't know anything about the crazy, wacky communities on the sea floor - all of that intrigues me. It's an explosion of colour, it really looks like an art gallery down there. Continue reading...