This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereNicola Sturgeon's deeply personal and revealing" memoir will be published in 2025 by Pan Macmillan, after nine publishers bid for it at auction. Lucy Knight has the story here.Zac Goldsmith, who resigned as a Foreign Office minister in June saying he could no longer support Rishi Sunak because of his apathy" on climate issues, has told the BBC that he might even back Labour as a result.My concern about the Labour party at the moment - I don't say this is a tribal politician, I'm not a tribal politician - is I think there is a blind spot on the natural environment. When the Labour party thinks environment, when it talks about the environment, it is thinking carbon - and taxation, regulation and all the things that go with that.The simple truth is there is no pathway to net zero and there's no solution to climate change that does not involve nature, massive efforts to protect and restore the natural world. Continue reading...
Countries across the globe are facing a range of extreme weather events. In Germany, snowploughs were deployed in the middle of summer to shift ice from roads after a hailstorm. Severe flooding has affected parts of Europe including Sweden and Slovenia, with hundreds of houses submerged. Human-caused climate change is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters, from heatwaves to floods to wildfires
Solar installation jobs grew by 247% since 2011, with promises of good pay and stability - but the work is grueling, and the pay is actually lowAs a child, Scott Horton dreamed of becoming a firefighter. My father worked for the post office," said Horton. My mother was a school [bus] driver." Only natural, then, that Horton would also want to enter public service.Now, at 55, with salt-and-pepper hair, transition lenses, and a sparkly stud in his left ear, some of Horton's early longings have materialized. He spends his days climbing ladders, wearing a hardhat, and scrambling around roofs. But Horton is not a firefighter; Denver's fire department disqualifies applicants with felony convictions. Instead, he is a solar panel installer, one of the few paths available to him after a 19-year stint in prison. Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips in Belém, Patrick Greenfield and age on (#6DP7F)
Eight South American presidents including Brazil's Lula say rich countries need to pledge more resources to help protect rainforestAmazon leaders have called on rich countries to help them develop a Marshall-style plan to protect the world's largest rainforest - but stopped short of committing to zero deforestation across the biome by 2030 amid divisions over oil extraction.In a joint declaration at the end of a two-day summit in the Brazilian city of Belem on Wednesday, the eight South American countries that are home to the Amazon rainforest said ensuring its survival could not be solely up to them, as resources from the forest were consumed globally. Continue reading...
Drone footage shows Russia's coldest city, Yakutsk, blanketed by smog as wildfires continue to burn in the region. Local residents explained how they 'annot open the windows at home or in the car to deal with the 'stuffiness' as it only exacerbates the problem. Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of vehicles have been deployed to tackle the wildfires raging in the area Continue reading...
Land dispossession and depravation was a mainstay strategy used by settler colonials to divide and disempower communitiesMore than a million acres of tribal land - an area larger than the state of Rhode Island - have been flooded by dams, compounding centuries of land seizures and forced displacement by settler colonials and the US government, new research has found.Land has always been central to Indigenous culture, sovereignty and prosperity, while land dispossession has been a mainstay strategy used to divide and disempower communities, by depriving Indigenous people of clean water, traditional food sources, spiritual connections and economic opportunities. Continue reading...
More than 300,000 homes and businesses in the eastern US were without power after storms passed over the region, killing at least two people and disrupting air travel. The National Weather Service highlighted the tornado risk for more than 29.5 million people across a region spanning Alabama to western New York state
Residents on island rush to buy warm clothing and heaters amid unusually cold winter weather for the Pacific nationTonga is bracing for more chilly weather as the Pacific nation shivers through one of its coldest winters ever, sparking a rush for jackets and heating units.The island has experienced unusually cold weather through July and Tonga Meteorological Services (TMS) recorded a low of 9.3 degrees Celsius at the Lapaha village weather station at the end of the month. The country's record low of 8.7C was set in September 1994. Continue reading...
Class action legal claim on behalf of 20 million householders in England and Wales could top 800m in compensationThe public could receive hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation in the first class action against water companies which are alleged to have failed to reveal the true scale of raw sewage discharges, and abused their position as privatised monopolies.A collective case against six water companies alleges they have failed to properly report sewage spills and pollution of rivers and seas to the Environment Agency and Ofwat, the regulator for England and Wales. The first of six parallel claims is against Severn Trent Water on behalf of its 8 million customers. Claims against Thames Water, United Utilities, Anglian Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water are being brought in the coming months. Continue reading...
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sets out ambitious programme to repair damage done by Bolsonaro and tackle environmental crimeThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has vowed to haul the Amazon out of centuries of violence, economic plundering" and environmental devastation and into a new Amazon dream", at the start of a major regional summit on the world's largest rainforest.Addressing South American leaders gathered in the Brazilian city of Belem, Lula offered a bold blueprint for the future of the Amazon, a 6.7m sq km region that is home to nearly 50 million people spread across eight countries and one territory. Continue reading...
Conclave represents handbrake turn in Brazilian government policy since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took powerThe leaders of Amazon nations including Brazil, Colombia and Peru have gathered in the Brazilian city of Belem for a rare conclave about the future of the world's largest rainforest amid growing concern over the global climate emergency.The environmental summit - convened by Brazil's leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - represents a handbrake turn in Brazilian government policy after four years of Amazon destruction and international isolation under the country's previous leader, Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...
Amazon nations' leaders have gathered in the Brazilian city of Belem for a rare summit about the future of the world's largest rainforest amid growing concern over the global climate emergency. The environmental summit convened by Brazil's leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, represents a handbrake turn in Brazilian government policy after four years of Amazon destruction under the country's previous leader, Jair Bolsonaro. In the run-up to the summit, thousands of Indigenous people gathered to protest and demand the government pledge a greater commitment towards protecting the rainforest. Activists have warned Brazil's ultra-right congress could prevent the president from carrying out his ambitious environmental agenda
The Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon monument - home to several Native tribes - will be protected from uranium miningJoe Biden signed the proclamation establishing a national monument in Arizona on Tuesday, surrounded by a small crowd of Indigenous leaders and lawmakers who have championed permanently protecting the land.It's not hyperbole to suggest there is no national treasure, none grander, than The Grand Canyon," the president said on Tuesday, describing the valley as God's cathedral". Continue reading...
Global average temperature exceeded previous record by substantial marginJuly has been confirmed as the hottest month on record globally after several heatwaves in parts of Europe, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).The global average temperature was 16.95C last month, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 by a substantial 0.33C. Temperatures exceeded 40C last week in several countries across Europe including Greece, France, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...
Wild Justice says government initiative to relocate broods away from grouse moors rewards past crimes' of illegal killingA 900,000 government scheme to meddle" with nests of hen harriers is a waste of money and rewards those who kill them, a wildlife campaign group has said.The claims are contained in a report produced by Wild Justice and released to coincide with the Glorious Twelfth, the official start of the grouse shooting season, on Saturday. Continue reading...
Landslides, a stranded town and two deaths so far reported as extreme weather sweeps across south of the countryA powerful storm has brought destruction to Norway, causing landslides and leaving an entire town stranded, as meteorologists warned of the strongest rainfall in a quarter of a century.The storm - named Storm Hans - has killed two people, ripped off roofs and caused widespread disruption across northern Europe in a summer that started with wildfires across much of the region. Continue reading...
The US national weather service detected at least one tornado as severe storms struck southern Indiana. Video footage taken by Salem's fire department shows gusts of wind and lightning hitting the city, with wind speeds reaching 90mph. Storms across eastern US have caused damage to homes and triggered power cuts. More widespread rain and thunderstorms are expected
Experts say larger-than-normal hole could cause further warming of Southern Ocean and heighten damaging effects of 2022 Tonga volcano eruptionThe hole in the ozone layer has begun to form early this year, prompting warnings that a larger-than-average hole may further warm the Southern Ocean while the level of Antarctic sea ice is at a record low.Satellite data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts suggests the hole has already begun to form over Antarctica.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Fire has scorched thousands of hectares of land and forced precautionary evacuation of 1,400 peopleHundreds of firefighters are scrambling to put out a blaze raging in southern Portugal that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and led to the precautionary evacuation of about 1,400 people.The wildfire, which is being tackled by more than 800 firefighters, started on Saturday in the municipality of Odemira in the Alentejo region but has since spread south towards the Algarve, one of Portugal's top tourist destinations. Continue reading...
by Adam Morton Climate and environment editor on (#6DN3K)
Energy giants reject Australian Conservation Foundation's infrared video investigation which claims gas leaks and venting at dozens of mines and facilities
Infrared videos show gas leaking or being vented from more than 100 places across 35 fossil fuel sites in Queensland and New South Wales, according to an investigation by environmental organisations. The Australian Conservation Foundation commissioned the US-based Clean Air Task Force, a global nonprofit, to use new technology to monitor if methane was leaking from coalmines and gas facilities owned by energy giants Santos and Origin and pipeline company Jemena. The organisations said the videos were recorded over a four-week period in which they visited 80 sites to take a snapshot of Australia's fossil fuel infrastructure. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the global heating impact of CO2 over a 20 year period when released into the atmosphere
The results of the Nature inFocus photography awards were announced at the Nature inFocus festival held at Jayamahal Palace in Bengaluru, India, on Monday 31 July. The awards honour photographers documenting unique natural history moments and critical conservation issues, and generate an impressive catalogue of imaginative and artistic images every year Continue reading...
City dwellers just as likely to be too shy or lazy' to solve puzzle for food as their country cousins, study findsFrom rooting through our rubbish to stealing shoes and garden gloves, urban foxes are renowned for their intrepid behaviour. But although city life may have made them bolder than their country cousins, they are no more cunning - and most are likely to be too lazy to persevere at a problem to obtain food, research suggests.Globally, red foxes are among the most successful carnivores, and the number living in British towns and cities has exploded in recent years. But while some researchers have suggested that urbanisation might be making foxes and other wildlife bolder and smarter, few studies have directly tested how they compare with rural foxes when confronted with the same challenges. Continue reading...
No 10 backtracks on minister's claim 500 asylum seekers could be on barge by end of weekAccording to a report in the Times, Liz Truss named 16 people on her original honours list - four for peerages, and 12 people getting other honours. Two people have declined, but there are still 14 names on the list, the Times says, one person for every four days she was in office.The Labour MP Chris Bryant says resignation honours lists should be abolished. Continue reading...
World's tiniest marine mammal - found only in the Gulf of California in Mexico - has only 10 individuals left, study findsThe International Whaling Commission has issued the first extinction alert" in its 70-year history, to warn of the danger facing the vaquita, the world's tiniest and most critically endangered marine mammal.A recent study shows that the small porpoise, found only in the Gulf of California in Mexico, has only 10 individuals left. It has been driven to the edge of extinction due to entanglement in fishing nets known as gillnets", which are now illegal in the area. Continue reading...
Tyre Extinguishers claim responsibility for attack to highlight presence of grossly inappropriate private vehicles' on roadsAnti-SUV activists used a power drill to sabotage the tyres of more than 60 4x4 vehicles at a car dealership, in an attack they described as a reprisal for the deaths of two girls in a crash at a primary school last month.In the early hours of Monday morning, activists crept on to the forecourt of the Vertu Jaguar showroom in Exeter. They told the Guardian they went from vehicle to vehicle drilling holes in the sidewalls of all four tyres on each, so they must be replaced. Continue reading...
Soggy July has affected wheat, barley and hay crops as waterlogged soil makes some harder to harvestThe unseasonably wet weather is causing problems for this year's harvest, experts have said, with wheat, barley and hay crops affected.Many farmers have been signed up to a nature-friendly scheme called Mid Tier, which does not allow hay to be cut until July to help wildlife. Continue reading...
Oarfish swim vertically, moving up and down and side to side like a cursor. It would be easier to believe they do not existA giant oarfish, also known as the king of herrings", is an eight-metre long ribbon of silver, tapered at its tail and on its head wearing a permanently stunned face - as though moments ago it was a normal herring and then the world's largest chef slapped it down on a benchtop and rolled over it with a rolling pin.
by Dharna Noor and Kristi Swartz of Floodlight on (#6DM35)
Lobbying group's pushback is out of step with voters and raises questions about industry commitment to reducing pollutionThe main lobbying group for US electric utilities plans to oppose a Biden administration proposal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from existing gas power plants, raising questions about the industry's commitment to reducing planet-heating pollution.The pushback will put the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) out of step with many of its members' stated commitments to cut emissions, critics say. It also runs counters to the US voters' political views based on new polling shared exclusively with the Guardian and Floodlight.This story is co-reported with Floodlight, a news nonprofit that partners with local outlets and the Guardian to investigate the corporate and ideological interests holding back climate action. Continue reading...
Park bosses condemn bonkers' proposition that they say would cause untold damage to our landscapes'England's national parks would be destroyed" by proposed government rules that would allow landowners to convert barns into houses without planning permission, critics have said.The levelling up department has launched a consultation into new legislation that would change permitted development rights to allow farmers to turn agricultural buildings into homes. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6DM1B)
Exclusive: Ideal Heating's 50m investment aims to build 60,000 pumps and train 5,000 installers a yearOne of Britain's biggest boiler makers is to start manufacturing electric heat pumps to keep pace with what it describes as the biggest transformation since the switch from coal to gas devices in the 1930s.Ideal Heating has invested 50m in transforming the manufacturing facilities at its Hull headquarters, which have produced fossil fuel boilers for more than a century. Continue reading...
Electric ships, hydrogen, air lubrication' and even good old wind power are reducing emissions, but campaigners say true change will take guts'The passenger ferry MV Sea Change is due this month to make its maiden voyage across San Francisco Bay. But it won't be the usual hour-long chug for the 75 passengers travelling north to Vallejo, California. Guests might notice how quiet the engine is - and they could even drink the emissions it releases.That's because MV Sea Change is the first commercial ferry to be powered not by the usual diesel engine but entirely from hydrogen. Its only emission is pure water. Continue reading...
Reduction in primary forest loss in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Brazil and Colombia, offers hope for tropical forests across the worldFalling deforestation rates in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia and Brazil could provide a boost to climate and biodiversity efforts, experts say, in the run-up to a key summit on the future of the Amazon rainforest.In the coming days, the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will host a pan-Amazonian summit on the future of the world's largest rainforest, with leaders from Venezuela to Peru hoping to present a plan at Cop28 to halt their destruction. Experts have said if rich countries provide backing to tropical forested countries it could help governments deliver on Cop26 promises to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Will a court case over wild camping on Dartmoor spark bigger campaigns to open up more private green space? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Camping - especially wild camping, outside a designated site - is a fairly Marmite activity. For some, it is an adventure that connects them with the natural world. For others, it is a laborious, uncomfortable, unsanitary pursuit. Regardless of individual sensibilities, however, most people support the right of others to roam and wild camp.However, this is not quite reflected in the current legislation. Only 8% of England is covered by the right to roam", an ancient custom that allows anyone to wander in open countryside, no matter who owns it. For centuries there has been a growing conflict between those who are in favour of it, and those who would like to restrict access to private land.Politics | MPs have been paid 10m from second jobs and freelance work over the past year, a Guardian analysis has found. The analysis looked at all MPs who made more than 1,000 in the past year, with the final tally largely driven by the size of Boris Johnson's earnings as well as former Tory ministers taking up a slew of highly paid rolesPolice | The only events for which Metropolitan police chiefs authorised the potential use of baton rounds in the past six years were black-led gatherings, documents show. The weapons, intended to be a less lethal alternative to regular firearms, have been cleared for use at Notting Hill carnival since 2017 and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.Niger | The west African country closed its airspace on Sunday until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from a regional bloc after coup leaders rejected a deadline to reinstate the country's ousted president.Film | Barbie has broken the US$1bn mark since its debut more than two weeks ago. Barbie is now the biggest movie to be directed by one woman, supplanting Wonder Woman's $821.8m global total, and Greta Gerwig is the first woman to reach the US$1bn as a solo female director.Sinead O'Connor | A fleeting installation honouring Sinead O'Connor has been unveiled on a hillside overlooking the Irish seaside town of Bray, where she is to be buried on Tuesday. A message in 30ft-tall letters spelling out EIRE SINEAD" appeared on Sunday. Continue reading...
Clean-up operations continue after rainfall destroys infrastructure and floods entire districts in aftermath of Typhoon DoksuriAt least 14 people are dead after torrential rain hit China's north-eastern Jilin province, state media has reported, in the latest fatalities from more than a week of weather-related disasters across the country.Thousands of troops have been sent into affected areas of Jilin and neighbouring Heilongjiang to assist with the flood response, evacuations, distributing supplies and fixing damaged roads. State media outlet Xinhua said about 2,000 soldiers and 5,000 members of the People's Armed Police paramilitary force had been deployed. Continue reading...
Release of contaminated water from the damaged nuclear plant has been criticised by fishers and countries in the regionJapan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean as soon as late August, Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Monday, citing unnamed government sources.The release is likely to come shortly after the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, meets the US president, Joe Biden, and the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, next week in the US, where Kishida planned to explain the safety of the water in question, it reported. Continue reading...
This video 'hyperlapse' follows the 145km Canberra Centenary Trail. The journey starts at the doors of Parliament House, invades the pitch at a Big Bash cricket match, and culminates with a stunning ride in a hot air balloon. It took videographer David Fanner a year to complete the project. He told the Guardian his aim was to 'capture the immersive experiences of a long-distance hike in a way the typical highlight reel approach doesn't'. He said he also wanted to showcase the stunning beauty that Canberra, in Ngunnawal and Ngambri country, has to offerSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Labour leader claims Conservatives' onshore turbine ban costs families 180 each and makes UK reliant on gas importsKeir Starmer has condemned the prime minister's climate policies, declaring the failure to invest in renewables such as wind turbines a gift to Putin".The Labour leader also described the Conservatives' onshore wind ban as ludicrous" and said it now means every family in the country is paying 180 more on their energy bills. Continue reading...
Campaigners voice hopes and fears for the rainforest before leaders of eight Amazon nations attend summit in BelemThousands of Indigenous activists and environmentalists have converged in one of the Amazon's biggest cities to voice their hopes and fears about the future of the world's biggest rainforest.The Brazilian city of Belem will this week host a two-day conclave bringing together the presidents of eight Amazon nations including Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. Continue reading...
Environment secretary says party is still committed to net zero, after Rishi Sunak's promise to max out' gas and oil reservesThe Conservative party has not given up its green agenda, the environment secretary has said.Therese Coffey said the party must show that it cared about the environment and insisted that despite the noise over the last week", the government was still committed to reaching net zero by 2050. Continue reading...
by Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent on (#6DKHW)
Over 80 public figures tell museum's director it would send a powerful message' on fossil fuel sponsorshipThe British Museum is facing demands to remove BP's name from its lecture theatre to send a powerful message" about fossil fuel sponsorship.The museum did not renew its deal with the energy firm this year after 27 years of BP funding exhibitions and other activities. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian