Environment | The Guardian

Killing critically endangered sturgeon to extract their eggs is not only unethical but unnecessary, say advocates of a more sustainable methodThe turning point for polar and marine scientist Angela Kohler came in 2005, when she attended a demonstration on caviar production in the Caspian Sea. Bringing out a two-metre female sturgeon in front of 150 conference guests, the caviar master beat the fish on the head to death before cutting its belly open. The masters suddenly became extremely nervous," she recalls. They went on to say that the eggs were too close to spawning and so they couldn't use them as caviar. They discarded the entire fish and began the process again with a new one."The brutality of the moment is something Kohler still remembers. As an expert in environmental toxicology, she was at the conference to study the damage to sturgeon populations and the Caspian Sea caused by chemical pollution. But the experience set her on a new mission: to find a way to produce no-kill" caviar. Continue reading...

New wind and solar farms will provide about 2000MW more electricity than was available last summer

World's biggest wind power firm reported heavy losses after cancelling two US projectsThe world's biggest offshore wind developer, Denmark's Orsted, has lost two of its most senior executives after it abandoned a pair of windfarm projects off the US coast at a cost of more than 3bn.Orsted told investors that its chief financial officer, Daniel Lerup, and chief operating officer, Richard Hunter, had agreed to step down from their roles with immediate effect because the company needed new and different capabilities". Continue reading...

Government assessment says extreme weather events mean country suffers a disaster every three weeks, costing at least $1bnThe US is warming faster than the global average and its people are suffering far-reaching and worsening" consequences from the climate crisis, with worse to come, according to an authoritative report issued by the US government.An array of increasingly harmful impacts" is hitting every corner of the vast country, from extreme heat and sea level rise in Florida to depleted fish stocks and increased food insecurity in Alaska, the new National Climate Assessment has found. Continue reading...

Amber Harris woke to the sound of what she thought was somebody breaking into her car but found a tired southern elephant seal

Research shows global heating creates whiplash effect' of erratic extremes - often in poorest countriesExtreme drought in northern Italy has doubled over the past two decades, creating a climate that increasingly mirrors that of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, research shows.Analysis of satellite imagery and data by scientists reveals how global heating is creating a whiplash effect", creating erratic extremes. The analysis of climate data released by WaterAid and Cardiff and Bristol universities finds that under extreme climate pressures, areas that used to experience frequent droughts are now more prone to frequent flooding, while other regions historically prone to flooding now endure more frequent droughts. Continue reading...

Experts warn UK's regulations now lag behind those of the EU and that Britons will be exposed to more toxic chemicals as a resultThe government is to loosen EU-derived laws on chemicals in a move experts say will increase the likelihood of toxic substances entering the environment.Under new plans the government will reduce the hazard" information that chemical companies must provide to register substances in the UK. The safety information provided about chemicals will be reduced to an irreducible minimum", which campaigners say will leave the UK lagging far behind the EU". Continue reading...

Coal must be phased out seven times faster and deforestation reduced four times faster to avoid worst impacts of climate breakdown, says reportCoal must be phased out seven times faster than is now happening, deforestation must be reduced four times faster, and public transport around the world built out six times faster than at present, if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, new research has found.Countries are falling behind on almost every policy required to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite progress on renewable energy and the uptake of electric vehicles.Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks' worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030. Continue reading...

Onlookers in Bingil Bay were stunned when an adolescent cassowary emerged from the ocean and shook itself off late last month. Mandubarra traditional owner and Bingil Bay Campground host Nikita McDowell sent video of the unexpected arrival to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service after a guest told her it was swimming about 200 metres offshore. The endangered bird 'will take to the water to cross from one side of a river to the other, or if they feel threatened by domestic dogs or another cassowary through a territorial dispute', QPWS officer Stephen Clough says. McDowell was advised that it would move on when it was ready. 'I went to make a coffee and when I returned, it was gone,' she says

Former PM takes seat in Lords after return as foreign secretary; James Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman; Esther McVey to reportedly tackle wokery'ITV's Paul Brand says he has had a text with the word Rejoice" from a Tory MP celebrating the sacking of Suella Braverman.James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has been seen going into No 10, PA Media reports. Continue reading...

New portrait prize sponsor, the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, has represented the oil companyClimate campaigners have accused the National Portrait Gallery of jumping out of the reputational frying pan straight into the reputational fire" after it announced its replacement sponsor for BP is a law firm that has represented the fossil fuel company.The gallery said last year it was ending its 30-year partnership with BP after a lengthy campaign against its relationship with the oil and gas company. On Monday, it announced that the new sponsor for its portrait prize, one of the UK's most prestigious art prizes, formerly known as the BP portrait award, would be Herbert Smith Freehills. Continue reading...

Nearly 300 sq miles of water on west of Caribbean island to be designated as a reserve for endangered animalsThe tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale.Nearly 300 sq miles (800 sq km) of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will be designated as a reserve, the government announced on Monday. Continue reading...

Report says cutting emissions should still be key priority as it cautions against mass monoculture tree-plantingForest conservation and restoration could make a major contribution to tackling the climate crisis as long as greenhouse gas emissions are slashed, according to a study.By allowing existing trees to grow old in healthy ecosystems and restoring degraded areas, scientists say 226 gigatonnes of carbon could be sequestered, equivalent to nearly 50 years of US emissions for 2022. But they caution that mass monoculture tree-planting and offsetting will not help forests realise their potential.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X, formerly known as Twitter, for all the latest news and features Continue reading...

Scheme would involve abstracting water from the River Thames at Teddington and replacing it with treated sewageThames Water is facing a public backlash over a multimillion-pound water recycling" scheme promoted as a solution to tackling climate crisis-induced droughts.The technology involves using effluent from sewage treatment works, putting it through a further layer of treatment and releasing the treated water into a river, in order to replace the same amount of water that is abstracted off for drinking water. Continue reading...

Credits sourced from carbon project that was centred on biomass power plant in Xinjiang, investigation finds

A 2021 wildfire supercharged grass growth providing food for cattle, but the return of the predator has ranchers worriedA sinewy skull, two hooves and a shriveled hide are all that's left of the 650-pound cow.Wolf kill," said William McDarment, a rancher on the Tule River Reservation in Tulare county, California. Picked clean in less than a week ... See those tracks." Continue reading...

Delegates in Nairobi for talks in what experts say could be most important multilateral treaty since Paris accord The godfather of microplastics on how to stop themGovernment delegations will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, to hammer out details of what could be the first global treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.A key focus for the discussions on Monday will be whether targets to restrict plastic production should be decided unilaterally or whether states should choose their own targets; this is, say environmentalists, the centre of gravity" for the treaty's ambition. Continue reading...

Sunshine Coast locals have spent days on their hands and knees picking polystyrene balls off the beach. More than a week has passed since the balls were discovered, yet it is still unclear which government agency is responsible for leading the cleanup and investigating the cause.Reports from volunteers indicate the balls spread over at least 5km of coastline and riverbankSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Exclusive: Volunteers express frustration at lack of beach cleanup support after significant pollution event' on Sunshine Coast

Emissions by world's most polluting country could peak this year after surge in clean energy investmentsChina's carbon emissions could peak this year before falling into a structural decline for the first time from next year after a record surge in clean energy investments, according to research.Emissions from the world's most polluting country have rebounded this year after the Chinese government dropped its Covid restrictions in January, according to analysis undertaken for Carbon Brief. Continue reading...

Government says legislation designed to strengthen state's response to animal security, while critics describe move as ag-gag by stealth'

Robert Hill, Peter Garrett and former state ministers back teal MP Sophie Scamps' call on all governments to work together on transition

The French president has called for action at a climate summit in Paris attended by heads of state and scientists before Cop28France will spend 1bn (880m) on polar research between now and 2030, amid rapidly rising scientific concern over the world's melting ice caps and glaciers.A new polar science vessel will spearhead the effort, and France is calling for a moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed in polar regions, to which the UK, Canada, Brazil and 19 other countries have so far signed up. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australian scientific agency rejects ghostwriting' claims made by US law firm representing victims of Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Mark Barrow returned to the site of an earlier shoot five years later and found aquatic life devastated by sewageFive years ago, when Mark Barrow started his project to film along the 65-mile River Wharfe in Yorkshire, he captured footage of majestic shoals of grayling, the fish known as the Lady of the Stream", some 200 or 300 strong.Recently, Barrow returned to the same spot, near the historic Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds, to reshoot some video because he wasn't happy with the quality of his earlier attempt. Continue reading...

Animal welfare groups urge retailers to switch to slow-growing birds in face of record deaths last yearMore than 80 million chickens died before reaching slaughter weight in the UK last year, with mortality rates the highest for at least a decade, reveal official figures.Animal welfare organisations say the fast-growing chicken breeds that dominate production have higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease than slower-growing breeds. They are calling on retailers to switch to slower-growing breeds and provide more space for the birds. Continue reading...

Fears grow that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment in renewable energy abroadThe government has received no new applications for onshore wind farms in England since cabinet ministers eased planning rules earlier this year - in a further sign that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment abroad.So far this year, only one new project, with a single turbine, has become fully operational in England, with many more being built in the EU - and in Scotland and Wales, where planning rules are less burdensome. This is despite renewables being seen as the cleanest and safest form of power, and having wide public support. Continue reading...

Move is bad news for local environmental groups, whose motion to halt construction will be heard on 15 NovemberA federal agency that monitors water quality says it stopped measuring sediment pollution levels in a creek that runs alongside the controversial police and fire department training center known as Cop City" months ago due to safety concerns.The issue is particularly important as a local environmental group's motion to stop construction of the project will get its day in federal court on 15 November. Continue reading...

A rancher in California is training a new generation to fight fires - and foster deeper connections to the land - with farm animalsDust swirls around Brittany Cole" Bush as she coaxes dozens of stubborn sheep and goats toward a small enclosure. They aren't going willingly, but she can't help but smile.Bush is the founder of Shepherdess Land & Livestock, a ranch in the Ojai Valley that uses grazing animals to reduce the risk of wildfires in southern California. Continue reading...

Hottest US city, buffeted by extreme temperatures, sees 579 heat-related in 2023, with large proportion among unhoused peopleHeat deaths surged by 50% in Phoenix in 2023 - the deadliest year on record after extreme temperatures pummeled America's hottest city, official figures show.At least 579 people lost their lives to heat this year, with senior citizens accounting for one in three deaths, according to the year's final heat surveillance report by the medical examiner's office in Maricopa county, where Phoenix is located. Another 56 suspected heat deaths are still under investigation. Continue reading...

Charity says research dispels myth that wood burning, which has health risks, is a cheaper energy optionWood burners are a more expensive way to heat homes than gas boilers or heat pumps, research shows.A study found that as well as causing significant health and environmental dangers for the home's occupants and their neighbours, it is at least 15% more costly to heat a home using a wood burner rather than a gas boiler. Continue reading...

Developers say higher prices across their supply chains mean costs have climbed by about 40%The government is poised to offer higher subsidies for new offshore windfarms to avoid missing its green energy targets as developers grapple with a rise in supply chain costs.Ministers are expected to set out within the next week a new starting price for the next subsidy auction, which is likely to offer higher levels of support to offshore wind developers. Continue reading...

Chris Skidmore says use of negative political tactics by fellow Tory MPs is putting climate and people at riskThe Conservative party is going in a very dark direction", a Tory former minister has said, as misinformation around climate continues.Chris Skidmore, the MP for Kingswood in Gloucestershire, served as energy minister under Theresa May when she signed the target of net zero emissions by 2050 into law. He was appointed last year as Liz Truss's net zero tsar, and asked to review the UK's net zero plan, which is now being published in paperback.Mission Zero is published on 28 November by Biteback Publishing Continue reading...

A new study doubles the number of species at risk of extinction to 2m, driven by the latest data on insects. Losing these tiny creatures would have huge implications for life on EarthRead more: Number of species at risk of extinction doubles to 2 million, says studyCut an apple in half, and the white flesh reveals a cluster of black pips arranged in the shape of a star. It is a tiny constellation of seeds hidden in the fruit bowl. But it reveals an interlinked universe of pollination and nature's abundance - a delicate system, and one that can easily be thrown off course.When the apple blossoms are pollinated, seeds pump out hormones telling the plant to produce the right vitamins, minerals and rate of growth. They help formulate crunchiness, size and shape. Lose those pollinators, however, and this fragile system becomes unbalanced. If only three or four of the seeds get pollinated, our apple may grow lopsided. The nutritional value might decrease, as could the shelf-life of the fruit, turning it brown and wrinkled before its time. Continue reading...

Species now extinct in 20 counties in England due to loss of woodland scrub and milder wintersPopulations of the hazel dormouse, perhaps the most elusive native British mammal, have plummeted by 70% this century.The nocturnal, tree-dwelling animals are now extinct in 20 counties in England and the species must be reclassified as endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, according to a study by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). Continue reading...

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

As the climate crisis changes habitats across the Arctic and drives the animals closer to people, the search is under way for new ways to live togetherIt's pretty easy to know when there's a bear in your community - you hear the shots going off," says Churchill's mayor, Mike Spence. That's the conservationists' patrols - they use a 12-gauge shotgun with a noise-banger cartridge on it as a deterrent. The sound also means our people know there's a bear in the community."The town of Churchill, on the west shore of Hudson Bay in the far north of Manitoba, Canada, is known as the polar bear capital of the world. The fact that bangers" - rather than live rounds - are being used here marks a significant shift in attitudes. Back in the early 1970s, people would shoot a bear," says Spence. Now people use a shotgun to move the bear out of the community." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Lib Dems call for water companies to be more transparent with their data on sewage spillsThames Water has pumped at least 72bn litres of sewage into the River Thames since 2020 - roughly equal to 29,000 Olympic swimming pools - new figures reveal.Water firms have no legal obligation to report the amount of sewage discharged, only the number of hours that it was released. But campaigners argue this data is insufficient as this does not properly quantify how much sewage is in England's rivers. Continue reading...

National Sea Country Alliance Summit told that the agendas of environmental groups do not always align with First Nations priorities

Analysis finds concerns about environment key factor in having fewer or no children - but reasons differ around worldIt was just over a decade ago that Emma Smart and her husband, Andy, first decided they would not have children. Back then, her friends and family did not understand.When you tell people you didn't want to have children, that was a big social no-no," she recalled. And then when they asked you why, and you said for environmental reasons, that was completely unheard of. Continue reading...

Energy firm's lawsuit seeks indefinite block on protesters targeting its infrastructure

Rotifers could be accelerating risk by splitting particles into thousands of potentially more dangerous nanoplasticsA type of zooplankton found in marine and fresh water can ingest and break down microplastics, scientists have discovered. But rather than providing a solution to the threat plastics pose to aquatic life, the tiny creatures known as rotifers could be accelerating the risk by splitting the particles into thousands of smaller and potentially more dangerous nanoplastics.Each rotifer, named from the Latin for wheel-bearer" owing to the whirling wheel of cilia around their mouths, can create between 348,000 and 366,000 nanoplastics - particles smaller than one micrometre - each day. Continue reading...

Some states have implemented free school meals, and Maine has a constitutional amendment to guarantee the unalienable right to food'The US must acknowledge the right to food in order to transform its broken food system in the post-pandemic era and make it more resilient in the face of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, according to a United Nations hunger expert.Whether we're talking about right to food, food justice or food sovereignty, there has been growing momentum over the last 10 years to understand that food is not just something we just leave to be determined by what is available or by corporations or the status quo," said Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food. Continue reading...

Coyotes claim route is 100% safe', but dozens have died and Colombian coast guard have rescued more than 1,000 peopleSome time before dawn on an October morning, Jancerlin Martinez, 33, was preparing to embark on the next leg of her journey to the United States, where she hoped to join relatives in Florida. She had left Venezuela with her sister Jaerlin, 26, and brother Joencer, 19, a few days earlier, eager to provide a better future for her unborn child.Martinez had saved for two years for the trip, before traveling overland to the Venezuelan border, and then flying with her siblings to the Colombian island of San Andres. From here they planned to cross the Caribbean to Nicaragua, before continuing overland through Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Continue reading...

Report by non-profit researchers tallies incidents exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks and spillsHazardous chemical accidents are occurring almost daily, on average, in the United States, exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks, spills and other releases, according to a new analysis by non-profit researchers.The report, prepared by Coming Clean, in conjunction with a network of environmental and economic justice organizations in the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, documents what it calls an alarming frequency" of accidents, and comes a month before US regulators are expected to release final rules aimed at preventing such incidents. Continue reading...

Opposition climate and energy spokesperson had pointed to SMRs as a solution to Australia's energy needs, but experts raise questions over price tag

Government's Energy Company Obligation has managed to upgrade only 65,000 homes since April 2022, figures showLabour has attacked the Conservatives over the speed of government efforts to upgrade Britain's draughty housing stock, as analysis showed a leading household energy efficiency initiative was proceeding at what the party called a glacial pace".Just 65,000 homes have been upgraded under the government's Energy Company Obligation (Eco) scheme since it was relaunched in April last year, according to analysis of statistics released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Continue reading...

Indigenous people's parliament says action required including lower speed limits and more fencesSweden's Sami parliament is calling for more protection for reindeer after more than 10,000 were killed by motorists in the last five years, turning roadsides into animal graveyards".According to police, between October 2018 and October 2023 there were more than 10,000 road accidents in northern Sweden involving at least one reindeer, meaning the number killed is likely to be far higher. Continue reading...

Annual scorecard' of major firms insuring oil, gas and coal projects puts household names Allianz, Axa, AIG and Aegis in Top 10Insurers operating in the Lloyd's of London market are the world's biggest underwriters of fossil fuel projects, research has found.Fifty years after the insurance industry first warned about the impact of the climate crisis, it is continuing to contribute to the climate emergency, the Insure Our Future campaign, a global group of 24 NGOs, said in its annual scorecard" on 30 major insurers and their involvement in fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Attendees of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship were treated to a grab-bag of cherrypicked talking points from some speakers that ignored the risks of climate change