Ecover, backed by activist model Lily Cole, calls for fewer washes to reduce microplastics and other sources of water pollutionA company that sells cleaning products is giving customers some surprising advice: wash your clothes less.Ecover is calling for a change in our laundry habits after research found people felt under societal pressure to wash their clothes more frequently, and were unaware that this could damage the environment. Continue reading...
Though the party has plenty to celebrate at its first conference in power for 15 years, there is much work to do to on net zeroWhen Keir Starmer arrives in Liverpool this weekend promising an upbeat tone to Labour's first conference in power for 15 years, he will boast of his party's strong start to its first 82 days in government.In just the last two months, the new government has made more green reforms than Rishi Sunak did in his entire premiership and Labour has plenty to celebrate: it has taken the first steps to crack down on water companies and clean up our filthy rivers; stopping oil and gas licences, and withdrawing support for a new coalmine; setting up a new renewable company, Great British Energy; a green light for new on and offshore windfarms; and an international charm offensive to signal renewed UK leadership in climate and nature diplomacy; alongside a host of smaller changes. Continue reading...
Environment agency advised that the animal posed a danger to elderly woman in remote summer house in WestfjordsA rare polar bear that was spotted in a remote village in Iceland was shot by police after being considered a threat, authorities have said.The bear was killed in the north-west tip of the country after police consulted the national environment agency, which declined to have the animal relocated, according to the Westfjords police chief, Helgi Jensson. Continue reading...
Pennsylvania plant was site of most serious nuclear meltdown and radiation leak in US history in 1979A nuclear reactor at the notorious Three Mile Island site in Pennsylvania is to be activated for the first time in five years after its owners, Constellation Energy, struck a deal to provide power to Microsoft's proliferating artificial intelligence operations.The plant was the location of the most serious nuclear meltdown and radiation leak in US history, in March 1979 when the loss of water coolant through a faulty valve caused the Unit 2 reactor to overheat. More than four decades later, the reactor is still in a decommissioning phase. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6QX2K)
Four protesters against North Sea oil and gas licences have charges of criminal damage thrown outFour Greenpeace activists who staged a no new oil" protest on the roof of Rishi Sunak's North Yorkshire manor house have had charges of criminal damage thrown out.The activists said justice and common sense" had prevailed after a judge on Friday ruled the evidence against them was tenuous" and they had no case to answer. Continue reading...
British growers are taking a increasing share of sales long dominated by imports by focussing on green credentialsFrom the tip of Cornwall to the far reaches of Scotland, the shoots of resurgence in the British cut-flower market are raising hopes of a fledgling return to home-produced fragrant flowers becoming a bigger part of the 1bn industry in the UK.UK flower production bloomed to 179m last year, according to figures from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, up from 126m in 2019. The market has been dominated by imports, usually from Holland, for more than 50 years, but last year imports fell slightly to 761.8m from 869.1m in 2022. Continue reading...
Firefighters have been rescuing people stranded on their balconies and rooftops after Storm Boris triggered flooding and landslides in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Two people were reported missing in Traversara, a hamlet in Ravenna province, and about 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Storm Boris has battered parts of Italy after causing havoc in eastern and central Europe
Firefighters and police in Rondonia battle fires intensified by both the climate crisis and a criminal assault on the rainforestThe occupants of the vinyl-coated military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil's wild west compare the hellscape surrounding them to catastrophes old and new: the extinction of the dinosaurs, the bombardment of Gaza, the obliteration of Hiroshima during the second world war.It's as if a nuclear bomb has gone off. There's no forest. There's nothing. Everything's burned. It's chaos," said Lt Col Victor Paulo Rodrigues de Souza as he gave a tour of the base on the frontline of Brazil's fight against one of its worst burning seasons in years and a relentless assault on the greatest tropical rainforest on Earth. Continue reading...
On 20 September 2023, the Guardian launched a new digital edition for a continent in the grip of dramatic political and social change. This is what we've learned so far - and how you can help us do more
More than 400,000 people evacuated, hundreds of flights cancelled and many roads shut due to flooding and windsTyphoon Bebinca struck the east coast of China this week, making landfall near Shanghai, a city of almost 30 million people, on Monday. Bebinca developed into a typhoon to the east of the southern Japan islands late last week, before traveling westwards through the East China Sea and making landfall in Shanghai at approximately 7.30am local time (00.30BST).The Chinese media say it is the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai in 75 years. Wind speeds were reported to have reached just over 150km/h (about 94mph), making it equivalent to a category 1 hurricane, albeit just shy of a category 2 in strength. Before Bebinca, Shanghai had been hit directly by only two typhoons, one in 1949 and another in 2022, as they usually track further south. Continue reading...
Since last week, wildfires have been raging in central and northern Portugal. At least seven people have died and 50 have been injured. More than 5,000 firefighters have been mobilised to battle the blazes Continue reading...
Four bridges will allow herds to pass beneath public footpaths while visitors may catch glimpse of bison from aboveWhen Europe's heaviest land mammals were introduced into a woodland on the edge of Canterbury, it was hoped they would flourish and make space for other wildlife.But the European bison have been so successful in West Blean and Thornden Woods that more space must be made for them - in the form of Britain's first ever bison bridges. Continue reading...
The country, which has more 300 days of sunshine a year, has embraced rooftop systems that harness the sun's energyThe Thriamvos company truck pulls up at noon outside the four-storey building in the heart of Nicosia.It's the third rooftop installation of a solar-powered water heating system that Petros Mihali and his assistant, Soteris, have made in the Cypriot capital since their working day began at 7am. Continue reading...
In a Guardian interview, Tony Juniper says housebuilding plans could be an opportunity to create wild belts' around cities to help habitat and species recoveryThe collapse in British butterfly populations is a warning from nature" about the resilience of the UK's ecosystems, says England's nature chief, raising concerns about threats to national food security as the planet continues to heat.Tony Juniper, the chair of Natural England, says new data showing a sharp fall in butterfly populations this summer was probably the consequence of habitat loss and the use of pesticides, making the insects less resilient to extreme weather fluctuations: the scorching heat and wetter weather driven by global heating. Continue reading...
Student-led analyses raise concerns of conflict of interest at six universities, including Princeton, Columbia and CornellPrestigious US universities are raking in millions of dollars from fossil fuel interests, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. And one university even appears to have owned a petroleum company from which it has earned millions of dollars, according to a spate of new reports produced by student organizers.The six analyses, released Wednesday, focus on American University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Princeton University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and University of California, San Diego. They were written by campus organizers at each respective institution and released by Campus Climate Network, an international student-led coalition that is pushing colleges to cut ties with big oil. Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Jon Henley in Paris on (#6QVE5)
Meloni government accused of lacking will to confront climate crisis as floods cause havoc in Emilia-RomagnaTwo people are missing and about 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after devastating floods and landslides hit the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, prompting accusations that Giorgia Meloni's far-right government lacks the will to confront the climate crisis.The flooding was brought on by Storm Boris, which had earlier wreaked havoc in central and eastern Europe, killing at least 24 people. Several major cities in central Europe were bracing for swollen rivers to peak on Thursday but defences generally appeared to be holding. Continue reading...
Around the US, policies empower school staff to view an unpaid food tab as proof of possible abuseEarlier this year, administrators at South Mebane elementary in North Carolina sparked outrage - and a rushed community fundraising effort - after they issued a terse warning to parents in a school newsletter: students with lunch debt would not be allowed to attend an upcoming dance.Community members donated more than $4,000 in three days to ensure no students were excluded. But while the newsletter raised worries that students in the Alamance-Burlington school system might be singled out for money problems, the district's meal policy contains a far more serious warning to families: repeated failure to pay for school meals can result in a referral to child welfare services for neglect. Continue reading...
Ken Done, Jonathan Zawada, Blak Douglas and others created companion pieces to children's works celebrating sharks and rays. They're now on display at the Australian Museum Continue reading...
In West Africa, Pygmy hippos are said to carry a diamond in their mouths, which they use to light their way through the forestThe thing to know about the pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng is that she is angry, but also she is sweet. In photographs, she is often blurry and at all times, she is shiny. She secretes something known as blood sweat" which is actually her sunscreen.She is a hippopotamidae. She is stout. She runs like a piglet and has a snout like a very, very new puppy's. She is very fast. Continue reading...
by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent on (#6QVM9)
Campaigners criticise decision to scrap tax introduced in 2018 amid rise of flight shame' movementCampaigners have accused the Swedish government of doing everything in its power to stop climate action" after it cut a tax on flying, despite admitting that it would increase emissions.The flight tax, aimed at cutting pollution from aviation, was introduced in 2018, amid the rise of the flight shame" (flygskam) movement popularised by Greta Thunberg. Continue reading...
Automotive lobby group warns multibillion-euro fines' will punish manufacturers without relaxation of rulesEurope's car industry has called for the relaxation of EU emissions targets after sales of electric cars stalled further in August, adding to growing political pressure that threatens to slow the transition away from fossil fuels.The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), a lobby group, said that its members could face multibillion-euro fines" because the shift to electric production has not been quick enough to meet the EU targets. Continue reading...
Risk' analyses largely ignore the dangers of the climate crisis. Unless we wake up to them, they will soon outweigh all othersThe Irish sea captain who in 1751 discovered the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) - closely connected with, though not identical to, the Gulf Stream - found a practical use for it: he used the frigid deeper water to cool his wine.That may seem a rather frivolous response, but of course, Capt Henry Ellis had no idea that the oceanic pattern he had stumbled upon had been critical to the climate, the agriculture and indeed the entire development of western Europe. The same excuse can hardly be made for British and European governments today.Anatol Lieven is director of the Eurasia programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of Climate Change and the Nation State: The Realist Case Continue reading...
Research says flat-fee train travel would bring economic and health benefits as well as simplifying ticket faresRenationalising the railways does not go far enough - Labour should spur a rail renaissance by allowing people around the UK unlimited train travel for a flat fee, campaigners have said.Under a climate card" system, passengers could pay a simple subscription to gain access to train travel across all services. This could be effective if set at 49 a month, according to research published on Thursday, though travellers on fast long-distance trains and those on routes in and through London would need to pay a top-up to reflect the greater demand on those services. Continue reading...
Landmark research finds 244m tonnes of organic carbon is stored in top 10cm of marine sediment in British watersSeabed habitats could capture almost three times more carbon than forests in the UK every year if left undisturbed, according to a report published on Thursday.Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams) have calculated that 244m tonnes of organic carbon is stored in the top 10cm of UK seabed habitats. That includes seagrass meadows, salt marshes, kelp and mussel beds but most (98%) is stored in seabed sediments such as mud and silt. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6QTYH)
Food campaign Bite Back says 10 firms account for more carbon emissions globally than aviation industryBritain's biggest food and drink firms are doing too little to tackle the climate emergency and are producing staggering" amounts of greenhouse gases, campaigners claim.The 10 companies that manufacture more of the UK's food than anyone else produce more carbon emissions between them than even the aviation industry, a report says.Three of the firms increased their annual emissions in 2022 - Ferrero, Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo.Seven are on course to miss meeting emissions targets they have set themselves to achieve by 2050.Only four have a verifiable commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 - Danone, Mars, Mondelz and Nestle. Continue reading...
It is hoped MV Shingle, intercepted in 2014 with 32m cigarettes onboard, will benefit marine life and tourismThe valves opened, the sea gurgled in and slowly, imperceptibly at first, the ship began its journey to the bottom of the Atlantic.The 60-metre MV Shingle debuted in Ireland a decade ago as a smuggling vessel, but then became an unwanted hulk. On Wednesday afternoon it performed its swan song - scuttled off County Mayo to create an artificial reef. Continue reading...
Hosting the conference would help us overcome our colonial mentality and the fossil fuel lobby, both of which have held us back from tackling climate change
Cinnamon, a one-year-old female, escaped on Friday and has eluded inventive efforts to recapture herTo catch a rat, many call pest control. But how does one go about catching the world's largest rodent, the capybara?Zookeepers in Shropshire are wrestling with that very problem after Cinnamon, one of the furry breed native to South America, escaped. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#6QTMR)
Minister approved Thames Water project at location prioritised by Sadiq Khan for wild swimmingLabour appeared to be in disarray on Wednesday over ambitions to clean up the River Thames for swimming.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced plans to prioritise an area of the river in Teddington, south-west London, to make it safe and clean for swimming as part of a new 10-year strategy to reduce pollution in the river and encourage people to spend time in and around it. Continue reading...
Jill Stein, the party's presidential nominee, is polling at about 1%, and of 500,000 elected positions it holds just 149American politics often has wild deviations from the norms of other major democracies and one of the most striking differences is set to be on display in this year's election - the performance of its domestic Green party.There are elected Greens at the national level in the UK, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and Australia, sometimes helping form governments, and yet the US Green party has only ever had a handful of state-level representatives (it currently has none) and has never had a federal election winner. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The party talked up its plans for the climate during this summer's election - and now seems to be backing that up with real action Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.During their election campaign, Labour made it clear that the climate crisis would be a key focus should they make it into government. It looks as if they are making good on that promise. A number of senior cabinet ministers have come out this week, banging the drum for the government's climate policies and reminding the public and the media that the climate crisis and its effects are at the top of their agenda.Labour | Keir Starmer has declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times, with his total now topping 100,000 after recent support for his lifestyle from Labour donor Waheed Alli.Middle East | Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel after pagers used by its members exploded across Lebanon simultaneously, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The apparent sabotage attack followed months of targeted assassinations by Israel against senior Hezbollah leaders.Music | Sean Diddy" Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. Combs had been arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.NHS | A fifth of GPs are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to help with tasks such as writing letters for their patients after appointments, according to a survey.Aid | UK aid spending will fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the government takes urgent remedial action in the autumn budget, a group of more than 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the aid and humanitarian sector jointly warned on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Conservation group calls on government to ban insect-killing neonicotinoid pesticides outrightA national butterfly emergency" has been declared by Butterfly Conservation after the lowest Big Butterfly Count since records began.An average of just seven butterflies per 15-minute count were recorded by participants in this summer's butterfly count, the lowest in the survey's 14-year history. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#6QTBD)
Oxfam says commonsense solution' would reduce emissions and raise urgently needed climate financeFair taxes on superyachts and private jets in the UK could have brought in 2bn last year to provide vital funds for communities suffering the worst effects of climate breakdown, campaigners say.Private jet use in the UK is soaring. It was home to the second highest number of private flights in Europe last year, behind only France, according to figures from the European Business Aviation Association. Continue reading...
A network of public bodies are supposed to safeguard us from flooding. But, like old boys' clubs, they are bastions of self-interestLabour's first stage of government resembles a vast forensic excavation. As it works through the Conservatives' midden of horrors, it discovers an ever greater legacy of underinvestment, neglect and corruption. However disappointing the new government's compromises might be, we shouldn't forget how overwhelming this task must feel.So I'm sorry to expose yet another toxic stratum. It contains a series of stupendous failures in the governance of rural bodies, which, in the case I want to discuss, put human lives at risk.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Exclusive: analysis finds $800bn increase in direct support for activities including deforestation and fossil fuel useThe world is spending at least $2.6tn (2tn) a year on subsidies that drive global heating and destroy nature, according to new analysis.Governments continue to provide billions of dollars in tax breaks, subsidies and other spending that directly work against the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement to halt biodiversity loss, the research from the organisation Earth Track found, with countries providing direct support for deforestation, water pollution and fossil fuel consumption. Continue reading...
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, was denied bail and entered his plea from jail in a video arraignment TuesdayA California man has pleaded not guilty to starting a fire that authorities said ballooned into the rapidly spreading Line fire that has scorched at least 39,000 acres (15,783 hectares) and forced the evacuations of thousands of homes.Online court records show that Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, entered the plea from jail in a video arraignment Tuesday in the San Bernardino city of Rancho Cucamonga. He was denied bail and appointed an attorney, the records show. Continue reading...
by Paul Karp Chief political correspondent on (#6QSSE)
PM says Labor's nature-positive legislation provides vital certainty' and talks up mutual respect in an address before the Business Council of Australia
Charity says band are a perfect example of an act that rose through the grassroots circuit and their support really will stop venues closing'Coldplay are to donate 10% of the band's proceeds from their 2025 UK dates in London and Hull to the Music Venue Trust, the UK charity that supports grassroots music venues.Earlier this year, parliament's culture, media and sport committee heard from promoters, artists and industry body representatives about the crisis" facing the country's smaller venues, nearly all of whom backed the idea of a 1 levy being placed on tickets from concert arenas to be distributed to smaller venues. Continue reading...
Two separate reports find policies will save Americans from pollution in coming decades and added nearly 150,000 jobsThe environmental policies of Joe Biden's administration will save approximately 200,000 Americans' lives from dangerous pollution in the coming decades and have spurred a surge in clean energy jobs, two independent reports outlining the stakes of the upcoming US presidential election have found.The first full year of the Inflation Reduction Act, the sprawling climate bill passed by Democratic votes in Congress in 2022, saw nearly 150,000 clean energy jobs added, according to a new report by nonpartisan business group E2. Continue reading...
When Rob Barrett set out to survey one of the country's largest colonies in the 1970s there were too many birds to count. Now, his pictures and archive images show a species decline echoed around the worldIn the mid-1970s, seabird researcher Rob Barrett set out in a rubber boat to survey one of Norway's largest seabird colonies. Equipped with a camera and a pair of binoculars, he planned to photograph the Syltefjord colony, in the far north of the country, then, back on land, develop the photos and fit them together to create a panorama. After that, he would count the birds.As the boat drew closer to the cliffs, the gulls' chattering increased to an overwhelming level. So did the smell. The cliffs rose 100 metres above him, kittiwakes filling every nook and crevice. It continued like that for five kilometres along the coast. Continue reading...
Climate summit host positioning itself as peacemaker but is accused of ethnic cleansing and imprisoning opponentsThe host country of this year's UN climate summit, Azerbaijan, has been accused of hypocrisy in calling for a global truce to coincide with the conference taking place.Azerbaijan holds the presidency of the Cop29 summit, which will take place in its capital, Baku, from 11 November for two weeks. Heads of government from around the world are expected and more than 180 countries are likely to be represented. Continue reading...
A koala has been spotted browsing the aisles of an IGA grocery store in regional Australia. Koalas are frequent visitors to the Victorian town of Meeniyan, population 840, but it's the first time one has entered the local supermarket. After 20 minutes exploring, the marsupial was carefully removed from the store with the help of a wildlife carer