UK conservation zoo says cubs give hope for species facing illegal trading and habitat loss in the wildThe birth of twin red panda cubs at Whipsnade zoo offers double hope for the species" whose existence is under threat, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has said.ZSL, which runs the zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, announced the birth of the twins on Wednesday. They were born last month on 25 June at Whitstable to the red pandas Ruby and Nilo, and will be given names after their first vet visit at eight weeks. Continue reading...
Patrick Vallance and Laura Sandys believed to be candidates for one of most senior climate policy jobsAt least 60 people have applied to be the next chair of the Committee on Climate Change, with the government planning to appoint a new head in November, the Guardian has learned.Several of the most likely candidates for the role - one of the most senior jobs in the field of UK climate policy - have been ruled out or ruled themselves out. Continue reading...
The former New York Times recipe columnist is pitching investors the chain of his wildest dreams, with no specific menu: Community Kitchen, or non-profit restaurantsAt 73, with close-cropped silver hair and a propensity to toss off a nebbishy shrug, Mark Bittman isn't ready to settle into retirement. After more than a decade of writing a wildly popular New York Times recipe column, The Minimalist, as well as more than a dozen cookbooks, countless opinion pieces that tapped into his despair over our broken food system and his passion for food policy, and most recently, the 2021 book Animal, Vegetable, Junk, a sweeping account of the history of food, he finds himself yearning for something more.You write the same thing over again and nothing changes," Bittman said. I kind of thought, you know, I'm not as enthusiastic about this kind of journalism as I was. I'd like to do something more concrete." Continue reading...
Outdoor workers express anger and fear of potential repercussions after governor rescinds mandatory breaks amid extreme heatEva Marroquin is an outdoor worker who cleans up construction sites in the Austin area, where temperatures have surpassed 100F (38C) every day for weeks. In the summertime, it's common for Marroquin to feel blistering heat as early as 8.30 in the morning. She is required to wear stifling layers of protective clothing.She has seen workers pass out from working in dangerous weather conditions, and she herself has experienced heat exhaustion at least three times during her career. I'd get really red in the face and feel very lethargic, like I didn't have any strength to move, with my heart palpitating really fast," she said. Marroquin relies on regular water breaks to get some relief. Continue reading...
With the Netflix documentary The Deepest Breath wowing audiences, the activity is having its biggest cultural moment since Luc Besson's film The Big Blue. But if freediving wants to break into the mainstream like surfing once did, it has some questions to answerUnlike the lithe, wetsuited mermen and women in The Deepest Breath, the newly released documentary, frustration was the main note of my first experience of freediving at sea. It was another eternal Mediterranean morning and - in a region off the coast of France near Montpellier where the sediment from the Rhone often clouds the waters - there was even a little visibility down below.But try as I might, I couldn't get beyond the surface water to break into the big blue below. As soon as I descended more than five or six metres, I was no longer able to blow air through to my left ear and equalise it to the growing pressure of the water around it. Any further down and it was like someone jamming a sharp pencil into my ear canal. Continue reading...
Mandate for carmakers to sell increasing number of zero-emissions vehicles could be weakened, business secretary hintsKemi Badenoch has suggested electric vehicle mandates could hamper investment in Britain and lead to job losses, in a sign that another of the government's green pledges is in doubt.The business secretary was discussing the automotive industry's concerns about a rule to be introduced in January that will require manufacturers to ensure at least 22% of new sales in the UK are of emissions-free models, rising each year to reach 80% by 2030. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville, Oliver Milman, Nina Lakhani and Aj on (#6DEY3)
Australian mining entrepreneur Andrew Forrest criticises clickbait' fossil fuel plans as others say Britain has lost credibilityThe billionaire Australian mining tycoon and investor Andrew Forrest has led international condemnation of the UK's new oil rush, saying he would pull his major investment from the country if the prime minister pursued clickbait" fossil fuel policies.The iron ore magnate, who also runs the Minderoo Foundation philanthropic organisation, threatened to move his investments out of the UK over Rishi Sunak's swivel towards new oil and gas drilling. Continue reading...
by Nicola Slawson (now); Caroline Davies (earlier) on (#6DEPF)
This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereOpposition parties say the government is failing to act as oil companies continue to rake in massive profits, despite oil and gas prices coming down from last year's highs.BP on Tuesday reported net profits of $2.6bn (2bn) for the three months to the end of June.These figures demonstrate the continuing scandal of the Tory failure to act on the windfalls of war being pocketed by the oil and gas producers.Labour would bring in a proper windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis, alongside our plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower so we can lower bills for families and businesses.The government shouldn't be hoodwinked to remove the windfall tax by this profit drop. Let's be frank, these are still huge.No family should go cold next winter because the government backed down on taxing the likes of BP. Continue reading...
The Philippines was hit with torrential rain over seven days, brought by Typhoon Doksuri and intensified by Typhoon Khanun. Low-lying villages to the north of the country were the worst affected, houses were left submerged in water and residents were forced to travel by small wooden boats and roads were inundated. The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, vulnerable to high winds and torrential downpours
Objects are vanishing from historic wrecks as sport divers and criminal gangs loot well-preserved sunken shipsAmong the rocky shores and wooden summerhouses of Dalaro, an exclusive Swedish summer retreat, there was little to indicate anything other than a typical summertime scene on the Stockholm archipelago.It was only as the coastguard boat reached a discreet yellow buoy that there was any suggestion of the 17th-century shipwreck lying, preserved, 30 metres beneath it. STOP," read a sign. Marine cultural reserve." Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Chief political correspondent on (#6DEVG)
Creature railed against by ex-prime minister could thwart planning application for Oxfordshire homeBoris Johnson may finally be out of political hot water, but plans to erect an outdoor swimming pool at his Oxfordshire home have been disrupted by a population of great crested newts.Since leaving frontline politics, the former prime minister has been keen to press ahead with improvements to the home he purchased in May and has been living in with his wife, Carrie, and their three children. Continue reading...
The US south-west's Medjool dates are descended from 11 plants brought from Morocco 100 years agoThe air feels like an oven this time of year in the Bard valley. The temperature has reached over 110F every day for weeks now - some days coming close to 120F - forcing most residents of the agricultural valley, nestled at the intersection of the Arizona, California and Mexican borders, inside. But the date palms at Sun Garden Farms love it.As a heatwave rolls across the south-west, leaving cities like Phoenix and Death Valley national park experiencing record-setting temperatures, crops are wilting in the extreme heat - leaving many farmers worried their yields will fall come harvest. But here, the heat, however extreme it feels, is welcomed. Dates are built for desert climates and the temperature will help the fruits ripen as their sugars develop. Continue reading...
Fears of new high death toll this year as prolonged heatwave causes spike in hospitalizations from people who work outsideThe punishing heatwaves that have scorched much of the US could result in a record number of heat-related deaths this year, experts have warned, amid a spike in hospitalizations from collapsing workers.Among those needing hospital treatment are heat-exhausted hikers and even people who have suffered severe burns from touching blistering concrete and asphalt. Continue reading...
Naturalists decry extinction of species as loss of habitat, poaching and illegal hunting take tollFor centuries, wolves have roamed the mountain ranges of Andalucia in southern Spain, but after years of decline the creature has been officially declared extinct in the region.Since 2003, the regional government has carried out a census of the wolf (Canis lupus signatus) population in an effort to monitor the species and reduce conflict with the local population, farmers in particular. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6DEPE)
Exclusive: Long list of sensitive' topics for petrostate include oil and gas production, emissions and Yemen war crimesA comprehensive list of touchy and sensitive issues" for the United Arab Emirates, which is running the next UN climate summit, has been revealed in a document leaked to the Guardian.The document sets out the government-approved strategic messages" to be used in response to media requests about the issues, which range from the UAE's increasing production of oil and gas to people trafficking. Continue reading...
At least 11 people have been killed in Beijing after four days of torrential downpours, according to Chinese state media. A further 27 people have been reported missing since Typhoon Doksuri triggered widespread flooding in the north of the country.Authorities in the capital have closed more than 100 mountain roads and evacuated at least 52,000 people from their homes in recent days. The military is coordinating rescue missions and delivering aid to residents in the worst-hit suburbs amid one of the strongest storms to hit China in years. Meteorologists have warned of further flooding as heavy rain continues
In South Korea, 12 people died from heat-related deaths last weekend, while in Japan, three people died including a 13 year-old on her way back from schoolTwelve people have died from heat-related causes in South Korea as it swelters through a heatwave, while in Japan it emerged a 13-year-old girl had died from heatstroke on her way back from a school club.South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that at least five of those who died over the weekend were farmers, and at least seven were over 70, including some in their 90s. Most of the country has been under a heatwave warning - issued when temperatures pass 35C - since Tuesday. Over the previous week, three people are believed to have died from heat-related causes. Continue reading...
Animal, found lounging in a Burbank neighborhood, climbed over a wall and headed back after it was done relaxingWith temperatures soaring across the US, people and animals alike are looking for a place to find relief. In southern California, one bear sought to beat the heat by taking a dip in a hot tub.On Friday, police in Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood. The bear was filmed calmly lounging in the hot tub. After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement. Continue reading...
by Severin Carrell, Peter Walker and Helena Horton on (#6DECY)
Prime minister unveils plan to authorise more than 100 new North Sea licences on visit to ScotlandRishi Sunak has pledged to max out" the UK's oil and gas reserves as he revealed a new round of intensive North Sea drilling, which experts said could be catastrophic for the climate.Unveiling a plan to authorise more than 100 new North Sea licences on a visit to north-east Scotland, the prime minister also indicated he would approve drilling at the UK's largest untapped reserves in the Rosebank field, which hold 500m barrels of oil. Continue reading...
US tree nurseries do not grow enough trees and lack the plant species diversity to meet ambitious plans, research saysIn an effort to slash carbon emissions and provide relief from extreme heat, governments across the nation and globally have pledged to plant trees. But the US is not equipped with the tree seedlings to furnish its own plans, according to a new study.US tree nurseries do not grow nearly enough trees to bring ambitious planting schemes to fruition, and they also lack the plant species diversity those plans require, according to research published in the journal Bioscience on Monday, Continue reading...
York fire, with zero containment Sunday evening, one of two major blazes burning in California as region faces hot and dry weatherA huge wildfire burning out of control in California's Mojave national preserve is spreading rapidly amid erratic winds and high temperatures.The York Fire erupted on Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the wildland preserve. It crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley. Continue reading...
by Aletha Adu, Peter Walker and Ben Quinn on (#6DE47)
Many Conservatives concerned that push to woo motorists will alienate voters concerned about climateRishi Sunak must resist pressure and avoid backtracking on Britain's net zero goals or risk losing the support of an environmentally responsible electorate, Conservative MPs have warned.Many Tory MPs are privately very concerned that the prime minister's desperation to appear on the side of motorists could see him lose sight of the country's climate commitments. Many have, however, stopped short of publicly criticising him. Continue reading...
UN agency says Italian city faces irreversible' damage from effects of climate crisis and tourismVenice risks being placed on the Unesco world heritage site blacklist unless the Italian authorities do more to protect the fragile city.The United Nations cultural agency has recommended that Venice be added to the heritage danger list, saying in a statement on Monday that the city faced irreversible" damage due to a litany of problems ranging from the effects of climate breakdown to mass tourism. Continue reading...
by Damien Gayle Environment correspondent on (#6DE16)
Ministers urged to learn from success of single-use bag fee, amid criticism that other measures have been delayedEnvironmental campaigners have called on the government to learn from its own successes after official figures showed the use of single-use supermarket plastic bags had fallen 98% since retailers in England began charging for them in 2015.Annual distribution of plastic carrier bags by seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said on Monday. Continue reading...
The govnerment's former net zero tsar says Sunak's announcement is the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time'The Labour MP Jess Phillips has said the criminal justice system has suffered from total collapse and calamity", with her party claiming that more than 90% of crimes go unsolved.The MP for Birmingham Yardley and shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that criminals have never had it so good", adding:People don't expect anyone to be caught.The Home Office has watched while charging has dwindled over the years so that 90% of crimes currently go unsolved.This is about maxing out our oil and gas reserves and that means that we will be much more energy secure and less dependent on hostile actors like Vladimir Putin.The independent climate change committee understands that fossil fuels will play a major role in our energy base for years to come so we think it's essential that that fossil fuel comes from British water, ensuring the revenue comes to the British exchequer rather than paying to import, which would have a higher CO emission and rely on sometimes hostile foreign powers.I don't recognise that. We are committed to reaching net zero by 2050.We were the first parliament in the world to legislate for that. Carbon capturing plays a major role in delivering that. Continue reading...
The UK prime minister visited Aberdeenshire on Monday to announce more than 100 new licences for drilling oil and gas in the North Sea. Rishi Sunak insisted the announcement was 'entirely consistent with our plan to get to net zero', adding that domestic oil and gas saved 'two, three, four times the amount of carbon emissions' of 'shipping it from halfway round the world'. Environmental groups said the licences would obliterate the UK's climate commitments. Jess Ralston from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said it would jeopardise the UK's international standing on the climate emergency, adding that the government would export oil and gas 'to the highest bidder'
Dartmoor National Park Authority had appealed against January high court ruling that outlawed practiceWild camping is once again allowed on Dartmoor after the national park won a successful appeal against a ruling in a case brought by a wealthy landowner.Camping had been assumed to be allowed under the Dartmoor Commons Act since 1985, until a judge ruled otherwise in January. It was the only place in England such an activity was allowed without requiring permission from a landowner. Continue reading...
Two people have reportedly been killed by severe flooding that has engulfed parts of Beijing after Typhoon Doksuri struck the Chinese capital. More than 31,000 people had been evacuated from the city as heavy rain continued to fall there, and in Hebei, Tianjin and eastern Shanxi, as the typhoon dissipated over northern China
The Penny chain has raised the prices of products including wiener sausage, cheese and yoghurtA leading discount supermarket in Germany has raised the prices of a selection of its products to reflect their real cost on people's health and the environment.In a week-long experiment in all 2,150 branches of the Penny chain, a range of nine products, mainly dairy and meat, will be priced at what experts from two universities have deemed to be their true cost, in relation to their effect on soil, climate, water use and health. Continue reading...
It could take years for the federal regulator Osha to set new heat rules as excessive temperatures are killing Americans at workBig-business lobbyists, including big agricultural and construction groups, are pushing to water down or stymie efforts at the federal and state levels to implement workplace heat protection standards.This summer, millions in the US have been exposed to some of the hottest days on record, inciting renewed urgency for federal protections from heat exposure for US workers. The Biden administration has proposed federal heat protections for workers. But those rules face stiff opposition and could take several years to be finalized under current rule-making processes and laws. They could even be scrapped depending on the outcome of 2024's election. Continue reading...
How a citizen vigilante in West Virginia uses his drone to uncover polluters who would rather stay hiddenCoal has stalked Junior Walk his entire life. He remembers his elementary school in the mountainous southern reaches of West Virginia being caked in coal dust, and the representatives from the nearby mine showing up to hand them out mollifying squeezable toys in the shape of lumps of coal.That school was subsequently shuttered and is now wreathed in weeds, a replacement established a few miles away to escape the shadow of the mine. Walk's childhood home sits a few hundred yards from another mine, Black Eagle, that spectacularly disgorges coal via a conveyer belt into a huge heap by the main road, like a sort of Stygian waterfall. Continue reading...
The Canadian town of Osoyoos has been ordered to evacuate after a wildfire crossed the border from the US state of Washington. Firefighters are using water cannon from planes to try to control the blaze, which local authorities estimate to be 885 hectares (2,200 acres) in size Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: The prime minister has tactically retreated from talking about the environment - but is it a route to electoral success? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. A sense of despondency is permeating Conservative party HQ. The government is flailing after losing two byelections and winning a third by the narrowest of margins. Inflation is not coming down as quickly as they would have hoped. The party's small boats bill suffered a series of defeats in the House of Lords last month, as Channel crossings by people seeking asylum hit record highs. And senior Tories are expecting MPs to quit in droves before the next election after years of political chaos and turmoil have left them exhausted.Rishi Sunak knows that, with an election looming, he needs to come up with a strategy and create a clear dividing line between his party and Labour. And it seems as though the lesson the prime minister has taken from that slim byelection victory in Uxbridge and South Ruislip - where opposition to an extension of London's ultra-low emission zone formed the central plank of the campaign - is that taking aim at the green agenda is a route to electoral success. Sunak has suggested that his government is willing to roll back, delay and even abandon climate policies that could come at a cost to consumers - and spent the weekend burnishing his pro-car credentials, with plans to restrict local councils' ability to institute a host of traffic calming and environmental measures.Society | The financial cost of the Grenfell Tower disaster has reached nearly 1.2bn - 4,000 times the amount that was saved by replacing fire-retardant cladding with a cheaper combustible alternative during the disastrous refurbishment. Most of the cost is coming from the public purse, dwarfing the compensation to the bereaved and survivors paid by companies involved in wrapping the west London council's block in combustible materials.Pakistan | At least 44 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a bomb blast in the north-west of Pakistan that targeted a political party gathering. Police said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomb, adding that the initial investigations suggested the Islamic State group (IS) could be behind the attack, though investigations are ongoing. No group has claimed responsibility.NHS | A leading spinal surgeon's botched operations left patients with serious blood loss, long-term pain and mobility problems, a damning report has revealed. It found that John Bradley Williamson's unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour" severely or moderately harmed 20 patients at Salford Royal hospital, once regarded as one of England's safest.Finance | The biggest regulatory shake-up of UK retail financial services for two decades will come into force on Monday in an effort to crack down on rip-offs and poor customer service. Experts are predicting that some older financial products that do not meet the new standards are likely to be removed from sale.Policing | The Metropolitan police is expanding its use of precision policing", an approach that uses crime data to focus police activity, in an effort to remove some of the most serious criminals from the streets. Continue reading...
Laughing owl and bush wren among five extinct birds added to list of contenders in popular - and controversial - annual contestNew Zealand's fiercely competitive and often controversial bird of the year competition will be replaced this year by a bird of the century contest that will include extinct species to highlight the threats to native wildlife.This year five extinct species will be included among the 75 contenders, to bring attention to the pressures facing the natural world. In New Zealand, 82% of birds are threatened with extinction. Continue reading...
Concerns over water quality have discouraged a quarter of summer bathers from taking the plungeAlmost a quarter of the UK's sea swimmers may not take a dip in the ocean this year because of sewage dumping by water companies, according to a poll.Sewage was dumped into waters near England's most celebrated beaches for nearly 8,500 hours last year, analysis shows. A separate review earlier this year found there were 1,504 discharges in 2022 on beaches supposed to be free from such pollution. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Deputy political editor on (#6DDDZ)
Visit to Aberdeenshire intended as chance for PM to criticise opposition with reports he could announce 100 new drilling licencesRishi Sunak is to make a visit to north-east Scotland focused on North Sea energy that is intended to draw a dividing line between the government and Labour's plan to ban new oil and gas projects.While No 10 said in advance only that the prime minister would use the trip to Aberdeenshire to commit to policies connected to energy security and net zero, he is expected to announce funding for a planned carbon capture scheme in the region. Continue reading...
Whitehall watchdog gives red rating to set of measures aimed to bring net-zero goals, amid backlash over retreat on climate policyRishi Sunak has been accused of showing disregard for the climate crisis after Whitehall officials warned that some of his key green pledges were already unachievable.With the prime minister facing a backlash within his own party after appearing to row back from his commitment to green policies, an internal government audit found that a series of measures designed to help meet Britain's net zero goals had been allowed to run off course. Continue reading...
Last-minute agreement reached at ISA meeting in Jamaica to discuss moratorium at next year's talksAn international meeting in Jamaica to negotiate rules over deep-sea mining has ended with no green light to start industrial-scale mining and with an 11th-hour agreement to hold formal discussions next year on the protection of the marine environment.The agreement ended intense week-long negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body based in Kingston that regulates sea-bed extraction, over a proposal spearheaded by Chile, France and Costa Rica and backed by a dozen countries to discuss a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining to ensure the protection of the marine environment. Continue reading...
No active front' in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece blazes as more than 460 firefighters remain on alertWildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks are under control, but firefighters remain in key hotspots as strong winds remain a threat, officials have said.Scattered fire pockets are being extinguished," the fire department said on Saturday, adding that there was no active front" in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that forced thousands of people to flee. Continue reading...
Organisations including RSPB, National Trust and RSPCA urge prime minister to honour green promisesEnvironmental groups claiming to represent 20 million people will mobilise their members if UK ministers water down climate commitments, they have warned.Groups including the RSPB, National Trust and the RSPCA have written to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who has signalled his willingness to back away from green policies should the Conservatives stand to benefit from it electorally. Continue reading...