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...
Amid record-breaking heat, increased access to air conditioning could save lives - but AC units are damaging the environment. Are there other options?Much of the Earth sweltered under record-topping temperatures this month. Phoenix, Arizona, broke its record for most 110F (43.3C) days. California's Death Valley had its highest temperature ever. An airport in coastal Iran saw a heat index of 152F, while Beijing saw a record stretch of 95F days.Oppressive heatwaves have become more frequent and more severe as a result of the climate crisis - a trend that's expected to continue, and could worsen in proportion to how quickly we can transition from fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Eleni Myrivili, whose job is to help cities prepare for extreme heat, says many people do not understand how deadly it can beIt is shocking" how little people know about the danger of hot weather, the United Nations global chief heat officer has said, as high temperatures bake cities across the northern hemisphere and politicians backslide on climate promises.A study this month found that extreme heat in Europe last summer killed 61,000 people, most of whom were women and older people. As well as killing people through heatstroke, hot weather can push the bodies of people with heart and lung disease into deadly overdrive. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason, Aubrey Allegretti and Gwyn Topham on (#6DC1Y)
London mayor to expand charging zone for drivers after high court win and rejects pressure from Labour leadership to think againSadiq Khan has vowed to press ahead with the expansion of London's low emissions zone saying tackling the climate emergency and air pollution are bigger than party politics", despite the Labour leadership urging a rethink of the policy.After the high court dismissed a legal challenge brought by five Conservative councils, the Labour mayor said he understood concerns of some Londoners but it was right to charge the most polluting vehicles 12.50 a day to drive in the capital's outer boroughs from the end of August. Continue reading...
Doctors and independent MPs say despite Labor's reassurances, work should have been conducted by public servants and a clear conflict of interest exists
Great Plains, midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east hit by soaring temperatures, with New York City to reach 102F (39C)A blistering heatwave that has engulfed the southern US over the past four weeks has spread to the Great Plains, midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-eastern regions, placing about 190 million Americans under heat advisory alerts, the National Weather Service said.The extreme heat is expected to persist through Saturday, with Friday and Saturday forecast to be the hottest days of the summer so far for millions in the mid-Atlantic and north-east. Continue reading...
Project in Friesland aims to draw on residual warmth from Zuidwal volcano for sustainable energyHeat from an extinct volcano could be piped into homes under a plan in the Dutch city of Bolsward.The Netherlands may be known for windmills but Ynze Salverda is no fan of the wind turbines proliferating across the country. He believes sustainable energy could be generated underground using residual warmth from the Zuidwal volcano deep under the Wadden Sea. Continue reading...
Since the pandemic toilet paper has come out of the shadows to take centre stage in UK bathroomsHandbags and cars are more traditional status symbols, but in these topsy-turvy times the humble toilet roll is being treated with more reverence than you would expect for something used to wipe your bottom with. In the toilets of trendy restaurants or friends, proud pyramids of loo roll stand in bright, graphic wrapping. On Instagram, influencers now allow it to stay in the backdrop of bathroom selfies rather than hiding it.While Who Gives A Crap (WGAC) may be one of the more familiar brands, delivering its first striped and spotty rolls in 2013, others with similarly colourful packaging and eco-friendly messaging have sprung up such as Bazoo and Feel Good. There are also those in more muted tones including The Cheeky Panda, Bumboo and Naked Sprout. Using recycled paper or bamboo, they are not shy about advertising their sustainable credentials. Continue reading...
Caribbean Development Bank head urges help for countries classed as developing but not among poorestMiddle-income developing countries hit by devastating climate disaster risk missing out on rescue funds, the head of one of the world's development banks has warned.Hyginus Leon, the president of the Caribbean Development Bank, told the Guardian that some developing countries with per capita incomes that would disqualify them for some forms of overseas aid could be made ineligible for climate funds. Continue reading...
Fertiliser use on key crops down more than a quarter on 2010-19 average, while yields increased 2.4%Britain's farmers increased their yields of major crops last year despite significant reductions in fertiliser use, according to research.Making artificial fertilisers relies on natural gas, the price of which rose sharply last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Fertiliser prices almost tripled, from 233 a tonne in 2020 to 766 a tonne in 2022, which farmers say led to a reduction in their use. Continue reading...
by Jonathan Barrett Senior business reporter on (#6DBH8)
Shemara Wikramanayake decries nickname given to investment bank by media as utility burdened by $26bn debtThe Macquarie chief executive, Shemara Wikramanayake, has delivered a fervent defence of the company's former stewardship of ailing utility Thames Water, labelling its management of debt levels as prudent and bemoaning the investment bank's UK nickname, the vampire kangaroo".Wikramanayake told shareholders Britain's ageing infrastructure required significant investment that would best be delivered by the private sector. Continue reading...
When Scotland's largest recorded mass stranding struck this summer, volunteers swung into action. Here they recall the hard work ... and the heartbreakAt 8.13am on Sunday 16 July, Mairi Carrey was wondering how to celebrate her wedding anniversary when her phone buzzed. At that same moment, Lyndsey Dubberley was looking down a steep hillside at the haunting sight of a sole figure - a local crofter - surrounded by 55 dead and dying whales strewn across the beach. It was eerie to see these beautiful creatures on land when they should be in the sea," she recalls.Fighting to save a pod of stranded pilot whales on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides was not in the plans of either woman that day. But Carrey, a trained archaeologist who now works for Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and Dubberley, a former member of the fire service's water rescue unit, were ready. Both volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity that responds to strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises across the UK. Continue reading...
by Léonie Chao-Fong (now) and Chris Stein (earlier) on (#6DARD)
The blog is now closed, but you can read more about Donald Trump's new charges here and about Hunter Biden's ongoing legal challenges here.Joe Biden will soon speak on his administration's efforts to protect workers from extreme heat, including by asking the labor department to issue a hazard alert" as swaths of the US struggle with scorching temperatures.The hazard alert will reaffirm that workers have heat-related protections under federal law. As part of the alert, the Department of Labor will provide information on what employers can and should be doing now to protect their workers, help ensure employees are aware of their rights, including protections against retaliation, and highlight the steps the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently taking to protect workers," the White House announced. Additionally, the Department of Labor will ramp up enforcement of heat-safety violations, increasing inspections in high-risk industries like construction and agriculture, while OSHA continues to develop a national standard for workplace heat-safety rules." Continue reading...
As long as a paperclip and as thin as pencil lead, Illacme socal is no ordinary SoCal denizen - it uses 486 legs to walk wherever it goesThe city of angels, a metropolis of freeways and traffic, has a newly discovered species named in its honor: the Los Angeles thread millipede.The tiny arthropod was found just underground by naturalists at a southern California hiking area - near a freeway, a Starbucks and an Oakley sunglasses store. Continue reading...
Critics say steps positive but modest as US president stops short of declaring climate emergencyJoe Biden announced new steps on Thursday to help Americans face the existential threat of climate change" and extreme heat.We want the American people to know help is here, and we're gonna make it available to anyone who needs it," the president said, speaking in a summer of record-breaking temperatures in the US and globally. Continue reading...
The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said scientists have confirmed July was on track to be the world's hottest month on record. Guterres warned 'the era of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived' after recent global temperatures shattered records. The steady rise in global average temperatures, driven by pollution that traps sunlight and acts like a greenhouse around the Earth, has made weather extremes worse
Work on Mountain Valley Pipeline, which will transport fracked gas 300 miles through West Virginia and Virginia, had been haltedThe US supreme court has allowed construction to resume on the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is a project to transport fracked gas 300 miles through West Virginia and Virginia.The new ruling clears the way for construction to restart, lifting stays from lower courts that had halted work. Continue reading...
Wildfires have turned the hills surrounding the temple of Segesta to ash after days of fires spreading across Sicily. Local authorities said the blaze was put out around the archaeological site, but it is temporarily closed to check for any damage. The island has been devastated by wildfires that have killed at least three people, while heatwaves and severe storms affected the north of Italy
Mayor of London hits back at prime minister over pathetic gesture politics'Rishi Sunak has failed to give his full backing to Sir Howard Davies, chairman of NatWest, in interviews this morning, PA Media reports.PA says that Sunak did not back calls for the resignation of Davies in a pooled interview this morning - but also that Sunak would not say whether he had confidence in him.What I said right at the start of this was that it wasn't right for people to be deprived of basic services because of banking, because of their views.This isn't about any one individual, it's about values - do you believe in free speech and not to be discriminated against because of your legally held views?As a result of this policy, a dozen classrooms of children, including some of the most traumatised and vulnerable children in the world, have gone missing and, sickeningly for us, 50 children are still missing from the hotel used in Brighton and Hove.Importantly the high court also makes clear that the home secretary already has the power to require local authorities across the country to take children into foster care via a statutory rota system called the national transfer scheme. Continue reading...
More than 230 years ago, the country parson celebrated the small but vital elements that gave the English landscape its wild majesty'. Today, Hampshire's farmers and volunteers are honouring his legacy
Drone footage from the island of Rhodes in Greece, which has been hit be a string of fierce wildfires, gives an idea of the scale of destruction left by the blaze. The footage, from the towns of Asklipio and Kiotari, shows the charred embers of several burnt out cars and scorched trees and earth. Large areas of land were burnt grey and black, in fires that prompted the island's authorities to declare a state of emergency and carry out a mass evacuation of local people and tourists. Greece is one of almost a dozen Mediterranean countries that struggled to control wildfires that broke out amid a record breaking heatwave in July
Rightwing groups penned a conservative wish list of proposals for the next conservative president to gut environmental protectionsAn alliance of rightwing groups has crafted an extensive presidential proposal to bolster the planet-heating oil and gas industry and hamstring the energy transition, it has emerged.Against a backdrop of record-breaking heat and floods this year, the $22m endeavor, Project 2025, was convened by the notorious rightwing, climate-denying thinktank the Heritage Foundation, which has ties to fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch. Continue reading...
Better the seafloor than the rainforest, proponents argue, but marine experts beg to differ as authorities meet to decide the future of deep-sea miningIn an exclusive interview with Guardian Seascape last Saturday, James Cameron argued that it is less wrong" to mine the deep sea than mining on land. I've seen an awful lot of seafloor," said the Titanic director and accomplished deep-sea explorer. And while there are some amazing creatures, they tend to be clustered in small habitats. What you mostly have is miles and miles of nothing but clay."His view, which he conceded made him something of an outlier", is disputed by scientists and environmentalists who claim the opposite: that the ocean floor is a richer and more biodiverse place than previously thought, with new species uncovered each time they look. Deep-sea mining, said one, would result in extinction on a vast timescale". Continue reading...
One man is on a mission to promote the grazing habits of feral herds as a way to stop extreme blazes from starting and spreadingSince moving to a remote mountain region just south of Interstate 5 on the Oregon-California border in 2014, William Simpson, 70, has assumed responsibility for the care of 120 wild horses that roam his land. He has also adopted 60 more as part of an effort to study the effect that grazing has on managing grass, brush and other fuel for wildfires in the face of increasingly extreme blazes.I started watching the horses and seeing what they were doing," says Simpson. They were managing the fuel."Wild horses roam Simpson's land near the Oregon-California border Continue reading...
Freedom of information responses on design standards suggest cyclists being endangered' on shared-use pathsNational Highways has been accused of a systemic failure" on cycling provision after freedom of information requests revealed it did not know whether its infrastructure met its own design standards.The Department for Transport also admitted the government-owned body in charge of trunk roads was using a loophole to deliver substandard shared use paths in rural areas instead. Continue reading...
Despite Scottish government rhetoric, report says not enough being done to move rural land into community ownershipLand reform campaigners have accused Scottish ministers of losing their radical edge" by failing to properly confront Scotland's unequal land ownership system.A paper from the Jimmy Reid Foundation alleges there is a significant gap between the Scottish government's rhetoric on land reform and the reality, as only a tiny fraction of rural land is in community ownership. Continue reading...
All four seasons were among top 10 hottest since 1884, with extreme heat likely to occur more frequently2022 was the warmest year on record in the UK, the Met Office has confirmed, with experts warning the unprecedented heat is a sign of things to come.It was also the first year in which a temperature above 40C (104F) was recorded in the UK. A record-breaking 40.3C was recorded on 19 July at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Continue reading...
Report says nearly 200 cases filed around the world in past 12 months challenging governments and firmsLawsuits challenging government and corporate inaction on the climate breakdown have become an important driver of change, according to a UN body.A report by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University says litigation is setting precedents for climate action all over the world, even beyond the jurisdictions in which cases are filed. But it warns of a growing legal backlash as cases are filed that could delay climate action and criminalise activists. Continue reading...
Many of the 40,000 people in the suburb of Germantown under order to avoid using water for everything except flushing toiletsA diesel fuel spill that contaminated the water supply system of Germantown, Tennessee, has left residents unable to drink their tap water as the city's public works crew rush to flush out the contaminated water.The city first told residents on 20 July that a spill at a treatment plant tainted the water supply system. The order came after residents reported a fuel smell in their water. Officials said that a generator at the plant spilled diesel fuel into a reservoir after the facility lost power during recent storms. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan , Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, and age on (#6D9F2)
There is no magical defence mechanism,' says Greek prime minister as fires burn in northern Africa and southern EuropeWildfires were burning in at least nine countries across the Mediterranean on Tuesday as blazes spread in Croatia, Italy and Portugal, with thousands of firefighters in Europe and north Africa working to contain flames stoked by high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds.At least 34 people were killed in Algeria, where 8,000 firefighters on Tuesday battled blazes across the tinder-dry north. Fires burned in a total of 15 provinces, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from their properties. Continue reading...
Officials are baffled by the remarkable behaviour of a large pod of pilot whales that grouped together in a heart shape before stranding themselves on a remote Western Australian beach on Tuesday evening.By Wednesday morning, more than 50 whales lay dead on the shore, with volunteers, government workers and scientists fighting to save 46 more
Labour leader backs mayor's call for Londoners to get more money to replace vehicles, as party tries to limit electoral falloutKeir Starmer has backed Sadiq Khan's call for the government to put money behind a more generous scrappage scheme to help Londoners upgrade older vehicles as the party seeks to limit the electoral fallout of the policy.The Labour leader said that ministers should help fund a proper scrappage scheme" for owners of more polluting cars affected by the London mayor's plans to expand the clean air zone, as they have done for similar schemes in Bristol and Birmingham. Continue reading...
Drone footage shows the scale of devastation in Algeria's northern Bouria region after wildfires spread through mountain ranges on Tuesday, killing at least 34 people. About 8,000 firefighters battled blazes in 15 provinces, with more than 1,500 people evacuated. The Algerian online news site TSA quoted the National Meteorological Office as saying that temperatures had soared to about 50C (122F) in some areas
The lumberjack-hydrologists of the wild can help contain wildfires with their elaborate dam constructionsCalifornia is embracing beavers and the role they play in the ecosystem after years of viewing the animals as a nuisance for chewing down trees and blocking up streams.The state recently enacted a new policy that encourages landowners and agencies dealing with beaver damage to find alternative solutions before seeking permission from authorities to kill the animals. California is also running pilot projects to relocate beavers to places where they can be more beneficial. Continue reading...
Earl Blumenauer has been on a 26-year quest to pass a bill to reform farming to center people, animals and the environmentEach year for the last 26 years - nearly his entire tenure in the US Congress - Earl Blumenauer has advocated for a law that would utterly transform US agriculture.Nearly every time, though, his proposals have been shut down. Even so, he persists. Continue reading...
The 90-100F readings add to previous warnings over warming water putting marine life and ecosystems in perilThe surface ocean temperature around the Florida Keys soared to 101.19F (38.43C) this week, in what could be a global record as ocean heat around the state reaches unprecedented extremes.A water temperature buoy located in the waters of Manatee Bay at the Everglades national park recorded the high temperature late on Monday afternoon, US government data showed. Other nearby buoys topped 100F (38C) and the upper 90s (32C). Continue reading...
Wildfires have been burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for nearly seven days, after an extreme heatwave hit parts of southern Europe. Local authorities ordered a mass evacuation, prompting thousands of tourists to leave their accommodation. Many were evacuated from beaches by coastguards, and thousands more spent the night in local buildings awaiting flights. Local people have been assisting firefighters in battling the flames, using fire extinguishers and towels. Some are urging authorities and neighbouring countries to provide more planes as high winds could spread the fires further
by Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo and Angela Giuffrida in R on (#6D8MJ)
Three people killed in Sicily fires and four in northern storms as hundreds forced to flee homesSeven people have died in the past 24 hours as two extreme weather events split Italy between wildfires in the south and violent storms in the north.Fires in Sicily caused the temporary closure of Palermo airport after temperatures in the city climbed to 47C on Monday. Continue reading...
Footage captured from residents and local firefighters shows wildfires burning in Croatia's Dubrovnik region, a popular area for tourists in the Mediterranean. The country faced strong winds and extremely high temperatures, causing fires to spread quickly. Croatian authorities said up to 16 fire engines and 95 firefighters were deployed to the area, while the country's airforce sent two specialised planes to help extinguish the flames. Parts of southern Europe, including Italy, Greece, Turkey and Algeria are battling wildfires after suffering from extreme temperatures
Jim McMahon, MP for Oldham and shadow environment secretary, criticises prime minister for tweet about Labour and immigration law firmsMichael Gove has been accused of showing how disjointed" the government's net zero strategy is by Greenpeace UK.In a statement released after Gove's media interview round this morning, in which the levelling up secretary appeared to firm up the government's commitment to at least one green target, while signalling that others might be relaxed (see 10.04am), Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK's director of policy, said:Michael Gove has demonstrated how disjointed the government's new strategy is. If ministers genuinely want to help lower costs for households, they should be doing everything in their power to switch our homes, energy and transport systems away from expensive, climate-wrecking fossil fuels and run them instead on clean technology and cheap renewables.Mr Gove is right to reaffirm the government's commitment to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 - and Sunak should now do the same, whilst making the transition as easy as possible for people with extensive charging infrastructure and the promised mandate on manufacturers. But allowing more oil and gas drilling, delaying the phase-out of gas boilers and giving landlords longer to insulate the homes of renters will only keep bills high and continue to fan the flames of climate change.The leaders discussed recent developments on the battlefield and the continued progress by Ukrainian forces despite the challenging conditions. The prime minister added that he was appalled by the devastation caused by recent Russian attacks on Odesa.Discussing the Black Sea grain initiative, the leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring grain was able to be exported from Ukraine to reach international markets. The prime minister said the UK was working closely with Turkey on restoring the grain deal, and we would continue to use our role as chair of the UN security council to further condemn Russia's behaviour. Continue reading...
Wildfires in Sicily have led to the temporary closure of Palermo airport after temperatures in the city climbed to 47C. A motorist captured the moment a blaze engulfed part of the highway, while flames could be seen on both sides of the road. Authorities have closed part of the motorway as more than 55 wildfires were reported on the island. Hundreds of firefighters from other regions are due to arrive to help tackle the flames. Italy is battling two extreme weather events, as violent storms hit the north of the country
Environment | The Guardian