Environment | The Guardian

Since Trump administration removed species from endangered list 20% of entire population has been lost in just two yearsAfter years of dwindling numbers, caused by habitat loss, toxic algae pollution and decimation of food supplies, Florida's embattled manatees may finally catch a break.A process is under way that could see the species restored to the US Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species list in the coming months, reversing a decision made by the administration of Donald Trump in 2017 that environmentalists say was calamitous. Continue reading...

Five homes lost in Millmerran and Tara with several communities under evacuation orders on Tuesday evening. As it happened

Labor hopes plan will contribute to renewable energy target but opposition leader says government hasn't done its homework'

Research finds companies more likely to revisit corporate social responsibility results when tied to CEO pay

Energy watchdog says countries risks fuelling climate crisis and damaging their economies by rowing back on green policiesRishi Sunak faces further pressure over his U-turn on net zero targets, after the head of the world's energy watchdog said countries that water down green policies risked worsening the climate crisis and damaging their own economies.In its annual report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) hailed the gathering pace of the worldwide transition to cleaner energy, forecasting for the first time that demand for oil, gas and coal would peak before the end of the decade. Continue reading...

South Australia has less than 50 breeding pairs of the endangered eastern osprey, and recent surveys point to a rapid decline in the population of the species. Conservation efforts have included setting up high nesting platforms on Tumby Island to keep eggs safe from foxes who swim across from the mainland. Video of the new chick hatching was broadcast across Facebook and YouTube to viewers around the world. Fran Solly, secretary of the Friends of Osprey conservation group, says the arrival of the chick is 'fantastic news, because it means the platform is working'Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Shimmering bodies of water have appeared in the sand dunes of the recently reopened national park after a summer delugeAfter months of closure, visitors to Death Valley national park are being greeted by stunning new features, including lakes left behind by a ferocious summer deluge.The park reopened last week after being shuttered in August, when a record-breaking tropical storm unleashed a year's worth of rain in a single day. Continue reading...

Neighbours speak of heartbreak from row of terraces where Maureen Gilbert, 83, was found dead after Storm BabetAlmost every square inch of the houses along Tapton Terrace in Chesterfield is covered in a thick layer of wet brown mud.Inside the homes, brown lines across the walls show that water levels reached a height of 1.5 metres (5ft). Continue reading...

Sea level will be driven up no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, putting coastal cities in dangerAccelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, research indicates. The implications for sea level rise are dire", scientists say, and mean some coastal cities may have to be abandoned.The ice sheet of west Antarctica would push up the oceans by 5 metres if lost completely. Previous studies have suggested it is doomed to collapse over the course of centuries, but the new study shows that even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades will not slow the melting. Continue reading...

Takeover puts Chevron head-to-head with ExxonMobil in oil-rich Guyana and US shale industry

The recovering ecosystem of Lassen Volcanic national park offers lessons on how to protect public lands in a climate crisis eraThe fire was coming.Roughly 30 miles of dense forest withering under extreme drought stood between Lassen Volcanic national park and the Dixie fire - land ready to ignite. Continue reading...

Four people have died and further danger to life warnings have been issued in the aftermath of Storm Babet. Nottinghamshire county council declared a major incident, with at least 200 properties evacuated as the River Idle reached record levels. Cleanup operations are under way in Derbyshire, one of the worst-hit areas. An 83-year-old woman in Derbyshire was found dead by her son after her home was inundated by flood water. In Scotland, Brechin was only accessible via boat after an evacuation order for the entire town. Authorities say the death toll could rise further

The cultivation and harvesting of grapes is the UK's fastest-growing agricultural sector, with wine production expected to reach between 25 and 29m bottles by 2032, according to an industry report. Research published in the journal OENO One predicts that climate change will increasingly allow UK winemakers to grow varieties of grape, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Semillion, which have previously been extremely difficult or impossible to cultivate in the British climate Continue reading...

Former Autumnwatch presenter describes 8 Out Of 10 Bats show as the Sex Pistols of wildlife TV'A new upstart is entering the big-budget world of wildlife film-making. After the BBC scrapped Autumnwatch, Chris Packham is launching his own nature show, which will be broadcast for two weeks on YouTube.In stark contrast to the multimillion-pound Planet Earth III, which premiered on Sunday night with 97-year-old Sir David Attenborough narrating, 8 Out of 10 Bats, which begins on Monday evening, is an anarchic" DIY operation that cost just 50,000 and features a diverse roster of teenage and 20-something naturalist presenters. Continue reading...

The unique wildlife of Haida Gwaii's 150 islands is under attack by invasive crabs, rats and deer - echoing how local people also became vulnerable to outside forcesIt was Matt Peck's first season of field work in the archipelago of Haida Gwaii when he found himself on a rocky island overflowing with oystercatchers, thousands of the orange-billed seabirds trilling and squawking in a riot of life.As the researchers counted eggs on the islet off Canada's west coast, they discovered an odd nest of twigs and grass nestled in the rocks. The team launched into a debate over which species of bird it could have housed.An egg of an ancient murrelet, which once numbered in the tens of thousands until rats decimated populations Continue reading...

Miles Roberts of packaging-maker DS Smith warns manufacturing will decline unless government provides clarity about decarbonisationThe UK risks seeing its manufacturing sector fall behind rival economies if the government does not offer certainty over policies on shifting to green energy, according to the head of FTSE 100 packaging maker DS Smith.Miles Roberts, the company's chief executive, said British government decarbonisation policy has lacked the clarity of European rivals, meaning DS Smith has moved ahead with a 90m (78m) investment in a paper mill in Rouen, northern France, while waiting for more clarity from government before investing in upgrades in the UK. Continue reading...

Fourteen protesters charged with disrupting state parliament to appear before Brisbane magistrate

At one point in September nearly 100% of eastern Australia's demand could have been met by renewables, says energy operator Aemo

Government and gas-focused industry body resist conclusion that heat pumps are only viable' option for heating UK homesThe government and sections of UK industry will continue to back the prospect of using hydrogen for home heating, despite a clear verdict against the technology from the UK's infrastructure watchdog.The National Infrastructure Commission advised this week, after an exhaustive investigation of the technology, that hydrogen was not suitable for heating homes. The report was unambiguous: The Commission's analysis demonstrates that there is no public policy case for hydrogen to be used to heat individual buildings. It should be ruled out as an option to enable an exclusive focus on switching to electrified heat." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Physical and mental impact on young people needs immediate action, Dr Camilla Kingdon saysThe climate crisis poses an existential risk" to the health and wellbeing of all children and action to tackle it is needed immediately, Britain's most senior paediatrician has said.In a major intervention, Dr Camilla Kingdon, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said every adolescent was at grave risk from the physical and mental effects of the climate crisis. Healthcare professionals were already seeing its impact first-hand, she added. Continue reading...

The crabs starved to death en masse because the change in water temperature increased their caloric needs, according to the NOAAWarmer ocean temperatures have likely caused the sudden and shocking disappearance of billions of snow crabs in Alaska, which had previously baffled scientists and environmentalists, a new study has shown.The eastern Bering Sea snow crabs, once thought to be overfished, actually starved to death en masse because the change in water temperature increased their caloric needs considerably", scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in the study. Continue reading...

Outdoor and surf photographer Chris Burkard has explored the seven seas capturing their diversity and wild beauty. His arresting work from the colder northern regions to the tropics shows the world's ocean as a source of inspiration that needs our respect and careYou may well be familiar with the work of photographer Chris Burkard, one of the most followed photographers on Instagram, where he shares his vision of wild places with 4 million followers. His work, which has also been published in several books, is a journey of exploration of the seven seas, from otherworldly seascapes to coastal wildernesses to surfing in the frozen north Atlantic to the tranquil tropics, illustrating the diversity but also the fragility of the global ocean.Cuba, Caribbean, 2013. Continue reading...

Met Office issues rare second red warning for eastern Scotland for severe flooding and disruptionEastern Scotland is braced for further heavy flooding and storm damage after the Met Office issued a second danger to life" red weather warning, as the death toll from Storm Babet rose to three.The emergency services rescued about 60 people from Brechin in Angus, but were unable to reach others stranded in their homes after the South Esk River surged to record heights, overwhelming flood defences erected seven years ago. Continue reading...

Community says company has not been in contact about plans for drilling operation threatening our environment and our cultural way of life'

New Orleans has avoided losing drinking water due to a saltwater wedge' traveling up the Mississippi River - but in Plaquemines parish, it has already happenedThe first time Leah Chan's hair fell out, her heart pounded and she wept with fear.It was June this year, and the 55-year-old worried that the thick clumps left in her hands were a sign of cancer. But her doctor suspected another cause: the water running through her pipes. Continue reading...

Michael Gove had been planning to rip up EU-derived scheme that forces developers to pay to offset pollutionPlans to scrap pollution rules for housebuilders in England have been abandoned by the government, the Guardian understands.Politicians opposing the bill have suggested the double byelection loss, where the sewage scandal was said to have come up on the doorstep, may have caused prime minister Rishi Sunak to reconsider the controversial legislation. Continue reading...

Data shows proportion of new cars sold in Ireland that are sport utility vehicles is higher than EU averageIreland's Green party has called for measures to reduce the sale of sport utility vehicles after figures showed that two out of three cars sold in the country in 2022 were SUVs, 13 percentage points higher than the EU average.Data provided to the Financial Times by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association showed that SUV sales as a percentage of all new cars sold were much higher in Ireland than in Spain, France, Italy and Germany. Continue reading...

Gas Leaks advocacy group's ad resembling horror movie trailer is latest in broader push to counter fossil fuel industry messagingYou may have seen an unusual ad recently. It begins with an eerie, night-time shot of a house, then shows a woman in a dark kitchen heating a kettle over a gas flame.Home: the one place you're supposed to be safe," a narrator says. But what if the danger is coming from inside the house?" Continue reading...

Young New Yorkers ready to find love and save the planet' connect in matchmaking video seriesHud Oberly is a catch. He's tall, he's handsome and he loves love. Being around romance and stuff is fun and exciting," says the 29-year-old New Yorker, standing in a Manhattan park. My favorite movies are romantic comedies."Oberly's desire for a partner is only eclipsed by his lust for a more sustainable world, so it's important that his next girlfriend cares about the climate crisis. That's why he's trying Love and Climate, a speed-dating event for environmentally minded singles. It's more niche" than dating apps, he says, given that everyone there shares similar beliefs and values. Continue reading...

Creativity and agriculture merge with crop art, a craft that uses grains, seeds or leaves as its material - and Minnesota leads the wayWhen Laura Melnick arrived at a gathering hosted by her husband's colleague over 25 years ago, she quickly realized this was no ordinary house party. Containers of seeds, toothpicks and Elmer's glue topped the tables, and guests created pictures with dried seeds and beans that they stuck on to boards.This was Melnick's first introduction to crop art, a craft that uses seeds, grains, leaves or other botanical materials instead of paint or clay. She had fun with it, so after the party she and her family started making their own crop art. Then she saw artist Alan Carpenter's kitschy seed portraits at the Minnesota state fair; in his The Vices of First Ladies: Mrs John F. Kennedy Smoking, Jackie Kennedy holds a cigarette while she burns in flames. It used about a dozen kinds of seeds, including two colors of clover, multiple kinds of millet and the common poppy seed. Inspired by Carpenter's quirkiness, Melnick decided to take her seed art game to a new level. Continue reading...

Beef production is a huge climate crisis driver, and a new study says only a small percent in the country does most of the eatingOne of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis, accounting for a third of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions, is food production, with meat - particularly beef - at the top of the list.The US is the biggest consumer of beef in the world, but, according to new research, it's actually a small percentage of people who are doing most of the eating. A recent study shows that on any given day, just 12% of people in the US account for half of all beef consumed in the US. Continue reading...

Pressure from agriculture lobbies led to role of cattle in rising global temperatures being underplayed by FAO, claim sources

Health crisis has been neglected', particularly in low-income countries, and it's killing three times more people than lung cancerUrgent action is needed to address the staggering harm" caused by lead poisoning, mostly in low-income countries where more than half of children are exposed to dangerous levels of the pollutant.A year-long project, led by Washington-based thinktank the Center for Global Development (CGD), has concluded that lead poisoning constitutes a global health crisis that has been extraordinarily neglected" by donors and political leaders. Continue reading...

As front moves north to batter UK coasts, Storm Aline brings more heavy rain and strong winds to Iberian peninsulaAlthough Storm Babet has been battering the coasts of the UK during the second half of this week, it had already left behind a trail of destruction across Portugal as it developed out in the Atlantic. Strong winds and torrential rain on Monday night into Tuesday resulted in flooding, with streets swamped underwater and the drainage system at Faro airport in south Portugal unable to cope under the deluge.Holidaymakers and local people were left running for cover as ceilings in the airport terminal building collapsed when they could no longer hold back the rainfall. Continue reading...

Pioneering journalist will be remembered for passion for social justice and putting people at centre of storiesJohn Vidal, the Guardian's former environment editor, has died aged 74. He died peacefully on Thursday in hospital, where he was being treated for cancer.Vidal reported on the environment for the Guardian for almost three decades until retiring in 2017, calling it the greatest job on Earth". Afterwards, he continued to report from around the world with his trademark energy and enthusiasm and published a book, Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature, in June this year. Continue reading...

Scientists find antibodies in Scottish populations of northern gannets and shags as poultry infections in Britain fall dramaticallySome birds have developed immunity to avian flu, according to scientists who say there are encouraging signs" that the deadly virus could kill fewer birds this winter.The current H5N1 bird flu outbreak, which started in 2021, has been the worst recorded, and is thought to have killed millions of wild birds. Mortality rates appeared to be very high among wild birds, but it was not known how many survived and gained immunity. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including rescued baby squirrels, a capped langur and battling deer Continue reading...

Report highlights evidence of workers from Africa and Asia labouring in 42C heat in Dubai to build conference facilitiesMigrant workers in Dubai have been working in dangerously hot temperatures to get conference facilities ready for world leaders attending this year's international Cop28 climate talks, according to a new investigation.FairSquare, a human rights research and advocacy group, obtained evidence of more than a dozen migrant workers from Africa and Asia labouring outside at three Cop28 sites in early September as temperatures hit 42C (107F) in Dubai - the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Continue reading...

Absence of visitors during Covid inspired a plan to help local people protect its culture from tourismIn the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sandra Marinopoulou started thinking about how, as president of the Museum of Cycladic Art, she could start giving back" to the island chain after which the institution is named. She soon discovered she did not have to look far.As luck would have it I was stuck on an isle at the time," she recalled. Without the masses, with no tourism whatsoever, the landscape had returned to its natural state, both primitive and virgin." Continue reading...

People were throwing rocks at seal and getting dogs to attack it to get footage of it chasing them, says deputy mayorOfficials in Cape Town have urged beachgoers to leave seals alone after one of the animals bit a woman and later died of stress following days of repeated harassment".The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated for a bite wound after the attack late on Wednesday on the popular Strand Beach, southeast of the South African city. Continue reading...

We need ... to maintain our roads in a way that's fair, and aimed at helping, not hindering, electrification of transport', says Monique Ryan

Across America, temperatures are soaring - but industry groups are opposing potentially life-saving heat regulationsThis story is co-published with Grist and produced in partnership with the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. It is part of Record High, a Grist series examining extreme heat and its impact on how - and where - we live.On a sweltering day in July 2015, Roendy Granillo was installing floors in Melissa, Texas. Temperatures had reached 97F when he began to feel sick. He asked for a break, but his employer told him to keep working. Shortly after, he collapsed. He died on the way to the hospital from heatstroke. He was 25. Continue reading...

Experts warn the NT government has significant and critical gaps in the knowledge base underpinning fracking approvals'

North Atlantic right whales are being killed in collisions with vessels that are flouting go-slow zones in US waters, report warnsThe lives of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are being put at risk by ships speeding in designated slow zones", according to a new report.Only about 340 of the species remain, and collisions with boats are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities as the whales often swim close to the surface, and their dark colour makes them difficult to spot. Continue reading...

Undeterred after being charged over separate demonstration, Thunberg joined fossil fuel activists outside JP Morgan in Canary Wharf

Buckeye, Arizona, is eyeing crazy' ideas to keep growing, including piping water hundreds of miles uphill from MexicoArizona, stressed by years of drought, has declared its housebuilding boom will have to be curbed due to a lack of water but one of its fastest-growing cities is refusing to give up its relentless march into the desert - even if it requires constructing a pipeline that would bring water across the border from Mexico.The population of Buckeye, located 35 miles west of Phoenix, has doubled over the past decade to just under 120,000 and it is now priming itself to eventually become one of the largest cities in the US west. The city's boundaries are vast - covering an area stretching out into the Sonoran Desert that would encompass two New York Cities - and so are its ambitions. Continue reading...

Increase of virus in wild birds is driving evolution and spread of new strains, researchers foundThe epicentre of deadly bird flu outbreaks has shifted from Asia to Europe and Africa, a new study has found.For 25 years, bird flu viruses typically emerged from Asia, but major changes in the virus and its spread among wild birds mean the outbreaks are shifting. Research shows that while outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 started in China, two new H5 viruses emerged in 2020 in African poultry and in 2022 in European wild birds. Continue reading...

As wolf numbers surge, herders in the north of the country are relearning old ways to keep the apex predators at bayIn the pre-dawn darkness of Sierra de la Culebra, Zamora, Spain, a sudden howl pierces the cold. More join in, until the baying chorus echoes all around. As the sky begins to lighten, their shapes emerge: first the alpha male, and then the rest of the wolf pack, appearing in the twilight where light and darkness merge.In Europe, this large carnivore was hunted for centuries and almost exterminated, surviving only in inaccessible or sparsely populated areas. Now, thanks to changing attitudes and increased protection, Europe's wolf population is slowly recovering, and the apex predators are gradually returning to their former territories.The Iberian wolf had practically disappeared by the 1970s, but numbers have been steadily growing Continue reading...

Author speaks candidly about a mirror world' that feeds our anxieties, distorts reality and fuels the polarisation of societyNaomi Klein is aware that her new book, Doppelganger, looks strange. A distorted picture of her face stares at you from the front cover. Everyone who holds it looks like they're holding my severed head, including me. It feels like Macbeth," she says. Her laugh punctures the quiet communal space we're sitting in on the first floor of a London hotel in late September.But the weirdness is intentional. It's supposed to capture what she's writing about - a mirror world where her sense of self becomes distorted. Her starting point is her very own doppelganger, the writer Naomi Wolf. For more than a decade Klein has repeatedly been confused with Wolf. What at first irked her became more frustrating - destabilising, even - as it moved to social media and Wolf dived full on into conspiracy culture, allying with the far right in the process. The two are so frequently mixed up that social media algorithms began to autocomplete Klein's name when people were writing about the latest thing Wolf had said or done. Continue reading...

When the godfather of climate science' says the extraordinary heat during the northern summer points to accelerated warming, governments should listen