Indigenous people's parliament says action required including lower speed limits and more fencesSweden's Sami parliament is calling for more protection for reindeer after more than 10,000 were killed by motorists in the last five years, turning roadsides into animal graveyards".According to police, between October 2018 and October 2023 there were more than 10,000 road accidents in northern Sweden involving at least one reindeer, meaning the number killed is likely to be far higher. Continue reading...
Annual scorecard' of major firms insuring oil, gas and coal projects puts household names Allianz, Axa, AIG and Aegis in Top 10Insurers operating in the Lloyd's of London market are the world's biggest underwriters of fossil fuel projects, research has found.Fifty years after the insurance industry first warned about the impact of the climate crisis, it is continuing to contribute to the climate emergency, the Insure Our Future campaign, a global group of 24 NGOs, said in its annual scorecard" on 30 major insurers and their involvement in fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Attendees of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship were treated to a grab-bag of cherrypicked talking points from some speakers that ignored the risks of climate change
Campaigners call Graham Stuart's comments laughable' and say Conservatives are weaponising climate actionOil and gas are not the problem" for the climate, but the carbon emissions arising from them are, the UK's net zero minister has told MPs.In words that suggested the UK could place yet more emphasis on technologies to capture and store carbon, Graham Stuart said fossil fuel production was not driving climate change, but demand for fossil fuels was. Continue reading...
Ballot initiative to transform grid backed by climate advocacy groups fails amid fears over cost and performanceMaine voters turned down an attempt on Tuesday to oust the state's corporate-owned electric utilities and replace them with a non-profit backed by climate advocacy groups.In one of several ballot initiatives, Maine voters rejected the proposed takeover of the two investor-owned utilities that distribute 97% of electricity in the state. Continue reading...
Data shared with Guardian reveals Texas oil and gas fields emitting far more methane than New Mexico, feeding calls for stiffer rulesOil and gas production in Texas is spewing out double the rate of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, than in the more regulated state of New Mexico, new satellite data shared with the Guardian shows, prompting calls for tougher curbs of super-emitter" sites that risk tipping the world into climate breakdown.Satellite imaging of methane leaks across the Permian basin, a vast geological feature at the heart of the US oil and gas drilling industry, show that sites in Texas have emitted double the amount of the gas than in New Mexico, per unit of production, since 2019. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6G769)
Millions of people's lives wrecked by droughts that used to happen once every 250 years but now expected once a decadeExtreme droughts that have wrecked the lives of millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran since 2020 would not have happened without human-caused global heating, a study has found.The climate crisis means such long-lasting and severe droughts are no longer rare, the analysis showed. In the Tigris-Euphrates basin, which covers large parts of Syria and Iraq, droughts of this severity happened about once every 250 years before global heating - now they are expected once a decade. Continue reading...
Campaigners call for urgent action after data shows almost all bird types reducing in abundanceWoodland birds are facing an accelerating decline in the UK, with species at risk of extinction if the government does not act, experts have said.Data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed that almost all bird types are reducing in abundance, despite years of warnings from nature bodies that action needs to be taken to protect habitats and save species. Continue reading...
Trash Free Trails' report finds average of 41 pieces of litter a kilometre as calls grow for deposit returns schemeLitter is blighting the UK's footpaths, with an average 41 pieces found a kilometre, according to a major study. Particularly frequently found brands included Lucozade, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Monster and Walkers.The State of Our Trails report, conducted by Trash Free Trails, is the first UK study that aims to establish a scientific understanding of the environmental consequences of the tonnes of litter in our landscapes. It drew together more than 1,600 submissions by 4,500 volunteers and with the data the authors have estimated as many as 9.1m individual pieces of litter could be found across the UK's 220,000km of public rights of way. The surveys took place between July 2020 and August 2023. Continue reading...
Alarming' new research warns of risk to British woodlands from disease, extreme weather and wildfires, unless call to action' is heeded nowUK forests are heading for catastrophic ecosystem collapse" within the next 50 years due to multiple threats including disease, extreme weather and wildfires, researchers have warned, with trees dying on a large scale.The study, published in the journal Forestry, was put together by a panel of 42 researchers, with 1,200 experts consulted. Lead author, Dr Eleanor Tew, head of forest planning at Forestry England and visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge, described the finding as sobering and alarming". Continue reading...
First found in rocks on a logging trail in Canada, the 500-million-year-old microfossils are believed to be forerunners of the algaeHalf a billion years ago, the ocean was filling up with animals for the first time, including scuttling trilobites and spiky worms. Little is known, however, about what was happening further down the food chain.Now, a British palaeontologist believes he may have found fossilised phytoplankton - forerunners of the tiny but vital algae that today suck masses of carbon out of the atmosphere and produce about half the oxygen we breathe. The fossils, dating back to the Cambrian period - 538m to 485m years ago - are microscopic, roughly the width of a human hair, and lived in the ocean back when there was no life on land. Continue reading...
Auditor general says key measures to cut emissions by 40-45% to meet Paris accord commitment delayed or not prioritizedCanada's emissions reduction plan is insufficient to meet its target to cut emissions by 40% to 45% below the 2005 level by 2030, according to a new a report released by the country's auditor general.The audit found the government's plan insufficient because key measures needed to meet the 2030 target were delayed or not prioritized, according to a statement from the office of the auditor general on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Two fires, in Madison county and Patrick county, broke containment lines amid dry conditions and high windsThe Virginia governor, Glenn Youngkin, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as firefighters responded to two wildfires amid dry conditions and high winds.The declaration allows Virginia to mobilize additional resources, staff and equipment to help with the response, the governor's office said in a news release. The operation involves the Virginia national guard, the department of forestry, the department of emergency management and other agencies. Continue reading...
William says hope does remain' at event rewarding innovative solutions to climate emergencyScientists who developed a cleaner and more sustainable way to make batteries for electric cars were among the winners of this year's Prince of Wales's 1m Earthshot prizes.The awards, announced at a ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday, are aimed at rewarding innovative solutions to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies.PA Media contributed to this report. Continue reading...
Analysis of federal lobbying documents by Food and Water Watch finds industry targeted dozens of pieces of legislationThe US chemical industry likely spent over $110m during the last two election cycles deploying lobbyists to kill dozens of pieces of PFAS legislation and slow administrative regulation around forever chemicals", a new analysis of federal lobbying documents has found.The industry's onslaught was effective: only eight pieces of legislation that targeted PFAS made it through Congress, the paper prepared by the Food and Water Watch (FWW) nonprofit found. Continue reading...
Decision to pause levy on home heating oil in Atlantic Canada has experts concerned about efforts to combat climate crisisFor nearly a decade, Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has repeated a simple message: pollution should not be free". His government imposed a national carbon tax and emerged victorious at the country's top court after a handful of provinces challenged the constitutionality of the law.But in recent weeks, Trudeau undid years of careful messaging after he announced a temporary pause on the carbon levy for home heating oil. Continue reading...
Move announced by interior minister is part of ambitious Kenyan plan to plant 15bn trees by 2032The Kenyan government has announced a surprise public holiday on 13 November for a nationwide tree planting day, part of its ambitious plan to plant 15bn trees by 2032The interior minister, Kithure Kindiki, made the announcement via an official notice posted to social media. Continue reading...
Government not putting enough effort into flood resilience despite likelihood of more frequent and severe storms, experts sayThe UK is ill-prepared for the disaster future storms could wreak, scientists have warned, after Storm Ciaran swept the country.Experts believe a warming atmosphere caused by emissions from burning fossil fuels will make storms more frequent and severe in the UK. This autumn, storms have caused thousands of homes in the UK to flood, and last week almost 150,000 households were left without power. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: In his first King's Speech, the new monarch will announce his government's annual priorities - including a slate of climate-unfriendly policies Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning to all our readers, but especially King Charles, who we wish lots of luck with his debut speech as monarch for the state opening of the UK parliament today (he delivered the Queen's Speech last year, but only as a stand-in).His first King's Speech, in which Charles will set out the government's legislative priorities for the new parliamentary session, features plenty of policies (here's a summary) designed to create dividing lines between the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the next general election.Israel-Hamas war | The Israeli military says it has completely encircled Gaza City, in effect cutting Gaza in two, as Israeli ground troops appeared poised to enter the dense urban sprawl from the south. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would consider tactical little pauses" in fighting to allow the entry of aid or the exit of hostages but would not countenance a general ceasefire. Read Jason Burke's report on the conditions for civilians in UN-run shelters and hospitals in Gaza.Covid | The Conservative peer Michelle Mone has acknowledged for the first time that she was involved with a company that was awarded government PPE contracts worth 200m during the Covid pandemic. Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman have previously strongly denied any connection to PPE Medpro.US news | Donald Trump took the stand in a Manhattan federal courthouse on Monday and angrily claimed the financial statements at the heart of his $250m civil fraud lawsuit were worthless" and the trial was a witch-hunt". The judge threatened to have Trump removed from court and warned him that the trial is not a political rally".Health | Almost 300,000 women in the UK at higher risk of developing breast cancer are being given access to a drug that can halve their risk in a major step forward" in the fight against the disease. The drug, anastrozole, displays remarkable" potential to reduce the number of people who go on to develop the disease, the head of the NHS said.NFTs | The company behind the Bored Ape crypto art craze is looking into reports that people have been suffering from eye burn, extreme pain and impaired vision after attending one of its events, which was lit by UV lights. More than a dozen people who attended last weekend's ApeFest festival in Hong Kong complained of eye pain and vision problems. Continue reading...
UK's coal-hungry blast furnaces likely to be replaced, making economic case for mine dead in the water' says local MPNews of the likely closure of the UK's steel blast furnaces has prompted calls for the government to reconsider approval for a controversial Cumbrian coalmine that had been planned to supply the industry.On Monday, British Steel announced that it plans to replace its two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, while Tata Steel is considering closing its two at Port Talbot, in a dramatic reshaping of the UK steel industry. Both companies will instead rely on much cleaner electric arc furnaces, which use 87 times less coal. Continue reading...
NGOs report allegations of abuse and harassment at Kasigau Corridor conservation project in southern Kenya over 12 yearsMale staff at a leading Kenyan carbon-offsetting project used by Netflix, Shell and other large companies have been accused of extensive sexual abuse and harassment over more than a decade, following an investigation by two NGOs.The Kasigau Corridor conservation project in southern Kenya, operated by the California-based firm Wildlife Works, generates carbon credits by protecting dryland forests at risk of being destroyed in key elephant, lion and wildlife habitats west of Mombasa. The scheme was the first ever forest protection scheme approved by Verra, the world's leading certifier of carbon offsets, and has also been accredited for its biodiversity and community benefits, probably generating millions of dollars in revenue in carbon-credit sales. Continue reading...
Consumer groups issue formal notice to European Commission over greenwashing' claims that bottles are 100% recyclable' or 100% recycled'Big drinks companies are misleading customers with claims that their plastic water bottles are fully recycled or recyclable, according to consumer groups who have issued a formal complaint to the European Commission.The Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC) said claims that water bottles from brands owned by Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestle are 100% recyclable" or 100% recycled" are misleading because recycling rates are far lower in practice and bottles contain items that cannot be made from recycled material. The consumer rights group, which represents national groups across Europe, also said green imagery on bottles gave the false idea" of environmental neutrality. Continue reading...
Interbreeding may have boosted wildcat immunity to domestic cat diseases, but now threatens their survival as a distinct speciesHumans weren't the only creatures to fall under the sway of free love in the 1960s. After 2,000 years of keeping one another at paw's length, wildcats and their domestic cousins began to interbreed about 60 years ago, a new study suggests.Doing so may have helped to protect their offspring against diseases harboured by domestic cats, but this interbreeding is now threatening the survival of wildcats as a distinct species. Continue reading...
Exclusive: study finds militaries have generated about 430m metric tonnes of CO emissions since 2015 Paris accordsThe US and UK militaries owe" at least $111bn in reparations to communities most harmed by their planet-heating pollution, a first-of-its-kind study calculates.The research employs a social cost of carbon" framework - a way to estimate the cost, in dollars, of the climate damage done by each additional tonne of carbon in the atmosphere. Continue reading...
Nineteenth-century technology is finally being phased out in New York City, but its past is deeply entwined with American historyUntil recently, my girlfriend and I lived in a steam-heated apartment in Manhattan. A creaky former tenement building, it had no radiators, just scalding-hot cast iron pipes that punched through the units like fire poles. The pipes terminated a few inches from our ceiling with valves that hissed and sputtered, leaking rusty orange water. And they weren't just heaters, but alarms, clanking like pots and pans every morning around 6.45am when the boiler flipped on in the basement.This 19th-century technology certainly heated our apartment - but far too well. So every wintertime we would have to throw the windows wide open just to cool down. (My girlfriend enjoyed the contrasting sensations, like ice cream on warm pie. It always felt like a big waste of energy, but it was pleasant in its own old-school New York way," she says.) Continue reading...
Berry Creek's struggle to recover is a harbinger of what's to come in the era of climate crisisAn eight-mile wall of flames. Nearly 200,000 acres burned in 24 hours. Sixteen deaths.In any other modern decade, the events that unfolded in and around Berry Creek, California, in 2020 would have stood apart for their sheer devastation. Continue reading...
UK Museum Cop held at Tate Modern says the sector has a responsibility to speak out about climate and biodiversity crisis'National and regional museums across the UK have agreed to take collective action on the climate crisis, including managing collections more sustainably and using their position to engage audiences with the issues.Representatives of museums, organisations in the sector and funders took part in the first UK Museum Cop at Tate Modern in London last week. Among those attending were museums and organisations from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Leeds, Derby, Liverpool, York, Sheffield and London, as well as national bodies from England, Wales and Scotland. Continue reading...
Wrap report says 12% reduction in carbon impact negated by 13% rise in textiles produced and soldA fashion industry push to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing it sells is being undermined by an ongoing addiction to buying new clothes, with the average Briton buying 28 items every year.Asos and Primark are among the big names signed up to Wrap's voluntary environmental pact, Textiles 2030. Continue reading...
Thames Water has provided bottled water to people in Guildford, Godalming and surrounding areasThousands of people have been left without water after Storm Ciaran caused problems at a treatment works in Surrey, Thames Water has said.A major incident was declared as at least 13,500 homes in Guildford, Godalming and the surrounding areas were left without water or with low pressure by 2.50pm on Sunday, while a further 6,500 were expected to lose supply later in the day. Continue reading...
Governments draw up blueprint for fund to be administered at first by World Bank after tense Abu Dhabi talksCountries have agreed key measures to supply funds to the world's most vulnerable people to repair the damage from climate breakdown.Governments from richer and poorer countries drew up the blueprint for a new loss and damage" fund after a tense two-day meeting under UN guidance in Abu Dhabi that ended late on Saturday night. Continue reading...
Final testing being done in project to give North Yorkshire site new life as source of geothermal energyA former fracking site in the North Yorkshire village of Kirby Misperton, once a lightning rod for environmental protests, may soon be a new frontier in Britain's clean energy revolution. For the first time in the UK, an abandoned gas well could begin a second life as a source of geothermal energy.It is a far cry from its beginnings as a highly contested site where frackers hoped to tap fresh reservoirs of gas trapped in layers of shale beneath the earth's surface. In 2016, Third Energy was granted permission to carry out fracking at an existing well but its plans were ultimately thwarted by a government moratorium on using the technology in the UK. Continue reading...
Officials remind residents of rules and say non-native Argentine black and white tegus can pose threat to wildlife and peopleAn oblivious Georgia homeowner was unaware a huge 3ft tegu lizard had taken up residence under her porch until eagle-eyed children in the neighborhood spotted it and told her, state wildlife officials said.The reptile was a non-native Argentine black and white tegu, the largest of its species that can grow up to 5ft and pose a threat to wildlife and people, the officials reported. Continue reading...
by Moe Clark with photographs by Eli Imadali on (#6G436)
Private jet travel is booming - and community members living near airports say they are bearing the bruntIt was just before noon on New Year's Day when PJ Breslin reached her limit. As she angrily typed out a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, the roar of yet another jet aircraft drowned out her thoughts and rattled the windows of her home office.It's insane to even contemplate that many private jets flying into one small location!" wrote Breslin, who has lived in the western Colorado town of Rifle for more than 25 years. Jets owned by the wealthy, entitled, third-home owners and fake environmentalist celebrities, who have zero idea of their impact on the valley and the planet, much less their neighbors. Nor do they care." Continue reading...
by Ben Webster, Lucas Amin and Jon Ungoed-Thomas on (#6G429)
Most liners rely on marine gas oil when docked, despite claims they reduce emissions by plugging into low-carbon electricityCruise ships visiting Britain are frequently failing to plug into zero emission" onshore power and instead running their engines and polluting the local environment with fumes.The industry is under scrutiny over air pollution and contribution to greenhouse gases, with some European cities banning vessels from central ports. Cruise operators say ships can reduce emissions by switching off engines and plugging into low-carbon electricity when moored. But an investigation by openDemocracy has found that cruise ships regularly fail to use onshore power at Southampton, Britain's largest cruise port. Continue reading...
Agency had strong limits on TCE use until the Trump administration reversed them; now the agency wants to ban itThe Biden administration is proposing a ban on TCE, a highly toxic chemical commonly used in stain removers, adhesives and degreasers, and which had been found to be contaminating drinking water on a wide scale across the US.The move comes after years of mounting scientific evidence showing TCE is extremely toxic" at low levels of exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote in a statement. Continue reading...
Charity to bring its gardens to urban areas to allow nature-deprived communities access to green spacesBringing glorious gardens and green space to nature-deprived people in cities is one of the National Trust's most important roles, its head has said.Maintaining some of the most famous country houses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has long been thought of as the trust's central purpose, but the charity is aiming to bring its gardens to urban areas to increase access to nature, with an urban garden planned for Chelsea flower show that will model a pocket park that can be copied and rolled out across towns and cities. Continue reading...
Once the choice of commoners and queens, the smoked herring dish all but vanished in the 1970s, but now it's backI don't mind the smell in the house, but my wife does," says George West. He claims not to mind the bones, either. It takes me back in time. Kippers are part of our British tradition." A fifth-generation fisher, West cooks his kippers on the barbecue at home in the small village of Gardenstown on the Aberdeenshire coast, serving them up with new potatoes and a little butter.The 65-year-old first went to sea at 16, and remembers eating freshly caught herring onboard his family's vessel, Courage. But in 1977, just three years into his fishing career, herring populations crashed and the industry shut down almost overnight. It was a worrying time," says West. Continue reading...
Delegates at Cop are negotiating with our health', says Maria Neira, the doctor in charge of environmental health at WHOPoliticians who delay climate action should be prepared to live with the human fallout of their choices, the World Health Organization's top environment expert has warned.Anytime you postpone, OK, are you ready to cope with that?" said Maria Neira, the doctor in charge of environmental health at the WHO. You have to live with that weight on your shoulders of the fact that you are at least not saving those lives - I don't want to say killing - but at least not protecting the lives of those people." Continue reading...
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereOne missing person in Tuscany has been found alive, Ansa reports.Spain's state meteorological agency has published data on yesterday's strong winds. Continue reading...
World leaders will reconvene in Abu Dhabi before UAE's Cop28 after talks broke down two weeks agoGovernments will meet this weekend for a last-ditch attempt to bridge deep divisions between rich and poor countries over how to get money to vulnerable people afflicted by climate disaster.Talks over funds for loss and damage", which refers to the rescue and rehabilitation of countries and communities experiencing the effects of extreme weather, started in March but broke down in rancour two weeks ago. Continue reading...
Cut shopping bills, landfill and carbon emissions by using up peelings and stems where possibleWith their spiky crowns of leaves, pineapples are about as close as you can get to a tropical paradise while doing the weekly shop - but now Sainsbury's has begun selling the fruit shorn of its exotic plumage, all in the name of cutting food waste.With the fruit's hardy leaves usually ending up in the bin or a food waste caddy, the move shines a spotlight on waste in the home. So could the leaves, stems and skins of the fruit and vegetables we routinely throw away be put to better use in the kitchen? Continue reading...
Concerns ahead of Cop28 climate summit that Rishi Sunak among leaders backsliding on green measuresThe UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, will be seeking assurances from the UK that there will be no reneging on climate promises, after Rishi Sunak's rowing back on green measures.The UN is concerned that countries may be backsliding on pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions sharply, to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Continue reading...