UK motorists may need to get stickers as more low emission zones spring up in French citiesBritish drivers heading over the Channel have long had to factor in a whole host of extra things to carry, from yellow vests to warning triangles. But how many of those making the trip this summer are aware they will need to display a clean air sticker - called a Crit'Air vignette - if they plan to drive into several French cities?In a similar move to the clean air and ultra-low emission zones that have sprung up in the UK, the French have at least 12 zones of their own, with more being added all the time. Continue reading...
Ireland and Sweden join countries calling for moratorium on extraction of metals from seabed as UN-backed authority prepares for crucial talksThe list of countries calling for a pause on deep-sea mining continued to grow this week ahead of a key moment that mining companies hope will launch the fledgling industry, and its opponents hope could clip its wings, perhaps for good.Ireland and Sweden became the latest developed economies to join critics, including scientists, environmental organisations and multinationals such as BMW, Volvo and Samsung. The carmakers have committed not to use minerals mined from the seabed in their electric vehicles. Continue reading...
Company criticised after 6,000 households were left without running water last monthThe company which left thousands of households without running water last month spent more on dividends and servicing its debt pile over two years than investing in infrastructure, it has emerged.South East Water spent 232m on distributing dividends and paying interest on its debts in the two years to March 2022, according to a new analysis. Continue reading...
The UN secretary general has said that 'climate change is out of control', as an unofficial analysis of data showed that average world temperatures in the seven days to Wednesday were the hottest week on record.'If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation,' said Antonio Guterres after reports emerged about the world temperature records being broken on Monday and Tuesday.The average global air temperature was 17.18C on Tuesday, according to data collated by the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), surpassing the record 17.01C reached on Monday
by Christine Peterson in Laramie, Wyoming on (#6CSFF)
The animal had largely disappeared from the country, but the years-long debate over its recovery is coming to a headThe most famous wolverine is arguably a surly, lonely superhero human with deadly, retractable claws. One of the most famous actual wolverines, at least in the world of wolverine researchers, was named M56.The wandering male with stubby legs embodied all the elusive mustelid's personality traits when it trekked hundreds of miles from north-west Wyoming through desert and sagebrush sea to Rocky Mountain national park in central Colorado. There he spent a few years looking, presumably, for a mate, before turning back north, walking hundreds of more miles and getting shot by a ranch hand in North Dakota. Continue reading...
In a message of hope' the animals have been brought in from Namibia to establish a group in their historical homelandAfter an epic 36-hour journey, the first native giraffes to be returned to an Angolan national park arrived from Namibia this week, in what many hope to be the first of multiple translocations to return the animals to their historical homeland.The giraffes, seven males and seven females, travelled more than 800 miles (1,300km) from a private game farm near Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region of central Namibia to Iona national park in the south-west corner of Angola. Continue reading...
International Maritime Organization agreement is inadequate to decarbonise sector, say campaignersAttempts to impose a levy on greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping, in order to fund climate action, have been delayed but not extinguished at the conclusion of talks among 175 governments.Greenhouse gas reduction goals for international shipping were agreed, in a toughening of previous targets, but were criticised as inadequate by campaigners. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Aid NGOs criticise government and Labour after Guardian reveals flagship climate pledge is almost impossible to meetKeir Starmer has been accused of wavering on climate commitments" after the Labour party refused to commit to the 11.6bn climate funding pledge made to the world's poorest nations.Aid NGOs have criticised the government and the Labour party after the Guardian revealed that under current plans, meeting the flagship pledge made at Cop26 to protect vulnerable countries against the climate crisis is almost impossible. Continue reading...
Results contradict public view that disrupting events such as Wimbledon and Pride achieves nothingTheir guerrilla protests" on Britain's roads, at art galleries, museums, and cultural and sporting events have enraged the press, politicians and the public alike. But now experts have said they believe climate activists' most important weapon could be the strategic use of nonviolent disruptive tactics".Nearly seven in 10 of academics surveyed rated disruptive protest tactics as at least quite important" to success of a movement, ranking it as more important than gaining media coverage or even strictly avoiding violent tactics. Continue reading...
The judge rejected Serge Paincahud's scared' defense to fire at a black bear while illegally carrying a shotgun on a trailA Canadian man, who had pleaded guilty to shooting a black bear in a national park, will pay a fine of C$7,500 after the judge rejected his fear" of the predator as justification for bringing a loaded firearm on a popular hiking trail.Serge Painchaud, 42, was this week fined for violating a hunting restriction under the National Parks Act. Continue reading...
Rising temperatures are leaving governments scrambling to prepare - a federal body could help them share best practicesRecord-breaking temperatures. Millions under heat alerts. Hikers dying on hot trails.As large swaths of the US bake under sweltering heat, some advocates and officials say the Biden administration should consider appointing a heat tsar" to manage a response. Continue reading...
Most of the deaths were in Punjab province and mainly caused by electrocution and building collapsesAt least 50 people, including eight children, have been killed by floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan since last month, officials have said.The summer monsoon between June and September brings 70-80% of south Asia's annual rainfall every year. It is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of about 2 billion people - but it also triggers landslides and floods. Continue reading...
After record breaking days on Monday and Tuesday, unofficial analysis shows the world may have seen its hottest seven days in a rowThe UN secretary general has said that climate change is out of control", as an unofficial analysis of data showed that average world temperatures in the seven days to Wednesday were the hottest week on record.If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation, as the last two records in temperature demonstrates," Antonio Guterres said, referring to the world temperature records broken on Monday and Tuesday. Continue reading...
Deadline tied to the regulation of controversial plans to extract seabed minerals looms amid division over the practiceDays ahead of a deadline that highlights the pressure to develop rules on deep-sea mining, Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown said pursuing the controversial practice is the right thing to do for our country."Brown told the Guardian the small Pacific nation continues to proceed with caution" as it studies the feasibility of harvesting seabed minerals within its waters. As the Cook Islands moves ahead, opposition to the nascent industry is widespread - including among Pacific states - with some countries calling for a moratorium or outright ban. Those against deep-sea mining are concerned about the environmental impact it could have on marine ecosystems. Continue reading...
Gabriel Barajas and Malea Tribble thought it was all over for us' - but marine expert suggests shark was merely being inquisitive'A pair of paddleboarders raising money for charity had a frightening encounter with a hammerhead shark that circled them near Florida's coast - and the entire incident was caught on video.Gabriel Barajas and Malea Tribble were paddling from Florida to the Bahamas, an 80-mile journey, to raise money for cystic fibrosis awareness, WJZY reported. Continue reading...
Municipalities that are suffering from the climate crisis employ lobbyists already in the pay of fossil fuel companiesLiberal cities and counties across the US - including ones suing oil and gas companies - are employing lobbyists who also represent the fossil fuel industry, new research shows.The city of Baltimore, which in 2018 sued fossil fuel companies for damages related to the climate crisis, shared a lobbyist with one of the defendants in the case: ExxonMobil. Continue reading...
Captain of tourist boat from Baja California, Mexico, says grey whales return repeatedly for grooming'Grey whales have learned to approach whale-watching boats to have parasites removed by human beings, it has been claimed.Video footage documenting the behaviour in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, shows a grey whale having whale lice picked off its head by the captain of a small boat. I have done it repeatedly with the same whale and others," Paco Jimenez Franco told a US news site. It is very exciting for me." Continue reading...
Independent Annie Riddle describes attack by Tory opposition on sustainable planting policy as ridiculous exaggerationCouncil leaders in Salisbury have hit back at politically motivated" attacks on their decision to replace single-use hanging basket displays and planters provided by the council with environmentally friendly sustainable planting in the medieval city centre.As part of an effort to become carbon neutral by 2030 and encourage bees and butterflies into the city centre, the coalition-led council this week voted to pilot replacing hanging baskets with living pillars" and parklets", which it hopes will provide pockets of nature in the heart of the city. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6CRD6)
Wael Sawan criticised by climate campaigners after comments defending continued reliance on oil and gasClimate campaigners have condemned as cynical" suggestions by the boss of the energy company Shell that cutting the world's oil and gas production would be dangerous and irresponsible.Wael Sawan claimed in an interview that reducing fossil fuel production, which is considered crucial in limiting the rise in global temperatures, risked worsening the cost of living crisis by limiting global energy supplies and pushing up bills. Continue reading...
Pierre Thiam and Garrett Oliver are on a mission to introduce brewmasters to fonio, a small and mighty west African grainThere's a certain magic to fonio, a tiny golden grain believed to be Africa's oldest cultivated cereal. The ancient grain's potential to solve pressing modern environmental and economic challenges inspired Pierre Thiam, the Senegalese-born chef, to become fonio's No 1 champion.After rediscovering the grain and showing home cooks how easy to cook and versatile it is, now Thiam is introducing brewmasters around the world to what fonio can do in beer. Continue reading...
Five hundred farmworkers have unionized - the biggest success in years for the union co-founded by Cesar ChavezFor decades, the United Farm Workers - a powerhouse under American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez in the 1970s - has declined in size and prominence, its membership falling from 60,000 to around 6,000. Now, after years of scant success in organizing, the UFW has something big to boast about: it has unionized 500 workers at five farms in New York state.It's the union's biggest organizing success in years, and the first time the California-based union has organized in the north-east. The New York victories will increase the union's membership by 8%, with some labor experts saying these successes show new promise and energy in the long-languishing UFW. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Scientists hope success of growing carnivorous plants without peat will convince ministers not to water down banThe proposed ban on using peat on private gardens and allotments is in danger of being weakened as opponents argue it is more difficult to grow carnivorous plants and other flowers without the environmentally damaging compost products.However, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is hoping a successful experiment in which carnivorous plants grown peat-free outshone those grown in peat will convince ministers not to water down the ban. Continue reading...
Calls grow for legislation requiring developers to include hollow bricks for endangered nesting speciesConservative MPs are joining calls for a new law to guarantee swift bricks in every new home to help the rapidly declining bird and other endangered roof-nesting species.Pressure is growing to amend the levelling up bill so that developers are required to include a hollow brick for nesting birds in all new housing, with MPs to debate the issue in parliament on 10 July. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: With the news that Rishi Sunak may ditch a key climate commitment, we look back at the party's poor record on the environment Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.When David Cameron threw his hat in the ring to be the leader of the Conservatives in 2005, his mission was to modernise the party and, crucially, make it more environmentally friendly. He took a trip to the Arctic where he posed with a husky and committed to leading the greenest government ever". His campaign worked. All the political parties in Britain were, generally, on the same page: the climate crisis was an imminent threat and they needed to cut fossil fuel use as quickly as possible.UK news | Richard Ratcliffe - husband of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe - alongside the families of other political prisoners, has accused the Foreign Office of complacency after it rejected a call by MPs to overhaul the way it goes about trying to secure the release of British nationals overseas.Policing | The head of the Metropolitan police, Sir Mark Rowley, has said the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation may be irreparably damaged by the egregious errors made in the first weeks after the killing. Rowley also rejected a BBC report claiming a man called Matthew White, who died in 2021, was a new suspect in the investigation.Lung cancer | The number of women diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK is expected to overtake men this year for the first time, prompting calls for women to be as vigilant about the disease as they are about breast cancer. Cancer experts said the very stark" figures reflected historical differences in smoking prevalence.Company profits | The world's 722 biggest companies collectively are making more than $1tn a year (780bn) in windfall profits on the back of soaring energy prices and rising interest rates, according to research by development charities. Windfall profits are defined as those exceeding average profits in the previous four years by more than 10%.Threads | Meta's Twitter rival, Threads, logged five million sign-ups in its first four hours of operation, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as the company seeks to woo users from Elon Musk's troubled platform. The app is freely available in 100 countries, but regulatory concerns mean it will not be available in the EU. Continue reading...
Proposal to improve soil health throughout continent by 2050 criticised for lack of legally binding targetsThe European Commission has proposed the continent's first soil law, intended to undo some of the damage done by intensive farming and mitigate global heating.Amid intense opposition to proposed laws on nature restoration and curbs on pesticides, the European Commission put forward proposals in Brussels on Wednesday to revive degraded soils. Research indicates that this could help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and ensure sustainable food production. Continue reading...
Ash dieback most expensive, while cost of tackling alien species has more than doubled since 2010, says studyFrom Japanese knotweed to a fungus that kills ash trees, tackling invasive non-native species now costs the UK economy about 4bn, up from 1.7bn in 2010, research suggests.There are about 2,000 invasive non-native species (Inns) in the UK, and about 12 new ones establish themselves each year, adding, along with inflation, to the rise in costs. Continue reading...
by Nina Lakhani Climate justice reporter, and Amy Haw on (#6CR23)
Watchdog identifies 102 violations over past two years as country extracts transition minerals' for green-energy technologyA new report into China's dominance in the green-energy market has identified more than a hundred allegations of environmental and human rights violations linked to its overseas transition mineral investments over the past two years.China dominates the processing and refining of lithium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, zinc, chromium, aluminium and rare-earth elements - and the manufacturing of technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and batteries for electric vehicles (EV), which require so-called transition minerals. Continue reading...
Average global temperature hits 17.18C and experts expect record to be broken again very soonWorld temperature records have been broken for a second day in a row, data suggests, as experts issued a warning that this year's warmest days are still to come - and with them the warmest days ever recorded.The average global air temperature was 17.18C (62.9F) on Tuesday, according to data collated by the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), surpassing the record 17.01C reached on Monday. Continue reading...
Chief medical officer says move to electric cars can reduce impact of exhausts, but may bring different problem to the foreMinisters need to start looking seriously at the health risks from vehicle tyre wear as the impact of pollutants from car exhausts gradually reduces, Sir Chris Whitty has told MPs.Giving evidence to the environmental audit committee, England's chief medical officer said improvements in emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles, and a shift towards electric cars, were reducing the extent of dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. Continue reading...
The biggest players in tech have contracted with lobbyists that also represent some of the biggest fossil fuel companiesApple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon - some of the largest technology firms in the world - have all vowed to confront the climate crisis and have each set goals to slash planet-heating emissions. But they have also hired US lobbyists that work with the fossil fuel companies that are worsening global heating.Apple has contracted lobbyists who also work for the Koch Industries network, well known for its work to undermine confidence in climate science and stymie action to cut emissions, as well as the coal mining company Peabody, among other fossil fuel companies, according to F Minus, a new database of state-level lobbying disclosures. Continue reading...
Civil servants say bold action needed to meet target - but painful decisions need to be madeRishi Sunak risks damaging trust in the UK among developing countries and reducing the country's standing in negotiations, because of a failure to meet climate spending pledges, civil servants have told ministers.They said that under current policies the only way to meet the 11.6bn international climate funding target agreed at Cop26 was to take a drastic combination of hugely reputationally damaging" measures including delaying meeting the target, redefining already committed spending as climate funding, and cutting money for research and development, biodiversity and plastic pollution mitigation.Delay the target. Officials said they could move it to the end of the 2026 calendar year instead of the financial year 2025/26, giving another three-quarters of a year to spend money. They warned this would be hugely reputationally damaging at a time when the global south mistrusts wealthy countries". They added: The geopolitical ramifications are likely to extend beyond climate, damaging our standing with a wide range of developing countries, SIDs [small island developing states], Commonwealth and middle-ground nations, further undermining trust in the UK as a donor."Count other already-committed amounts to climate payments as part of the 11.6bn. Civil servants said: This would be seen as the UK moving the goalposts' and would be seen as a backwards step, reducing UK standing and influence in climate negotiations."Eat into Defra and net zero department budgets. Currently half of the international funding paid by these departments is part of the 11.6bn commitment. Civil servants said it would be helpful for this to be closer to 75%, but this would eat into research and development funding as well as non-climate biodiversity protection programmes and other areas such as preventing plastic pollution.Obtain a one-off sum from the Treasury. Officials admitted this would be strongly resisted" by the chancellor but said if the Treasury directly funded loss and damage options, it would be a strong signal of climate leadership by the UK". Continue reading...
Exclusive: new database shows 1,500 US lobbyists working for fossil-fuel firms while representing universities and green groupsMore than 1,500 lobbyists in the US are working on behalf of fossil-fuel companies while at the same time representing hundreds of liberal-run cities, universities, technology companies and environmental groups that say they are tackling the climate crisis, the Guardian can reveal.Lobbyists for oil, gas and coal interests are also employed by a vast sweep of institutions, ranging from the city governments of Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia; tech giants such as Apple and Google; more than 150 universities; some of the country's leading environmental groups - and even ski resorts seeing their snow melted by global heating. Continue reading...
Tuesday incidents happened about 60 miles apart, a day after two others reported being attacked off popular New York beachesTwo swimmers were apparently attacked by sharks off Long Island on Tuesday, a day after two others reported being attacked off popular New York beaches.At least one beach delayed opening to Independence Day revelers after officials said drones spotted 50 sand sharks. When the beach reopened, swimmers were advised to stay close to shore. Continue reading...
Bills would force large companies that do business in the state to report all emissions and crack down on bogus carbon offset claimsThis article was produced by Capital & Main. An extended version is available here.Two transparency bills in the California legislature would require corporations to disclose more information about their emissions and their efforts to fight the climate crisis. The oil and gas industry is spending millions to kill them. Continue reading...
by Stephen Starr in Fayette county, West Virginia on (#6CQDQ)
Increasing number of workers in once profitable mining industry now employed in tourism in a stunning corner of AppalachiaRick Johnson's introduction to the world of coal began as a teenager more than 40 years ago in rural western Virginia. For a decade and a half, he worked for extraction and chemical production companies across Appalachia.I was fed on coal," he said recently. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#6CQDT)
David Black says water firms' debt is their issue to sort out' because regulator did not have powers to tackle problem until recentlyWater companies will be seeking big bill rises as they face huge infrastructure investment demands, the chief executive of the water regulator, Ofwat, has said.David Black denied that the water industry was badly regulated and defended Ofwat's role in an industry saddled with debt and facing public anger over poor performance, high dividends, executive pay and sewage pollution. Continue reading...
Scientists have warned the country to expect multiple natural disasters' this month including typhoons and high temperaturesChina's president, Xi Jinping, has called for stronger efforts to protect lives and property from severe flooding, as the country's scientists warned July will bring more misery from extreme weather.Heavy rain has displaced thousands of people in the centre of China, and destroyed bridges and other property. Video captured one building in southwest Chongqing crumbling into a raging torrent, and the national broadcaster reported a railway bridge collapsed after it was weakened by flood waters in the same region. Continue reading...
by Annika Brohm in Aqaba and Amman. Photography by Jo on (#6CQB0)
Project Sea clears rubbish from Aqaba's reefs, which is recycled into bags by Palestinian refugees - a female-led scheme in a country where women must still fight for equalityThe yacht Diversity leaves the harbour of Aqaba, the only coastal town in Jordan. To the right is the Israeli resort of Eilat, framed by barren mountains; in the Red Sea, a boxfish makes leisurely circles in absurdly clear, turquoise water.The boat soon anchors just offshore, directly in front of Aqaba's electricity plant, and suddenly everything happens quickly: the passengers don wetsuits, pass around gloves and cloth bags, and then, one by one, dive in. They all have one mission: to collect as much rubbish as possible in 30 minutes. Continue reading...
World Meteorological Organization says weather pattern is in place, which for Australia increases risk of drought, heatwaves, bushfires and coral bleaching
Heatwaves sizzled around the world from the US south and the north of Africa to China and AntarcticaThis Monday, 3 July 2023, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction.The average global temperature reached 17.01C (62.62F), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F), as heatwaves sizzled around the world. Continue reading...
by Helena Horton and Patrick Greenfield on (#6CQ17)
Exclusive: Disclosure provokes fury as Rishi Sunak accused of betraying populations vulnerable to global heatingThe government is drawing up plans to drop the UK's flagship 11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge, the Guardian can reveal, with the prime minster accused of betraying populations most vulnerable to global heating.The disclosure provoked fury from former ministers and representatives of vulnerable countries, who accused Rishi Sunak of making false promises. Continue reading...