by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6BX2B)
Naturalist wins claim over articles on Country Squire Magazine website that accused him of lying about charityChris Packham said he has been vindicated after a judge found that he had been subjected to an online ideological campaign, accusing him of fraud and dishonesty, before awarding him £90,000 in libel damages.The prominent naturalist found his character, speech impediment and Asperger syndrome mocked in articles published on the Country Squire Magazine (CSM) website, which also accused him of lying to raise funds for a charity of which he is a trustee. Continue reading...
Precious manuscripts placed in industrial-sized freezers at -25C to rid them of excess waterAncient books and manuscripts, some dating back to the 16th century, that have been affected by devastating floods in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna are being stored in freezers in an effort to salvage them.Volunteers have been transporting the books and other precious documents, which became submerged in water and mud in flooded libraries in the worst-affected areas, to Cesena, where the items will be placed on shelves in temperatures of -25C in industrial-size freezers provided by Orogel, a company that specialises in frozen food. Continue reading...
by Photography: SMARTEX/Natural History Museum/NOOA on (#6BX86)
A trove of biodiversity has been catalogued by scientists in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a vast area of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, which has been targeted by deep-sea mining companies keen to exploit its mineral wealth Continue reading...
Plan to drastically dilute bodies’ powers would deal severe blow to Lula’s attempt to reverse Bolsonaro’s era of Amazon devastationBrazilian activists have voiced outrage after congress moved to drastically dilute the powers of the environment and Indigenous peoples ministries in what campaigners called a potentially crippling blow to efforts to protect Indigenous communities and the Amazon.Hopes that Brazil could turn the page on Jair Bolsonaro’s era of Amazon devastation were sky-high after the far-right leader lost last year’s presidential election to the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During his campaign Lula vowed to stamp out environmental crime and champion Indigenous people, and after taking power in January put the veteran environmentalist Marina Silva in charge of environmental affairs and made the Indigenous activist Sônia Guajajara head of a new ministry for Indigenous peoples. Continue reading...
A wealth of biodiversity has been found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an area earmarked for exploitation by mineral firmsScientists have discovered more than 5,000 new species living on the seabed in an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean that has been identified as a future hotspot for deep-sea mining, according to a review of the environmental surveys done in the area.It is the first time the previously unknown biodiversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a mineral-rich area of the ocean floor that spans 1.7m sq miles between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific, has been comprehensively documented. The research will be critical to assessing the risk of extinction of the species, given contracts for deep-sea mining in the near-pristine area appear imminent. Continue reading...
Centuries-old Ceiba pentandra marked where formerly enslaved people had prayed upon arrival in west AfricaA centuries-old tree that served as a historic symbol in Sierra Leone has been felled during a storm, the government has said.The 70-metre (230ft) Ceiba pentandra – known by Sierra Leoneans as Cotton Tree – lost all of its branches on Wednesday during torrential rains and high winds, with only the base of its enormous trunk still standing. The tree, which was in the capital, Freetown, was about 400 years old. Continue reading...
United Utilities accused of ‘making mockery’ by raising dividend in face of sewage spills and continuing leakagesThe decision by United Utilities to hand more than £300m to shareholders has prompted fresh anger over water companies’ multimillion-pound payouts, at a time when the industry is under pressure to spend more on tackling leaks and stopping sewage pollution.The company, which supplies more than 3m homes and 200,000 businesses across the north-west of England, from Carlisle to Crewe, had the unenviable title of England’s most polluting water company last year, according to Environment Agency data. Continue reading...
Fears biodiversity proposals could be abandoned amid opposition from lobby groups and some countriesMEPs have been accused of whipping up “a culture war against nature” after the fisheries and agriculture committees voted against the EU’s biodiversity restoration law.Last June, the European Commission revealed proposals for legally binding targets for member states to restore wildlife on land, in rivers and the sea. The nature restoration law was announced alongside separate legislation proposing a crackdown on chemical pesticides with the aim of reversing the catastrophic loss of wildlife on the continent. Continue reading...
Lawyer in class action over forever chemicals leaked in waterways calls deal bittersweet as people ‘still dealing with irreparable damage to their land’
International Energy Agency says investment will hit $1.7tn this year, well ahead of fossil fuelsRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has helped ignite a boom in clean energy investment which will significantly outpace spending on fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency.A report from the IEA has found that clean energy investment is on track to reach $1.7tn (£1.4tn) this year as investors turn to renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage and other low-carbon technologies. Continue reading...
Tanya Plibersek confirms regional forestry agreements will be covered by upgraded federal environment laws, hinting government may follow Victoria’s lead
Carbon neutrality of low-cost telco Belong relies almost solely on buying overseas offsets, and how an Institute of Public Affairs fellow misread the Great Barrier Reef
The clean-up begins after catastrophic flooding that has left tens of thousands of people homeless in north-east Italy. Rising waters swallowed houses and landslides isolated hamlets
Investor payout comes as company posts small profit increase and forecasts strong earnings growthwhich the company said was in line with its policy of increasing dividends by at least CPIH inflation”?Severn Trent has increased its dividend to more than £260m, despite growing public anger over payments made by water suppliers to their shareholders and executives, as companies come under increasing pressure to tackle leaks and sewage pollution of rivers and seas.The rise in the water company’s investor payout came as it reported a small increase in profit for the past year and forecast strong earnings growth for the coming year. Continue reading...
Firm pledges record-breaking investment over next decade as earnings from gas-fired power plants surge near-fourfoldSSE has set out plans to invest £40bn in clean energy over the next 10 years as it reported a near-doubling of its annual profits compared with the year before thanks in part to its fossil fuel power stations.The Perth-based FTSE 100 company said it would carry out its record-breaking green energy plan by investing “far in excess of its earnings” after making an adjusted pre-tax profit of £2.18bn for the 12 months to the end of March, up from almost £1.16bn the year before. Continue reading...
More than 200 million face more intense and frequent floods due to plastic pollution blocking drainage systems, report findsA devastating 2005 flood that killed 1,000 people in the Indian city of Mumbai was blamed on a tragically simple problem: plastic bags had blocked storm drains, stopping monsoon flood water from draining out of the city.Now a new report, attempting to quantify this problem, estimates that 218 million of the world’s poorest people are at risk from more severe and frequent flooding caused by plastic waste. Continue reading...
Raids targeting members of Letzte Generation are carried out at 15 properties in seven German statesNationwide raids against members of the German climate protest group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) have been carried out at the behest of authorities in Munich investigating charges that the group is a criminal organisation.Launched at 7am local time on Wednesday, 170 police officers took part in the raids, which targeted 15 properties in seven German states, including Bavaria and Berlin. Continue reading...
Exclusive: investigation finds energy giant’s efforts to offset its huge emissions rely on schemes with little impactA new investigation into Chevron’s climate pledge has found the fossil-fuel company relies on “junk” carbon offsets and “unviable” technologies, which do little to offset its vast greenhouse gas emissions and in some cases may actually be causing communities harm.Chevron, which reported $35.5bn in profits last year, is the US’s second-largest fossil fuel company with operations stretching from Canada and Brazil to the UK, Nigeria and Australia. Continue reading...
Decline worse in Britain than other countries, as conservationists blame agriculture and global heatingButterfly populations that live on grasslands across Europe have declined by more than a third in the past decade, according to a study.Seventeen species that were once commonly found in pastures and meadows across 22 countries, including the small copper, common blue and meadow brown, declined by 36% on average between 2011 and 2020. Continue reading...
Science-Based Targets Network says new schema will ‘get nature into the boardroom’ in the same way as climate footprintsBusinesses can now assess their impacts on nature loss using science-based targets as part of a move to “get nature into the boardroom”.Research shows that the biodiversity crisis is as serious as the climate crisis, yet there is less information about how companies drive nature loss, because this data is not being disclosed. The Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN) is providing the first framework for companies to report their impacts on nature as part a new frontier of corporate environmental reporting. Continue reading...
Campaign group says plastics are incompatible with circular economy as countries prepare for treaty talksRecycling plastic can make it more toxic and should not be considered a solution to the pollution crisis, Greenpeace has warned before the latest round of negotiations for an international plastics treaty.“Plastics are inherently incompatible with a circular economy,” the global environmental network said in a report that brings together research showing recycled plastics are more toxic than their virgin constituents. Continue reading...
by Graham Readfearn and Australian Associated Press on (#6BWCN)
Tech firm founded by Australians Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar says net zero must be achieved by cutting emissions by 90% and only offsetting the remainder
Toxic ‘forever chemicals’, concentrated in sludge, are extremely difficult to dispose of safely and also poison farmlandUtility officials in Maine and elsewhere around the country are developing first-of-their-kind plans to eliminate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from sewage sludge spread as fertilizer on farmland.Success would address a growing agricultural crisis and reshape how the nation handles its waste – the dangerous chemicals are thought to be contaminating all sludge at high levels, and poisoning food and water on around 20m acres (8m hectares) of farmland across the US. Continue reading...
Scientists find high levels of microplastics in wastewater from unnamed UK plant – and in air surrounding facilityRecycling has been promoted by the plastics industry as a key solution to the growing problem of plastic waste. But a study has found recycling itself could be releasing huge quantities of microplastics.An international team of scientists sampled wastewater from a state-of-the-art recycling plant at an undisclosed location in the UK. They found that the microplastics released in the water amounted to 13% of the plastic processed. Continue reading...
Prime minister’s spokesperson says he is gathering ‘all the facts’ before making a decision. This live blog is closedAnd here are some of the lines from what Rishi Sunak has been saying at the London defence conference.Sunak said the challenge posed by China should not lead to a “blanket descent into protectionism”. He said that China’s rise represented an “epoch-defining challenge”. He explained:It is a country that has both the means and the intent to reshape the global order.Its behaviour is increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad and in light of that we do need to take the steps to protect ourselves.There are a limited number of very sensitive sectors of our economy, or types of technology, where we want to take a particularly robust approach: semiconductors, for example, dual-use technologies, quantum, etc.But this is not an excuse for a blanket descent into protectionism.He said that G7 countries should not be engaged in subsidy competition. Asked whether the UK needed an industrial strategy, he replied:That means different things to different people. If that means we should just be focusing on who can subsidise industries the most, then my answer is no.We discussed that at the G7 and actually you will see in the G7 communique very specific language acknowledging that subsidy races that essentially just shift industrial capacity between allies in some kind of zero-sum competition are not appropriate. Continue reading...
Crews hope wet weather could be ‘turning point’ after worst start to fire season on record in which area the size of Wales has burnedHeavy rains have brought relief to western Canada, in what crews hope could be a “turning point” in a protracted fight against wildfires, but officials also warned the much-needed downpour could lead to catastrophic flooding – and fresh blazes from lightning strikes.Officials in Alberta said that cool, wet weather over the weekend – and more forecast for the coming days – promised a respite after the worst start to a fire season on record, in which 512 wildfires have already consumed more than 945,000 hectares – surpassing the previous record 615,00 hectares for the same period in 2019. Continue reading...
Bosses defend oil company against accusations it is not switching away from fossil fuels quickly enoughShell’s annual shareholder meeting in London descended into chaos with more than an hour of climate protests delaying the start of a meeting in which investors in the oil company rejected new targets for carbon emissions cuts.The FTSE 100 oil company faced a shareholder vote backed by big pension funds and investors to set carbon emission reduction targets for 2030, while dozens of protesters called for an immediate end to fossil fuel production. Continue reading...
More than £13m of subsidies mainly paid to tenants of Duchy of Cornwall have done little to restore nature in national parkKing Charles and Prince William could be dragged into a bitter fight over £13m of taxpayer funds paid over the past decade for nature restoration on Dartmoor national park.The funds have partly been paid to tenants farming land in the national park that is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, a land and property estate controlled by the heir to the throne. Continue reading...
David Antonioli to step down from Verra, which was accused of approving millions of worthless offsets used by major companiesThe head of the world’s leading carbon credit certifier has announced he will step down as CEO next month.It comes amid concerns that Verra, a Washington-based nonprofit, approved tens of millions of worthless offsets that are used by major companies for climate and biodiversity commitments, according to a joint Guardian investigation earlier this year. Continue reading...
Shares in owner Pennon Group fall as it says Ofwat has launched inquiry into South West WaterSouth West Water is being investigated by the industry regulator over whether it accurately reported leaks and figures showing how much water is used by its customers.Pennon Group, which owns South West Water and Bristol Water Group, told its shareholders Ofwat had announced an investigation into the company’s operational performance during 2021 and 2022. Continue reading...
Protesters from Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion and others chain themselves to aircraft in GenevaDozens of climate activists have disrupted Europe’s largest private jet trade fair by chaining themselves to aircraft to protest against the sector’s carbon emissions.The demonstrators on behalf of Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion also attached themselves to the entrance gates of the event at Geneva airport in the hope of preventing prospective buyers from entering the annual show. Continue reading...
Agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada will cut water consumption by 13% but experts warn river is still in serious perilA hard-fought agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada to slash the states’ use of the shrinking Colorado River is only a temporary salve to a long-term water crisis that continues to threaten the foundations of life in the American west, experts have warned.The deal, announced on Monday, between the three states that make up the lower portion of the sprawling Colorado basin will pare back 13% of water consumption from the beleaguered river over the next three years if adopted, averting the prospect of more stringent cuts imposed by the federal government. Backed by $1.2bn in federal funds, the bulk of the reductions are structured to encourage voluntary cuts taken by rights holders, in exchange for grant money. Continue reading...
Two hundred and ninety plants, 20 fishes, 24 amphibians, 46 reptiles and one mammal were among newly discovered in one of Asia’s biodiversity hotspots in 2021 and 2022. Many are already under threat of extinction from habitat loss, deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade. WWF is calling on governments to increase protection for these rare species and to commit to halting and reversing nature loss Continue reading...
Farmers turning to forestry and the fall in the price of wool are being blamed for the ratio of sheep to people falling below five to oneNew Zealand’s ratio of sheep to people has dropped below five to one for the first time since national population records began in the late 1850s.The vast ovine herds that outnumber human New Zealanders are a long-running joke outside the country; one of a few nuggets of information about New Zealand – alongside its links to The Lord of the Rings and Jacinda Ardern – that is know by the rest of the world. Continue reading...
Global trade in chocolate, worth more than $1tn a year, is leading to widespread deforestation in Ivory Coast and GhanaThe world’s hunger for chocolate is a major cause of the destruction of protected forests in west Africa, scientists have said.Satellite maps of Ivory Coast and Ghana showed swathes of formerly dense forest had become cocoa plantations since 2000, according to a study. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6BV9F)
World is on track for 2.7C and ‘phenomenal’ human suffering, scientists warnGlobal heating will drive billions of people out of the “climate niche” in which humanity has flourished for millennia, a study has estimated, exposing them to unprecedented temperatures and extreme weather.The world is on track for 2.7C of heating with current action plans and this would mean 2 billion people experiencing average annual temperatures above 29C by 2030, a level at which very few communities have lived in the past. Continue reading...
Exclusive: New documents also reveal federal government admitted Australia did not have policies to ensure project would meet key recommendation in fullNew documents reveal the Northern Territory government knew it could not meet a key recommendation to reduce the climate risk of its planned massive expansion of gas production, and asked the Albanese government for help.Federal climate change officials in turn admitted Australia did not have any existing policies that would meet the recommendation in full. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen South Asia correspondent on (#6BV7X)
Three of the 20 big cats brought from Africa have died as critics of the plan say their new habitat is unsuitableA programme to reintroduce cheetahs in India after 75 years has been called into question after three of the animals died in recent weeks and concerns were raised that their new habitat was unsuitable.Since October, 20 cheetahs – which became extinct in the country in 1952 – have been brought over from South Africa and Namibia as part of a much-lauded government programme to house them in Kuno national park, Madhya Pradesh state. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Fossil fuel companies register drop in value after litigation or unfavourable judgmentsClimate litigation poses a financial risk to fossil fuel companies because it lowers the share price of big polluters, research has found.A study to be published on Tuesday by LSE’s Grantham Research Institute examines how the stock market reacts to news that a fresh climate lawsuit has been filed or a corporation has lost its case. Continue reading...
Asset managers told they have key role to play on climate crisis in open letter before Shell’s annual meetingA coalition of university investment funds has called on institutional investors to rebel against the boards of fossil fuel companies and their backers.As Shell prepares for its annual shareholder meeting this week, representatives from the Universities of Newcastle, Sussex, Bristol and from Trinity College, Cambridge, have written an open letter to the asset management industry urging “bold action” to stop new fossil fuel projects. Continue reading...
When scientists discovered tunnels on the bed of the Bering Sea, they were baffled. Now they think they have found the culpritDuring an expedition in the cold waters of the Bering Sea, between Russia and Alaska, last summer, a team of scientists spotted neat lines of holes poked into the seafloor. But they did not know who – or what – had created them.Scientists on the German research vessel Sonne set about hunting for clues. They sifted through several hundred images captured by a camera towed above the seafloor. Continue reading...
Ministers were warned about the risks of private equity entering the sector but did nothing. Now we’re paying the priceThe revelation should anger all who care about England’s rivers and beaches. Two decades ago, ministers were warned about private equity firms buying up water companies. In a briefing prepared for Britain’s competition regulator prior to the takeover of Southern Water, researchers raised the alarm that private equity-owned water companies would become “impossible” to regulate. Despite the 20-year transparency rule, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has not released the briefing. Its existence was uncovered by this newspaper. Though its full contents remain secret, its implications are clear: ministers were alerted to the devastating impact that this industry could have on England’s water supply, but they chose not to act.Since then, a tide of effluent has polluted England’s rivers. Following the privatisation of water companies in 1989, owners have enriched themselves while neglecting infrastructure and dumping vast quantities of untreated sewage. As investors have loaded water companies with debt, they have continued to pay dividends to their shareholders, which totalled £1.4bn last year. The public, meanwhile, have shouldered the costs. Water bills have risen. Last week, the industry apologised for these sewage spills and pledged to invest £10bn in infrastructure – to be paid for by increases in customer bills. Ruth Kelly, the former Labour cabinet minister who is head of the industry’s trade body, Water UK, said more should have been done to address the spillages. She was silent on the subject of dividend payments. Continue reading...