Environment | The Guardian

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including a jellyfish bloom, a happy seal, and an endangered Amur leopard cub Continue reading...

System not fit for carbon offsetting, puts Indigenous communities at risk and should be replaced with new approach, say researchersRainforest conservation projects are not suitable for carbon offsetting and a different approach should be used to effectively protect critical ecosystems such as the Amazon and Congo basin, a report has concluded.New research by UC Berkeley Carbon Trading Project looking into rainforest carbon credits certified by Verra, which operates the world's leading carbon standard, found that the system is not fit for purpose. Continue reading...

Big Butterfly Count records increase on 2022 but longer-term trends show declines for some of most common species

The flash flood that has killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed the medicane' storm DanielThe flash flood that has killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed a medicane", a rare but destructive weather phenomenon that scientists believe will intensify in a warming world.The term is an amalgamation of the words Mediterranean and hurricane. Used by scientists and weather forecasters, it is less well known to the wider public. Continue reading...

Protests were a preview of planned marches in the city ahead of United Nations' climate ambition summit on 20 SeptemberProgressive lawmakers and climate activists rallied at the Capitol on Thursday to demand an end to fossil fuel usage, previewing a planned march in New York on Sunday ahead of the United Nations' climate ambition summit on 20 September.Clearly, saving the planet is the most important issue facing humanity," the Democratic senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, said. But here's the ugly and brutal truth: right now, humanity is failing. The planet is crying out for help." Continue reading...

Executives privately sought to downplay link between fossil fuels and climate change despite public pronouncements, WSJ reportsExxonMobil executives privately sought to undermine climate science even after the oil and gas giant publicly acknowledged the link between fossil fuel emissions and climate change, according to previously unreported documents revealed by the Wall Street Journal.The new revelations are based on previously unreported documents subpoenaed by New York's attorney general as part of an investigation into the company announced in 2015. They add to a slew of documents that record a decades-long misinformation campaign waged by Exxon, which are cited in a growing number of state and municipal lawsuits against big oil. Continue reading...

Comments by agriculture minister seem to signal shift away from focus on organic produce as shoppers choose cheaper meatFrance is urging its farmers to produce more cut-price meat in a major U-turn on factory farming, with inflation hammering demand for organic pork, beef and chicken.The agriculture minister, Marc Fesneau, told a big agro-industry gathering on Tuesday that we have to admit that we must work on the entry level" end of the market. Continue reading...

Exclusive: local trust that backs proposal says there is urgent need to tackle impact of greater tourismScotland's heritage agency plans to introduce an admission fee at the neolithic Calanais standing stones, one of the most popular and revered cultural sites in the Hebrides.The fee proposal coincides with a 6m revamp of Calanais visitor facilities being built in response to a surge in tourism to the Western Isles, driven largely by day trips by cruise ship passengers. Continue reading...

Federal effort will focus on marginalized areas in all parts of country and aims to reduce extreme heat and benefit healthHundreds of communities around the US will share more than $1bn in federal money to help them plant and maintain trees under a federal program that is intended to reduce extreme heat, benefit health and improve access to nature.The US agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will announce the $1.13bn in funding for 385 projects at an event on Thursday morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Continue reading...

Not only are male palm cockatoos expert toolmakers and musicians, research shows they pass their knowledge down through generations

Claimants to argue lack of adequate action is breach of human rights, in largest climate legal action to dateSix young people are preparing to appear at the European court of human rights to try to compel 32 nations to rapidly escalate their emissions reductions in the world's largest climate legal action to date.Aged from 11 to 24, the six Portuguese claimants, say they were driven to act by their experiences in the wildfires that ripped through the Leiria region in 2017, killing 66 people and destroying 20,000 hectares of forest. Continue reading...

Outgoing chief executive Bernard Looney presided over plans to cut fossil fuel output by end of decadeBP's climate goals must not evaporate" along with another chief executive, campaign groups have said after the shock resignation of Bernard Looney.The chief executive is stepping down after three years at the helm of Britain's biggest petroleum company after failing to disclose full details of relationships with colleagues, although many old-school shareholders had also reportedly been putting pressure on him over his plans for a net zero energy transition by 2050. Continue reading...

South African scientists find a mystery female specimen with stunted wings identified as a flightless flyIn December 2021, the South African dipterologists (entomologists specialising in flies) John Midgley and Burgert Muller set off on a long-anticipated collecting mission to Lesotho, the only country in the world that has its entire territory located at an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,280ft) and higher.Looking at the maps, we knew that the high-altitude plateau in north-eastern Lesotho would be interesting," says Midgley. Whenever you have an island' that's cut off from its surroundings you get cool things." Especially when you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of entomologists who have been there. Continue reading...

Farmers protested against Murray-Darling Basin policy and the proposed Hunter gas pipeline

Insect-eating sundew plants among 17,500 reintroduced as part of carbon-sequestering conservation schemeAfter a 100-year absence, ruthless carnivores are flourishing again on a peat bog near Garstang in Lancashire.The insect-eating great sundew and oblong-leaved sundew are among 17,500 plants being reintroduced to Winmarleigh Moss as part of its restoration by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. Continue reading...

Techniques such as solar radiation management may have unintended consequences, scientists sayGovernments should place a moratorium on efforts to geoengineer the planet's climate, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the climate crisis takes hold, a panel of global experts has urged.Geoengineering is highly controversial, but discussions of its feasibility are gathering pace as the impacts of extreme weather, driven by climate breakdown, grip the planet. There is no global agreement on geoengineering, and no rules on what countries, or businesses, can do. Continue reading...

Rural Fire Service says smoke is expected to clear by the weekend when runners compete in the Sydney Marathon

Series sponsored by organisations including coal and gas companies features incorrect' claims on green gas' and context missing on carbon capture technology

Labour's move to oppose erosion of EU-derived laws welcomed by environmental groupsMinisters' plans to weaken river pollution rules are in tatters after they suffered two defeats in the House of Lords.Labour had made clear that it would oppose the reckless" plans by the Conservatives to rip up EU-derived laws on nutrient neutrality, which force developers to mitigate pollution from new developments. Continue reading...

Labour leader accuses government of failing to heed warnings which has led to series of crises this weekHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs.Yesterday it emerged that ministers are mulling over a plan to tweak the triple lock for pensions so that what might be a bumper 8.5% increase in its value next year ends up being marginally less generous, at 7.8%. Continue reading...

Queensland police investigating complaint from Wangan and Jagalingou man Adrian Burragubba

Scheme to restore Aller's natural flow has created wetland teeming with life and could provide model for managing other riversIt does not have the sense of order associated with the National Trust's manicured stately homes, nor the grandeur of many of the wild places that the organisation manages. But a muddy piece of land in west Somerset was unveiled with a fanfare on Wednesday by the conservation charity, which sees this unassuming-looking plot as a pioneering project that could revolutionise the way some rivers are managed.Under the stage-zero restoration project at the Holnicote estate, a section of the River Aller has been liberated from its narrow artificial channel. This allows the water to find its own way, creating streams, pools and boggy ground, a landscape that is better for flora and fauna. Moreover, the slower flow makes flooding less probable downstream. Continue reading...

Storm Daniel was by no means the only factor behind the devastation wrought on the city of DernaWhen the climate crisis meets a failed state, the outcome is the kind of disaster that Libya is witnessing in Derna.Any city would have struggled with the extraordinary level of precipitation that Storm Daniel visited upon Libya's northern coast. In its earlier, milder form, the storm caused severe damage in Greece before it crossed the Mediterranean. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Watchdog is supposed to audit firms yearly to ensure they are not illegally dumping sewage, but 36% of audits since 2010 are missingThe Environment Agency is failing to regularly audit water companies to check they are telling the truth about pollution and illegal sewage dumping in England, the Guardian can reveal.The audits contribute to the star rating companies are given for environmental performance by the watchdog. Some companies are being given top ratings, even though the FoI data suggests the EA has not audited them for several years. Continue reading...

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Species such as mackerel and North Sea cod have been overfished or have reached critically low populationsHalf of Britain's 10 largest fish populations are in a deeply troubling state", having been either overfished or depleted to a critically low size, according to a new report. The situation is being driven by the UK government setting catch limits at levels that exceed scientific advice, said Oceana, a Washington DC-based NGO.The UK's fishing industry relies heavily on 10 key stocks. Five are either being overfished, including mackerel, which accounted for the largest volume of landings in the UK in 2021, or have reached critically low populations, such as North Sea cod. Many cod species are in crisis, pushing the popular fish close to population collapse. Continue reading...

Report finds consumers could also face shortages of bananas, avocados, peas and tea in the coming years owing to carbon dioxide emissionsMore than a fifth of UK shoppers' favourite grocery items are at risk from climate breakdown, a new report has found.Consumers could also face shortages of bananas, grapes, avocados, cashews, cocoa, peas, canned tuna and tea in the coming years, as the countries they come from are hit by changing weather patterns because of CO emissions, the charity Christian Aid has said. Continue reading...

Australia Post's release of new bird stamps reflects the country's changing urban landscapes and highlights little-known habitat loss

Colombia was the deadliest country and a fifth of the 177 recorded killings took place in the Amazon rainforest, says Global WitnessAt least 177 people were killed last year for defending the environment, according to new figures, with a fifth of killings taking place in the Amazon rainforest.Murdered by organised crime groups and land invaders, environmental defenders were killed at a rate of one every other day in 2022, figures from the NGO Global Witness show. Colombia was the most deadly country, recording 60 murders. Continue reading...

Party announces it will vote against Conservative bid to scrap river nutrient neutrality rules for housebuildersLabour is set to oppose plans to rip up EU laws prohibiting housebuilders from polluting England's most sensitive rivers.Angela Rayner and Steve Reed, the new shadow levelling up and environment secretaries, have vowed that Labour will try to protect the EU-derived environmental legislation. Continue reading...

Neighbourhoods washed away in port city of Derna, where two dams burst, with many bodies swept out to seaThe situation in Derna, the Libyan port city where two dams burst over the weekend, has been described as disastrous beyond comprehension", as the Red Cross and local officials said at least 10,000 people were missing after the devastating floods.The confirmed death toll has exceeded 5,300, Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesperson for the administration that controls the east of Libya told a state-run news agency late on Tuesday.Tariq al-Kharraz, another representative of the eastern government, said that entire neighbourhoods had been washed away, with many bodies swept out to sea. Continue reading...

While climate crisis may have helped intensify storm, the parlous state of infrastructure is also to blame for its impacts, say expertsAfter nearly a week of battering one country after another in a westward arc across the Mediterranean, Storm Daniel caused unprecedented floods in Libya that burst dams protecting the port city of Derna.At least 2,300 are estimated to have died. At least 10,000 are missing. I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared," one government official told Reuters. Continue reading...

Process of consulting experts and industry could mean important habitat areas would be left without protection until 2025

Forecast downturn still nowhere near steep enough' to limit temperature rise to 1.5C, says watchdog

Study highlights conflict between Washington's claims of climate leadership and its fossil fuel growth plansThe US accounts for more than a third of the expansion of global oil and gas production planned by mid-century, despite its claims of climate leadership, research has found.Canada and Russia have the next biggest expansion plans, calculated based on how much carbon dioxide is likely to be produced from new developments, followed by Iran, China and Brazil. The United Arab Emirates, which is to host the annual UN climate summit this year, Cop28 in Dubai in November, is seventh on the list. Continue reading...

Correspondence shows nature watchdog had recommended that housebuilders pay for pollution

A parliamentary group has compiled 10 recommendations to make our roads safer for pedestrians and cyclistsChris Boardman has achieved many things: Olympic champion, successful businessman, head of an active travel quango. But in a muggy committee room in parliament on Monday evening, he was speaking in a very different yet all too commonplace role: the bereaved relative of someone killed on the roads.Talking in public for the first time about the death of his mother, Carol, who was run over in 2016 while cycling in north Wales by a pickup truck driver who had just been on the phone, Boardman recounted his dash to the hospital in Chester from France on learning the news. Continue reading...

One of largest private universities in US, with endowment of over $5bn, takes steps to address climate crisis after years of student protestNew York University plans to divest from fossil fuels, the Guardian has learned, following years of pressure from student activists.The move from one of the US's largest private universities, whose endowment totals over $5bn, represents a significant win for the climate movement, organizers said. Continue reading...

Lithium battery that was detached from car caused a fire that then spread to four others

Government may be letting firms discharge raw sewage more often than law allows, says Office for Environmental ProtectionThe government and regulators may have broken the law by failing to stem raw sewage dumping into rivers by water companies in England, the new independent environmental watchdog has said.The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which was set up after Brexit to replace the enforcement powers of the European Commission, said an investigation suggested the government, the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat may be failing to comply with environmental law and allowing raw sewage to be discharged by water companies more frequently than the law allows. Continue reading...

Police cordon off some properties in Redhill Peninsula and evacuate at least one after typhoon Haikui brought extreme weatherLuxury cliffside homes in Hong Kong are on the brink of collapse after record breaking rains which killed at least two people, injured more than 100, and caused landslides across the city.Hong Kong police have cordoned at least three properties in Redhill Peninsula, a coastal housing estate on the southern side of Hong Kong island, and evacuated one which was in imminent danger". Photographs of the multimillion dollar residences show large sections of the cliff have fallen away beneath swimming pools and gardens. Continue reading...

Exclusive: hubs cover about 5% of the 176,000 ha of forest that will be assessed for protection within great koala national park

Ranjith Varma, 55, of Manassas, Virginia, was unresponsive about halfway through 18-mile hike amid temperatures of 100FA 55-year-old man died while hiking in Grand Canyon national park on Saturday, park service officials have announced.The hiker, identified as Ranjith Varma from Manassas, Virginia, died while attempting an 18-mile trek from the south rim of the canyon to the north rim. Varma was hiking with a party of six people and about halfway through their walk through the inner canyon, the lowest part of the hike, he became unresponsive. Emergency crews were called and bystanders began CPR, according to a press release from the national park service (NPS). Continue reading...

Country has experienced 23 extreme weather events costing $1bn or more already this year, passing previous mark of 22 in 2020With four months of 2023 still left, the US has set a record for the most natural disasters in a single year that have cost $1bn or more, as fires, floods and ferocious winds were among deadly events experts warn are being turbo-charged by the climate crisis.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) announced on Monday that there have already been 23 extreme weather events in the US this year that have cost at least $1bn. The current figure surpasses the record of 22 such events set in 2020. Continue reading...

Activist group Market Forces says Australia's biggest super fund signalled tacit approval' of oil and gas giant's expansion policy

Kyriakos Mitsotakis faces biggest crisis yet as residents ask where money for immediate' flood relief has goneThe Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is facing his biggest crisis yet as - less than a week after rainstorms left vast tracts of the country's heartlands under water - his government has come under attack for its handling of the disaster that left 15 dead.Health experts have described conditions in the flood-stricken Thessaly region - one of Greece's richest agricultural areas - as ripe for the spread of infectious diseases after a summer of unprecedented heat-induced forest fires. Continue reading...

Battery-powered hydrofoils to start in March 2024, aimed at replacing ageing and highly polluting inter-island ferriesThe Orkney islands are to test two electric ferries for commuting between its outlying islands as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions from shipping.The battery-powered hydrofoil ferries, whose hulls are raised above the water, are part of a three-year, 15.5m demonstration project funded by the UK government, due to start in March 2024. Continue reading...

Doubts about whether heat pumps work well in subzero conditions shown to be unfounded, say researchersHeat pumps are more than twice as efficient as fossil fuel heating systems in cold temperatures, research shows.Even at temperatures approaching -30C, heat pumps outperform oil and gas heating systems, according to the research from Oxford University and the Regulatory Assistance Project thinktank. Continue reading...

Researchers identify 88 nests of destructive invasive non-native species near Syracuse in SicilyAn invasive non-native ant species has become established in Italy and could rapidly spread through Europe to the UK with global heating, a study warns.The red fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, has a powerful sting, damages crops and can infest electrical equipment including cars and computers. Continue reading...

NSW RFS says it is significantly behind' schedule and will continue to do hazard reductions as long as it's safe'