Environment | The Guardian

As climate change ministers, we urge multilateral banks to come together to help vulnerable nations, who face cascading challengesThe science is clear. The climate crisis is the biggest single threat we face as a global community. In turn, meeting the goals of the Paris agreement and realising the opportunities of climate action is the task of the 21st century.No single government can address this alone. Together, we can rise to the challenge. Continue reading...

Firm having regular meetings with environment minister after failing to meet targets to fix leakage ratesThe leakage rate from Thames Water pipes is the highest for five years and the company will not meet its target to plug them this year, according to information released under freedom of information laws.The company, which serves 15 million customers across London and Thames Valley, has to have regular meetings with an environment minister because it is considered to be lagging in its performance. Continue reading...

Attack came less than two weeks after park rangers euthanised another animal

Fossil fuel company aims to thrive through the energy transition by building a low-cost, lower-carbon, profitable, resilient and diversified portfolio'

Regulator's call for action on dust pollution comes after local residents reported blood tests with high levels of selenium, nickel and copper

Scientists tracking alerts sent by the National Weather Service say data underscores the risk of heatwaves and storms this summerHalf of the US population has faced an extreme weather alert since 1 May and many more are likely to face risks from wildfires, flooding, tropical storms and extreme heat as summer begins.The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has been tracking the alerts sent by the National Weather Service (NWS) warning about dangerous weather. Continue reading...

Protesters clashed with policein the Maurienne Valley, south east France on Saturday, as they demonstrated against a tunnel being built through the base of the Alpine range that separatesFrance and Italy. The protesterswere attempting to reach a site where drilling has already begun on whatwillbe the world's longest tunnel, but were blocked by police.The protests were led by Les Soulevements de la Terre (Earth Uprising) - an umbrella group of several different environmental activist associations across France. On June 21 the French government dissolved the collective claiming their actions were violent and led to material damage. Lawyers for Les Soulevements de la Terre immediately announced their intention to file an appeal Continue reading...

Hertfordshire council rules area of land on Hatfield House estate - owned by Marquess of Salisbury - is common landThe aristocrat who owns the country manor Hatfield House has been forced to allow the general public to walk on part of his estate after the local council ruled that it was common land.Earlier this year, the Marquess of Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, opposed an application by the Open Spaces Society (OSS) to register a 1.8-hectare (4.45-acre) area of land on his estate as a common. Gascoyne-Cecil is a Conservative politician, once an MP and minister, and now sits in the Lords as a hereditary peer. Continue reading...

Sarah Finch's challenge to plans to allow oil well hinges on wider environmental impact of fossil fuelsClimate campaigners have begun a supreme court challenge to plans to drill for oil in Surrey, in a case they hope could set a precedent restricting plans for future fossil fuel projects in the UK.Sarah Finch is challenging Surrey county council's decision to extend permission for a well at Horse Hill, near Gatwick airport in the Surrey countryside, which taps a subterranean reservoir developers believe may contain millions of barrels of oil. Continue reading...

Cetacean exhibits same behaviour towards vessel in North Sea that has been seen in Iberian orca populationAn orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal.Dr Wim Rutten, a 72-year-old retired Dutch physicist and experienced yachtsperson, was sailing solo from Lerwick to Bergen in Norway. He was fishing for mackerel, with a single line off the back of the boat, when the orca suddenly appeared in the clear water, and hit the stern of the seven-ton boat. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Alok Sharma among those wanting more onshore and offshore renewables and better energy efficiency in homesFormer Tory cabinet ministers have formed a group to pressure the government to improve its green policies in the hope of making it credible" in the next general election.Alok Sharma, the former Cop26 president, is urging Rishi Sunak to have a bold and positive environmental agenda" in the next general election. He joins the former transport secretary Chris Grayling and Simon Clarke, who was the levelling up secretary, in calling for more ambitious climate policies. Continue reading...

The Guardian finds children in Portland, Oregon, could have lower test scores due to lead emissions from nearby racetrack, one of dozens across the US to use toxic leaded gasolineWhen a neighbor mentioned to Kristy Lanciotti, a mother of two and pediatric nurse who works in environmental health, that toxic leaded gasoline was being used at a racetrack just down the road from her house in Portland, Oregon, she was taken aback.She was well aware of Portland International Raceway - most summer weekends were punctuated by the roar of engines - but Lanciotti, like most of her neighbors, was surprised to learn that the cars in many of those events were powered by a fuel that could damage her children's brains. Continue reading...

Kylea Tink says the Greens are cutting off their nose to spite their face', but Sarah Hanson-Young says Green Wall Street is not what nature needs'

The crew of the missing sub departed St John's - a city that's no stranger to the ocean's peril - to explore the wreck of the TitanicShortly after sunrise on Friday, a hulking icebreaker departed the protected waters of St John's, Newfoundland, and ventured into the unpredictable vastness of the north Atlantic Ocean. Onboard the ship was an array of scientific monitoring equipment, cameras and a sleek, 22ft-long submersible named Titan.The passengers onboard the chartered Polar Prince vessel were excited at the prospect of reaching the final resting site of the RMS Titanic, even if it meant cramming themselves inside the hollow body of Titan. Continue reading...

Agreements to reduce developing countries' debt burden in exchange for spending on nature will be on the agenda at a finance summit in Paris this weekAfter decades in the wilderness, and familiar to only those in the know, debt-for-nature swaps" are becoming one of the hottest things in conservation finance. Last month, Ecuador struck the biggest deal of its kind: refinancing $1.6bn (1.3bn) of its commercial debt at a discount in exchange for a consistent revenue stream for conservation around the Galapagos Islands.Other nature-rich countries that are struggling to pay their debts have taken notice and deals are rumoured in Gabon and Sri Lanka. The market for debt-for-nature swaps is poised to exceed $800bn, according to Bloomberg, prompting fierce competition between banks as demand for green investments increases. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and other international leaders address development needsWe are urgently working to deliver more for people and the planet. Multiple, overlapping shocks have strained countries' ability to address hunger, poverty, and inequality, build resilience and invest in their futures. Debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries present a major hurdle to their economic recovery, and to their ability to make critical long-term investments.We are urgently working to fight poverty and inequalities. An estimated 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty in the last three years and we are still far from achieving our United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. We should thus place people at the centre of our strategy to increase human welfare everywhere on the globe.Emmanuel Macron is president of France. Mia Mottley is prime minister of Barbados. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is president of Brazil. Ursula von der Leyen is president of the European Commission. Charles Michel is president of the European Council. Olaf Scholz is chancellor of Germany. Fumio Kishida is prime minister of Japan. William Ruto is president of Kenya. Macky Sall is president of Senegal. Cyril Ramaphosa is president of South Africa. Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is president of the United Arab Emirates. Rishi Sunak is prime minister of the UK. Joe Biden is president of the US Continue reading...

Even low doses of airborne benzene raise the risk of a variety of cancers, including lymphomas and leukemiaUsing a gas stove can raise indoor concentrations of benzene, a cancer-linked chemical, to above what is found in secondhand smoking or even beyond levels found next to oil and gas facilities, a new study has found.The research, which measured benzene levels in 87 homes in California and Colorado, found that gas and propane stoves frequently emitted benzene at rates well above healthy benchmarks set by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Continue reading...

Ruling could take weeks to emerge in trial for Held v Montana, which is the first constitutional climate trial in US historyA groundbreaking climate trial came to an early close on Tuesday as lawyers on each side presented a very different picture of who can be held responsible for the climate crisis.Attorneys representing the lawsuit's young challengers said Montana officials and agencies must be held accountable for exacerbating the crisis, and thereby violating the plaintiffs' state constitutional rights. But the defense argued that climate change is a global problem, and that if Montana is contributing to it, plaintiffs should work to change that through the legislature. Continue reading...

Les Soulevements de La Terre uses direct action aimed at big business interestsThe French government is to shut down a climate protest group over a series of recent demonstrations citing risks to public safety, as the environmental activists called the decision political and particularly worrying".Les Soulevements de la Terre (Earth Uprising) is an umbrella group of several different environmental activist associations across France. It is seen as leading a new form of more radical climate action in Europe with high-profile direct action often aimed at big business interests, state projects and large-scale farming. Continue reading...

The city's new Labour leader has accepted that some of the 17,500 trees cut down were healthySheffield city council has issued a lengthy open apology for misleading the public, the media and the courts in a bitter dispute over its flawed" programme to fell 17,500 street trees - many of which it now accepts were healthy.Tom Hunt, the council's new Labour leader, said he accepted some people would never forgive" the local authority for the mistakes it made during the long-running saga, which led to elderly residents being arrested in dawn raids and one councillor facing prison. Continue reading...

Thinktank suggests projects could deliver one-fifth of savings needed from farming, but agriculture experts cast doubt on ideaRewetting about half of England's lowland peat would be enough to deliver a fifth of the greenhouse gas emissions savings needed from the country's farming by 2030, research suggests.Rewetting peat would also help restore habitats for birds, wildlife and plant species. But farming experts strongly dispute the potential for such projects. Continue reading...

Governments need to represent us, not fossil-fuel profiteers. We need plans to phase out fossil fuel production and emissionsCanada is on fire from coast to coast to coast. Thousands have been evacuated, millions exposed to air pollution, New York a doom orange and even the titans of Wall Street choking.Catastrophic flooding in Pakistan, back-to-back cyclones in the Pacific islands and droughts in Africa haven't been enough to create a tipping point for action. Now that climate impacts have hit the economic capital of western power, will it spur governments in the global north to get serious? Continue reading...

Officials say victory by young plaintiffs won't change approvals for fossil fuel projectsOfficials in Montana sought to downplay an unprecedented trial over a state's obligations to protect residents from the climate crisis, saying on Monday that a victory by the young plaintiffs in the case would not change approvals for fossil fuel projects.Attorneys for Montana's Republican attorney general began laying out their defense following a week of testimony that was often highly personal and evocative in state court from more than a dozen young people who sued the state in 2020. Continue reading...

Investigation of meat sourced by Polish firm that sells frozen poultry to Lidl, Asda and Iceland raises superbug concernsA major supplier of chicken to UK supermarkets is sourcing birds dosed with antibiotics critical to human health", according to a new investigation, as concerns grow about the spread of deadly superbugs.The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) found that the Polish meat business SuperDrob, which sells frozen poultry products to Lidl, Asda and Iceland, is sourcing chicken from farms that use fluoroquinolone antibiotics, classified as critically important for human health" by the World Health Organization (WHO). Fluoroquinolones are often used to treat serious salmonella infections in humans. Continue reading...

The global agreement to protect nature was signed in Montreal in December. Six months on, key figures remember the moment and consider what lies ahead

There have been gains and losses since the Cop15 agreement was signed in December, with key moments still to come ahead of the next biodiversity Cop in Turkey in 2024

Pollution and extraction of water are having a huge impact on local communities. High rates of cancer and respiratory problems are the norm, while marshes dry out and fish die in the rivers Continue reading...

The remarkable haenyeo on Geoje Island believed their traditions were dying out. But then came the new recruits - refugees from the cities' exhausting rat raceShin Ho-jin had been freediving only a little over a year - gathering oysters, seashells and other marine life by hand - when she spotted the cluster of abalone. Eager to show the older, more experienced divers that she could keep up, the 37-year-old took a deep breath and was about to plunge toward her prize find when she heard a shout: Ho-jin, don't go there!"It was the 69-year-old Lee Bok-soon, Shin's boss and the captain of the boat. The experienced freediver of more than 50 years, often called Omma (Korean for mother) by her recruits, had seen that Shin was about to swim right into an old fishing net. Continue reading...

Opposition shift sets up battle between government and the Greens, who say proposed nature repair market is irreparable'

Dozens of the ecosystem engineers' have been caught in Western Australia and flown to their new habitat

Australian Energy Market Operator head Daniel Westerman says two-thirds of electricity capacity could leave grid by 2030

Inquiry launched by Environment Agency into huge pile of medical aprons found in Calmore, HampshireThe dumping" of hundreds of thousands of pieces of unused personal protective equipment near a nature reserve on the edge of the New Forest has mystified and angered local people.But the council has revealed the giant pile of boxes containing medical aprons in Calmore, Hampshire, will be recycled into plastic bags. Continue reading...

Second sighting of white whale off Queensland’s coast within weeks has ocean watchers wondering if it could be famous humpback

But a majority of Australians think more money should be spent on the environment

Party to offer £500m a year for low-carbon sector but says North Sea oil and gas production will continue ‘for decades’

Taxing world’s wealthiest people could help poorer countries shift economies to low-carbon and recover from climate damageTax extreme wealth to pay for the climate-related damage to the poorest, a group of more than 100 leading economists have urged.A wealth tax on the fortunes of the world’s richest people would raise trillions of dollars that could be spent on helping poorer countries shift their economies to a low-carbon footing, and on “loss and damage”, the rescue and rehabilitation of countries stricken by climate disaster. Continue reading...

Sustained high temperatures over summer could trigger mass mortality of fish and oysters, say scientistsAn “unheard of” marine heatwave off the coasts of the UK and Ireland poses a serious threat to species, scientists have warned.Sea temperatures, particularly off the north-east coast of England and the west of Ireland, are several degrees above normal, smashing records for late spring and early summer. The North Sea and north Atlantic are experiencing higher temperatures, data shows. Continue reading...

Federal suit brought by public health groups alleges agency's science shows human risks and harm to endangered speciesPublic health groups are suing the US Environmental Protection Agency over the reapproval of two toxic herbicides made with an active ingredient in Agent Orange, a chemical weapon deployed by the US to destroy vegetation in the Vietnam war, and which caused huge health problems among soldiers and Vietnamese residents.The federal suit alleges the EPA's science shows the human health risks and harm to endangered species associated with widely spreading the chemical on US cropland, but the agency failed to properly calculate those risks during the reapproval process. The herbicide is also prone to damaging non-GMO crops or vegetation on neighboring fields. Continue reading...

The price tags can be eye-watering for the electric model I need around my hilly London neighbourhoodIt's been 20 years since I last used a bike every day. But I'm returning to cycling because I want to take my children to school and nursery without the horrible sense of guilt from dropping them off in the car, complaints about walking or the juggle of pushchair and public transport at rush-hour.To replace my car on the daily school run, I need an electrically powered workhorse that will carry two smallish children and the bags of stuff that we lug around wherever we go.

A retired police detective and a band of volunteers are all that's stopping the Asian hornet, a voracious predator of flying insects, from spreading across the island to mainland BritainJohn De Carteret has already taken a call about three captured Asian hornets when we meet on a gloriously sunny morning on the Channel Island of Jersey. The retired police forensics detective is the linchpin of the Jersey Asian Hornet Group (JAHG), a band of two dozen volunteers. These mostly retirees are the frontline troops in a seemingly unwinnable war against an invasive foe - a voracious predator of honeybees and all other flying insects, which has rapidly conquered the west European mainland.But De Carteret, who sports a JAHG polo-shirt and a lanyard showing he is authorised by the government to catch and release Asian hornets (more about the releasing later), is undaunted. You can't take your foot off. You've got to be dynamic and aggressive. If we get a report, we're there within half an hour," he says. Continue reading...

Blockade Australia’s coordinated action targets ports in Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne

Exclusive: Researchers say government’s climate schedule needs to be brought forward by a decade to keep heating to 1.5C

Labour leader will use speech in Scotland to lay out new green strategy for energy industryKeir Starmer will pledge to “throw everything” at net zero and the overhaul of the UK’s energy system and industries, promising new jobs in “the race of our lifetime” to a low-carbon future.The Labour leader will seek to regain the initiative on his plan for green growth on Monday, having rowed back earlier this month on a pledge to invest £28bn in a green industrial strategy, a figure that will not now be reached until the second half of a Labour parliament, as well as damaging rows with trade unions over the future of the North Sea. Continue reading...

Grattan Institute analysis recommends governments help households transition to electric, and ban new gas connections for homes and businesses

Single-use E-cigarettes difficult to recycle and cause fires in bin lorries, Local Government Association saysDisposable vapes are increasingly causing fires in bin lorries and recycling issues at a “great cost” to the taxpayer, councils have said.The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, said single-use vapes such as Elf bars, Lost Mary and Juul were almost impossible to recycle. They are designed as one unit so batteries cannot be separated from the plastic. Continue reading...

The US's first state-run public power company could be created when Maine votes later this year - but utilities are fighting itResidents in Maine are about to be bombarded with a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign aimed at saving the state's two dominant electric utilities from being voted out of existence in November.If Mainers vote yes, they will make history - endorsing a first-of-its-kind plan to create a state-level, public power company through a hostile takeover. Continue reading...

Lambeth council in London is latest to introduce emissions-based fees, with similar charges expected to be widely introducedOwners of the most polluting cars may soon have to pay more to park as councils across England are expected to roll out new charges based on a vehicle’s CO2 emissions.Lambeth is the latest council in London to introduce emissions-based parking fees, with similar charges now expected elsewhere in England. Owners of the most polluting cars can expect to pay more than twice as much as cleaner cars. There are now 26 different charges to park for an hour in Lambeth, depending on a car’s tax band and whether there is a diesel surcharge. The cost of a parking bay near Waterloo station in south London now ranges between £6.30 and £13.23 an hour, with payment made by an app. Continue reading...

An old farming technique called silvopasture, which allows cows to graze on a variety of plants in forests and tree-filled pastureland, is seeing a resurgence across the worldBrett Chedzoy and his wife, Maria, live on a 300-acre farm in Watkins Glen, a small town along the Finger Lakes in New York, with 100 cows – primarily Black Angus, with a few White Galloways scattered throughout the herd.The farm, Angus Glen, has lush green pastures and wooded areas, where black walnut and black locust trees stretch skyward out of rolling seas of tall grasses, shrubs and clovers. When Chedzoy, 54, walks through the pasture at sunset, the cows pop their heads up, follow him and wait patiently at the gate. As he pulls it aside, the cows rush forward into the wooded area to nibble on tree branches and shrubs, before turning their attention to the emerald grass around the trees. Continue reading...

Locals have strolled on The Stray for centuries but now two bodies have very different ideas on how to preserve itUsually disputes about land are between developers building the future and campaigners preserving our heritage. But the Harrogate Stray has always been unusual.Instead, it is the focus of a conflict between two organisations that both have the greening of the country at their heart. In one corner is the Stray Defence Association (SDA), set up in 1933 to ensure that these 80 hectares (200 acres) of green space in the heart of Harrogate remain untouched, and in the other is the Open Spaces Society (OSS), which has been campaigning to defend footpaths, village greens and commons since 1865. Continue reading...

Red flags are going up on beaches from Scarborough to Whitstable as pollution levels soar and businesses are forced to close due to sewage dischargesThe sun has been shining on Scarborough’s South Bay all week, but Steve Crawford isn’t opening up the surf shop he’s so proud of – “mahogany door, views over to the castle” – because the water isn’t safe to swim in.“My business has vanished overnight,” he says. “On coronation weekend, the red flags went up warning people not to go in the water because of poor water quality, and now there are signs at every access point to the beach saying ‘No swimming’.” Continue reading...