Environment | The Guardian

Drivers want to park on Moor Lane and Bridge Road, a charge-free corridor in ChessingtonResidents of a road that will form a charge-free corridor through London's expanded ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) say they have been offered 100 a month" to let people park on their driveways and avoid paying the fee.Motorists travelling along Moor Lane, which becomes Bridge Road, in Chessington, south-west London, do not have to pay the Ulez charge, but should they turn off at any stage they will immediately enter the zone. Continue reading...

Land privatization and water depletion set the stage for the Lahaina fire 150 years ago. Now, land companies may benefit even moreIn the late 18th century, when the Hawaiian Kingdom became a sovereign state, Lahaina carried such an abundance of water that early explorers reportedly anointed it Venice of the Pacific". A glut of natural wetlands nourished breadfruit trees, extensive taro terraces and fishponds that sustained wildlife and generations of Native Hawaiian families.But more than a century and a half of plantation agriculture, driven by American and European colonists, have depleted Lahaina's streams and turned biodiverse food forests into tinderboxes. Today, Hawaii spends $3bn a year importing up to 90% of its food. This altered ecology, experts say, gave rise to the 8 August blaze that decimated the historic west Maui town and killed more than 111 people. Continue reading...

The environment Inuit have lived in for millennia is changing fast. Canada's government once ignored Indigenous knowledge of it but now they are jointly creating the Nunatsiavut conservation area Photographs by Eldred AllenA plume of red erupts in the grey-blue waters and Martin Shiwak accelerates his boat to grab the seal he has shot before the animal sinks out of sight. Shiwak has hunted for years in the waters of Lake Melville, by the Inuit community of Rigolet in Nunatsiavut.As he hauls the ringed seal into the vessel, he says he counts himself lucky to have found one so quickly. Sometimes you have to drive around here in the boat nearly all day to find a seal," Shiwak says. Nowadays you can't even afford to - $60 only gets you five gallons of gas."Martin Shiwak with his hunting rifle in his boat, on Lake Melville, near Rigolet in Nunatsiavut Continue reading...

Humane alternatives to killing rampant creatures such as wild boar, deer and grey squirrels are being developedConflicts between humans and wildlife are triggering growing numbers of disease outbreaks, road accidents and crop damage. And the problem is likely to get worse unless new, humane measures to curtail animal numbers are developed in the near future, say scientists.It is a critical environmental issue that will be debated this week at a major conference in Italy where experts will discuss how best to limit numbers of grey squirrels, wild boar, deer, feral goats, pigeons, parakeets and other creatures that are causing widespread ecological damage in many countries. Continue reading...

Votes invited for the public's top 10 resorts and experiences, from beach huts and lidos to the Blackpool TowerThe British seaside may be derided by some for being as tacky as the candyfloss stuck to the side of your mouth. Yet tackiness is fundamental to its charm, according to campaigners who say that seaside heritage sites should be protected as fiercely as castles and stately homes.The Seaside Heritage Network (SHN) says amusement parks, lidos and scenic railways are all part of the UK's role in the creation of modern tourism and should be cherished. Continue reading...

Patch of Tasman sea expected to warm over spring and summer to temperatures that risk significant losses to sea life

Threats of violence as ultra-low emission zone expansion begins - but mayor defends it as essential for health Read more: how Ulez expansion is affecting lives of LondonersThe Metropolitan police has vowed to throw considerable resources" at protecting this week's expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) amid fears the rollout will prompt a spike in vandalism and disruptive protests.The force's declaration came as London mayor Sadiq Khan issued a fierce defence of his bitterly contested policy, saying he was acting to tackle toxic air" and prevent the capital's children growing up with stunted lungs". Continue reading...

Despite progress towards a 2045 zero-emission goal, the high price of EVs has created a headache for governmentsEuropean countries are struggling to persuade people to switch from combustion engine cars to electric ones, experts warn.Europe sells 10 times more electric cars today than it did just six years ago, according to the International Energy Agency, but its fleet is cleaning up too slowly to meet its climate goals. Governments across the continent are struggling with the price-tag of electric vehicles, which can cost several thousand euros more upfront than comparable ones that burn fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Councils are letting grass and weeds grow to increase urban biodiversity. But many people are unhappy with the resultBrighton is home to the UK's only Green member of parliament and is outwardly a bastion of progressive politics. Wild spaces here are not only the rolling hills of East Sussex or the beachfront but the smaller, often overlooked, green areas within residential neighbourhoods.These untamed enclaves are full of nature's drama, but another kind of drama is playing out among residents who feel that rewilding in the city's backyard has gone too far. Continue reading...

Potentially lethal to fish and dangerous for humans, the summer's toxic invader is caused by warming seas and strong windsWhen Owen Francomb from Margate set out on a walk with his dog Gertie along Kent's picturesque Thanet coast early this month, he didn't imagine he'd need to be rescued from a tide of toxic sludge. But on the beach at Newgate Gap, French bulldog Gertie started sinking into a thick carpet of rotting seaweed and began to panic.She couldn't move," Francomb. says. So I scrambled down the slipway and jumped down on to the beach, expecting the seaweed to be a foot deep, but it came up to my belt. I really struggled to wade through it." Another dog walker had to help him and Gertie out of the stinking slime. Continue reading...

A freakish season of record temperatures, wildfire smoke and the destruction of Lahaina could soon become normal, climate experts sayIt's been a strange, cruel summer in the United States. From the dystopian orange skies above New York to the deadly immolation of a historic coastal town in Hawaii, the waning summer has been a stark demonstration of the escalating climate crisis - with experts warning that worse is to come.A relentless barrage of extreme weather events, fueled by human-caused global heating, has swept the North American continent this summer, routinely placing a third of the US population under warnings of severe heat and unleashing floods, fire and smoke upon communities, with a record 15 separate disasters causing at least $1bn in damages so far this year. Continue reading...

Large-scale study indicates population declines after collation of data from country's conservation organisations and birdwatchersA report on India's bird population has painted a grim picture for many of the country's species.The State of India's Birds (SoIB) report - published on Friday - showed worrisome declines, with 178 species of wild birds identified as needing immediate priority for conservation. Continue reading...

Unsuspecting drivers could be caught out when scheme extends to all London boroughs from TuesdayThe expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to cover all of London means that from Tuesday travellers setting off for Heathrow airport will have to pay the daily charge for the first time if they use an older, more polluting car to get there.While people who regularly drive into the capital will probably be aware of the rollout of the scheme, the motorists most likely to be caught out are those making a rare visit to the airport when they go on holiday or those dropping off and picking up friends and family. Continue reading...

Mexico latest country where government is considering passing new laws to criminalise environmental destructionA growing number of countries are considering introducing laws to make ecocide a crime.Mexico is the latest country where politicians are seeking to deter environmental damage - and to get justice for its victims - by criminalising it. Karina Marlen Barron Perales, congresswoman for Nuevo Leon, has submitted a bill to the Mexican congress introducing a new crime of ecocide". Continue reading...

Which? advises drivers paying London ultra-low emission zone fee to make sure they're using official TfL websiteDrivers are being ripped off by copycat websites that add extra fees to the ultra low emissions zone charges in London, consumer champion Which? has warned.As Ulez expands across all boroughs in the capital from Tuesday, Which? has found a series of identical, unofficial websites targeting people trying to pay the charge. This has led to drivers paying more than the 12.50 daily fee. Continue reading...

Residents of Carmel, California, have named the bird Cupid, and are monitoring its health, which seems unaffected by the injuryFor months, a wild turkey has been spotted roaming the rolling hills of Carmel, California, with a 30in arrow sticking through her chest. It hasn't seemed to faze her.Local residents first began spotting the bird, who they're calling Cupid, last winter. Since then, she has been photographed and filmed roosting in trees, foraging for grubs and evading predators and generally going about her business as if she hadn't been impaled. Continue reading...

Open letter warns that ascribing aggression to rammings puts animals at risk of human violenceOrcas that have been ramming boats are not attacking" the vessels, but are most likely being playful, leading scientists have said.The experts have warned that the false narrative is putting the animals at risk of retribution from humans. Continue reading...

Publisher Springer Nature says 2022 article not supported by available evidence' as editors launch investigationOne of the world's biggest scientific publishers has retracted a journal article that claimed to have found no evidence of a climate crisis.Springer Nature said it had retracted the article, by four Italian physicists, after an internal investigation found the conclusions were not supported by available evidence or data provided by the authors". Continue reading...

Once a child farm worker, Eduardo Lalo' Garcia Guzman rejects tidy narratives about immigration and the respectability Americans quietly demand of migrantsThe Mexican chef Eduardo Lalo" Garcia Guzman migrated to the US with his family from rural Guanajuato, Mexico, when he was a small child. Instead of attending school, he spent most days working with his family picking fruits and vegetables from Florida to Michigan.It was dangerous work, but Garcia looks back fondly at his early experiences as a child farm worker. Continue reading...

UK has not reciprocated after EU banned import of pot plant soil, in which some species can travel undetectedInvasive species are increasingly likely to come to Britain because of lax post-Brexit trade rules, experts have warned.The EU has banned the import of soil in pot plants from the UK since Brexit, partly because invasive species such as the Asian hornet can travel undetected in soil. The UK has not put reciprocal bans in place, however, meaning damaging species from the continent could be transported in soil. Continue reading...

El Nino weather pattern could accelerate melting, leading to sea level riseTwo of the world's few tropical glaciers, in Indonesia, are melting and their ice may vanish by 2026 or sooner as an El Nino weather pattern threatens to accelerate their demise, the country's geophysics agency has said.The agency, known as BMKG, has said the El Nino phenomenon could lead to the most severe dry season in Indonesia since 2019, increasing the risk of forest fires and threatening supplies of clean water. Continue reading...

In 2023, the effects of the climate crisis have come into sharp focus. Much of the northern hemisphere endured a blistering heatwave, while other countries were inundated with torrential rain and catastrophic flooding. A number of climate records - some unofficial - tumbled in recent weeks. The Guardian spoke to four people from Hawaii, India, China and the Middle East directly affected by extreme weather events Continue reading...

Environment Protection Authority believes a pollution incident caused the event and are working with city council to identify the toxicant

The film Oppenheimer has shone a global spotlight on the dawn of US nuclear weapons tests. In the Marshall Islands, where 23 of those earth-shattering blasts happened, people have never been able to forgetAt first glance, the aquamarine waters that surround the Marshall Islands seem like paradise. But this idyllic Pacific scene hides a dark secret: it was the location of 67 nuclear detonations as part of US military tests during the cold war between 1946 and 1958.The bombs were exploded above ground and underwater on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls, including one device 1,100 times larger than the Hiroshima atom bomb. Chernobyl-like levels of radiation forced hundreds from their homes. Bikini Atoll remains deserted. At the US government's urging, residents have begun returning slowly to Enewetak. Continue reading...

Government to spend $151m to boost council food and garden waste service for more than 3 million people in the state's south-east

Chris Bowen says the standard is needed to improve access to cleaner, cheaper-to-run cars in Australia

A dolphin has also died at the Marineland theme park, which faces accusations of animal crueltyFourteen whales and a dolphin have died since 2019 at a popular Canadian aquarium and theme park, according to a new investigation by the Canadian Press.Of the marine animals that have died, 13 were belugas and one was Kiska - the world's loneliest orca", who died of a bacterial infection after four decades in captivity, the last 12 of which were in isolation. Continue reading...

Benji Backer, executive chairman of conservative climate group, calls question on crisis in debate historic' but laments answersRepublicans deserve to lose" electorally if they can't show they care about the climate crisis, according to the head of a conservative climate organization that put forward a rare question on the issue to GOP candidates in Wednesday's televised debate.The Republican presidential hopefuls, minus Donald Trump, were asked at the Fox News debate what they would do to improve the party's standing on climate policy by Alexander Diaz, a young conservative who is part of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), a youth conservative group that pushes for action on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Many credits in the voluntary market going unused, with study finding some offsetting could make global heating worseCarbon credit speculators could lose billions as scientific evidence shows many offsets they have bought have no environmental worth and have become stranded assets.Amid growing evidence that huge numbers of carbon credits do nothing to mitigate global heating and can sometimes be linked to alleged human rights concerns, there is a growing pile of carbon credits equivalent to the annual emissions of Japan, the world's fifth largest polluter, that are unused in the unregulated voluntary market, according to market analysis. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including turtle hatchlings, mating butterflies and trafficked toucan Continue reading...

Amnesty links wildfires and lack of legal migration routes to deaths of 19 people believed to be asylum seekersRefugees and migrants in Greece are facing off against the two great injustices of our times", Amnesty International has said, as it linked wildfires and scant access to legal migration routes to the deaths of 19 people believed to be asylum seekers.As wildfires continue to rage across swathes of Greece, authorities in the country said they were working to identify the charred remains of 18 people found this week in the dense forests that straddle the country's north-eastern border with Turkey. Continue reading...

Breeding failures in the Bellingshausen Sea without precedent' as multiple colonies across large region all failed in a single seasonThousands of emperor penguin chicks across four colonies in Antarctica likely died because of record-low sea ice levels that caused a catastrophic breeding failure" in late 2022, according to new research.Analysis of satellite images showed the break-up of usually stable sea ice and the disappearance of the colonies at a time when chicks had not yet grown their waterproof feathers. Continue reading...

In the 20th year of the South Australian Museum's photographic competition, Samuel Markham's image My Country Burns was the overall winner. The picture, taken while Markham was defending his home from a bushfire, was described by the judges as a breathtaking, scary photograph ... indicative of the world we now live in'

The population of the invasive species seems to be on the decline, but experts are split on the significance of the findingsIt has been the target of an if you see it, stomp it" campaign in the eastern US for several years. But now the spotted lanternfly - an elegant but invasive insect with distinctive red wings - might be on the decline in some areas.Harmless to humans, spotted lanternflies can damage trees and fruit crops, and feed on the sap of over 70 different species of host plants. They are now common across the north-east. In New York, red splats, from eager lanternfly stompers, are a frequent sight on sidewalks. Continue reading...

The release of water from the Japanese nuclear plant has already caused the price of produce from surrounding coastal areas to dropAwa-jinja is a place of pilgrimage for the more superstitious fishers of Shinchi-machi, a coastal town in Fukushima, who come here to lower their heads and ask the Shinto gods to look kindly on them as they prepare to steer their boats into the vast Pacific Ocean.Today, though, the safe waves" implicit in the shrine's name are of little concern to the men and women coming to the end of the working day at the town's fishing port. Continue reading...

Oil, gas and coal benefited from $7tn in support in 2022 despite being primary cause of climate crisisFossil fuels benefited from record subsidies of $13m (10.3m) a minute in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund, despite being the primary cause of the climate crisis.The IMF analysis found the total subsidies for oil, gas and coal in 2022 were $7tn (5.5tn). That is equivalent to 7% of global GDP and almost double what the world spends on education. Countries have pledged to phase out subsidies for years to ensure the price of fossil fuels reflects their true environmental costs, but have achieved little to date. Continue reading...

Median level of PFAS was 88% higher for Asian Americans than non-Hispanic whites, research using novel method showsAsian Americans likely have much higher levels of forever chemicals" in their blood than other US races and ethnicities, research using a novel method for measuring PFAS exposure finds.The peer-reviewed study factored sociodemographic, dietary and behavioral characteristics into its algorithm, which makes it more sensitive to exposure differences among cultures than the standard methods used by the US government and most of the scientific community. Continue reading...

Number seeking help with debts in first half of 2023 up 17% compared with last year, says Citizens Advice

Review warns half of species under threat in state are on course to become extinct in next 100 years

Water containing radioactive tritium being pumped into Pacific via tunnel from Tepco plant, amid protests from China, South Korea and fishing communitiesJapan has begun discharging more than 1m tonnes of tainted water into the Pacific Ocean from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in a move that has prompted China to announce an immediate blanket ban on all seafood imports from Japan and sparked anger in nearby fishing communities.The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), pumped a small quantity of water from the plant on Thursday, two days after the plan was approved by Japan's government. Continue reading...

Greek firefighters have been struggling for five days to contain deadly wildfires throughout the country, several of them bordering an acrid, smoke-filled Athens Continue reading...

In full-page newspaper ad, current and former leaders call for delay in support for hosting Cop31 until Australia stops pursuing coal and gas projectsA group of Pacific Island elders, including several former national leaders, have taken out a full-page ad in the Fiji Times calling on their countries not to support Australia's plan to host a UN climate summit until it stops expanding fossil fuels.The ad on Wednesday by the group the Pacific Elders' Voice was timed to coincide with a visit to Fiji by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen. Continue reading...

When four navigational weirs were built on the Severn in the 1840s they blocked the route of shoals of twaite shad as they made their way upriver. Now, a newly built system of fish passes means they can come home to breed

Work on Cockshut chalk stream will restore its natural flow, improving biodiversity and reducing flood riskA chalk stream in Lewes, East Sussex, has been rewiggled" to restore its natural flow and create a public wetland. Continue reading...

A study of the biggest known congregation of breeding octopuses, about 20,000, has made discoveries as to why so many of the species gather there. A volcanic vent in the ocean bed off California provides warm water and nutrients to the brooding octopuses, and scientists from MBARI have found this helps shorten the time it takes for their eggs to hatch, increasing their chances of survival

Two miles under the dark ocean off California, 20,000 pearl octopuses use the gentle heat of nearby volcanic springs to help their babies hatch fasterScientists have solved the mystery of why tens of thousands of octopuses cluster on the foothills of a giant underwater mountain, two miles down off the coast of California. The pearl octopuses, so named because from a distance they look like scattered gems, seek out warm water seeping through the seabed and use it to speed up the hatching of their eggs.

New study published in Nature says period was as destructive as record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwaveThe first half of Jair Bolsonaro's presidency was so destructive for the Amazon that it was comparable to the record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwave in terms of carbon emissions, according to scientists.Annual emissions from the world's largest rainforest roughly doubled in 2019 and 2020, compared with the 2010 to 2018 average, according to a new study published in Nature, as swaths of forest were deliberately cleared and burned for cattle ranching and farming during the first two years of the far-right leader's time in office. Continue reading...

Some kinds of tree leaf could become too hot to be able to conduct photosynthesis, researchers warnTropical forests could become so hot that some kinds of leaves will no longer be able to conduct photosynthesis, according to a study published in the journal Nature.The photosynthetic machinery in tropical trees begins to fail at about 46.7C on average. The research suggests that forests may be nearing dangerous temperature thresholds sooner than expected. Continue reading...

UK Oil and Gas says work is to resume at Avington site in national park after decision from Planning InspectorateThe Liberal Democrats and green groups have accused the government of an environmental crime" after it emerged that potentially large-scale oil drilling is to take place inside the South Downs national park, despite widespread local opposition.In a statement, UK Oil and Gas, which is part of the consortium wishing to drill at the Avington site near Winchester, said work was to resume in the hope of extracting potentially significant" amounts of the estimated 59m barrels there, lasting up to 2025. Continue reading...

Experts shocked as analysis finds no traces of eel DNA in area once teeming with the endangered fishEel experts say they are shocked to find no evidence of the animal in the network of drainage ditches that make up its traditional habitats in the Somerset Levels, which once teemed with the critically endangered fish.DNA sampling by the Sustainable Eel Group and Somerset Eel Recovery Project in the drainage ditches found no traces of eel DNA. Continue reading...