Dead are mainly elderly people unable to flee, Russia media reportAt least 21 people have died in wildfires in Russia’s Ural mountains, state media reported.Wildfires have raged in the Kurgan region of the Urals and in Siberia all week. Local media reported that most of the dead were older people unable to leave their homes. According to local authorities, many of the deaths occurred on Sunday in the village of Yuldus, in Kurgan province on the border between the Urals and Siberia. Continue reading...
Artist records underground sounds generated by Pando, a huge group of aspens in Utah considered to be a single organismWhen it comes to the world’s heaviest living organism, it is a “forest of one tree” that is thought to take the crown. Now a sound expert is listening into the quiet grove in an attempt to hear its secrets.Known as Pando – Latin for “I spread” – the 47,000 genetically identical quivering aspens in south-central Utah are considered to be a single organism, with the “trees” actually branches thought to be connected by a shared root system. Continue reading...
Heavy thunderstorms cause dangerous driving conditions, blocked roads and damage to homesFlash flooding in parts of south-west England following torrential rain has led to a major incident being declared in Somerset.Heavy thunderstorms on Tuesday evening resulted in Devon and Somerset fire and rescue declaring a major incident in the Galhampton, North Cadbury, and South Cadbury areas. Continue reading...
Authorities tell residents of Brienz to leave by Friday over concerns 2m cubic metres of rock will collapseAuthorities in eastern Switzerland have ordered residents of the village of Brienz to evacuate by Friday evening because geologists say a mass of 2m cubic metres of Alpine rock looming overhead could break loose and spill down in coming weeks.Local leaders told a town hall and press event on Tuesday that residents would have to leave by 6pm on Friday but could return to the village from time to time starting on Saturday, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight. Continue reading...
Campaign aims to teach people how to recognise the tree and signs of the pest and disease that threaten itThe UK’s sweet chestnuts are facing a double threat from pests and disease, and the government is calling on the public to learn to identify and protect the trees.The trees were first recorded in Britain in the 12th century and provide food and habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. However, two problems are increasingly threatening sweet chestnuts: the oriental chestnut gall wasp (OCGW) and a fungus, chestnut blight. Continue reading...
Two members of the environmental group are challenging new laws which impose jail terms for demonstrations that disrupt major roads or public facilities
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6BM4G)
Globally, fossil fuel extraction and exploration is taking place at almost 3,000 sites in conservation areas, analysis showsFossil fuel extraction and exploration is taking place at almost 3,000 sites in protected areas around the world, analysis has revealed, with the UK having the highest number of fossil fuel sites in protected areas.Globally, the activities affect more than 800 areas established to defend nature. The coal, oil and gas at the fossil fuel sites would lead to 47bn tonnes of climate-heating carbon dioxide if fully exploited, four times the annual emissions of China, the world’s biggest polluter. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent on (#6BKY5)
West Yorkshire research shows women and girls affected ‘on daily basis by misogyny and harassment’Women should be involved in the design and maintenance of the UK’s parks to tackle “unfair and unequal” safety fears, researchers have said.Academics looking into how parks can be made safer for women have found simple changes such as better lighting, lower hedges and “escape routes” could reduce the risks of harassment and assault that stop women using parks. Continue reading...
World’s largest energy company’s first-quarter profits fall by 19% to $32bn after dip in oil pricesThe Saudi government looks likely to reap greater revenues from the state-backed oil group Saudi Aramco despite the company posting a near-20% fall in quarterly profits.The world’s largest oil and gas company said on Tuesday its profits had fallen by 19% in its first quarter compared with a year earlier, to nearly $32bn (£25bn), caused by a drop in oil prices. Continue reading...
by Adam Morton Climate and environment editor on (#6BK2G)
Low-cost loans for double glazing, solar panels and other improvements should benefit more than 100,000 households, while $2bn is set aside for hydrogen projects
Exclusive: Company accused of ‘lobbying and greenwashing’ for more fossil fuels despite knowing of risksThe Italian oil major Eni is facing the country’s first climate lawsuit, with environmental groups alleging the company used “lobbying and greenwashing” to push for more fossil fuels despite having known about the risks its product posed since 1970.Greenpeace Italy and the Italian advocacy group ReCommon aim to build on a similar case targeting the Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands to force Eni to slash its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Continue reading...
Scientists are learning the secrets of the greater racket-tailed drongo and other creatures in a jungle in south India from the people who have always lived thereIn the dense forests of south India’s Western Ghats, you may be lucky enough to spot a greater racket-tailed drongo crooning to birds of other species nearby. But the drongo is not singing. It is mimicking the other birds, according to ethno-ornithologist Samira Agnihotri.With recording equipment in hand, trekking up to six miles (10km) a day through the forests, Agnihotri has been taping native birdsong for the past 18 years. Her favourite is this drongo, a bluish-black bird with an Elvis-like quiff and two very elongated tail feathers. Continue reading...
Call of the coquí frog is affected by rising temperatures, scientists findFrogs in Puerto Rico are croaking at a higher pitch due to global heating, scientists have found.The frogs appear to be decreasing in size at warmer temperatures, which causes their croaks to become high pitched. If the trends continue, the heat could become too much for the sensitive amphibians to survive successfully, researchers have said. Continue reading...
Food and veterinary authority report questions whether hunting large whales can meet animal welfare objectivesWhales have taken as long as two hours to die during Icelandic hunts, according to a report by the Icelandic food and veterinary authority.A number of the carcasses of the fin whales shot by explosive harpoons during hunts in Iceland last year were examined by the organisation, which found that almost 40% struggled for approximately 11 and a half minutes before they died, while two took more than an hour. A quarter of the fin whales, the second-largest mammal on Earth after the blue whale, considered “vulnerable” globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, had to be harpooned a second time. Only 59% died instantly. Continue reading...
Pugh’s mountain frog, which has been ‘evolving since Australia was connected to Antarctica’ was worst affected of nine threatened species, researchers say
Former soldier is transforming his land on Bodmin Moor with tree planting and natural regenerationTripling Britain’s temperate rainforest is the goal of a new charity founded by a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who found solace in this unique and biodiverse habitat.The Thousand Year Trust is being launched this week by Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after three tours of Afghanistan and is now transforming his 120-hectare (300 acre) hill farm on Bodmin Moor into the largest rainforest restoration project in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Records for countries broken just weeks after temperature in Thailand rose above 45C for the first timeAll-time temperature records were broken in Vietnam and Laos last week. On 6 May, Hoi Xuan in Vietnam reached a scorching 44.1C, breaking the previous record for the country of 43.4C, set in 2019. On the same day, Laos recorded its highest-ever temperature, , which reached 43.5C in Luang Prabang. These records were set just a few weeks after temperatures in Thailand rose above 45C for the first time.A breakdown of the heat in south-east Asia is expected to occur in the next few days as a tropical disturbance is likely to develop nearby. Forecast models suggest that, over the coming days, the Bay of Bengal will have the perfect conditions for cyclogenesis to occur. By later this week, several factors, including enhanced vorticity and very high sea surface temperatures, will enhance the chance that a tropical storm will edge north-eastwards into parts of Myanmar. This will bring some strong winds and significant rainfall to south-east Asia, including the areas that have recently seen their temperature records broken. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6BHTW)
Deal for London business district will meet almost three-quarters of electricity demand from wind powerOffices and retail spaces across the Canary Wharf business district will soon be powered by clean energy generated by a windfarm in Scotland.Canary Wharf Group, which manages the 60-hectare (150 acres) estate in east London, has struck a deal with one of the world’s biggest providers of renewable energy to meet almost three-quarters of its electricity demand from wind power. Continue reading...
About 13,000 people were held at the Minidoka camp during the second world war. Now, a green energy project threatens the ‘sacred’ placePaul Tomita was just four when his family was interned. He was too young to remember Franklin D Roosevelt, then president, issuing the executive order that saw him and at least 125,000 others of Asian descent packed onto blacked-out trains and sent to prison camps during the second world war.But his memories come alive when he recalls the hard, clattering train filled with fear and anxiety. Continue reading...
PFAS are present at ‘potentially dangerous’ levels in widely used chemicals sprayed on food crops destined for Americans’ platesSome of the United States’ most widely used food pesticides are contaminated with “potentially dangerous” levels of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, new testing of the products finds.The Environmental Protection Agency has previously been silent on PFAS in food pesticides, even as it found the chemicals in non-food crop products. The potential for millions of acres of contaminated food cropland demands swifter and stronger regulatory action, the paper’s authors say. Continue reading...
Experts say neighbourhood varieties will suit an area’s pollinators, and that caution is needed when buying generic seed mixesGardeners hoping to establish a wildflower patch in their gardens should be wary of generic seed mixes and stick to local blooms to best serve wild pollinators, experts have said.Conservationists are urging people to source not just native wildflowers but to find out what grows naturally in their neighbourhood by getting out in their area and looking for inspiration in existing meadows, verges and nature reserves. They should then use this as a guide to ensure they are collecting or buying the most suitable wildflowers for their gardens. Continue reading...
by Robyn Vinter, North of England correspondent on (#6BGKG)
East Riding of Yorkshire council were able to remove 17m carcass without cutting it up in large-scale operationThe carcass of a 30-tonne fin whale that died after being beached in Bridlington has been removed in an operation described as the “largest of its kind” the local council has ever carried out.The 17m whale became a macabre tourist attraction on Bridlington’s South Beach after it died on Tuesday evening during attempts to return it to the sea. Continue reading...
EPA has ordered chemical company Chemours to stop discharging high levels of the toxic substance into the Ohio RiverThe US Environmental Protection Agency is taking unprecedented enforcement action over PFAS water pollution by ordering the chemical giant Chemours’ Parkersburg, West Virginia, plant to stop discharging extremely high levels of toxic PFAS waste into the Ohio River.The river is a drinking water source for 5 million people, and the EPA’s Clean Water Act violation order cites 71 instances between September 2018 to March 2023 in which Chemours’ Washington Works facility discharged more PFAS waste than its pollution permit allowed. Continue reading...
Scheme on certain streets including near beach makes it as costly to park for 10 minutes as for whole dayWhether for 10 minutes or a whole day, it now costs a flat fee of €50 (£43) to park in certain streets in The Hague, including roads around the popular Scheveningen beach.The pilot scheme in the Dutch city on the North Sea coast, which will last a year, aims to discourage tourists and visitors from blocking up the historic centre and seaside roads, particularly on sunny days. Continue reading...
More than 13,000 people were ordered to leave parts of Alberta as 78 fires burned. Officials say the blazes are expected to intensifyA week of record hot weather in western Canada has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, as wildfires raged in parts of Alberta and rapid snow melt triggered flooding across interior British Columbia.By Friday, more than 13,000 people were under evacuation orders in Alberta, as 78 fires burned. Among the worst-hit areas was the Little Red River Cree Nation in the north of the province, where the 1,458-hectare Fox Lake fire consumed 20 homes and the police station. Continue reading...
Report finds state discriminated against Black residents with ‘pattern of inaction and/or neglect’ over health risks of raw sewageThe Biden administration has found that Alabama’s public health departments discriminated against Black residents by denying access to adequate sanitation systems.A 2017 study, published first by the Guardian, found the hookworm parasite transmitted in fecal matter to be prevalent in a majority-Black Lowndes county. On Thursday, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced that the state and county engaged in a “consistent pattern of inaction and/or neglect concerning the health risks associated with raw sewage”. Continue reading...
Anti-monarchist groups vow to demonstrate in central London in defiance of Home Office warningsAnti-monarchist campaigners have vowed to press ahead with plans to protest peacefully against the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, despite what they have characterised as intimidatory tactics by the police and the government.The activist group Republic plans to hold a demonstration a short walk from where the king is due to be crowned. They have said they received letters from the Home Office warning them about new powers handed to police to deal with public demonstrations, while Scotland Yard has said its tolerance of protest will be low on the day. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6BFPR)
Extreme event would have been expected once in 40,000 years before global heating, scientists estimateThe record-shattering temperatures that hit the western Mediterranean last week would have been “almost impossible” without the climate crisis, according to scientists.The heatwave across Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Algeria was made at least 100 times more likely by global heating, the researchers calculated. Before the climate crisis, such an extreme event would have been expected only once in a least 40,000 years, making it statistically impossible on human timescales. Continue reading...
Environmentalists from the Philippines urge investors to avoid LNG projects which they say threaten the Verde Island PassageCampaigners from the Philippines have urged British banks not to fund the expansion of fossil fuel use in their country. It follows a huge oil spill that threatened a globally important marine biodiversity hotspot.Filipino environmentalists have travelled to the UK to meet representatives from Barclays, Standard Chartered and HSBC as part of efforts to stop the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants and terminals in and around the Verde Island Passage, a global marine biodiversity hotspot known for its whale sharks, corals, turtles and rich fisheries, which was badly affected by the oil spill this year. Continue reading...
There are plans to unite Philadelphia’s divided Chinatown with a highway cap – but a new arena could hurt the neighborhood yet againIf you ask for directions in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, chances are someone will either tell you to head “north of the highway” or “south of the highway”. That’s because this community has been carved into two.It is one of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in the US. Yet landmarks like the Holy Redeemer church and the Crane community center are separated from others – like the famous dim sum spot Bai Wei or the Chinatown firehouse – by six lanes of busy traffic. Continue reading...
Committee of MPs says ‘dark cloud of delays’ hindering Britain from reaching renewable energy potentialBusinesses in the UK are facing waits of up to 15 years for solar installations on their homes due to a lack of grid connectivity, MPs have found.The environmental audit committee, which looks at green policies in government, has said there is a “dark cloud of delays” hindering the country from reaching its potential when it comes to renewable energy. Continue reading...
Twenty-two institutions have been shut down as part of proposed month-long campaignA wave of student occupations has shut down schools and universities across Europe as part of a renewed youth protest campaign against inaction on climate breakdown. Twenty-two schools and universities across the continent have been occupied as part of a proposed month-long campaign.In Germany, universities were occupied in Wolfenbüttel, Magdeburg, Münster, Bielefeld, Regensburg, Bremen and Berlin. In Spain, students in occupation at the Autonomous University of Barcelona organised teach-outs on the climate crisis. In Belgium, 40 students occupied the University of Ghent. In the Czech Republic, about 100 students camped outside the ministry of trade and industry. In the UK occupations were under way at the universities of Leeds, Exeter and Falmouth. Continue reading...
H5N1 bird flu may lead to extinction of species as data revealed by Guardian shows worst losses in decadesAvian flu has killed more than twice the number of wild birds previously estimated in the UK, according to data collected by the Guardian, with numbers likely to escalate during this year’s breeding season.The highly infectious variant of H5N1 has caused Europe’s worst bird flu outbreak, resulting in the most significant and sudden loss of birds in decades. Conservationists are warning that it could mean the extinction of some seabird species, as breeding colonies have been particularly badly hit. Continue reading...
Floods and mudslides have swept through northern and western Rwanda after torrential rain.At least 115 people died as rivers of mud engulfed houses and fields, and landslides cut off roads.The western province bordering Lake Kivu was worst affected by the extreme rainfall amid floods that some fear might be the worst the region has seen
Fears appointing Paolo Scaroni as Enel CEO would undermine US and EU attempts to curb Russian influenceAn energy industry veteran who nurtured close ties with Vladimir Putin and has criticised sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine has emerged as the frontrunner to chair Italy’s biggest utility company.Paolo Scaroni is the preferred candidate of the ruling coalition government of Giorgia Meloni to chair Enel. Continue reading...
Overlooked animals vital for alpine ecosystems could lose most of their habitat and disappear, research suggestsInvertebrates living in the cool meltwater rivers of the European Alps could lose most of their habitat and disappear, as the mountain range’s glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, according to a study.Although they are often overlooked, these animals are crucial for alpine ecosystems. Continue reading...
As campaigning hots up around the world once again, eyes have been turning to the country that is taking things furtherIn the UK, when climate activists want to block a road, they sit down on it. When their fellow activists in France want to do the same, they build a wall across one side, and set the other side on fire.As Extinction Rebellion drew tens of thousands to their peaceful “Big One” protests in London last month, in the south of France 8,500 environmental protesters occupied the road from Toulouse to the town of Castres. Continue reading...
Plans put onus on local authorities to stop air pollution but offer no new funds or powers for traffic calming and other measuresLocal authorities in England have not been given the funding or powers to fulfil the government’s strategy on air pollution, and air quality in English towns and cities is likely to suffer as a result, local governments and charities have said.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published its latest plan late on 28 April, just before the UK bank holiday weekend. It followed a consultation earlier that month that was only days long, which local authorities said was not enough time for them to contribute properly. Continue reading...
Chevron and ExxonMobil are among the companies in a ‘sustainability council’ countering grassroots activistsAfter residents of America’s “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana put a national spotlight on their fight for a healthy environment, the state’s economic interests and petrochemical giants are backing the creation of a new “sustainability council” to counter grassroots activists, documents show.In recent years, the activists have successfully fought construction of two multibillion-dollar plastics facilities and what would have been the nation’s largest methanol plant. The growing concerns have caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency, which earlier this year sued a manufacturer of neoprene in the state for not doing enough to reduce its cancer-causing air emissions. Continue reading...
As consumers turn to renewable and recyclable products, protests over industry’s use of misleading terms have proliferatedThe US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking aim at greenwashing by big business with an update to its “Green Guides”, which would give the agency stronger legal cases against polluters by clarifying when companies’ deceptive marketing around sustainability and environmental responsibility violates federal law.The move follows years of formal complaints filed with the FTC about often highly questionable claims made by fossil fuel companies, big agriculture, major food producers and other polluting industries. Continue reading...
The spectacle that washes hillsides in color draws thousands each year, but raises generations-old concerns about protecting wild spacesThis year’s California wildflower superbloom is a historic phenomenon, brought on by an unprecedented wet winter. Miles of golden-orange poppies, purple desert sand-verbena and pink filaree are visible from space. This time of year it seems that everywhere from remote corners of the desert to drab highway medians are bursting with color.The spectacle draws thousands of visitors every spring, who flock to enjoy the view and take photos of the unique natural spectacle – as people have done for generations. Continue reading...
by Zinara Rathnayake in Colombo. All photographs by J on (#6BE5C)
The gill plates of the extremely intelligent fish – many species of which are already categorised as endangered – are sold across east Asia as remedies said to have ‘no basis in medical science’Every morning, starting at 3am, Lakshan hacks up manta rays. A wholesale buyer who plies his trade at Sri Lanka’s largest fish market, in the city of Negombo, just north of Colombo, he jostles with fishers offloading their catches. His business is primarily to find fresh tuna but he also buys 700kg (1,540lb) of manta and devil rays every day.He doesn’t want the ray’s meat, which most Sri Lankans don’t eat. Instead, he’s after the gill plates: cartilage that helps manta and devil rays filter out microorganisms in ocean waters.At sunrise in Negombo, the nightly fish market quietens down and fishers start to return home after many days at sea Continue reading...