Only about £4.5bn of £6.6bn allocated for making buildings more energy efficient has been spent, analysis findsA third of the funding pledged by the UK government for insulation and installing heat pumps has not yet been spent, analysis has shown, despite the continuing energy bills and cost of living crises.About £2.1bn remains unspent of the £6.6bn that was supposed to be used between 2020 and 2025 on making buildings more energy efficient and decarbonising heat. The funding is part of the £9.2bn that was promised for such spending in the Conservative general election manifesto of 2019. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#698MB)
As global heating cuts snow cover, study reveals how many events, organisations and athletes have high-carbon backersWinter sports are being sponsored by high-carbon companies despite their pollution helping to melt the snow the sports require to exist, according to a new report.The report found that more than 100 events, organisations and athletes were sponsored by fossil fuel companies, carmakers and airlines. The sponsorships were like “winter sport nailing the lid on its own coffin”, said one Olympic champion. Continue reading...
Record number of dead dolphins have washed up on Atlantic beaches in last monthAnimal campaigners say time is running out for the dolphin population off France’s west coast and are calling on the government to ban fishing in areas where the animals are at risk.A record number of dead dolphins have washed up on the country’s Atlantic beaches in the last month, but activists believe this is only a fraction of those being injured and killed by fishing boats. Continue reading...
The population is declining rapidly but Russia has refused to observe restrictions – aided by countries offering ports or catch processingThe Irminger Sea, near Greenland and Iceland, is home to the beaked redfish – a large-eyed, orange creature that typically grows up to half a metre long and lives for about 60 years. It has come to epitomise just why Russia ranks so poorly on the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Index – second-worst out of 152 countries in 2021.Until recently, the beaked redfish was hunted widely in the Irminger Sea. Every three years, scientists from Iceland, Germany and Russia surveyed the state of the two stocks in the Irminger Sea, and in 2020, they concluded the redfish population was declining rapidly. Continue reading...
Concerns about energy shortages drive increase as projects progress at ‘extraordinary’ speedChina approved the construction of another 106 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity last year, four times higher than a year earlier and the highest since 2015, research shows.Over the year, 50GW of coal power capacity went into construction across the country – up by more than half compared with the previous year – driven by energy security considerations, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said on Monday. Continue reading...
Young ‘custodian’ hopes to make ancestral home of Muncaster first carbon-zero castle in UKIn 1990, the year Ewan Frost-Pennington was born, the final bears left Muncaster Castle in the westernmost corner of the Lake District. Winnie, an Asiatic black bear, departed Cumbria for Dudley zoo, along with Inca, her daughter, and her sister, Gretel.Three decades later, the bear pit has now been covered over with a solar farm. It is the brainchild of Frost-Pennington, the heir to the 800-year-old pink granite fortress, as he tries to make Muncaster the first carbon-zero castle in the UK. Continue reading...
by Ed Pilkingtonin New York and Nina Lakhani in East on (#697ZT)
Fox News, Trump and JD Vance claim Biden overlooked East Palestine’s plight, citing residents’ whiteness as the reasonUntil 2 February it was business as usual in the small rural community of East Palestine, Ohio. The local paper carried obituaries and sporting results, interspersed with stories of a homecoming queen, an abusive puppy mill and the driver in the Toughest Monster Truck Tour who was arrested for human trafficking.The next day it all went up in flames. Continue reading...
Country’s capacity to generate renewable energy shot up last year, producing enough electricity to power 64m householdsA new report by Climate Central shows how US capacity to generate renewable energy shot up last year – and surprisingly, red states lead the nation in solar and wind power production.National wind and solar capacity grew 16% compared to 2021. All told, renewables generated enough electricity to power 64m American households. The report comes as the Biden administration starts to make billions of dollars available for renewable energy projects. The administration has committed to decarbonizing the grid completely by 2030 and getting the US to net zero emissions by mid-century. Continue reading...
Environmental Protection Agency orders rail company to ‘pause’ shipments from site pending a review of plans to dispose of waste near Houston and DetroitFederal environmental authorities have ordered a temporary halt in the shipment of contaminated waste from the site of the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month, amid fears of further harm from the toxic waste.Hazardous waste disposal facilities near Houston and Detroit are planning to receive most of the contaminated water and soil from the East Palestine train wreck site, raising the risk that some of the dangerous chemicals could end up in the environment elsewhere. Continue reading...
The number of whales, porpoises and dolphins being washed up on the UK’s shores is on the rise, and human activity is largely to blame, say expertsA whale’s tail swishes high into the air, pausing at the apex of its stretch before beating down with a thud into the hard, rocky ground. The noise is sickening, the sound of two things coming together that were never supposed to meet. In the UK, encounters with megafauna are rare, so it is truly shocking to see this colossal creature stranded and gasping for air on the coast of Cornwall last March. We later find out it is a 19-metre (63ft), 80-tonne fin whale – the second largest creature on Earth.Some of the first on the scene are members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service (BDMLR), one of several organisations called upon when a cetacean (whale, dolphin or porpoise) crashes on shore. In recent years, reports of cetacean strandings on UK coasts have reached record levels, with numerous mass strandings and a greater variety of species appearing on beaches. Already in 2023, there have been reports of a fin whale stranded in Cornwall in January and a stranded porpoise dying on the Yorkshire coast this month.Simon Myers, a volunteer with Clean Ocean Sailing, attempts to keep the stranded fin whale wet while waiting for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service (BDMLR) to arrive Continue reading...
Guardian analysis of data in light of Ohio train derailment shows accidental releases are happening consistentlyMike DeWine, the Ohio governor, recently lamented the toll taken on the residents of East Palestine after the toxic train derailment there, saying “no other community should have to go through this”.But such accidents are happening with striking regularity. A Guardian analysis of data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by non-profit groups that track chemical accidents in the US shows that accidental releases – be they through train derailments, truck crashes, pipeline ruptures or industrial plant leaks and spills – are happening consistently across the country. Continue reading...
For Black History Month, owners Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport curated a list of the best books celebrating the role of food in culture and liberationFor sisters Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport, every month is a good time to read about Black food. As the owners of Brooklyn’s BEM | books & more, the country’s first book store to focus on the topic, the two sisters are regularly curating works that narrate and elevate stories and memories about Black food.“Black history, for us, is a year-round affair,” said Gabrielle. “In terms of things we’re reading, it’s always exciting to see how history shows up throughout the collection.” Continue reading...
Celebrated whistleblower and activist assures residents of East Palestine they are not alone, but also that a long road lies aheadEvery seat was taken in the East Palestine high school auditorium on Friday night as America’s most famous environmentalist took to the stage to address a community left traumatised, angry and confused by a railroad disaster that has upended their sleepy little town.“Good evening, thank you for being here. My name is Erin Brockovich, not Julia Roberts,” she said, triggering a collective roar of laughter. Continue reading...
Steven Guilbeault wants to block logging of critical old-growth forest to prevent owls from going extinct in British ColumbiaCanada’s environment minister plans to use a rare emergency order to protect the last of an endangered owl species in an area where critical old-growth forest is slated for further clearcutting.Steven Guilbeault advised the environmental groups Ecojustice and the Wilderness Committee that he believed the spotted owl was facing “imminent threats to its survival” and he would use the powers to block further destruction of its habitat in British Columbia, the groups announced on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...
Growers say they do not get paid enough by supermarkets, as supply of leeks also comes under threatApples and pears could be the next food shortage in the UK, after it emerged that British growers are planting just a third of the number of trees needed to maintain orchards, saying their returns from selling to supermarkets are unsustainable.Ali Capper, head of the British Apples & Pears trade association which represents about 80% of the industry in the UK, said 1m new trees would have to be planted each year to maintain the UK’s 5,500 hectares (13,590 acres) of production. Continue reading...
Researchers found PFAS chemicals – used to make products resistant to heat and water – in all samples of 12 species of fishAll fish caught in Michigan rivers and tested for toxic PFAS contained the chemicals – and at levels that present a health risk for anyone eating them, according to a new study.Researchers checked 100 fish samples that represented 12 species in the Huron and Rouge rivers. Continue reading...
Parts of Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Maryland, along with New York, are all recording their earliest spring conditions on recordBlooming daffodils in New York City. Leaves sprouting from red maples in North Carolina. Cherry blossoms about to bud in Washington. Record winter warmth across much of the eastern US has caused spring-like conditions to arrive earlier than ever previously recorded in several places, provoking delight over the mild weather and despair over the unfolding climate crisis.In New York, one of several US cities to experience its warmest January on record, spring conditions have arrived 32 days before the long-term normal, which is its earliest onset of biological spring in 40 years of charting seasonal trends by the National Phenology Network. Continue reading...
by Nina Lakhani in East Palestine and Tom Perkins on (#6961Z)
Locals who live near the site of the toxic train derailment describe ‘burning eyes and throat’ as experts say the EPA is needlessly putting their health at riskWhen crews conducted a controlled burn of giant quantities of toxic vinyl chloride in the wake of the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, they nullified the risk of a potentially deadly explosion.But the preventative burn created new potential risks over the horizon. Compounds such as dioxins, chlorinated PAHs and other chemical byproducts of vinyl chloride combustion, some of which are highly toxic, can accumulate in the environment, and could pose a long-term health threat in the East Palestine area and downwind. Continue reading...
Former UN secretary general calls for rich countries to honour promises made to the developing world after years of failureThe former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world’s largest fund to help developing nations weather the climate crisis remains an “empty shell”, despite decades of promises by rich nations.“We need to see a massive acceleration in mobilising trillions of dollars needed to keep the world from climate collapse,” he said. Continue reading...
Behind the scenes of its 20th orchid show, the New York Botanical Garden toils to rescue endangered plantsOn a brisk February morning, a line formed outside the New York Botanical Garden’s vaulted conservatory. Inside, winter layers discarded, visitors gazed at a mossy rock covered in bright, perfect orchids rising towards the white-boned dome of the greenhouse: the opening piece of the garden’s 20th orchid show, designed by the botanical artist Lily Kwong.Pots spilled over with showy peach and fuchsia phalaenopsis orchids; some had white petals splotched with crimson, like a wine stain on a dress shirt. There were highlighter-bright cattleyas, a white spidery star orchid in bloom and beguiling Asian lady slippers. A woman in a floral dress crouched over the glossy, grotesque petals of a paphiopedilum. “They’re trouble,” she said. Continue reading...
Oil companies plan to pump crude oil from Lake Albert, Uganda to the coast of neighbouring Tanzania, with the goal of producing 1.4bn barrels over the next two decades. But the pipeline project has created a human tragedy for those living in its 900-mile path• Photographs by Sadak Souici. Words by Théophile Simon for La Chronique d’Amnesty International France Continue reading...
Experts say more cities should join the growing legislative trend to reduce trash, save birds and protect against wildfiresLaguna Beach – the California city known for surfers, waves, rolling hills – grabbed headlines this week for enacting a strict ban on the sale and use of balloons. The city council passed the resolution on Tuesday night, citing wildfire risk and the fact that balloons are a huge source of marine trash. Beginning in 2024, balloons of all types will not be permitted to be used on public property or at city events, with violators facing fines of up to $500. Residential homes will be exempt.The move is part of a growing trend. Maryland and Virginia banned intentional balloon releases in 2021, Hawaii followed suit in 2022, with New York and Florida now considering similar measures. And like plastic bags and other pollutants, experts say balloon bans could catch on more widely as awareness rises of the harms that the popular celebratory item causes to the environment. Continue reading...
Thérèse Coffey’s championing of UK ‘specialisms’ causes one Labour MP to retort: ‘Let them eat turnips!’The UK environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has caused a furore after she suggested people should “cherish” seasonal foods such as turnips as bad weather cleared supermarket shelves of tomatoes and other fresh produce.“It’s important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country,” Coffey told parliament. “A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar.” Continue reading...
Farming leader Minette Batters says government needs to take action to tackle worsening water shortagesNew reservoirs are needed across England to cope with increasingly severe water shortages that are putting the UK at risk of not being able to grow the food consumers require, a farming leader has warned.Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, said failure to manage the country’s water adequately was creating problems for farmers and threatening food supplies. Continue reading...
The National Archives of Australia has restored and made public hundreds of rare and fragile images, digitised from glass plate negatives and lantern slides, of early 20th century British and Australian Antarctic expeditions Continue reading...
Preventing heat waste largely being ignored as solution to energy crisis, say environmental campaignersExcess heat produced across Europe could almost power the entire region but preventing this waste is largely being ignored as a solution to the energy crisis, say environmental experts.“The global energy crisis is a wakeup call to stop wasting energy,” said Toby Morgan, senior manager for the built environment at Climate Group, an environmental not-for-profit. “Now, more than ever, we need to make better use of the energy we already produce, we simply can’t afford to let it literally escape out the window. Energy efficiency improvements, like capturing and recycling excess heat, are absolutely critical to lower fossil fuel demand and lower bills.” Continue reading...
Critics say power generator would make loss without public support as firm boosts dividend after 84% rise in profits to £731mMinisters are under pressure to cut subsidies to the operator of Britain’s biggest power station after it reported an 84% increase in annual profits, helped by high electricity prices.Drax, the power generator that owns the eponymous plant in North Yorkshire, posted underlying profits of £731m for 2022, up from £398m a year earlier. Continue reading...
Despite a new relief fund in Sonoma county, farm workers face economic catastrophe when storms and fires strikeAs a series of deadly storms whipped through California’s wine country, liquefying fields and turning vineyards into wading pools, thousands of farm workers in the region were forced to stay home. Though the power has been long since restored and roads reopened – many of them are still confronting an economic catastrophe.For Isidro Rodriguez, the storms caused him to lose half his monthly income – about $1,100. Continue reading...
If the workers at Lodi succeed, they could be leaders in a new labor-organizing movement at higher-end eateries – but supporters say there is fierce pushbackAt an Italian-style cafe in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, workers move seamlessly between tables draped in white tablecloths dotting the covered patio. This is Lodi, where everything is business as usual, except for a new addition to some workers’ uniforms: a small button with gold lettering pinned to the lapel of their chore coats, announcing they back the restaurant’s first-ever union.They are part of a surprising movement. It has been increasingly common in recent years for workers at chain restaurants and coffee shops, like Starbucks and Chipotle, to start union drives, but it is far rarer for this to happen at higher-end, independent restaurants – the Balthazars and Gramercy Taverns of the world. Continue reading...
These images were taken by underwater photographer Robert Stansfield, from Southampton, UK, on a blackwater dive in the open ocean surround the island of Cozumel, Mexico.‘The blackwater dives never fail to amaze me with the crazy alien-like life forms that drift past out in the open ocean, well away from a reef,’ says Robert. ‘The idea is to see the largest biomass migration on the planet. Every night a huge volume of life migrates up from the mesopelagic zone up to the epipelagic. This night-time migration gives us the opportunity to see life at the surface that normally lives well beyond recreational diving depths.’• This article was amended on 23 February 2023. An earlier version misspelled crab megalopa as “megalopia”. Continue reading...
With the Coalition opting out of an adult discussion on climate policy, tough decisions lie ahead for Labor, the Greens and independents on what they are willing to acceptThe long-running fractures that define Australian climate politics can do weird things to people who have been involved in it too long.One observer with more experience than most had a moment of reverie this week, joking about a fantasy universe in which Labor, the Coalition and the Greens all made substantial compromises to transform the landscape, literally and figuratively. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#694FY)
Far more tiny particles now come from tyres than are emitted from exhausts but new tyre designs may helpScientists are “increasingly concerned” by the health impact of air pollution produced by the wear of vehicle tyres. The particles are especially damaging due to the toxic chemicals they are made from, say the scientists from Imperial College London.The warning follows UK government data that shows significantly more tiny pollution particles now come from tyre erosion than are emitted from vehicle exhausts. Continue reading...
Former president criticizes Biden administration’s response to train derailment in East Palestine as he visits townDonald Trump’s record of rolling back environmental protections was highlighted by critics on Wednesday as the ex-president visited the town of East Palestine, Ohio, and called the federal response to the toxic train derailment there earlier this month a “betrayal” .Trump’s administration, which rolled back more than 100 environmental rules in total, watered down several regulations at the behest of the rail industry. Continue reading...
Renewable energy generator said underlying group profits were helped by windy conditions last yearProfits for ScottishPower, the renewable energy generator, were improved by windy conditions last year – but the supplier took a hit as Britons cut back on energy consumption in the face of higher bills.The energy generation and supply group, which is owned by Spain’s Iberdrola, said underlying group profits in 2022 had risen 3.6% to £1.6bn on a year earlier. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian