Environment | The Guardian

As many as 100 million Americans will be living in ‘extreme’ zones that will see heat index exceed 125F, according to new studyVast swaths of the continental US will be experiencing prolonged and dangerous heatwaves by the middle of the century, with the heat index in some areas above 100F (38C) for weeks on end, according to an alarming new study published on Monday.Almost two-thirds of Americans, who live in mostly southern and central states, will be at risk from the critical temperature increases, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from the non-profit First Street Foundation, which used current trends to predict the number of extreme heat days 30 years into the future. Continue reading...

Polish scientists only found elevated salt levels after thousands of dead fish were found floating in the central European waterwayMystery continues to surround the cause behind a “catastrophic” mass die-off of fish in the Oder River, after Polish scientists said laboratory tests found elevated salt levels but no other toxic substances in the central European waterway.German municipalities have banned bathing and fishing in the Oder after thousands of dead fish were found floating in the 520 mile (840km) river, which runs from the Czech Republic to the Baltic Sea along the border between Germany and Poland. Continue reading...

Yellow thunderstorm warning follows weeks of drought caused by extreme heat and little rainfallHeavy rain and thunderstorms could cause “dangerous” flooding this week in cities and rural areas across the UK, forecasters have warned.The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for most of the UK on Monday and Tuesday with the possibility of flash flooding, disruption to transport and power cuts. Continue reading...

Farming union chief says situation ‘nothing short of a travesty’, as crops also hit by drought and record heatAs much as £60m of food has been wasted on farms because of a labour shortage, according to the National Farmers’ Union, which found at least £22m of fruit and vegetables had been wasted so far this year.The NFU said 40% of respondents to a survey of its members said they had suffered crop losses as a result of labour shortages, with farms 14% short of the size of the workforce they needed on average. The problems were worsened by some staff not turning up for work or quitting early. Continue reading...

Anger is growing over the huge sums handed to shareholders and executives

Investment is needed to help country recover from drought, say politicians and campaigners

Jonas Gahr Støre speaks out after criticism from campaigners, while a zoologist says decision was inevitableNorway’s prime minister has said it was “right” to put down Freya, a 600kg (1,300lb) female walrus euthanised on Sunday in Oslo fjord, as animal rights campaigners attacked the decision but a leading zoologist insisted it was inevitable.“I support the decision to euthanise Freya,” Jonas Gahr Støre told the public broadcaster NRK on Monday. “It was the right decision. I am not surprised that this has led to many international reactions. Sometimes we have to make unpopular decisions.” Continue reading...

Spill is yet another example of how contamination from corporate polluters can endanger entire communities, critics sayThe FBI and local officials are investigating the recent release of dangerous chemicals into Michigan’s Huron River, a 130-mile-long waterway that is popular for fishing and recreation and supplies drinking water for more than 100,000 people in Ann Arbor as well as other south-eastern Michigan communities.On 29 July, Tribar Manufacturing, a maker of exterior trim components for vehicles located in a western suburb of Detroit, discharged up to 10,000 gallons of waste containing hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, into a local sewer system on, according to Michigan’s department of environment, Great Lakes and energy, the state’s environmental regulatory agency. Continue reading...

Experts say drought and extreme high temperatures likely to make it a record year for destruction by firesAcross Europe, an area equivalent to one-fifth of Belgium has been ravaged by flames as successive searing heatwaves and a historic drought propel the continent towards what experts say is likely to be a record year for wildfire destruction.According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis), 659,541 hectares (1.6m acres) of land burned across the continent between January and mid-August, the most at this time of year since records began in 2006. Continue reading...

Local officials have instructed residents to destroy the insects – and some New Yorkers are taking it very seriouslyMichael Thomas, a maintenance worker, was inspecting the base of 3 World Trade Center in late June of last year when he started to notice groups of heart-shaped bugs, three or four at a time, “crawling up on the walls” of the thousand-foot skyscraper in lower Manhattan. He went to sweep them up, hoping to keep them from entering through the revolving doors, or flying into the lobby. Then, he said, “they just started to multiply”.What Thomas saw were spotted lanternflies, a visually arresting, fast-spreading invasive species – that New Yorkers are under strict instructions to kill. In the age of overlapping viral outbreaks (Covid, monkeypox, the return, in some places, of polio), this kind of clear government communication is a gift. The New York state department of agriculture is very direct: “If you see a Spotted Lanternfly in New York City, kill it immediately by stepping on it or crushing it.” Continue reading...

South West Water announces measure from 23 August to protect supplies – for first time in 26 years

World leaders urged to agree treaty to protect marine life after groups say planet’s last wilderness treated ‘recklessly’UN member states will gather in New York to hammer out a long-awaited treaty that, if agreed, will govern the planet’s last, lawless wilderness: the high seas.Two hundred nautical miles beyond the territorial waters and jurisdiction of nations, the high seas have been treated “recklessly”, according to environmental groups. Continue reading...

Government sources say Morrison took control of Keith Pitt’s portfolio to reject exploration licence in lead-up to election

Boris Johnson’s plans are behind schedule and the CBI says Britain is falling behind Europe and the USThere is little mention of Boris Johnson’s “green industrial revolution” on the campaign trail of the two Conservative party leadership candidates.Maybe it’s not surprising when Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are focused on formulating plans to deal with the more immediate energy crisis. That said, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are pressing ahead with announcing the investments they would make to achieve net zero by 2050. Continue reading...

Raze-and-rebuild proposal for London shop led to carbon footprint debate, with public inquiry loomingThe author Bill Bryson and architects including the Stirling prize winner Steve Tompkins and Mark Hines, the project director for the remodelling of BBC Broadcasting House, have lined up to oppose plans to flatten Marks & Spencer’s store on London’s Oxford Street.Bryson, who is best known for Notes from a Small Island and A Short History of Nearly Everything, has donated £500 to a fighting fund established by the campaign group Save Britain’s Heritage in the run-up to a public inquiry into the plan – under which M&S wants to build a new store and offices on the same site – ordered by the former communities secretary Michael Gove in June. Continue reading...

An age-old strategy has been revived to tackle the devastating effects of drought and heatwavesSwapping sirens for bells and equipped with voracious appetites, Barcelona’s newest firefighting recruits began delicately picking past hikers and cyclists in the city’s largest public park earlier this year. The four-legged brigade – made up of 290 sheep and goats – had just one task: to munch on as much vegetation as possible.Their arrival turned Barcelona into one of the latest places to embrace an age-old strategy that’s being revived as officials around the world face off against a rise in extreme wildfires. Continue reading...

Government policy amounts to ‘keeping fingers crossed’ rather than acting to adapt to changing climate, says infrastructure chiefEngland is failing to invest in the water networks needed to avoid a future of recurrent serious droughts, with current policies amounting to the government “keeping [its] fingers crossed”, the UK’s infrastructure chief has warned.The current drought was a warning that water systems could not cope with the changing climate, with more hot dry spells interspersed with heavier rainfall, said Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New bill also increases the state’s legislated renewable energy target to 100% by decade’s end

Consumers say yes, the numbers add up, industry is largely on board and Labor has no policy hang-ups. This week could be the turning point• Get our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastLast week an acquaintance who owns a secondhand Japanese electric car, brought to Australia as part of a bulk purchase by the Good Car Company, posted a quiet boast. His wife had put their Nissan Leaf in for its annual service. No major problems were found – just an underinflated tyre. The total bill? $120.Reading that sent me to the mess of my glovebox to work out how much I had paid mechanics to keep my Subaru Outback running over the past year. It added up to more than $700. Continue reading...

Michael O’Leary | Joined-up thinking | Mythic rail journeys | A rejection from Raymond Briggs | What to call an egg prickerOne shred of good news in this energy crisis is that it’s going to be more expensive to fly, and the hubristic idea of £1 flights could be gone for good (Ryanair boss blames Brexit for airport chaos and says era of €10 airfares over, 11 August). Michael O’Leary, for all his faults, is one of the few people with a public voice who has called Brexit what it is: a heap of lies.

Meteorologists say expected downpours are the wrong kind of rain to tackle driest spell for almost 50 yearsAfter the driest spell for almost 50 years, the UK is now being warned to expect flooding from thundery showers that will offer little relief from the drought.The flood alert follows days of extreme heat warnings and the official declaration of a drought after the longest nine-month dry spell since 1976. Meteorologists warned that downpours are the wrong kind of rain to tackle the drought and are more likely to lead to floods from water running off parched earth. Continue reading...

Lib Dem councillor calls for company to be fined over the incidentThames Water has been accused of repeatedly ignoring warnings about cuts to supplies and burst pipes in Surrey where hundreds of households had to endure three days without tap water at the height of this weekend’s heatwave.Residents, including some that were vulnerable, had to queue for bottled water on Saturday in temperatures of well over 30C (86F) after a pump failure at Netley Mill treatment works. Continue reading...

Young 600kg female had been basking in waters of Norway’s capital and attracting crowds who disturbed her restA walrus nicknamed Freya that attracted crowds while basking in the sun in the Oslo fjord has been euthanised.“The decision to euthanise was taken on the basis of a global evaluation of the persistent threat to human security,” the head of Norway’s fisheries directorate, Frank Bakke-Jensen, said in a statement. Continue reading...

Without lots of heavy rain in autumn and winter, water restrictions could be tightened even furtherSouth-east England could be tipped into severe and devastating drought without above-average rainfall this winter, while current water use restrictions in London and surrounding areas are expected to last until the new year even if rainfall returns, ministers have been told. Severe drought would mean even tighter restrictions, such as bans on non-essential uses of water including cleaning windows and filling and maintaining swimming pools.Though it is too soon to forecast weather for this winter, anything less than substantial rainfall could lead to London being placed under much stricter measures next year, experts have told the Observer. One Whitehall source said officials were being told to prepare for a potential severe drought throughout the south-east. Continue reading...

Residents of Everton, Bedfordshire, have learned to live with an on-off supply, and are always prepared for the worstYvonne Hinde opens her fridge to reveal three big bottles of water. There are two buckets full in her garden. “We have to be prepared,” she says. She isn’t being dramatic. Like other residents of Everton in Bedfordshire, Hinde, 59, a childminder, can no longer take running water for granted.Since the start of July the supply has been severely interrupted or cut off five times. Often the taps run dry for hours at a time. The problems have forced the pub to close and the village school to tell children to stay at home. “It makes life really difficult,” says Hinde, who is forced to close her business when the water isn’t running. Continue reading...

As official drought is declared in parts of England, here are some measures to preserve and future-proof gardensWith British gardens facing record temperatures, drought and hosepipe bans, it’s time for emergency measures. It’s particularly important because during drought, additional mains water is drawn from wild sources, affecting struggling wildlife. Here are some of the things you can do. Continue reading...

The Pacific country has committed to 100% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2030The Pacific country of Vanuatu has launched one of the world’s most ambitious climate policies, committing to 100% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2030 and ambitious targets on loss and damage.The announcement signals yet another instance of the small island state making its mark in international climate efforts. Continue reading...

Amber heat warning in place in parts of England and Wales, and very hot weather expected over rest of weekendWildfires could continue to break out across the UK this weekend, as the Environment Agency (EA) warns that the drought in England could persist into next year.The Met Office has issued an amber heat warning across parts of England and Wales, as regions are braced for temperatures as high as 35C. Continue reading...

Residents of Cranleigh faced with empty taps and low pressure as country braved another heatwaveBottled water stations have been opened in Surrey as residents were left without water due to a technical issue on one of the hottest days of the year.Many residents woke up to a diminished water supply or low pressure in their taps due to complications at Netley Mill water treatment works, which serves 8,500 properties in Cranleigh and surrounding villages. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed.London Fire Brigade has called on people to avoid barbecues during the extreme weather, following a grass fire in Hayes, west London, yesterday.It tweeted:Firefighters tackled another grass fire in #Hayes which damaged around 400sqm of grass and shrubland, along with some boundary fencing, a chicken coop & a shed.Remember - don’t barbecue in parks, dispose of cigarettes properly & clear away rubbish & glass. Continue reading...

Crops, power plants, barge traffic, industry and fish populations devastated by parched waterwaysIn places, the Loire can now be crossed on foot; France’s longest river has never flowed so slowly. The Rhine is fast becoming impassable to barge traffic. In Italy, the Po is 2 metres lower than normal, crippling crops. Serbia is dredging the Danube.Across Europe, drought is reducing once-mighty rivers to trickles, with potentially dramatic consequences for industry, freight, energy and food production – just as supply shortages and price rises due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bite. Continue reading...

Six young orca calves were separated from their mothers in 1970 and sold to marine parks. Only one is still alive at the Miami SeaquariumFive decades ago, a group of men rounded up more than 80 orcas in a cove on Whidbey Island off Washington state. Using boats, explosives, nets and sticks, they separated young orca calves from their mothers. Locals were haunted by the whales’ human-like cries, according to an account of the day.Six baby whales were taken away that day in Penn Cove and sold to marine parks. Most didn’t last a year in captivity. Only one who was captured and sold is still alive. Continue reading...

Nationals leader outlines vision for party at federal council meeting. This blog is now closed

Farmers in Auvergne despair as cows cannot be fed on grass left parched by hot summerTraditional cheese has become the latest casualty of France’s summer drought, as production of the salers variety in the central Auvergne region was halted due to a lack of grass for cows.Salers is an unpasteurised cow’s cheese that has been made for centuries in central France. It carries France’s appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) stamp of approval, meaning it is unique to the small area where it is produced. Continue reading...

Scientists concluded that a series of storms could dump enough rainfall to displace millions, causing over $1tn in lossesDriven by the climate crisis, exceedingly rare megafloods will become more common – and more catastrophic – according to a new study that found their likelihood has already doubled in California.The unexpected threat lingers even as browning hillsides, fallowed fields and bathtub ring-laden reservoirs serve as a constant reminder of the drought disaster in the state, which may be woefully unprepared when the coin inevitably flips. Continue reading...

Chlorine exposure appears to be cause of death of animals at UC Davis research centerA “catastrophic failure” at a university research facility in California killed 21,000 fish this week, some of which were endangered.The University of California, Davis, reported the loss of about 21,000 fish at its Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture. Chlorine exposure, which the university noted fish are particularly sensitive to, appears to have caused the deaths. Continue reading...

Leaked documents predict crop failure rates of up to 50% as water companies resist calls to prioritise food productionExperts have warned of widespread crop failures across England, as charities and farmers criticised water companies for dithering over hosepipe bans despite drought being declared across much of the country.On Friday, the Environment Agency classified eight of the 14 areas of England as being in a drought. Despite this, water companies, including Anglian Water, Southern Water and South West Water have not brought in hosepipe bans. Thames Water said it does not plan to expedite a hosepipe ban expected next week. Continue reading...

Water levels fall to below 40cm on parts of key route for transporting fuel, wheat and other commoditiesThe levels of the Rhine River fell to a new low on Friday due to the ongoing drought in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, further restricting the distribution of coal, petrol, wheat and other commodities amid a looming energy crisis.The water level at Kaub near Frankfurt – a key waypoint where the fairway is shallower than elsewhere on the river – fell below 40cm on Friday afternoon, the level at which it is no longer economical for many barges to transit the river. Continue reading...

IAEA warns of ‘grave hour’ amid fresh shelling of Zaporizhzhia plant, with region set to become new frontline

Hard sea defenses prompted by extreme weather and rising sea levels can have unintended consequences down the coast – is there a better way?Areas across the US staring down a greater risk of flooding due to extreme weather and sea level rise are turning to a stark solution: building a wall.In Miami, a 20ft seawall has been proposed. In Charleston, South Carolina, a $1.1bn plan to build a seawall around the city’s downtown awaits sign-off from Congress. And in New York City, a 2.5-mile seawall under construction along the shoreline of lower Manhattan is expected to be finished by 2026. Continue reading...

HMRC figures come as Europe rushes to bank supplies for winter in absence of Russian pipelineEnergy exports from the UK to the Netherlands rocketed by 67% in June, official figures reveal, in the latest sign of Europe’s scramble to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas.British exports of fossil fuels more than doubled in value in June compared with the same period last year, the latest trading data from HMRC shows. Continue reading...

The US spent six decades losing the climate war as fossil fuel companies spread misinformation. It has finally gained significant groundThe scientists’ warning to the US president on climate crisis was stark: the world’s countries were conducting a vast, dangerous experiment through their enormous release of planet-heating emissions, which threaten to be “deleterious from the point of view of human beings”. Some sort of remedial action was needed, they urged.This official alert was issued not to Joe Biden, who is poised to sign America’s first ever major legislation designed to tackle the climate crisis, but in a report given to his presidential predecessor Lyndon Johnson in 1965, a year when the now 79-year-old Biden was still in college. Continue reading...

Equestrian groups call for riders – who are mostly female – to get same access rights as cyclists and walkersThe government must allow horse riders access to England’s publicly funded woodlands, equestrian groups have said.Those who ride horses are banned from many scenic countryside routes, including many footpaths, meaning that most are severely restricted in their access to nature. Continue reading...

Expert group declares official drought amid prolonged dry spell, meaning water rationing may take placeA drought has been declared across wide swathes of England after a meeting of experts.The prolonged dry conditions, with some areas of the country not receiving significant rainfall all summer, have caused the National Drought Group to declare an official drought. Continue reading...

Lidl becomes latest retailer to halt sales of the barbecues as Met Office issues highest fire warningAll big supermarkets have now stopped selling disposable barbecues in the light of the risk of wildfires across the UK.Morrisons, Asda and Lidl on Friday joined Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer in temporarily removing the product from sale in all stores as an official drought was declared across large parts of south and east England and the Midlands. Continue reading...

Invasive species on islands: when signs of the pests were discovered on the Scilly isle in January, a crack squad of conservationists mobilised to save threatened seabird coloniesWords and pictures by Alexander Turner

Yorkshire Water announces ban from 26 August and Thames Water could introduce measure from FridayA hosepipe ban could be introduced as early as Friday by Britain’s largest water company, covering London and much of the south-east of England, after a drought is declared across eight areas of England on Friday.Thames Water is “ready to go” with its hosepipe ban, according to its strategy and regulatory affairs director, Cathryn Ross, who said there was a process for introducing a ban but that it could be bypassed if an official declaration of drought is made on Friday. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including grazing camels, hot bats and a newly hatched turtle Continue reading...

Exclusive: ex-US vice-president says with $370bn package of clean energy spending ‘we have changed history and will never go backwards’America’s passing of its first ever climate legislation will prove a pivotal moment in history that will help bring to an end the era of fossil fuels, according to Al Gore, the former US vice-president.Joe Biden is poised to sign a huge $370bn package of clean energy spending, overcoming decades of American political rancor and inaction on the climate crisis. Gore said he was now sure the fossil fuel industry and its political backers will not be able to reverse the shift to a decarbonized world, even if Republicans are able to wrest back control of Congress or the White House. Continue reading...

Yes, it’s a real word. Here’s the science (and etymology) behind itIt’s baking hot in New York, which can only mean one thing for the city’s small mammal population: it’s splooting season.This week, with temperatures reaching 95F (35C), the city’s parks department urged residents not to worry about the health of squirrels seen sprawling on the ground, legs extended behind them like a person whose arms gave out halfway through a yoga class. “On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat,” the department tweeted. Continue reading...