Pacific leaders optimistic about Albanese government’s climate action and willingness to engage, but major sticking point remains

UK households recycle just 12% of single-use plastic, says GreenpeaceUK households throw away nearly 100bn pieces of plastic packaging a year, according to a survey by Greenpeace.The results of one of the largest voluntary research projects into the scale of plastic waste show that only 12% of the single-use packaging used by households is sent for recycling. Continue reading...

Report also finds employment benefits from Fortune Agribusiness’s Singleton station venture were ‘largely illusory’• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government’s decision to grant its biggest ever water licence to a private business is an “extraordinary” giveaway of a public asset worth up to $300m for employment benefits that are “largely illusory”, a new report commissioned by the Central Land Council claims.Last year the NT government granted Fortune Agribusiness a free 30-year licence to extract up to 40,000 megalitres of groundwater a year from aquifers under Singleton station, near Tennant Creek. The NT does not currently have a water pricing regime and does not charge developers for water.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Electricity demand expected to surpass supply as temperatures hit triple digits, shattering recordsTexans sweltering under record temperatures and high humidity have been urged to conserve energy as the power grid struggles to cope with a surge in demand.An extreme heatwave across the south-west and central US has led to searing temperatures since Friday, with heat warnings in place for millions of Americans until at least midweek. Continue reading...

From Friday to Sunday, the blaze expanded from 250 acres to roughly 1,600 acres as over 400 firefighters have tried to contain itA grove containing some of the world’s oldest giant sequoia trees is under threat from a rapidly growing wildfire at California’s Yosemite national park.From Friday to Monday, the blaze expanded from 250 acres to roughly 2,340 acres, with the terrain of timber and brush fueling the flames, officials said. Visitors on the Washburn trail of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias first reported the blaze on 7 July, and 545 firefighters and other personnel were currently working to contain it as of Monday. Continue reading...

Prime minister will open international forum in Sydney, saying the Indo-Pacific faces ‘enormous’ challenges but also opportunities

Baseline increase for Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine prompts calls for Labor to overhaul safeguard mechanism

Global Feedback seeks judicial review of plan for not suggesting less meat and dairy consumptionFood campaigners are taking legal action against the government for failing to support the transition to a low-carbon diet by encouraging people to eat less meat.Global Feedback, which campaigns for regenerative food production, says the government’s food strategy does not take into account advice that cutting levels of meat and dairy consumption is crucial to achieving the country’s net zero goals. Continue reading...

Focus on market has led to climate crises, with spiritual, cultural and emotional benefits of nature ignoredTaking into account all the benefits nature provides to humans and redefining what it means to have a “good quality of life” is key to living sustainably on Earth, a four-year assessment by 82 leading scientists has found.A market-based focus on short-term profits and economic growth means the wider benefits of nature have been ignored, which has led to bad decisions that have reduced people’s wellbeing and contributed to climate and nature crises, according to a UN report. To achieve sustainable development, qualitative approaches need to be incorporated into decision making. Continue reading...

Infrastructure NSW says buybacks on Sydney’s fringe could cost $5.2bn but expert argues price would be ‘nowhere near’ that

An SA farmer was praised for returning a young seal to the water, but experts highlight dangers for both parties in handling animals

British scientists say trial shows the nonlethal method could help eradicate the invasive species and allow red squirrels to recoverOral contraceptives for squirrels are working, research has found, and the government hopes they can be used to keep populations down in the UK.Grey squirrels are an invasive species in the UK, introduced from North America in the 1870s. They pose a problem for wildlife including endangered red squirrels, which they outcompete. They also carry a disease called squirrelpox that does not affect them but can kill reds. Continue reading...

At least 27,000 hectares of Cerrado have allegedly been destroyed by suppliers to major soya traders that supply UK meat industrySupermarkets and retailers have been asked to end relationships with soya traders who allegedly continue to buy soya from suppliers contributing to deforestation in Brazil.It comes as an investigation by campaign group Mighty Earth alleges that suppliers selling to leading soya traders have deforested at least 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres) across 10 farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil since August 2020. Continue reading...

Investigation launched after bodies of 13 koalas found on 14 June, with another three since discovered• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastSixteen koalas have died at a Victorian tree plantation and investigators don’t know why.Victoria’s conservation regulator launched an investigation after the bodies of 13 koalas were found at a plantation on 14 June. The regulator has said it was alerted to the deaths by the plantation’s operator.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek says she would be ‘carefully considering’ projects referred under EPBC Act

Backbenchers concerned leadership candidates will abandon climate pledges to win support of climate-sceptic MPsThe next Conservative party leader could be swayed into ditching its net zero strategy in order to receive the backing of climate-sceptic MPs, senior Tories fear.Prominent backbenchers have been plotting for months to persuade any possible replacement for Boris Johnson to ditch climate commitments in favour of expanding the use of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Ministers fear flow may never restart as annual maintenance work soon begins on Nord Stream 1 pipelineGermany is bracing itself for a potentially permanent halt to the flow of Russian gas from Monday when maintenance work begins on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that brings the fuel to Europe’s largest economy via the Baltic Sea.The work on the 759-mile (1,220km) pipeline is an annual event and requires the gas taps to be closed for 10 to 14 days. But never before in the pipeline’s decade-long history has Germany seriously been asking whether the flow will begin again. Continue reading...

Leader David Crisafulli’s announcement drew immediate criticism from environmentalists saying the move is not science-based

CDC study finds glyphosate, controversial ingredient found in weedkillers including popular Roundup brand, present in samplesMore than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.This story is co-published with The New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group Continue reading...

Foreign minister Penny Wong meets her Chinese counterpart in Bali, breaking three years of diplomatic hostility. This blog is now closed

Sunshine broke over flood clean-up efforts in areas west and north of Sydney and Sunday rainfall is unlikely to cause further flooding

RSPB calls for greater regulation of industry to avoid putting native wildlife at riskPheasant shoots across the UK are being shut down or dramatically scaled back this year because of import bans on the birds after an outbreak of bird flu.A huge number of the gamebirds shot in the country are imported from factory farms in Europe. Experts have said this practice should stop or be reduced because it risks spreading disease and has troubling implications for native nature and biodiversity. Continue reading...

Campaigners warn crucial legislation must not be abandoned while the UK government is distractedCrucial environment legislation must not be allowed to be sidelined or abandoned amid the distraction of a Tory leadership race, campaigners have warned.Ministers openly admit they do not know what is going on with much of the legislation, but those who remain in government are working with skeleton teams to get bills in shape to be passed. Continue reading...

Parliament approves measures to use mothballed sites to produce electricity and preserve gas suppliesGermany’s two houses of parliament have passed emergency legislation to reactivate mothballed coal-fired power plants in order to support electricity generation amid fears of gas shortages as Russia curbs capacity.The move has been described as “painful but necessary” by the government’s environmentalist economics minister, Robert Habeck. It has the backing of leading Greens in the coalition government, who argue it is needed as a short-term crisis management tool. Continue reading...

Much needed decisions on energy to retail taxes look likely to stall amid political chaosBoris Johnson is still prime minister, for now, and has appointed a cabinet, so technically the business of government should be able to continue. With the nation gripped by a cost of living crisis, and action needed on everything from education to energy, the ministerial in-trays are overflowing. But the chances of a “lame-duck” administration getting much done look decidedly thin. Here are some of the major policies that could stall amid the chaos. Continue reading...

Washburn fire is burning near southern portion of the park, Mariposa Grove, home to over 500 mature giant sequoiasYosemite national park has been partially closed as firefighters try to contain a wildfire that has now stretched across more than 60 acres.The Washburn fire is burning near the southern portion of the park, Mariposa Grove, which is home to more than 500 mature giant sequoias in the park, officials said. Continue reading...

Court of appeal judgment allows £5bn lawsuit against mining giant BHP by more than 200,000 victims of 2015 Mariana dam disasterMore than 200,000 victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster will have their case heard in a UK court, making it the largest group claim in English legal history.The lawsuit is against the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP – one of the biggest companies in the world – for their involvement in the collapse of the Mariana dam in 2015, which released toxic mining waste down 400 miles (640km) of waterways along the Doce River. Claimants are seeking at least £5bn ($6bn) in compensation. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including baby lemurs, a fulmar and a sulphur-crested cockatoo Continue reading...

Addressing the twin challenges of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss requires political will and leadership. Ambitious commitments must be made

Exclusive: Frans Timmermans says short-term return to fossil fuels needed to head off threat of civil unrestEurope is in danger of highly damaging “very, very strong conflict and strife” this winter over high energy prices, and should make a short-term return to fossil fuels to head off the threat of civil unrest, the vice-president of the European Commission has warned.Frans Timmermans, the second most senior official in the EU, said the threat of unrest this winter, a deliberate outcome of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, must take precedence over the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Conservation manager Jake Fiennes says Norfolk’s Holkham estate shows how fragile ecosystems can support huge visitor numbersThe government should factor in access to nature in its new payments strategy for farmers and other landowners in England, a leading land manager has said.Jake Fiennes, who sits on the board for Natural England’s national nature reserves, has advised the government to incentivise farmers to put better paths in place and educate the public about what they grow, and what nature lives on their land. Continue reading...

Large tortoiseshells breeding at Knepp, Sussex, after being officially extinct in Britain for half a centuryAn elusive butterfly that has been officially extinct in Britain for more than half a century has been discovered breeding on the rewilded estate of Knepp in West Sussex.The large tortoiseshell mysteriously vanished more than 50 years ago but this week male and female butterflies – much larger than the small tortoiseshell and without its white patterning – have been spotted at Knepp for the first time. Continue reading...

Contract price is nearly 6% lower than previous auction in 2019, which could ease pressure on energy billsThe price of offshore wind power in the UK has fallen to an all-time low, which could ease the pressure on future household energy bills.Following the biggest ever UK renewables auction, the government said on Thursday the contract price for windfarms was nearly 6% lower than the previous auction, despite the rising cost of materials to build windfarms. Continue reading...

International Energy Agency report finds China controls the bulk of world’s PV manufacturingAustralia could start a solar manufacturing “renaissance” and have a rare opportunity to accelerate its transition to renewable energy if it heeds a call by the International Energy Agency to diversify the world’s solar cell supply chain.A special report by the agency released on Friday found China controls over 80% of parts of the global photovoltaic (PV) solar supply chain, with one out of every seven panels produced worldwide being manufactured by a single factory.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Particles found in supermarket products and on Dutch farms, but human health impacts unknownMicroplastic contamination has been reported in beef and pork for the first time, as well as in the blood of cows and pigs on farms.Scientists at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) in the Netherlands found the particles in three-quarters of meat and milk products tested and every blood sample in their pilot study. Continue reading...

Successor may be less sympathetic to environmental concerns, some supporters say

Experts urge more ‘humane’ methods of shark containment after third humpback freed from netting this week

Scientists say numbers of world’s second-largest animal have slowly improved since 1970s whaling ban but sightings in Antarctic feeding grounds are rareFor the first time since whaling was banned, up to 150 southern fin whales have been filmed feeding together in a “thrilling” Antarctic spectacle, hailed by scientists as a sign of hope for the world’s second-biggest animal.The ocean giants are second only to blue whales in length, with slender bodies that help them glide through the water at high speed. Continue reading...

Pacific Elders Voice also called for Australia to end gas and coal developments ahead of Pacific Islands Forum

Regional residents at risk of being ‘last people in the world’ driving petrol cars due to misconception electric vehicle batteries lack range, study suggests

Solar farms | Voting Labour | Coruscating v excoriating | Tips for standing on one leg | Renaming Murray MoundGeorge Monbiot says that we should be growing food rather than using the land to produce biofuels (Why are we feeding crops to our cars when people are starving?, 30 June). Surely, then, it makes even less sense to put solar panels on land that could be used to grow food, when there are lots of roofs that can be used for them.

Three pipeline projects are in early stages of planning in Iowa. An alliance of farmers, Indigenous groups and environmentalists wants to stop themIn August 2021, Sherri Webb found a letter in her mailbox about a new pipeline project. It would be a climate solution, the letter from Summit Carbon Solutions read, capturing planet-warming carbon dioxide and pumping it out of the state to be stored deep underground.The letter included an aerial map of Webb’s property and a word that immediately alarmed her: “easement”. To install the pipeline, planned to run underneath close to 2,000 miles of Iowa land, Summit wanted permission to dig underneath her farm, an 80-acre property near Shelby that has been in Webb’s family for over 100 years. Continue reading...

Ty Kayden put ‘tiny little three-foot seal’ in his ute and drove it to a beach where he released it back into the sea

Alan Lovell says he sees no conflict of interest in Environment Agency role and having shares in Progressive EnergyThe prospective new chair of the Environment Agency is refusing to divest his shareholding in a hydrogen and carbon capture company chosen for a major government project.Alan Lovell stood down as a director of Progressive Energy last month, according to Companies House records, two days after being announced as the preferred candidate for the role running England’s environmental watchdog. Continue reading...

Treasurer Cameron Dick says the state’s ties with Japan are based on ‘more than coal’

A range of factors is behind the rise in electricity prices, but net zero isn’t one of them

Experts warn of ‘permanent demand destruction’ for gas but say conditions are ideal for a structural shift to renewable energy

Hives along state’s central and mid-north coasts and in north-west destroyed as bee lockdown continues