Environment | The Guardian

Members who set up group say past policies have been ‘trite’ and social justice case needs to be clearly madeLabour MPs have joined a lobby group in an attempt to push Keir Starmer into making nature and climate a key part of his election manifesto.Previous Labour nature policies have been “trite”, MPs have said, arguing that the social justice case for climate and nature needs to be made more clearly by the party. Continue reading...

Plan that is key to Albanese government’s 2030 target will focus on emissions intensity to encourage cleaner practices rather than cutting production

Scientists describe as ‘very alarming’ research that shows severe weather events were made more likely by climate changeRelentless drought in California, extreme rainfall in the UK, record heat in China – some of the most severe weather events that have occurred around the world in the past few years were made far more likely due to the climate crisis, new research has found.The analysis of extreme events in 2021 and 2022 found that many of these extremes were worsened by global heating, and in some cases would have been almost impossible in terms of their severity if humans had not altered the climate through the burning of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

The cost of hot water has risen dramatically, while environmental concerns are more pressing than ever. So just how short should your shower be?Name: The four-minute shower.Age: Over before you know it. Continue reading...

Most of atmospheric layer that protects planet from ultraviolet radiation likely to be fully recovered for most of world by 2040The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer, once the most feared environmental peril facing humanity, is set to be completely healed over most of the world within two decades following decisive action by governments to phase out ozone-depleting substances, a new UN assessment has found.The loss of the ozone layer, which risked exposing people to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, is on track to be completely recovered by 2040 across the world, aside from the polar regions, according to the report. The poles will take a little longer – the ozone layer will fully bounce back by 2045 over the Arctic and by 2066 over the Antarctic. Continue reading...

Tougher sentences to be imposed for those causing accidents but activists dismiss alcohol ban as ‘laughable’The French government has angered anti-hunt campaigners after refusing to ban hunting on Sundays during the season.Instead, it has declared a ban on drinking alcohol and taking drugs while hunting, a move activists say is unenforceable, and will set up a voluntary application for hunters to indicate where they are active. Continue reading...

Company says it is hoping to secure long-term funding so it can build ‘gigafactory’ in Blyth, NorthumberlandThe battery startup Britishvolt is in talks to sell the majority of its shares to a consortium of investors, in a deal that could allow it to continue pursuing its goal of building a UK “gigafactory”.Britishvolt said it was hoping to secure long-term funding in the talks, which are thought to be with new investors. Bosses at the company have been looking for new funding for several months, after its efforts to build the giant facility near Blyth in Northumberland stalled amid a cash shortage. Continue reading...

Wine poured – or sipped – from cans is gaining in popularity, and drastically reducing emissions from the industryFirst came the shame. As fellow customers of my smart local Brooklyn wine shop perused the shelves with studious looks, I slithered over to the register. “I’m embarrassed to ask, but you don’t have any wine in cans, do you?” The clerk gestured to a small fridge right beneath my nose. Yes, they had loads of cans. Yes, they were proving super popular. No, he hadn’t tried the one with the fun vintage circus illustration on the label.The art on the 187ml can spoke to me, so I took it home, along with four others. Together, they cost around the same amount as the last bottle I’d bought. They tasted even better. Continue reading...

Hazelnut and walnut trees among cultivars becoming commercially viableNuts are being grown more than ever by English farmers as the climate heats, making the products more economically viable, growers have said.Nut trees are also helpful for biodiversity on farms, improving soil health as their roots improve the ability and capacity of soil to absorb water, reducing the risk of wind erosion. Continue reading...

Insect declines mean reduced yields of healthy foods like fruit and vegetables and increased disease in peopleThe global loss of pollinators is already causing about 500,000 early deaths a year by reducing the supply of healthy foods, a study has estimated.Three-quarters of crops require pollination but the populations of many insects are in sharp decline. The inadequate pollination that results has caused a 3%-5% loss of fruit, vegetable and nut production, the research found. The lower consumption of these foods means about 1% of all deaths can now be attributed to pollinator loss, the scientists said. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed

Countries that fear losing competitive edge could benefit from bolder climate policies, says Nigel ToppingThe world could reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the early 2040s, substantially ahead of the mid-century climate target, if governments set more stretching goals and make bold policy decisions, the UK’s outgoing climate business expert has said.Nigel Topping served for two years as the high-level champion for the UK’s presidency of the UN Cop26 climate summit, passing on the role to Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohieldin late last year at the Cop27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Continue reading...

Titan arum emits a foul smell to lure pollinators, but at the botanic gardens it attracts thousands of visitors to witness the rare flowering

Review dismissed claims the current system lacks integrity and is not delivering real cuts in emissions

Midlands and north-east of England also show strong demand, says supplier Octopus EnergyHouseholds in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the north-east of England are most willing to live near a windfarm in return for cheaper power, Octopus Energy has said.The energy supplier has said the public are increasingly open to windfarms being built near them, as the government appears poised to lift a seven-year ban on new onshore wind developments in England. Continue reading...

Research charity’s bid to raise money through a scheme that goes against its own principles sparks wrath of clean air campaignersThe British Heart Foundation (BHF), which has campaigned on the pollution risks of burning wood at home, is being urged to review a charity draw for a £3m London townhouse, with a fire pit on the garden terrace and open fires in the property.A promotional video shows wood being burned in the metal fire pit at the property in north London and an open fire next to a bath. “Take a soak in your sumptuous stone tub and relax to the crackling sounds of the roaring fireplace,” says the promotion. Continue reading...

Vessel that sank with more than 200 transported people onboard is being used to humanise the story of slaveryIn 2015, a delegation from the Smithsonian Institution travelled to Mozambique to inform the Makua people of a singular and long-overdue discovery. Two hundred and twenty-one years after it sank in treacherous waters off Cape Town, claiming the lives of 212 enslaved people, the wreck of the Portuguese slave ship the São José Paquete D’Africa had been found. When told the news, a Makua leader responded with a gesture that no one on the delegation will ever forget.“One of the chiefs took a vessel we had, filled it with soil and asked us to bring that vessel back to the site of the slave ship so that, for the first time since the 18th century, his people could sleep in their own land,” says Lonnie Bunch, now the secretary of the Smithsonian. Continue reading...

Water quality at Elwood and St Kilda upgraded from poor to fair on Sunday after swimmers previously reported being covered in oily substance

Torrential rains are driving rivers of mud and debris in the Golden State – but what exactly is ailing the parched west?More destructive downpours are in store for California next week as the sodden state continues to grapple with the effects of a very wet start to the year.The torrential rains have caused rivers and streams to overflow, sent cascades down street and highways, and submerged vehicles, homes, and businesses. Strong storms whipped waves to historic heights along the California coast, which was also pelted with wind-strewn debris and tossed trees. Tens of thousands lost power during the storm siege and six fatalities have been confirmed in the onslaught. Continue reading...

Proposal sets out lower limits for soot, which is estimated to cause early deaths of thousands of Americans each yearThe Biden administration is proposing lower limits for a deadly air pollutant, saying tougher standards for soot from tailpipes, smokestacks and wildfires could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year.A proposal released on Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency would set maximum levels of nine to 10 micrograms of fine particle pollution per cubic meter of air, down from 12 micrograms set a decade ago under the Obama administration. The standard for particle pollution, more commonly known as soot, was left unchanged by then president Donald Trump, who overrode a scientific recommendation for a lower standard in his final days in office. Continue reading...

Hurricanes responsible for more than half of the forced relocations, according to US Census BureauMore than 1.3% of the adult population in the US was displaced by natural disasters in the past year, with hurricanes responsible for more than half of the forced relocations, according to first-of-its-kind survey results from the US Census Bureau.The Household Pulse Survey results said that 3.3 million US adults were displaced by either hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes or other disasters. The two-year-old online survey asked for the first time about displacement from natural disasters in results released on Thursday. Continue reading...

Wind-powered electricity rose to 26.8% of 2022 usage while gas-fired power, at 38.5%, continued growth as largest single sourceWindfarms produced a record amount of Great Britain’s electricity last year, although gas-fired generation also increased, National Grid has said.Figures from the company’s electricity system operator (ESO) showed that wind-powered electricity accounted for 26.8% of generation in 2022, up from 21.9% the year before. Continue reading...

Conservative-majority court could soon decide on scope of Clean Water Act, dramatically affecting laws and wetlands countrywideA 15-year legal tussle over a tiny plot of land near a lake in northern Idaho could culminate in the US supreme court drastically reshaping clean water laws across the country, with a decision by the conservative-dominated court now looming.The case is the latest and perhaps most significant of the repeated challenges to the scope of the Clean Water Act, which has been the subject of 50 years of fraught argument over the federal government’s ability to prevent pollution seeping into America’s waterways. Continue reading...

Exclusive: National Lottery funds will help vulnerable coastal town combat effects of rise in sea-levelA coastal town in Cornwall where rising sea levels threaten to wipe out homes, beaches and businesses in a few decades’ time has been awarded £2m to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.The money awarded to the popular tourist destination of Bude, in north Cornwall, and 11 surrounding parishes, from the National Lottery’s climate action fund, comes as the area faces an existential threat from the heating planet. Continue reading...

Shareholders say lawsuits over PFAS compounds linked to cancer and other diseases represent growing threat to companies’ profitsInvestors from some of the world’s largest firms are pressuring chemical companies to end production of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, which shareholders say represent an enormous and growing threat to manufacturers’ bottom lines.PFAS are a class of about 12,000 compounds typically used to make products resist water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health issues. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including fur seals, sandbar sharks and Thor the walrus Continue reading...

Ben Okri, Simon Schama, Helen Pankhurst and AL Kennedy among those saying they ‘stand with’ protestersBen Okri, Simon Schama, Helen Pankhurst and AL Kennedy are among more than 100 writers who have signed a letter in solidarity with UK climate protest prisoners.“That the UK now has political prisoners, incarcerated for defending sustainable life on Earth is yet another national disgrace,” Kennedy said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: England plan will omit aim of reducing area used for animal farming, key to cutting emissionsThe government has been accused of being “pathetically nervous” about encouraging the public to eat less meat after excluding the aim from a key strategy.The Guardian can reveal that the government’s upcoming land use strategy will not include a reduction in area used for animal agriculture in England. Continue reading...

Data reveals hundreds of hours of discharges via storm overflows in some locationsThe scale of raw sewage discharges into rivers by England’s biggest privatised water firm is revealed in a new interactive map showing real-time discharges.After growing pressure from campaigners and the public, Thames Water has created an interactive map showing sewage dumping via storm overflows in real time. Continue reading...

Without global heating, such warm temperatures would be expected only once every five centuries, Met Office saysThe record-breaking heat in the UK in 2022 was made 160 times more likely by the climate crisis, indicating the dominant influence of human-caused global heating on Britain.Last year has been confirmed as the UK’s hottest on record, with the average annual temperature passing the 10C mark for the first time. Scientists at the Met Office calculated that such heat is now expected every three to four years. Without the greenhouse gases emitted by humanity, such a warm year would be expected only once every five centuries. Continue reading...

Ministers missed crucial opportunities but should use energy windfall tax to speed up insulation efforts, committee saysA national “war effort” on energy efficiency is required to cut energy bills, reduce climate-heating emissions and ensure energy security, according to a cross-party committee of MPs.Boosting efficiency in homes and businesses is the fastest way to cut energy use but the government missed a “crucial window of opportunity” last summer, the report from the environmental audit committee (EAC) said. The energy bills crisis was sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while political turmoil in the UK resulted in three prime ministers in office between July and October. Continue reading...

Queensland Resources Council says industry would welcome restrictions easing but new long-term customers since found elsewhere in Asia

Incoming bomb cyclone system threatens to wreak havoc in the drought-stricken state while doing little to alleviate its water woesMillions of Californians are being lashed by yet another destructive winter storm that arrived on Wednesday, with meteorologists warning the “truly brutal” weather system would bring flooding, strong winds and power outages over the coming days.Powerful winds from the incoming “bomb cyclone” whipped across northern California ahead of the storm’s arrival, toppling trees and blocking roads as crews rushed to clear storm drains and people fortified their homes. Further south, officials began ordering evacuations in high-risk coastal areas of Santa Barbara county, including the tony town of Montecito – home to many celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle. Continue reading...

Tesla’s Model Y was stand out performer as EVs surpassed sales of diesel cars for first time, while total car sales fell by about 2% from 2021Sales of electric vehicles have reached record levels in the UK, although supply chain disruption drove total sales of new cars to their lowest level in 30 years.Just more than 1.6m new cars were sold in the UK last year, a 2% fall from 2021, and the lowest level since 1992, according to the annual sales snapshot from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Continue reading...

Animal Justice party MP says recommended quota of 236,350 is based on inaccurate figures that do not factor in widespread flooding

Hopes of a new weapon against diseases that routinely ravage colonies that are relied upon for food pollinationThe world’s first vaccine for honeybees has been approved for use by the US government, raising hopes of a new weapon against diseases that routinely ravage colonies that are relied upon for food pollination.The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a conditional license for a vaccine created by Dalan Animal Health, a US biotech company, to help protect honeybees from American foulbrood disease. Continue reading...

Resorts open hiking trails and lifts for mountain bikes amid unseasonably high temperatures and lack of snowEurope’s record-breaking warm winter weather has closed ski slopes and forced resorts to open summer trails or shut altogether, as grass and mud replace seasonal snow from Chamonix in France to Innsbruck in Austria.Eight countries across the continent have recorded their warmest January day ever, with temperatures in parts of Switzerland and southern Germany exceeding 20C and 90 monitoring stations in France setting new records over new year. Continue reading...

Plants are thought more likely to thrive at Harlow Carr in Yorkshire than at their current home at Wisley in SurreyIn Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier’s unnamed narrator was shocked and bewildered by the over-proud “slaughterhouse red, luscious and fantastic” rhododendrons she encountered at Manderley on the southern coast of England. She might be even more thrilled if she’d seen them in Yorkshire.The climate crisis has prompted the Royal Horticultural Society to plan a move of its important collection of rhododendrons from its flagship Wisley garden in Surrey to Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

Declining soil organic carbon could undermine state’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050

Friends of the Earth says significant climate impacts not taken into account when go-ahead was givenFriends of the Earth has said it will take legal action against the UK government after ministers granted planning permission for a new coalmine in Cumbria.The environmental campaign group said it would file its claim against the fossil fuel extraction project later this month. Continue reading...

From the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coast, Guardian readers have witnessed the ravages of the disease on wild speciesThe world is experiencing its worst ever outbreak of avian flu in wild birds, with thousands dead and dying along coastlines, in gardens and cities. These Guardian readers from the UK were among those who got in touch to tell us about what they have witnessed:Retiree Allan Davidson said that by midsummer in 2022 miles of beautiful beaches near his home in Golspie, Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands, were littered with dead seabirds, mainly guillemots and gannets. “Most died out at sea and had been swept in to shore. Some would simply stand, comatose, oblivious to my presence. I would find them lifeless the next morning in the same spot I left them,” he says. “What struck me was that the vast majority of the dead birds I encountered had been fine, healthy creatures in excellent condition. They were not emaciated or undernourished. Continue reading...

Temperatures forecast to plummet up to 8C below average with BoM issuing warnings for heavy rain and destructive winds

In the past year, avian flu has ravaged colonies of seabirds in the UK. Gwen Potter, a National Trust countryside manager working on the Farne Islands, was among those who donned hazmat suits on the frontlineIn May last year, our seabirds were starting to settle, having flown here from all over the world. It is an explosion of life, sound and smell – and it looked as if it was going to be a really good year.On the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, the most numerous bird is probably the puffin, we’ve also got a lot of guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, arctic terns, sandwich terns, common terns, loads of other fantastic seabirds. It’s such a spectacle seeing all these birds fly in. The cliff-nesting birds are jostling for space, they’re really crushed up against each other. Continue reading...

State government sources’ figure comes on top of estimate of up to $450m for Queensland plant

New record of 87.2% also set for share of electricity on grid coming from renewables and nuclearBritain has set a new record for wind generation as power from onshore and offshore turbines helped boost clean energy supplies late last year.National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO), which handles Great Britain’s grid, said that a new record for wind generation was set on 30 December, when 20.91 gigawatts (GW) were produced by turbines. Continue reading...

Animal seen leaving Northumberland coastal town at 7am, where he rested after swimming from ScarboroughA roving walrus who delighted crowds in Scarborough on New Year’s Eve has made his way back to sea from his latest resting point of Blyth on the Northumberland coast.Thor, who showed up in Blyth on Monday, slipped back into the water shortly before 7am on Tuesday, according to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR), which monitored the animal overnight. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology climate models indicate sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific may exceed El Niño thresholds by June

US climate envoy says there needs to be work on details of ‘loss and damage’ fund in 2023People in developing countries are feeling increasingly angry and “victimised” by the climate crisis, the US climate envoy John Kerry has warned, and rich countries must respond urgently.“I’ve been chronicling the increased frustration and anger of island states and vulnerable countries and small African nations and others around the world that feel victimised by the fact that they are a minuscule component of emissions,” he said. “And yet [they are] paying a very high price. Seventeen of the 20 most affected countries in the world, by the climate crisis, are in Africa, and yet 48 sub-Saharan countries total 0.55% of all emissions.” Continue reading...

Carmaker, which also owns Kia, missed 2022 targets amid shortage of chips and other vital partsThe carmaker behind Hyundai and Kia has said it aims to increase global sales by 10% this year, as the company accelerates its transition to electric vehicles.Hyundai Motor Company’s new forecasts come despite it having failed to reach its sales targets for 2022 because of supply chain disruptions that resulted in a shortage of semiconductor chips and other vital car parts. Continue reading...

CrowdFarming network provides a one-stop shop to bring fresh produce to the customer’s doorGiving up police work to grow passion fruit might be considered an unconventional career move, but that is what Sergio Quijada Domínguez did when a hereditary heart condition forced him to retire at the age of 32 after 14 years in Spain’s Guardia Civil.Quijada, who has about 1,500 plants on his farm near Vélez-Málaga in southern Spain, found he was good at growing passion fruit – what he lacked was the knowhow to sell them. Continue reading...