Environment | The Guardian

Protesters gather at Farnborough and Luton as part of global action, also calling for tax on frequent fliers

The Office star Rainn Wilson announces he has changed his name to raise awareness of Arctic weather changesThe actor Rainn Wilson says he has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson to protest against the climate crisis.In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Wilson said: “as a cheap little stunt to help save planet Earth, I’ve changed my name on Twitter, Instagram and even on my fancy writing paper.” It is not clear if Wilson has legally changed his name. Continue reading...

An expedition to find Wallace’s giant bee in the wild led to its ‘rediscovery’ in Indonesia’s Maluku islandsA “flying bulldog” is how conservation photographer Clay Bolt described it, while local people call it raja ofu, or the king of bees. Wallace’s giant bee (Megachile pluto) is certainly a bee-hemoth. The world’s largest species of bee, it can grow to four times the size of a honeybee, with a wingspan of 64mm (2.5in). Such a giant should be hard to lose, but the incredibly rare bee, native to a cluster of Indonesian islands, was feared extinct for nearly 40 years, until Bolt and his colleagues “rediscovered” it in 2019.The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, collected the first known sample of the bee in 1858 while exploring Bacan, one of northern Indonesia’s Maluku (Moluccas) islands. Wallace collected a single female of the species, and noted it as “a large, black wasp-like insect, with immense jaws like a stag-beetle”. Continue reading...

Proposal, a first in 26 years, aims to disburse benefits to communities most impacted by the climate crisisOn Tuesday, New York state voters passed a ballot measure that would fund up to $4.2bn for environmental improvement projects – including increasing flood resiliency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electrifying school buses and creating more green and open spaces.The proposal also aims to reach communities most affected by the climate crisis. If approved, it will allow the state to sell bonds in order to raise funds to finance several projects.Climate change mitigation: Up to $1.5bn for projects including reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from state-owned properties and agricultural lands, reducing air and water pollution in environmental justice communities, and addressing the effects of extreme heat in cities with measures like increased green space and community cooling centers. The act also specifies at least $500m will go toward electric school buses.

Shadow climate minister says Britain is losing the race to create green jobs

Enough supply to avoid worst-case scenario of rolling blackouts given milder weather and key electricity link to France back on lineNational Grid expects there to be “sufficient generation” to avoid rolling power cuts this winter, with Britain’s supplies boosted by the return of a crucial electricity link to France that was hit by fire.The power networks owner warned last month that Britain should be able to meet its energy needs this winter, but could experience rolling power cuts in a worst-case scenario if Russia cut off gas supplies into Europe. Continue reading...

Attenders say actions of Egyptian authorities are threatening their participation at conference

In a crucial year for the climate, award-winning Guardian environment editor Fiona Harvey reflects on 30 years of Cops and meets the politicians, activists and scientists asking who is responsible for saving the planet.In November last year, the world’s gaze focused on Glasgow at Cop26 as 'a historic, collective achievement' was forged between 200 countries – the Glasgow climate pact. Since then, unprecedented global events have threatened this commitment to limiting climate destruction, and the hopes of 'keeping 1.5 alive' have been dashed. We follow Fiona as she prepares for Cop27 in Egypt, asking presidents, global leaders, activists and scientists if global diplomacy is enough to save humanity from the brink of annihilation Continue reading...

Oil and gas industries have 636 representatives at Egypt conference – a rise of more than 25% on previous year

Third of Congo basin’s tropical forests are under threat from fossil fuel investments, undermining climate action, report warnsThe area of land given over to oil and gas extraction in Africa is set to quadruple, threatening to wipe out a third of the dense tropical forests in the Congo basin and accelerate the climate breakdown, a report warns.Almost 10% of the African continent is already covered by oil and gas production fields, but this could expand to almost 38% if proposals for new projects get the go-ahead – unleashing a huge carbon bomb into the atmosphere that would severely undermine global climate action, according to mapping and analysis by Rainforest Foundation UK and Earth Insight. Continue reading...

Experts say world has ‘overreached’ in replacing Russian supply, which could kill 1.5C targetThe global dash for gas amid the Ukraine war will accelerate climate breakdown and could send temperatures soaring far beyond the 1.5C limit of safety, analysis has shown.If all of the new gas projects announced in response to the global gas supply crunch are fulfilled, the resulting greenhouse gas emissions would add up to about 10% of the total amount of carbon dioxide that can safely be emitted by 2050. Continue reading...

The not-for-profit had said a fire at a Melbourne facility linked to the closure of Coles and Woolworths soft plastics recycling had delayed processing, but now says this is not the case

The organisation and Human Rights Watch petition in South Africa to take part in class action as the mining giant denies liability

Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai/Kia on track to make far more petrol and diesel cars than is sustainableThe world’s biggest carmakers plan to build about 400m more diesel and petrol cars than what is sustainable to contain global heating, a study has found.Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the University of Applied Sciences of the Industry in Bergisch Gladbach and Greenpeace Germany compared the rate at which the world needed to embrace zero-emissions vehicles with the rate at which major car companies were planning to produce various models. Continue reading...

ACCC to oversee reform of water market which emerged after Murray-Darling Basin changes meant water allocations could be traded

TUC says vital services had been left short-staffed and overwhelmed after over a decade of austerityRishi Sunak’s government has been warned that Britain’s creaking public services will require at least £43bn a year in additional funding just to “stand still” amid the fallout from soaring inflation.The Trades Union Congress said next week’s autumn statement needed to protect both public services and workers’ pay from the highest rates of inflation since the early 1980s to avoid a further collapse in the quality of support for health, social care, education, justice, and the environment. Continue reading...

The claim it would take 25% of Australia’s land mass to provide the planet with green hydrogen misses an obvious point

Negotiations move behind closed doors and China confirms ‘informal’ talks with USAfter the leaders’ speeches of the first couple of days, most of the negotiations have now moved behind closed doors. The big discussions today were all around finance, and there does appear to have been some movement on this, as Damian Carrington reported, with positive momentum potentially starting to build on a pivotal issue as the UK said it would allow some debt payment deferrals, while Austria and New Zealand put forward funding for loss and damage.Other developments included:The family of the jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah demanded proof of life for the third day in a rowA Kulkalgal activist from the Torres Strait Islands said the way the world often treated Indigenous people was an insult and that he was at the conference “fighting for our home”Bill McKibben, a US environmentalist and founder of 350.org, told an audience: “This year we’ve fully understood the link between fossil fuels and fascism. Putin could not have invaded Ukraine without the profits from oil and gas, or [cowed] the west with threats of turning off the taps.”The World Bank president, David Malpass, said he was not a “climate denier”. The Donald Trump appointee previously said he did not “even know” if he accepted climate science.Protesters staged rallies inside the central conference area, ignoring Egypt’s attempts to keep displays of dissent out of sight.Almost half of young people in Africa say they have reconsidered having children due to the climate crisis, according to a Unicef poll.China’s envoy said the US had “closed the door” to climate talks and needed to reopen it. Xie Zhenhua said Beijing and Washington were having “informal talks”. Xie also hinted that China may contribute to a “loss and damage” fund.John Kerry, the US climate envoy, announced a global carbon credit trading initiative that he said would be “critical” in helping developing countries transition to cleaner forms of energy. That has received a mixed reaction from environmental groups. Continue reading...

Home secretary says it is officers’ duty to take a firmer line to safeguard public orderThe home secretary, Suella Braverman, has accused police of failing in their duty and demanded an intensified crackdown on Just Stop Oil activists disrupting the M25 motorway.In a rare move to criticise officers in the midst of an operation, Braverman told police chiefs at their annual conference that she expected “a firmer line to safeguard public order. Indeed, that is your duty.” Continue reading...

Chief constable responds after minister condemns arrest of LBC reporter covering climate action

Analysis released at Cop27 climate summit shows plans would thwart chances of keeping global heating to 1.5COil and gas companies are planning a “frightening” expansion that would result in 115bn tonnes of climate-heating CO2 being pumped out, equivalent to more than 24 years of US emissions, a new analysis has found.Virtually all oil and gas companies are planning further exploitation of fossil fuels, the report found, pouring $160bn dollars into exploration since 2020. None of this investment is compatible with the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) route to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and limiting the climate crisis, the report said. Continue reading...

Legislation approved by Senate will apply to existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehiclesAll large car parks in France will be covered by solar panels under new legislation approved as part of president Emmanuel Macron’s renewable energy drive.Legislation approved by the French Senate this week requires existing and new car parks with space for at least 80 vehicles to be covered by solar panels. Continue reading...

A Kulkalgal activist from the Torres Strait Islands has said Indigenous people are ‘fighting for their homes’ as conference discussions focus on climate financeThis live blog is closedMore photos from today:Xie Zhenhua continues to say that Beijing is willing to contribute to a mechanism for compensating poorer countries for loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Proposal, a first in 26 years, aims to disburse benefits to communities most impacted by the climate crisisOn Tuesday, New York state voters passed a ballot measure that would fund up to $4.2bn for environmental improvement projects – including increasing flood resiliency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, electrifying school buses and creating more green and open spaces.The proposal also aims to reach communities most affected by the climate crisis. If approved, it will allow the state to sell bonds in order to raise funds to finance several projects.Climate change mitigation: Up to $1.5bn for projects including reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from state-owned properties and agricultural lands, reducing air and water pollution in environmental justice communities, and addressing the effects of extreme heat in cities with measures like increased green space and community cooling centers. The act also specifies at least $500m will go toward electric school buses.

There is little doubt that we have already pushed our climate system to the very edge, says Prof Tim Atkinson. Plus letters from David Cottee and Adam HartGeorge Monbiot is correct – the geological record shows a series of disastrous extinctions caused by the climate system being pushed beyond tipping points (Fossil fuel burning once caused a mass extinction – now we’re risking another, 3 November). Although such tipping points might soon be reached, it’s more persuasive to know exactly where the system is right now.You report that temperatures in Europe are now rising by around 0.5C per decade, equivalent to 5C per century (Europe’s climate warming at twice rate of global average, says report, 2 November). Compare this rate with the end of the last ice age, when the system was entering its present relatively warm state. Evidence from fossil insects in Britain shows that by a conservative estimate, the average temperature rose by 1.7C to 2.6C per century, with maximum possible rates inferred from the same data up to 2.8C to 7.2C per century. Continue reading...

Climate change committee chair tells chancellor there are many small changes people can make to save energy and moneyThe UK government must improve its energy-saving advice for households to help cut costs for consumers and the Treasury this winter, its climate advisers have said.The climate change committee chair, Lord Deben, said Britain was exposed to fluctuations in the price for fossil fuels that had forced the government to commit tens of billions of pounds in support and still left homes and businesses facing an extra £1,300 on average annual bills. Continue reading...

US-China relations hit new low this year after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, over which China claims sovereignty• Cop27 live – latest news updatesChina’s top climate official has said the US must take responsibility for any reconciliation between the two countries at the UN Cop27 climate summit, calling on the US to “clear the barriers” to talks.Xie Zhenhua, the climate envoy for China, said he had met his US counterpart John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, in Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, where governments and world leaders have gathered for a fortnight of talks on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Australian Wildlife Conservancy to manage the site allowing ecologists to restore crucial habitat for multiple species

Small but symbolic moves at summit where finance is critical include new loss and damage money and debt relief

Canadian diver captures footage of the cephalopod drawing closer and closer until it fully embraces herFor outsiders, scuba diving in the frigid waters of the northern Pacific can seem daunting: limbs quickly go numb without the right equipment, and unlike the sparkling blue of the tropics, the water has a gloomy, greenish tint.But a recent viral encounter between a diver and an octopus has highlighted the particular magic of the sunken kelp forests off the coast of British Columbia. Continue reading...

Mia Mottley, PM of Barbados, who, at Cop27 called again for climate justice, is devising a debt relief and loan blueprint, targeting the IMFMia Mottley’s speeches in defence of climate justice dominated media headlines at Cop26 in Scotland last year, where she called on world leaders to seize the moment and deliver on climate action. On Monday she tried again. “We have the collective capacity to transform,” she urged those gathered at Cop27 in Egypt.One of the main targets in the sights of Mottley, prime minister of Barbados, is a new finance solution to the climate crisis, which is swiftly becoming one of the key issues being negotiated at the conference. Continue reading...

Liberals criticised after proposing councils be stripped of approval powers for logging operations

Two climate protesters have scrawled over one of the National Gallery of Australia’s prized modern art pieces, Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans.The activists are part of the Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies group, which in a statement called for the Australian government to end support for the oil, gas and coal industries.

Study finds link between smoke-related deaths and eclampsia, helping explain worse maternal healthAir pollution from cooking indoors over a fire of wood or charcoal could have life-threatening consequences for some pregnant women, according to a new study.Researchers at King’s College London found “a significantly positive correlation” between deaths attributable to toxic smoke from cooking and heating and the rate of eclampsia, a rare condition in pregnancy where high blood pressure results in life-threatening seizures. Women with pre-eclampsia, characterised by high blood pressure or hypertension, are at significantly greater risk in pregnancy if they are cooking over an open fire. Continue reading...

Climate Trace reports half of 50 largest sources of greenhouse gas are oil and gas operations and many underreport their emissionsGreenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas facilities around the world are about three times higher than their producers claim, new data has shown.Climate Trace, a project to measure at source the true levels of carbon dioxide and other global heating gases, published a new report on Wednesday showing that half of the 50 largest sources of greenhouse gases in the world were oil and gas fields and production facilities. Continue reading...

REDcycle collections stopping from Wednesday with factory fire and ‘downturns in market demand’ blamed

The artworks, which sit under glass, were not damaged by the Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies protesters

Volodymyr Zelenskiy appears at climate summit via video link; climate experts say US has acted ‘in bad faith’ for decadesI’ve been looking at what some climate scientists on Twitter have been saying about Cop27. Here is a small selection:Dr Chandni Singh has been checking out the displays at different country pavilions, including one from Pakistan. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Russia’s invasion has forced dozens of countries to resume coal-fired power to alleviate energy costs

Arrest of pair capturing images of M25 protest condemned by British Press Photographers’ AssociationThe British Press Photographers’ Association has condemned the arrest of a photographer and documentary film-maker as they captured images of a Just Stop Oil protest.Rich Felgate, a documentary maker, and Tom Bowles, a photographer, were arrested by a Hertfordshire constabulary officer as they caught the action on a footbridge over the M25 on Monday. Continue reading...

Reduced flock sizes and rising costs put pressure on supplies but retailers say they are working to minimise impactBritish egg producers are warning of possible shortages, as farmers leave the industry or reduce the size of their flocks in the face of spiralling costs and uncertainty sparked by the spread of bird flu.A third of farmers surveyed in recent days by the trade body the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) reported they had reduced the number of hens in their flock because egg prices meant they were unable to cover their costs. Continue reading...

President not expected to attend summit but critics cast doubt on veracity of pledges the country could make• Cop27 live – latest news updatesMexico, one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, is expected to announce a hotchpot of old, inadequate and undeliverable climate pledges that will leave its Paris pledges in tatters, experts have warned.Climate action has nosedived under the leadership of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had to be blocked from rolling back Mexico’s modest Paris greenhouse gas targets by the country’s supreme court, and emissions are rising.A reduction in methane emissions from the state-owned oil company, Pemex – an important but existing target for which Pemex has been fined for non-compliance.A 1,000MW state-opened solar plant – construction is already under way for a 180MW project, and the government had previously already ruled out further investment to expand the energy potential.A lithium commitment. Mexico has the ninth-largest identified deposits of lithium – a crucial mineral for electric vehicles and other green technologies – but there has been no government investment so far in advancing extraction, and none is currently being mined. Experts say the country is years away from producing its first gram of lithium. Continue reading...

Campaigners condemning ‘environmental vandalism’ say equivalent of five months of discharges made so far in NovemberSouthern Water has discharged raw sewage for more than 3,700 hours at 83 bathing water beaches during the first eight days of November alone, according to company data analysed by campaigners.Ed Acteson of SOS Whitstable, which has been monitoring the data, said in his experience the scale was equivalent to five months’ worth of discharges: “The Environment Act was supposed to herald a new era for the environment in Britain. But this is the worst I have ever seen sewage pollution in the south-east.” Continue reading...

High level group releases report at Cop27 saying policies should be ‘about cutting emissions, not corners’

Officials interested in deal that would allow two countries to bail each other out in event of shortagesGermany is keen to talk to Britain about a solidarity pact that would allow Europe’s largest consumers of natural gas to bail each other out if an extreme cold snap were to create shortages this winter, German officials have said.Such an agreement could be mutually beneficial for both London and Berlin, the German civil servant in charge of rationing in the case of a supply crisis told the Guardian in an interview. Continue reading...

More than 80 staff at £3bn Seagreen project, 27 km off Scotland’s Angus coastline, were forced to evacuateThe world’s “most potent greenhouse gas” escaped during work on Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm, forcing the evacuation of workers, it has emerged.More than 80 workers on a platform at the £3bn Seagreen project, which is 27km off Scotland’s Angus coastline in the North Sea, had to move to another platform after sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) escaped. Continue reading...

Police say 16 arrests made after activists scale gantries in Kent, Essex, Surrey and HertfordshireProtesters have caused widespread disruption on the M25 for a second day after several junctions were blocked.Just Stop Oil said “approximately 15” of its supporters climbed on to overhead gantries in “multiple locations” on the UK’s busiest motorway from 7am on Tuesday, causing police to halt traffic. Continue reading...

Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises, joins nearby Vanuatu in seeking phase-out of coal, oil and gasTuvalu has become the first country to use United Nations climate talks to demand an international fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, which would phase out the use of coal, oil and gas.The small Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises caused by global heating, becomes the second country to call for an agreement to end the era of burning fossil fuels, which is the primary cause of the rapidly escalating climate crisis, fellow Pacific nation Vanuatu being the first. Continue reading...

Cop27 summit in Egypt opened with warning countries could either sign ‘a climate solidarity pact, or a collective suicide pact’The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has blasted the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for trying to “score a cheap domestic political point” after the Liberal leader used the opening day of the Cop27 UN climate summit to demand Australia not compensate other countries for accumulating climate disasters.After António Guterres opened the climate conference in Egypt with a stark warning that countries could either sign “a climate solidarity pact, or a collective suicide pact”, Dutton used the first parliamentary question on Tuesday to demand Albanese “rule out signing Australia up to compensating other countries as part of the deal being negotiated at Cop27 in Egypt”. Continue reading...