Environment | The Guardian

Queensland and the federal government will split compensation costs for the Gladstone plant, under the agreement struck at national cabinet

Liberally spritz your face and neck, let the morning air in and choose a fan over ACWith energy prices and temperatures both rising, keeping cool in summer is an increasingly costly challenge for many Australians. Energy bills are predicted to increase by 50% over the next two years, adding to the cost-of-living crisis. For some, this creates stark choices between paying energy bills or putting food on the table.Many households will have to contend with high temperatures this summer, and it’s getting hotter by the year. Last summer, Onslow in Western Australia endured the highest temperature ever recorded in Australia at 50.7C. Research suggests climate change will lead to summer temperatures as high as 50℃ becoming common in Sydney and Melbourne. Continue reading...

Suit alleges Inhance failed to follow EPA rules involving dangerous PFAS chemicals and asks a judge to halt productionA new lawsuit says many plastic containers used in the US to hold food, cleaning supplies, personal care items and other consumer products are likely to be contaminated with toxic PFAS. It is now asking federal courts to halt their production.The suit references soon-to-be-published research that found PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) from HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic containers leach at extremely high levels into ketchup, mayonnaise, olive oil and everyday products. Continue reading...

Information on environmental impact can persuade consumers against carbon-heavy food choices, says studyClimate impact labels on foods such as red meat are an effective way to get people to stop choosing options that negatively affect the planet, a study has found.Policymakers have been debating how to get people to make less carbon-heavy food choices. In April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report urged world leaders, especially those in developed countries, to support a transition to sustainable, healthy, low-emissions diets. Continue reading...

Wood burners are incredibly bad for the environment – and flood our homes with toxins, too. I wish I’d known that in 2008It’s shame that has stopped me writing about it before. The shame of failing to think for myself and see the bigger picture, which is more or less my job description. Instead, I followed the crowd.In 2008 I was refitting my house. It was a century old and poorly built. Insulating it and installing efficient appliances was expensive but straightforward, and the decisions I made were generally good ones. But the toughest issue was heating. The technology that had seemed to show most promise a few years before – domestic fuel cells – hadn’t materialised. Domestic heat pumps (which are now more accessible) were extremely expensive and scarcely deployed in the UK. That left only two options: gas or wood. I wanted to unhook myself from fossil fuels. So I went with wood.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Most expensive storm cost $100bn while deadliest floods killed 1,700 and displaced 7 million, report findsThe 10 most expensive storms, floods and droughts in 2022 each cost at least $3bn (£2.5bn) in a “devastating” year on the frontline of the climate crisis, a report shows.Christian Aid has highlighted the worst climate-related disasters of the year asmore intense storms, heavy downpours and droughts are driven by rising global temperatures as a result of human activity. Continue reading...

Company’s oil and gas investments for 2023 will be as much as double those on renewablesBP has been accused of prioritising fossil fuels over green energy as it plans to spend as much as double the amount on oil and gas projects than on renewable investments next year.The FTSE 100 company has earmarked up to $7.5bn (£6.2bn) for oil and gas projects, compared with a range of $3bn to $5bn for green energy. Continue reading...

The 10-year-old male Cuban crocodile at the Smithsonian zoo in Washington probably bit on electrical equipment in its enclosureAn endangered crocodile in a Smithsonian zoo in the US died after apparently biting into a live electrical cord in its shelter.The Cuban crocodile, a 10-year-old male reptile, was discovered on 17 December inside its enclosure by staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI)’s Reptile Discovery Center in Washington DC. Continue reading...

Christmas Day outages add to an alarming string of incidents with similar power grid vandalism in Oregon and North CarolinaMore than 14,000 people suffered power outages in Washington state on Christmas Day following burglaries and a series of vandalisms at different power stations.The Pierce county sheriff said in two statements that no suspects had yet been identified for the incidents. Continue reading...

Woodside Energy, Santos and BHP among companies who have sponsorship deals with Australian arts, sport, education and community organisations

Cities are loosening rules on building parking spots with new buildings: ‘It’s about the climate, it’s about walkability’They are grey, rectangular and if you lumped their population of up to 2bn together they would cover roughly the same area as Connecticut, about 5,500 sq miles. Car parking spaces have a monotonous ubiquity in US life, but a growing band of cities and states are now refusing to force more upon people, arguing they harm communities and inflame the climate crisis.These measures, along with expansive highways that cut through largely minority neighborhoods and endless suburban sprawl, have cemented cars as the default option for transportation for most Americans. Continue reading...

Cop15’s long-awaited agreement will be closely watched, says the Guardian’s biodiversity editor, but it was by no means the only positive nature news, despite the heartbreaking ravages of avian fluAfter 12 years, two years of Covid-related delays and two weeks of intense negotiation in Montreal, the world finally got it its once-in-a-decade deal to halt the destruction of nature. Many lauded this month’s agreement at Cop15 in Montreal as “historic”; many are hopeful that its ambition can be achieved; and many are concerned about whether action will meet words: not one of the last set of targets, set in Japan in 2010, was met in full.But the fact that nearly 200 countries were able to sign off on an international agreement to halt the loss of biodiversity is something to applaud. Few thought it would happen. Now it is all about the implementation. With an estimated 1 million species at risk of extinction and a 69% average plunge in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2018, we must not “pause for a second”, warned the UN’s environment chief, Inger Andersen. Continue reading...

Increased plant growth due to warmer climate appears to be prompting change in eating habitsAs the Arctic warms, concern for the plight of Santa’s favourite sleigh pullers is mounting. But in one small corner of the far flung north – Svalbard – Rudolph and his friends are thriving.Warmer temperatures are boosting plant growth and giving Svalbard reindeer more time to build up fat reserves; they also appear to be shifting their diets towards “popsicle-like” grasses that poke up through the ice and snow, data suggests. Continue reading...

Frodsham golf course joins growing number of sites being put to new, more community friendly useIt was once an immaculate golf course where footballers such as Michael Owen and Dietmar Hamann teed off.These days, the only holes are those made by badgers and woodpeckers. Instead of golfers, self-sown silver birch saplings march over the greens. Continue reading...

Guardian photographers travelled across the country to capture the work of nature lovers and conservationists. They came back with heritage oats, urban oases and the sadness of storm-ripped trees Continue reading...

SES evacuates Walker Flat, east of Adelaide, after it was cut off by the deluge on Christmas morning

Test your knowledge1 From December to early February, the sound of foxes shrieking at night can be heard across the UK. What does the shriek mean?A Vixens are telling males where to dig their dens Continue reading...

Government research shows dramatic decline in numbers in western Hudson Bay strongholdPolar bears are disappearing fast from the western part of Hudson Bay on the southern tip of the Canadian Arctic, according to a government survey.The report said there had been a dramatic decline in the of number of female bears and cubs in particular. Continue reading...

Chestnut forests could provide food security for communities, be a boon for farmers and benefit the environmentMichael Judd strides among the chestnut trees on the four-hectare (10-acre) swath of land that he manages in Frederick, Maryland. The trees spread above him, the last few nuts dangling from the branches like Christmas ornaments. Covering the ground is a soup of dead leaves, hiding spiky chestnut shells. Judd, 49, a lanky man who wears a different-colored woolen beanie every day, picks one up and demonstrates how easy it is to pop it open and reveal the nutritious morsel inside.Judd bought this six-decade-old orchard to conduct experiments in service of his grander mission: to help plant 1m nut trees across the US’s mid-Atlantic region, chief among them the chestnut. Continue reading...

Wild bird populations have been decimated across the UK and scientists fear there is more to come in 2023It is more than a year since avian flu began to devastate wild birds in large numbers, and conservationists are fearful of what 2023 will hold. The highly infectious variant of H5N1 has caused Europe’s worst bird flu season and has spread across the globe with little sign of slowing.In the UK, there were reports of some great skua dying from the H5N1 variant in the summer of 2021 but the mass die-offs started in the autumn and winter. More than a third of Svalbard barnacle geese in the Solway Firth, on the border of England and Scotland, – 16,500 out of 43,000 – died last winter. Continue reading...

Take our bumper quiz to find out if you’re a biodiversity boffin or a nature no-hoper Continue reading...

Wilder Blean project aims to utilise ‘ecosystem engineers’ to naturally rewild former pine plantationThe UK’s first wild bison herd for thousands of years has been completed in time for Christmas with the release of the herd’s bull.Three females were released into woods in Kent in July as part of the Wilder Blean project. But the bull’s arrival from Germany had been delayed by five months due to post-Brexit paperwork complexities. The herd also has a young calf, thanks to a surprise birth in September. Continue reading...

Spending bill passed by Senate includes less than $1bn in climate assistance for poorer nations even though Biden promised $11.4bnThe US has risked alienating developing countries hit hardest by the climate crisis, after Congress delivered just a fraction of the money promised by Joe Biden to help poorer nations adapt to worsening storms, floods and droughts.Biden has promised $11.4bn each year for developing countries to ease climate impacts and help them shift to renewable energy but the vast $1.7tn spending bill to keep the US government running, passed by the Senate on Thursday, includes less than $1bn in climate assistance for these countries. Continue reading...

Analysis of Pentagon report reveals that soldiers exposed to PFAS pollution at much higher rate than military claimsThe number of US service members who have been exposed to toxic “forever chemicals” is much higher than the military has claimed, a new independent analysis of Department of Defense data has found.A Pentagon report that aims to assess the scope of PFAS chemical exposure on its bases, as well as health threats posed to service members, estimated about 175,000 troops across 24 facilities had drunk contaminated water. Continue reading...

Environment Protection Authority Victoria charges RG Programs and Services, which faces a possible fine in excess of $165,000

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a released Iberian lynx, spectacled teals and twin giraffes Continue reading...

Expert warns impact of H5N1 virus across the world is on a scale akin to the devastation wreaked by the use of DDT pesticides in the 1950s and 1960sThe planet is experiencing a new “Silent Spring” of wildlife destruction because so many wild birds have died from avian flu, according to a leading scientist, who said the past year has seen the most significant and sudden loss of birds in decades.James Pearce-Higgins, director of science at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “The last time we experienced such large-scale and rapid losses of wild birds in the UK would be the impacts of DDT on birds of prey in the 1950s and 1960s associated with the Silent Spring narrative, or the widespread declines of farmland birds during the 1970s and 80s as a result of agricultural intensification.” Continue reading...

Fewer acres burned this year, but the need for fire mitigation and the dangers posed by the climate crisis have not vanishedIn California, a state that’s grown accustomed to months of smoky skies, mass evacuations and the ever-present fear of wildfire, 2022 felt unusual.Summer came and went, the weather warmed and the hillsides yellowed across the state, while residents held their breath. But a giant blaze or siege of simultaneous infernos – the events that have defined recent fire seasons – failed to appear. Continue reading...

Waratah Coal lodges application to overturn recommendation that lease and approvals be refused

South Africa’s Wildlife Forensic Academy uses a stuffed rhino, lion and giraffe to equip students and rangers with the skills needed to convict wildlife criminals

Exclusive: Forestry Act 1967 to change from 1 January to deter people from flattening trees and accepting paltry penaltiesIllegal tree felling in England will be punishable by unlimited fines and prison sentences from 1 January, the government has announced.The current fine for cutting down a tree without a licence, established by the Forestry Act 1967, is £2,500 or twice the value of the timber, whichever is the higher. Continue reading...

International study projects up to 80% of emperor penguin colonies will be ‘quasi-extinct’ by 2100

Tom Smith, William Walker and Neil Smith respond to Samanth Subramanian’s long read on the enormous task of dismantling SellafieldSamanth Subramanian captures perfectly the vast scale and longevity of the effort needed to clean up Sellafield (The long read, 15 December). As Britain and other states with nuclear power industries grapple with how to go about an effective, safe and economical nuclear clean-up, it might be better to explain the challenges with less reliance on suggestions that in its early days the nuclear industry never thought about decommissioning (though the point has validity). Instead, we need more honesty about the fact that nuclear power inescapably generates large quantities of hazardous human-made waste, the worst of which will remain hazardous probably beyond Homo sapiens’ time on the planet.The industry’s solution to this is a network of deep disposal facilities. But none have yet been created, their cost is enormous and there is no certainty that they will perform the long-term task required of them. These are considerations that sadly receive little attention in current debates about the need for new nuclear-generation capacity. Continue reading...

Environment Agency under fire for extending schedule for tackling pollution in rivers, lakes and coastal waters to 2063Targets to clean up the majority of England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters suffering from a cocktail of agricultural and sewage pollution have been pushed back from 2027 to 2063.Not one English waterway, including rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters is in good ecological and chemical health at present, with pollution from water treatment plants and agriculture the key sources of the damage. The Environment Agency said on Thursday £5.3bn was being invested for the next five years to stop the further deterioration of waterways. Continue reading...

The sighting of a ‘magnificent’ specimen of the Amanita sculpta, not seen in Singapore for 80 years, shows how the public can aid in conservation efforts“The cap is like a chocolate chip cookie,” says Serena Lee, senior manager at Singapore Botanic Gardens’ herbarium, describing the top of the sculptured toadstool (Amanita sculpta). “It’s big and chunky, and has a beige and dark brown cap with pileal warts.”Despite its distinctive appearance and a large fruiting body that can range from 10 to 27cm wide, the sculptured toadstool went awol in Singapore for more than 80 years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cameron Dick urges resources council to stop risking coal’s social licence with ad campaign as royalty rise is here to stay

The environmental crisis changed the political tide in 2022. There are some reasons to be optimistic about the outlook ahead – but much more to be done

November statistics show fear EU regressing on climate commitments because of war in Ukraine is unfoundedReturning to coal-fired power generation in some parts of Europe has not prevented strong progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, data shows.Emissions for November for the EU were at their lowest in at least 30 years, as were gas consumption, carbon from the power sector, and power generation from fossil fuels, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Continue reading...

A US forest service initiative encourages people to cut their own trees in an effort to maintain healthy forestsPerched atop a snow-laced ridge in the Mendocino national forest of northern California, the perfect Christmas tree seemed to glow in the speckled light. With delicate needles and a small stature, the 6ft evergreen was one of a few thousand available to be taken home by families participating in a government program encouraging people to harvest their own tree.

Long years of complex negotiations led up to one critical moment for the planet at Cop15 in Montreal this week. For a time, it seemed all was lost. Here’s what happened next…Officially, this week’s deal to preserve Earth’s biodiversity passed at about 3.30am Eastern Standard Time on Monday 19 December, with a swift flick of the wrist from the Chinese Cop15 president, Huang Runqiu. But in spirit, the agreement was reached hours later – after frantic behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts – with a symbolic apology.Huang, China’s environment minister, hammered through the text to rapturous applause, the traditional sign that a deal has been reached in a UN process. Yet, moments before, the plenary heard clear dissent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s negotiator. Huang brought down the gavel anyway, seemingly ignoring the objection to the deal. He was challenged immediately. The negotiator from Cameroon called it “a fraud”, while Uganda said there had been a “coup d’état”. Continue reading...

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Blistering cold events are becoming more stark and pose a threat not only to humans but to entire ecosystemsThe extreme cold settling over the US this week will be biting, as a blast of arctic air and strong winds threaten to plunge several regions into subzero temperatures. Roughly 150 million people across the US will be forced to face the frigid conditions, posing life-threatening dangers to anyone without shelter from the storms, wreaking havoc on holiday travel plans and possibly straining susceptible power grids.“The shock to the system so to speak – whether that’s human bodies or power grid – is going to be substantial because we haven’t seen this in a long time,” said climate scientist Daniel Swain, noting that, in general, numbing cold is becoming less common. Continue reading...

Two workers in an abattoir in Catalonia alleged to have suffered unwanted sexual advances and are now appealing court decisionA court in Spain has acquitted a manager accused of sexual advances and using the threat of dismissal to demand sex, in a blow to a landmark legal challenge that sought to cast a spotlight on sexual abuse in the country’s meat processing industry.The behaviour was alleged to have taken place at an abattoir north of Barcelona, a region that has helped transform Spain into Europe’s largest pork producer. Continue reading...

Farmers’ lobby welcomes move by Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition, claiming animals are getting ‘ever closer’ to homesItaly’s ruling right-wing coalition is set to loosen hunting rules to deal with what the country’s farming lobby has called an “invasion” of wild boars.The boars are common in the countryside, but have recently also been spotted in central parts of Rome, attracted by the Eternal City’s chronically overflowing rubbish skips. Continue reading...

Locals forced to rely on emergency bottled water as pipes leak and burst after recent rapid thawTens of thousands of households in parts of south-east England face the prospect of a Christmas without running water as suppliers struggle with burst pipes after a rapid thaw from last week’s freezing temperatures.South East Water admitted that it could not guarantee all customers in Kent and East Sussex that water would be restored by the Christmas weekend, after a threefold increase in leaks. Continue reading...

Analysis by CPRE shows record number of sites where housing could be built at time of national shortageA record number of brownfield sites in England that have been identified for redevelopment and could provide 1.2m homes are lying dormant, according to an analysis.The scale of the accommodation that could be built emerged after the countryside charity CPRE analysed 344 brownfield land registers, which identify urban sites that have previously been built on, which are available for housing. Continue reading...

Arrest of Sherif Osman while visiting family in Dubai raises fears for activists at Cop28 climate conferenceThe United Arab Emirates is preparing to deport an Egyptian-American citizen detained in Dubai who called for protests during the Cop27 climate conference in Egypt, sparking fears about the treatment of civil society during next year’s Cop28 in the Emirates.Sherif Osman, a former Egyptian army officer who has lived in the US for decades, was detained at a restaurant in Dubai, where he had travelled with his fiancee to see family. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Force says it falsely imprisoned photographer covering M25 climate actionA regional police force has admitted it unlawfully arrested and violated the human rights of a photographer who was held while covering climate protests on the M25.Ben Cawthra was one of four journalists arrested by Hertfordshire constabulary while covering protests by Just Stop Oil last month. Supporters of the climate campaign had climbed gantries to disrupt traffic on London’s orbital motorway. Continue reading...

An investigation into the pipeline’s largest spill is under way in Kansas as a recent report points to a deteriorating safety recordThe Keystone pipeline, which traverses 2,600 miles from western Canada through the central US, leaked an estimated 14,000 barrels of oil, more than half a million gallons, into a creek in Washington county, Kansas, on 7 December. The incident was the largest onshore oil spill since at least 2013, the Keystone pipeline’s third major spill in the last five years, and the largest since it began operating in 2010.It is also the case that previous estimates from earlier spills on the pipeline have turned out to be much larger than the initial estimates. Continue reading...

Provision allows Maine’s lobster industry to continue using fishing gear that maims the species, often fatally, until 2028Animal protectionists are accusing Democrats in the US Senate of selling out the critically endangered northern right whale by including a provision in a year-end funding bill that would allow Maine’s lobster industry to continue using fishing gear that maims the species, often fatally, until at least 2028.According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an unprecedented right whale policy rider inserted by Democratic senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Patrick Leahy of Vermont into the omnibus funding budget released on Tuesday effectively condemns the right whale to extinction. Continue reading...