by Damien Gayle Environment correspondent on (#6Q5Q1)
Green MP tells home secretary sending Just Stop Oil activist to prison is unjust and waste of resourcesA 20-month prison sentence handed to a 77-year-old woman for a climate protest on the M25 is disproportionate, unjust and a waste of resources, the Green MP Carla Denyer has said.In a letter to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, Denyer called the jailing of Gaie Delap three weeks ago an example of an ongoing and serious problem with disproportionate sentencing for climate activists". Continue reading...
With the largest US fossil fuel lobby group at the Democratic convention, some urge VP to prioritize crisis in her speechAs Donald Trump accuses Kamala Harris of waging war on American energy", some advocates are pressing the vice-president to embrace a bold climate message at the Democratic national convention this week.Harris will have a major opportunity to lay out her key platform as she accepts the Democratic party's presidential nomination on Thursday evening. Some are hoping climate features heavily in her speech. Continue reading...
I've relearned the meaning of seasonality - and how fragile the natural systems that sustain us really areA few months ago, when I received an email about an available allotment in my area, I struggled to remember when I had signed up for one. It turns out I had done so two years ago, fuelled by my envy for those with gardens during lockdown. Back then, all I wanted was a small bit of outdoor space that felt like my own, to plant flowers, herbs and, at a push, some chillies. A place where I could read and write in the sun, safe from distractions.Now I was being presented a half plot of available land (125 square metres!) with an established apple tree in the middle - which I mistook for a cherry because of its pink blossom. You'll have to have a trial period, to see how you get on," the woman showing me around said. She meant business. The plot, which was bigger than I could dream of, was beautiful but overgrown - getting it started would require proper graft. I wasn't sure I had it in me.Diyora Shadijanova is a journalist and writer Continue reading...
Permits for coal-fired power plants drop by 83% despite leading world in construction as focus turns to renewablesCoal-fired power is still enjoying a construction boom in China, but a marked slowdown in the permitting of future plants has given experts hope that the world's biggest emitter may be turning a corner.China led the world in the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the first half of 2024, with work beginning on more than 41GW of new generation capacity, data published on Thursday showed. Continue reading...
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium keeper describes the unique and very beautiful' singing scene that unfolded as Sphen's partner, Magic, and the gentoo colony were taken to see SphenThere wasn't a dry eye among staff at Sydney's Sea Life Aquarium as Magic and his fellow gentoo penguins cried out, mourning the loss of Sphen in an emotional scene never before witnessed by employees.Sphen, whose same-sex love story with Magic made the couple globally famous, appeared to die of natural causes as he approached his 12th birthday, the aquarium confirmed on Thursday morning.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
by Tiago Rogero South America correspondent on (#6Q5DB)
How the five-year real-life friendship between a retired Brazilian fisher and Magellanic penguin became a movieThe film My Penguin Friend has two main characters - one played by a Hollywood star and the other by a newcomer - but there was no doubt on set about who should be the most pampered.The first-timer had a trailer" with a natural saltwater pool and only worked until 3pm. To keep the star from being bitten by a mosquito from the tropical Brazilian beach, a flamethrower would clear the path before and after each scene. Continue reading...
Woodland Trust's competition comes as charity campaigns for more robust legal protection for precious treesAn oak tree shaped like an elephant and the oak with the widest girth in the UK have been shortlisted for the annual Tree of the Year competition.The Woodland Trust runs the annual competition to raise awareness of the UK's ancient and at-risk trees.Marton oak, Cheshire
Brian Niccol faces environmental criticism over commute from southern California to Seattle instead of relocatingStarbucks' incoming CEO, Brian Niccol, is facing environmental criticisms following the company's offer for him to commute from his home in Newport Beach, California, to its headquarters in Seattle via a private jet instead of relocating.In Starbucks' offer letter to Niccol, the company said, During your employment with the company, you will not be required to relocate to the company's headquarters ... You agree to commute from your residence to the company's headquarters (and engage in other business travel) as is required to perform your duties and responsibilities." Continue reading...
Countries in south most at risk, with rise likely to outstrip fall in cold-related deaths if global heating hits 3C or 4CHeat deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century, with the numbers rising disproportionately in southern European countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain, a study has found.Cold kills more people than heat in Europe, and some have argued that climate change will benefit society by reducing those deaths. But the study, published in the Lancet Public Health, found that the death toll would respond slowly to warming weather and may even rise through people growing older and more vulnerable to dangerous temperatures. Continue reading...
Researchers say public health officials not doing enough to share warnings and safety information with health workersWildfires pose serious risks to pregnant people and their developing fetuses, including low birth weight and preterm birth. But public health officials are not doing nearly enough to keep these vulnerable populations safe, according to a new report.While we know that wildfires are continuing to intensify in the US, and we're increasingly clear on what damages wildfires represent to maternal and newborn health, we're still not seeing the kind of response from policymakers and public health officials that we need," said Skye Wheeler, a researcher at Human Rights Watch and one of the report's authors. Continue reading...
Exclusive: researchers tested water across Watts and found lead, after people struggled to draw attention to overarching neglect'A new report has found elevated lead levels in tap water across Watts, a south Los Angeles community that has faced decades of environmental racism, including in the drinking water of multiple public housing developments.Researchers working with the Better Watts Initiative, a community environmental group, tested tap water at sites across the neighbourhood, and found lead, a neurotoxic metal, at or above US government limits. Continue reading...
Beef, lamb and dairy products are the most carbon-intensive foods by far. More boldness around dietary changes is neededThe publication of a major study linking habitual eating of processed and red meat to a greater risk of type 2 diabetes is the latest very good reason to think hard about what we consume. Rising obesity rates, food poverty and concerns about the seemingly unstoppable rise of ultra-processed and junk food mean British eating habits are a longstanding source of widespread concern. Many people also recognise that there are environmental reasons to change their diets. Meat and dairy are the most carbon-intensive foods by far. Most of us should eat less of them. But the messaging around this continues to be poor.Ever since red and processed meat was linked to an increased risk of cancer a decade ago, people have been advised to limit their daily consumption of these to a maximum of 70g. But while the five a day" fruit and vegetables campaign turns 21 this year, and warnings about excess sugar abound, other government guidelines on food remain vague. While they specify two weekly portions of fish, one of which should be oily, about meat they say only eat some". There are no recommendations as to how much white meat shouldbe consumed. Continue reading...
Volunteers come to share stories and labor. They leave with vegetables, war news and a shared sense of identityOn a recent Sunday, instructions in Arabic and English filled the air on a quiet street in New Hope, Minnesota. Every weekend, a group of Sudanese American professionals and students come to the half-acre space nestled near a distribution warehouse about 20 minutes north of Minneapolis. Their goal: to farm, and to do it together.For the Sudanese Farming Group (SFG), every decision on this small plot of land is a collective one, every crop carefully tended. And each week brings new conversations, discoveries and people. Continue reading...
Association has received millions from Koch Industries, fossil fuel lobby and fund linked to billionaire Leonard LeoA powerful group that boasts 28 Republican attorney generals, including many who have sided with oil and gas firms to block states seeking compensation for weather disasters caused by climate change, has raked in millions of dollars from fossil fuel giants and a dark money fund tied to Federalist Society co-chair, Leonard Leo.The Republican Attorneys General Association (Raga) has roped in about $5.8m from oil and gas giants and their allied lobbying groups since Joe Biden was elected president in 2020, campaign finance records show. Continue reading...
It is time to say this privatisation zealotry has been a disaster. March with us and let ministers know - enough is enoughYou've been lied to, you've been misled, you've been extorted, you've been cheated, and you've been abused. For the last 35 years, you have been subject to nothing more than possibly the greatest organised ripoff perpetrated on the British people, and you have had little in return apart from greed, profiteering, financial engineering, political failure and regulatory incompetency. You've been had.Thirty-five years after we were promised a utopian, market-driven vision of greatness, a future in which we would glory in the delights of an unlimited supply of clean water; in which our sewage would be quietly, efficiently collected, treated and disposed of, while our rivers, lakes and seas would teem with an abundant, diverse array of flora and fauna; and to top it all off we would have the cheapest water bills on earth.Feargal Sharkey is a campaigner and former lead singer of the Undertones Continue reading...
Conservationists say the number of hunting licences granted is too high and condemn it as pure trophy hunting'Sweden has issued licences to kill 20% of its brown bear population in the country's annual bear hunt, which begins today, despite concerns from conservationists.Officials have granted licences for just under 500 brown bears to be culled by hunters. That equates to about 20% of the total population, according to official figures, and would bring the number of bears in Sweden down to approximately 2,000 - a drop of almost 40% since 2008. Continue reading...
England's controversial eradication scheme may have caused higher rates of disease in surrounding areas, research showsEngland's controversial badger cull may have increased the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) among herds in neighbouring areas, according to new research.Researchers at the University of Oxford found that although badger culling reduced incidences of tuberculosis in the areas where it took place, in neighbouring areas the risk of the disease in cattle increased by almost a third. Continue reading...
Turnout at blood drives affected as summers get hotter and extreme weather causes cancellations, Red Cross warnsThe climate crisis is threatening the medical blood supply in the US, with this summer's record heat contributing to an emergency blood shortage, the American Red Cross has warned.As summers in the US get progressively hotter, blood drives across the country to persuade people to donate are facing challenges. In the month of July alone, when more than 130 million Americans were under heat advisory warnings, the American Red Cross said that turnout at almost 100 of its blood drives was affected by the weather. Continue reading...
Record sea temperatures in the Mediterranean contributed to waterspout that hit BayesianRecord temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea this summer contributed to the freak storm that sank a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, with similar extreme events expected to increase in frequency and intensity as the climate crisis tightens its grip, Italian scientists have said.One person is confirmed to have died and rescuers are searching for six missing people, including the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, after the 56-metre Bayesian capsized in the early hours of Monday. Continue reading...
South West Water could face prosecution after sewer burst at nearby treatment plantThe Environment Agency is considering legal action against South West Water after the company spilled sewage into the sea at a Devon beach.Swimmers were told to stay out of the sea at Exmouth beach after a sewer burst on private land on Thursday next to Maer Lane wastewater treatment works. Continue reading...
Exclusive: research tracks dozens of oil and fuel shipments that could have aided Israel's war on GazaIsraeli tanks, jets and bulldozers bombarding Gaza and razing homes in the occupied West Bank are being fueled by a growing number of countries signed up to the genocide and Geneva conventions, new research suggests, which legal experts warn could make them complicit in serious crimes against the Palestinian people.Four tankers of American jet fuel primarily used for military aircraft have been shipped to Israel since the start of its aerial bombardment of Gaza in October. Continue reading...
by Brianna Randall in the Pacific Ocean on (#6Q3RB)
A trio of mothers in their mid-40s were among more than 100 intrepid sailors in a motley armada sailing the unpredictable and spectacular Inside Passage in the Pacific NorthwestAs we walked through the dark marina at 3.30am, I swallowed the last bite of my banana then tossed the skin on a pile of others on the dock. Bananas are considered to bring bad luck on boats and we needed all the good fortune we could summon to make it the next 750 cold, wild, watery miles. The eighth Race to Alaska (R2AK) was about to start and I was crewing on one of the 44 teams heading to the start line. A few teams aimed to be first; the rest of us just aimed to survive.More than 100 adventurers from four countries converged in Port Townsend, near Seattle, in June to test their mettle against the unpredictable elements in the Pacific Northwest's famed Inside Passage. Our goal was to make it to Ketchikan, Alaska, before the Grim Sweeper"- a boat that slowly follows racers up the course - tapped us out. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Our Seascapes editor on the dangers our seas and oceans face - and what we can do to help Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. The oceans are - according to the UN - the world's greatest ally against climate change". While many of us now understand the urgent need to take the climate crisis seriously, the focus is still very much on the land and the air. Oceans cover more than 70% of the surface of the planet, generate 50% of the oxygen we breathe, absorb 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions and capture 90% of the excess heat generated by these emissions.Perhaps it is time we stopped to think a bit more about our seas, consider the dangers they face and look at what we can do to help. Lisa Bachelor, who edits the Guardian's Seascape series about the state of our oceans, has - if not all the answers - quite a few of them. She joins us after the headlines.US politics | Joe Biden took the stage at the Democratic national convention Monday to deliver a reflective and optimistic address, telling the crowd: I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you." Earlier, Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance to thank Biden for his lifetime of service".Italy | UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah were missing, along with Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and three others, after their yacht sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm. The British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people when it was hit by a tornado.Care workers | The number of foreign social care workers reporting that they are trapped in exploitative contracts has risen sixfold in the last three years, in the latest evidence of widespread abuse of migrants in the British care system.Israel-Gaza war | The current round of ceasefire talks is maybe the last opportunity" to broker a truce and a hostage and prisoner swap, the US secretary of state has said during a visit to Israel. After a three-hour one-on-one with Benjamin Netanyahu, Anthony Blinken said that the Israeli prime minister supports" the ceasefire proposal.Ukraine | Ukrainian forces destroyed a third bridge over the Seym River in Russia's Kursk region as part of an apparent attempt to expand what Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described as a military buffer zone" against attacks. It was the last major crossing on this part of the front. Continue reading...
Appearance of dark crimson underwing causes excitement on land that would be bisected by road schemeBeneath oak canopies, in an orchard full of hundred-year-old apple trees, excited exclamations rose from a group of moth enthusiasts last week.The Cambridgeshire Moth Group had just trapped a dark crimson underwing, a species so rare that none of them had ever seen it before. Indeed, the colourful invertebrate is only usually ever found in the New Forest and is considered nationally scarce. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Regulator plans tighter rules to stop polluters from using four-star ratings to justify high CEO paySewage-spilling water companies will no longer be able to justify high chief executive pay by getting top marks" in the Environment Agency's rankings, under plans to tighten rules, the Guardian understands.Bosses presiding over companies found to recklessly" discharge sewage have been able to justify their large pay packets because of being awarded the top rating, while companies that preside over sewage spills can call themselves industry leaders". Continue reading...
The opposition has still produced nothing to back up its widely disputed claim that Australia could have an operational nuclear industry before the 2040s
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6Q33S)
Environmental charity fears the aquatic ecosystem will have been devastated or lost' after chemical spill last weekAbout 90kg (200lbs) of dead fish have been removed from a canal after a sodium cyanide leak in Walsall that experts fear could have devastated the aquatic ecosystem" in the area.A 1km stretch of the waterway remains closed to the public after the chemical spill from a metal finishing company, Anochrome. The spill was declared a major incident last week. Continue reading...
Climate campaigners criticise decision to allow capacity to increase from 6.5m to 9m passengers a yearMinisters have approved London City airport's application to expand, in a decision that has disappointed climate campaigners.The airport submitted a proposal to increase capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers a year by putting on more weekend and early morning flights. Local campaigners and Newham council opposed the move, arguing the air and noise pollution would affect people living nearby and that it could potentially increase carbon emissions. Continue reading...
Thousands of firefighters are deployed as an all time record for acres burned - and it's only August. Now some worry about the long months aheadIt's still early in the wildfire season for the American west, but it's already shaping up to be a tough and, in some cases, record-breaking year.Oregon has seen more fire than any year on record, with almost 1.5m acres (607,028 hectares) scorched in recent weeks as huge wildfires, primarily caused by lightning strikes, have exploded across the region. Nearly 70 major fires are burning across the US this week alone, primarily in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Continue reading...
With the climate changing, many species are marching towards cooler climes - but trees are being outpaced. Some ecologists say assisted movement is the answerAt the top of an ancient oak at Knepp estate in West Sussex, a white stork has made a scruffy nest. The birds made headlines in 2020 when, after an absence of centuries in the UK, the first chick hatched. Alongside bison, beavers and white-tailed eagles, the storks are one of many species reintroduced to Britain in recent decades in an effort to restore animals to ecosystems where they had been wiped out. The oak tree, by contrast, has been here continuously for 12,000 years.But ecologist Charlie Gardner is worried one of them may not have a future here - and it's the oak. By 2050, London's weather could resemble that of Barcelona, with long stretches of summer drought. These ancient trees were not designed to thrive in such conditions. More and more individual trees will die and reproductive success will fall," says Gardner. Around the world, millions of creatures facing unprecedented temperatures and habitat loss are on the move. The climate crisis is causing a vast array of species - from algae to butterflies, woodlice to birds - to shift northwards. Species are travelling north at a median rate of 17km a decade, according to 2011 research. That average equates to 20cm an hour - two to three times faster than previous estimates. Continue reading...
Gusts of up to 62mph made waters around islands unsafe; and Hurricane Ernesto passed over BermudaHundreds of people were evacuated as flash flooding struck homes and holiday lets in the Balearic Islands last week, with many parts receiving about 100mm of rain within 24 hours.Heavy downpours and severe thunderstorms hit the islands on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing hail and strong winds. The local authorities told people not to leave their homes on Wednesday, when the weather was at its worst. The town of Soller, on Mallorca, received the highest 24-hour total of 114mm, but 68mm of this fell within just one hour, with 19mm falling in 10 minutes. Continue reading...
While tourists flock to the Italian island in greater numbers, a water crisis is intensifying for its rural populationFor the first time in four generations of his family's farming history, Vito Amantia's threshers have lain silent this year. The 650,000kg of wheat that his farm would usually produce in a year has been lost, parched and withered under the scorching sun and relentless drought.A seasoned farmer doesn't need to check the weather forecast to understand what the weather will be like," says Amantia, 68, who farms on the Catania plain in eastern Sicily. Already last January, I knew it would be a disastrous year. The wheat seedlings that normally reached 80cm stopped at 5cm. Then they dried up." Continue reading...
Attendees who fell ill suffered from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke in 96F temperaturesMore than 100 people were treated for heat-related illness at a Colorado airshow on Saturday, with attendees describing a lack of shade and free water on festival grounds as temperatures soared to 96F (36C) highs.The Colorado Springs fire department said those who fell ill at the Pike's Peak regional airshow suffered conditions such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, according to KRDO. Continue reading...
The death of a young woman falling from the famous - and ever more popular - Half Dome in Yosemite ignites debateIn 1974, Scott Crollard, a teen on a church youth group trip, casually climbed cables to help reach the lofty summit of Half Dome, whose name describes a unique rock formation in California from which you can see the Yosemite Valley some 5,000ft below.I remember sitting on the edge of the lip of Half Dome with my buddy and just gazing over the edge. And when he got off, he kind of nudged me, and I darn near fell off the thing just because we were so nonchalant about it," said Collard, now a 65-year-old retired emergency room physician in St Louis who again ascended Half Dome in 2017 with more appreciation for its magnitude. Continue reading...
Travel companies are reporting a surge of interest in people wanting to get away from light pollution and into natureFor the campers at the Dark Skies site near the Cambrian mountains in Wales, the blackness of the pitches is an important draw.When people come, they are blown away by the night sky," said Tanya Jordan, who owns the site and holiday cottages nearby. We get people who know about it and come for that reason." Continue reading...
Convicted of non-violent offences in Insulate Britain action, Dr Diana Warner is second GP to have licence suspended, which a medical tribunal ruled could damage patient trustA retired GP has become the second doctor to have their medical licence suspended after being convicted of non-violent offences during peaceful climate protests.Dr Diana Warner, who worked as a GP for 35 years in surgeries around Bristol, was imprisoned for a total of six weeks for twice breaching private anti-protest injunctions banning people from blocking traffic on the M25 in 2021 and 2022. She was also jailed for six weeks for gluing her hand to the dock during her plea hearing at a magistrates court in east London in 2022. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Most popular routes can be reached quickly by train, as government mulls expansion proposalMore than half of the journeys taken from London City airport last year can be reached in six hours or less by train, data reveals.The Labour government is preparing to make the final call on the airport's application to significantly increase its passenger numbers. The airport wants to increase capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers a year by putting on more weekend and early morning flights. Continue reading...
When canec, Hawaii's building material, is damaged, it can release toxic dust like asbestos - requiring special cleanupWhen fire engulfed Lahaina last year, some of the older structures that burned contained canec, a historic Hawaiian-made building material made of solid sugarcane waste and potentially harmful inorganic arsenic.To date, the US army corps of engineers (USACE) has hauled off an estimated 14,000 tons of ash suspected of arsenic contamination from the drywall-like material once manufactured in Hilo. Continue reading...
Group finds elusive deep sea fish that has washed up in California only 20 times since 1901A group of people kayaking and snorkeling off the San Diego coast made an unusual discovery when they came across an oarfish, a rarely seen deep sea fish that has washed up in California only 20 times in over a century.The 12ft-long silvery fish was found floating dead in the water last weekend. The group, along with marine experts, helped bring the creature ashore for study. Continue reading...
Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio accused by fellow billionaire of using public beach as personal sandbox'In the posh city of Malibu, Barbie and Ken rollerblade, homes sell for up to $210m - and a billionaire is digging up the beach.In a lawsuit filed last week, the local resident James Kohlberg alleges that his neighbor, the billionaire businessman and baseball team owner Mark Attanasio, has been using construction equipment to excavate Malibu's Broad Beach and move sand on to his private property. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian