Environment | The Guardian

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including goats grazing in Kyiv and newborn seal pups in Norfolk Continue reading...

AAPA seeks leave to appeal against NT supreme court decision that found director is exempt from prosecution under state’s laws

Environment secretary defends Rishi Sunak’s decision not to go to climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh• UK politics live – latest news updatesKing Charles is free to decide whether or not to attend the Cop27 climate summit, the new environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has said as she defended the decision of the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, not to go.Sunak, the third British prime minister in seven weeks, has come under scrutiny from opposition ministers and environmental groups, who called his decision not to attend Cop27 a “failure” and said it brought into question government commitments to prioritise net zero and tackle the climate crisis. Continue reading...

One farmer’s quest to find black oats has broadened into a project that could rediversify the country’s cereals and meet future climate challenges. Pictures and words by Alexander TurnerPods of oats fly into the air – shards of golden light caught on the sea breeze. Two septuagenarian farmers wobble precariously above the moving parts of an old reaper-binder as it chugs, not quite effortlessly, through an acre of heritage cereal crops.For Gerald Miles, 74, it’s the first time since he was a small boy that such an event has occurred on his clifftop farm on the coast of Pembrokeshire. For decades, Miles believed the once common black oats of Wales had been lost for ever. This belief, confirmed by an unanswered request for seed in Farmers Weekly magazine after he lost his own in a storm, set him on a mission of rediscovery that he calls “the search for the holy grain”.An ear of black oats harvested on Miles’s farm Continue reading...

Andrew Johnson tells Senate hearing ‘image rebrand’ followed research suggesting elderly and new immigrants were confused by term BoM

Extreme weather events mean once reliable sources of power can failWeather forecasting has become an important factor in keeping the lights on. It also enables producers of power to match their output to times of peak demand and so command the highest prices, boosting profits. However, climate change is making the whole process much more difficult. Extreme weather events – high winds, heatwaves, freezing rain, and loss of glaciers and snow pack mean once reliable sources of power can fail.The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says 87% of global electricity comes from nuclear, hydro and thermal fossil fuel plants that rely on water for cooling, and up to a third of these are in high water stress areas. Predicting droughts, stream flows and water availability is therefore vital for maintaining supply. Continue reading...

Increasing windfall tax would help plug £40bn fiscal hole and keep energy bills low, analysis showsA Norway-style windfall tax on energy companies could raise £33.3bn extra by 2027, plugging a hole in government finances and helping keep energy bills low, analysis has found.The new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is looking at extending the “sunset clause” in the energy profits levy by two years beyond 2025 as a result of the booming profits fossil fuel companies have been recording owing to the war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Farm crop losses due to widespread flooding exacerbated by the rising cost of fertiliser, fuel and herbicides

Key UN reports published in last two days warn urgent and collective action needed – as oil firms report astronomical profitsThe climate crisis has reached a “really bleak moment”, one of the world’s leading climate scientists has said, after a slew of major reports laid bare how close the planet is to catastrophe.Collective action is needed by the world’s nations more now than at any point since the second world war to avoid climate tipping points, Prof Johan Rockström said, but geopolitical tensions are at a high. Continue reading...

Dr David Harper says keeping BST in winter would mean using more electricity in the mornings, and Guy Ottewell suggests changing business opening times insteadProf Aoife Foley says that by keeping British summer time all year round, less heating and lighting would be needed (Save energy by not turning clocks back in October, says expert, 19 October). Alas, the amount of daylight is not changed by tinkering with the clocks.Most of England and Wales get only eight hours of daylight in December and January, while Scotland gets barely seven hours. If BST was kept during these months, the sun wouldn’t rise until almost 10am in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland. Homes, schools and businesses would need to keep their lights on until mid-morning. We have already tried the year-round BST experiment – 50 years ago. It was abandoned after three years.

Supplier tells people living in and around city that blackouts could last ‘a lot longer’ than previously planned• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesUkrainians living in and around Kyiv have been told of a “sharp deterioration” in the region’s electricity supply after a fresh wave of Russian strikes aimed at sapping public morale as the country’s cold winter approaches.A local energy supplier, Yasno, warned that existing blackouts could last a lot longer than a previously planned schedule of four-hour outages and that the capital already faced an electricity deficit of about 30% or more. Continue reading...

Temperatures expected to hit 20C in UK, Germany and France this weekendThree months ago, Britain experienced its hottest day on record. Records were similarly broken in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands as an extreme heatwave swept across much of Europe.Now, with much of western Europe experiencing unusually mild autumnal temperatures caused by the jet stream – strong winds blowing from west to east – figures are expected to reach 20C this weekend in parts of Britain, Germany, France and elsewhere, according to national weather services. Continue reading...

Downing Street announcement follows UK prime minister’s promise to prioritise environmentRishi Sunak will not attend the Cop27 climate summit, Downing Street has said, despite the new British prime minister having promised this week to prioritise the environment.His predecessor, Liz Truss, had reportedly planned to go to at least one day of the summit, but Sunak’s spokesperson said he had “other pressing domestic commitments”. Continue reading...

MPs and peers say Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s life is seriously at risk and his sister is being ignoredThe foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has been accused by MPs and peers of ignoring the case of jailed British-Egyptian hunger striker Alaa Abd El-Fattah.He has also been accused of failing to engage with the activist’s sister, Sanaa Seif, who has camped outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office for 10 days in an effort to force the British government to act. Continue reading...

In the first of a new series celebrating the re-emergence of species feared extinct, we follow the story of the Batman River loach, last seen in 1974“Holy loach!” … “Batman loach returns” … “Tiny superhero fish rediscovered” … It was almost inevitable that the rediscovery of the Batman River loach in a stream in eastern Turkey would spawn a slew of comic book puns in headlines around the world.“Batman is a city and province in Turkey with the same name, and the name of the stream is Batman,” says Dr Cüneyt Kaya, associate professor at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University. “For Turkish people, the name seems normal, but for foreigners, of course, people find it strange or funny.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Organiser says income from gas company was tied to deal and ‘we are now searching for a new sponsor’

Exclusive: Removing incentives due to replace EU scheme would leave rivers in ‘even more degraded state’Weakening or scrapping the nature-friendly farming payment schemes could increase river pollution by up to 20%, an analysis has found.The payments are due to replace the EU’s area-based payments scheme, in which farmers are paid for the amount of land they manage. The new system would instead pay land managers to provide “public goods” such as enhanced nature and clean rivers. Continue reading...

Research suggests visits to places with birdlife could be prescribed by doctors to improve mental wellbeingOne swallow may not make a summer but seeing or hearing birds does improve mental wellbeing, researchers have found.The study, led by academics from King’s College London, also found that everyday encounters with birds boosted the mood of people with depression, as well as the wider population. Continue reading...

Exclusive: move affecting 65% of institutions means endowments worth almost £18bn out of reach for firmsOne hundred universities in the UK have pledged to divest from fossil fuels, the Guardian can reveal.This equates to 65% of the country’s higher education sector refusing to make at least some investments in fossil fuel companies, and endowments worth more than £17.6bn now out of reach for the corporations. Continue reading...

International Energy Agency says Ukraine invasion boosted state spending on clean energy and ‘will accelerate transition to renewables’Global carbon emissions from energy will peak in 2025 thanks to massively increased government spending on clean fuels in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to analysis by the world’s leading energy organisation.The International Energy Agency (IEA) said that government spending on clean energy in response to the crisis would mark a “historic turning point” in the transition away from fossil fuels, in its annual report on global energy. Continue reading...

Locals say they have never seen so many SES vehicles and army troops but feel uneasy due to a lack of information

With famine in Somalia almost inevitable, Martin Griffiths criticises opaque handling of $100bn a year promised to poorer countriesThe UN’s humanitarian chief has questioned why billions of dollars pledged to tackle the climate crisis have not been used to fight famine in Somalia.Martin Griffiths said he did not know where the promised $100bn (£87bn) a year to fight the impact of global heating in poorer countries had gone, and called for greater transparency around climate finance. Continue reading...

Australian Securities and Investments Commission fines Tlou Energy for misleading statements about green credentials

Experts say crude oil pipeline from Uganda to Tanzania will produce 25 times host nations’ combined annual emissionsAn oil pipeline under construction in east Africa will produce vast amounts of carbon dioxide, according to new analysis. The project will result in 379m tonnes of climate-heating pollution, according to an expert assessment, more than 25 times the combined annual emissions of Uganda and Tanzania, the host nations.The East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP) will transport oil drilled in a biodiverse national park in Uganda more than 870 miles to a port in Tanzania for export. The main backers of the multibillion dollar project are the French oil company TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Continue reading...

Joint committee on national security strategy says evasion of responsibility by UK government is ‘severe dereliction of duty’Britain’s national security is being jeopardised because of the failure of ministers to prepare for the increasing risks of extreme weather events due to climate change, a parliamentary inquiry has warned.The joint committee on the national security strategy said the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) had been left exposed because of “extreme weakness” at the heart of government. Continue reading...

Owners mourn ‘modern-day classic’ as last factory in Germany switches to new electric models“I don’t know what I’d go for if I didn’t have the Fiesta,” said Karen Fox, a civil servant in Edinburgh. She is due to pick up her fourth version of the model on Saturday, but it is likely to be her last: Ford on Wednesday confirmed it will end production of the UK’s all-time bestselling car next June.The model’s end will become only the latest symbol of the shift from internal combustion engines to batteries: the factory in Cologne, Germany, where the last Fiestas are being made will switch to producing two new electric models. Continue reading...

Labor’s budget ‘sent a shiver down the spine’ of irrigators but environmental groups welcomed the news

Scientists warn world ‘is heading in wrong direction’ amid rise in nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methaneAtmospheric levels of all three greenhouse gases have reached record highs, according to a study by the World Meteorological Organization, which scientists say means the world is “heading in the wrong direction”.The WMO found there was the biggest year-on-year jump in methane concentrations in 2020 and 2021 since systematic measurements began almost 40 years ago. Continue reading...

Fossil fuels simply don’t check out when it comes to tackling Australia’s rising energy prices while lowering emissions

Experts say flood mapping needs to be standardised and frequently updated amid crisis in NSW and Victoria

The ‘good news’ is this money could be replaced over time as it represents just 3.5% of sponsorship, expert says

PM said he stood by Tories’ 2019 manifesto policy when asked in Commons, in rebuff to Liz Truss

Edinburgh is highest-ranked British institution, in fourth place, as fears grow over emissions targetsUK universities are below their US and Canadian counterparts in a sustainability global league table that ranks them on their environmental footprint and contribution to society, as student climate campaigners warn that nearly half are falling behind their emissions targets.The rankings place the University of California, Berkeley, at No 1, followed by two Canadian institutions, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, with Edinburgh University the top-performing UK institution in fourth place as a result of its strong sustainability research. Continue reading...

The ‘green’ hydrogen produced to deliver ammonia to Europe will be partly powered by the fossil fuel in the beginning, a joint investigation foundIn mid-September, the government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia announced a blockbuster, 5bn-watt “green” hydrogen plant.

United Nations says governments need to set new goals and make deeper cuts to limit temperature rises to 1.5CPledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global heating of 2.5C, a level that would condemn the world to catastrophic climate breakdown, according to the United Nations.Only a handful of countries have strengthened their commitments substantially in the last year, despite having promised to do so at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow last November. Deeper cuts are needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which would avoid the worst ravages of extreme weather. Continue reading...

Experts call for tighter regulations as tests find ethoxyquin exceeds maximum limits in Tassal and Petuna salmon

ACCC to review gas industry as Labor’s budget forecasts point to a 56% rise in power prices over the next two years

Activists say deconstruction of Keyenberg turbines undermines government’s climate pledgeGoverning authorities in Germany have urged one of the country’s biggest energy companies to stop dismantling a wind park to make way for an open-pit mine, after activists said the move symbolised a rollback of the government’s climate protection plans.Consisting of eight turbines, the Keyenberg wind park in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia is located about half a mile from the edge of a 48 km² surface mine, named after the local village of Garzweiler. Continue reading...

Appointment greeted with some surprise – and hope – by environment sector as it faces crucial challengesThe environment sector has reacted with some surprise that Rishi Sunak has appointed Thérèse Coffey as environment secretary.At a crucial time for the environment, with much important and complex legislation coming down the line including the farming payments review due this week, many hoped the new prime minister would choose someone with recent senior experience in the department. Continue reading...

Analysis finds global practice is a major driver of marine ecosystems’ destruction and is estimated to run up to $50bnDeveloping countries are losing billions of dollars due to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which siphons off revenue through illicit financial flows, according to a new study by the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC).The study reveals that the top 10 companies involved in IUU fishing are responsible for nearly a quarter of all reported cases: eight are from China – led by Nasdaq-listed Pingtan Marine Enterprise Ltd – one is from Colombia and another from Spain. Continue reading...

Climate crisis report says ‘we are not winning in any sector’ as experts call for urgent action on fossil fuelsMeat consumption should be reduced to the equivalent of about two burgers a week in the developed world, and public transport expanded about six times faster than its current rate, if the world is to avoid the worst ravages of the climate crisis, research has suggested.Rates of deforestation must also be rapidly reduced, and phasing out coal must happen about six times faster than is currently being managed. Heavy industries such as cement and steel are not moving fast enough in cutting their emissions, and the rapid growth of renewable energy and electric vehicle adoption must be maintained. Continue reading...

Third consecutive La Niña, which has brought widespread rain and flooding to eastern Australia in 2022, is likely to end by next February, models show

H&M, Sainsbury’s and Nestlé are among more than 300 companies urging governments to agree to the pledge at Cop15 in DecemberMore than 300 businesses, including H&M, Sainsbury’s and Nestlé, have urged world leaders to make it mandatory for companies to assess and reveal their impact on nature by 2030.Businesses and financial institutions in 56 countries – including the UK, Canada and China – are pushing for governments to agree to the disclosures at Cop15, the UN biodiversity conference being held in Montreal this December. Continue reading...

Reliance on oil and gas worsening climate impacts and compounding food, energy and cost of living crisesThe health of the world’s people is at the mercy of a global addiction to fossil fuels, according to a study.The analysis reports an increase in heat deaths, hunger and infectious disease as the climate crisis intensifies, while governments continue to give more in subsidies to fossil fuels than to the poorer countries experiencing the impacts of global heating. Continue reading...

Maricopa county’s 359 heat-associated fatalities this year outpace 339 deaths confirmed in 2021, figures showThis summer was the deadliest on record for heat-related deathsin Arizona’s largest county, with public health statistics this week confirming 359 such deaths just days before the end of the six-month heat season.The jump comes amid a growing homelessness crisis in the area and raises questions about how to better protect vulnerable people in the desert south-west as temperatures soar. Continue reading...

Birds featured in March of the Penguins film face almost complete annihilation by end of century as Antarctic sea ice is lostThe emperor penguin, the tallest and bulkiest of all the world’s penguins, has been officially declared a threatened species by the US government due to the existential risk posed to the birds by the climate crisis.The penguins, which are endemic to Antarctica, face almost complete annihilation from the loss of sea ice over the course of this century, a situation that has prompted the US Fish and Wildlife Service to place it on the endangered species list, it announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Senators make appeal to EPA after series of Guardian articles revealed that communities of color often face high lead levelsUS legislators are calling for increased measures to protect American residents from toxic lead in their tap water.A group of up to 15 US senators asked the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to lower the levels of lead allowable in drinking water, require all lead pipes to be replaced in the next decade and ensure that low-income neighborhoods can benefit equally from the remediation efforts. Continue reading...

New Unicef report finds that in even best-case scenario 2 billion children will face four to five dangerous heat events annuallyThe climate crisis is also a children’s rights crisis: one in four children globally are already affected by the climate emergency and by 2050 virtually every child in every region will face more frequent heatwaves, according to a new Unicef report.For hundreds of millions of children, heatwaves will also last longer and be more extreme, increasing the threat of death, disease, hunger and forced migration. Continue reading...

Hydrologist says flood levels similar to last year but this time the water has nowhere to go, prolonging the disaster