Environment | The Guardian

Possums on Maria Island expanded beyond usual habitat and had become ‘pretty significant predator’

Category winners and runners-up in the annual British Wildlife Photography awards have been announced, and an overall winner chosen from more than 13,000 images of Britain’s nature Continue reading...

Extraordinary new limits introduced to require municipal utilities to remove six PFAS compounds from drinking waterThe US Environmental Protection Agency has taken the extraordinary step of setting legal drinking water limits for six of the most studied and toxic PFAS compounds, known commonly as “forever chemicals”, that are at the center of an ongoing environmental crisis.The new limits mark the first time in 26 years that the EPA has set legal limits for a contaminant in drinking water. Municipal utilities will be required to remove the compounds from drinking water, which could set off a wave of lawsuits directed at PFAS polluters, including the US military and chemical producers like 3M, DuPont and Chemours. Continue reading...

Rowan Ramsey ‘amazed’ government starting selection process in 12 months, given 33-year life of Virginia-class reactor

Since the drug lord’s imported hippos escaped after his death in 1993, the government has repeatedly failed to tame the booming populationThe first time a hippo emerged from the trees, waddled cumbersomely across the grass and slid down the river bank into the murky brown waters of the Cocorná River, the fishermen in Las Angelitas froze in awe.“We’d heard rumours of these hippos and seen footprints downriver but as we’ve never been to a zoo we’d never seen an animal like that in real life,” says Franki de Jesús Zapata Ciron. “An animal all the way from Africa, here!? It seemed curious and beautiful.” Local families stopped working and gathered to gaze at the three-tonne beast, Zapata recalls. Continue reading...

Biden may have promised ‘no more drilling on federal lands, period’ during his campaign, but the reality has been very differentJoe Biden continues to confound on the climate crisis. Hailed as America’s first “climate president”, Biden signed sweeping, landmark legislation to tackle global heating last year and has warned that rising temperatures are an “existential threat to humanity”. And yet, on Monday, his administration decided to approve one of the largest oil drilling projects staged in the US in decades.The green light given to the Willow development on the remote tundra of Alaska’s northern Arctic coast, swatting aside the protests of millions of online petitioners, progressives in Congress and even Al Gore, will have global reverberations. Continue reading...

The four-phase plan has made nuclear arms control experts nervous … here’s why

One of the strongest storms recorded in the southern hemisphere hit region for second time in a monthMozambique and Malawi have been left counting the cost of Tropical Storm Freddy, which killed more than 100 people, injured scores and left a trail of destruction as it ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend.Freddy is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere and could be the longest-lasting tropical cyclone, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Continue reading...

National Highways hopes design will prove more resilient to trespassers after last year’s Just Stop Oil protestsNational Highways has unveiled a new design for motorway gantries that it hopes will prove harder for protesters to mount and use to cause disruption.The renovated structures, which are expected to become the standard design in England from 2025, will have their maintenance steps hidden inside their pillars and will be more difficult to gain access to without authorisation. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigners furious Alister Jack intends to deny trade exemption for bottle recycling proposalsBlocking the Scottish deposit return scheme for bottles would be an environmental travesty, campaigners have said, in a growing backlash to the UK government plans to undermine the project.The charity City to Sea, which has been pushing for a deposit return scheme (DRS) to tackle plastic pollution, said the UK government could have avoided the clash with Scotland by working with the devolved countries to deliver a unified deposit scheme years ago. Instead Westminster had repeatedly delayed its own deposit scheme, which was only coming into force in 2025 – seven years after it was first promised by ministers. Continue reading...

Environmentalists and some Alaskan Native communities had opposed the plan over climate, wildlife and food-shortage fearsThe Biden administration has approved a controversial $8bn (£6bn) drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, which has drawn fierce opposition from environmentalists and some Alaska Native communities, who say it will speed up the climate breakdown and undermine food security.The ConocoPhillips Willow project will be one of the largest of its kind on US soil, involving drilling for oil and gas at three sites for multiple decades on the 23m-acre National Petroleum Reserve which is owned by the federal government and is the largest tract of undisturbed public land in the US. Continue reading...

Campaigners say government and water companies have not done enough to conserve water suppliesRiver levels across the UK have been at record lows and are likely to be “devastated”, as new data forecasts broadly dry weather until at least May.Campaigners have said the government and water companies have not done enough to conserve water supplies by building reservoirs and fixing leaks, as months of low rainfall could cause some areas to run out of water. Continue reading...

Conservationists are confident invasive predator is dead allowing native creatures to flourish again in NSW’s Pilliga Scrub once more

Stephen Pritchard tells judge before sentencing that peaceful resistance is ‘most responsible thing I can do’A judge has jailed an Insulate Britain protester for five weeks after he vowed to return to the streets to carry out more disruptive protests if he was not sent to prison.Stephen Pritchard, 63, was one of the first four Insulate Britain defendants to be sentenced for causing public nuisance over their campaign of disruptive “civil resistance” protests on major roads in 2021. Continue reading...

PM says energy security strategy will launch shortly after plans reworked to meet net zero commitmentsAn energy security strategy will be launched “shortly”, Rishi Sunak has promised, with a focus on ramping up carbon capture and small modular reactors to develop homegrown energy and meet net zero commitments.Ministers have been forced to rework their plans after a ruling by the high court last July. It found that the government’s net zero strategy was unlawful due to a breach of the 2008 Climate Change Act, given the document did not outline how climate policies would meet legally binding carbon budgets. Continue reading...

Broadcaster speaks as Save Our Wild Isles campaign launches to halt destruction of nature in UKSir David Attenborough has warned that “nature is in crisis” as he urged people to unite behind action to save it.The natural historian, who has presented programmes including Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, spoke out as the charities the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the National Trust launched a joint initiative aimed at halting the destruction of nature across the UK. Continue reading...

Research finds waste flushed down toilets and sent to sewage plants probably responsible for significant source of water pollutionAll toilet paper from across the globe checked for toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” contained the compounds, and the waste flushed down toilets and sent to sewage treatment plants probably creates a significant source of water pollution, new research has found.Once in the wastewater plant, the chemicals can be packed in sewage sludge that is eventually spread on cropland as fertilizer, or spilt into waterways. Continue reading...

Plans to protect 16m acres of Alaska and Arctic circle from drilling comes as president prepares to reveal decision on Willow projectJoe Biden has announced new steps to ban oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean and limit onshore drilling in Alaska, as his administration reportedly prepares to approve a huge new oilfield in the state.Plans announced Sunday night will bar drilling in nearly 3m acres of the Beaufort Sea – closing it off from oil exploration – and limit drilling in more than 13m acres in a vast swath of land known as the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. Continue reading...

Severe flooding continued in Queensland; PM to meet Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak to announce Aukus terms. This blog is now closed

Steve Allnutt has watched the lush beds disappear from local waters over the years, and decided to take on the job of restoration himselfSteve Allnutt shivers and zips up his coat as he checks on the water tanks holding thousands of specimens. He confirms the temperature, adjusts the lighting and fishes out a tiny piece of kelp to inspect under his microscope.Allnutt’s unusual setup – in his garage in Lancing, West Sussex – features 20-odd tanks full of the algae. He aims for the atmosphere to mimic natural ocean conditions, so the air in the garage is brisk but the light is cool and calm, like a winter’s day. In summer, he’ll need to wear sunglasses. Continue reading...

Plan would provide fresh locally grown food, promote sustainable agriculture and cut carbon emissionsPlans have been submitted to create a first-of-its-kind urban farm on top of a multi-storey car park in Birmingham as part of a vision to “turn grey space to green productive space”.Slow Food Birmingham, a grassroots organisation that promotes hyperlocal food production, has sent proposals to the council to build a farm, glasshouses, community space and garden, as well as an education hub and cafe on the site. Continue reading...

The fund believes itself to be ‘one of the first’ in Australia to divest from a company over a concern for an endangered species

Indigenous Carbon Industry Network says it has no connection with Pieces of Australia, which confirmed it has removed content that may have been inappropriately used

Exclusive: Environmental advocates urge state to ‘do better than 30% by 2030’, and propose doubling of current targets

Amnesty International hits out at ‘shocking’ annual figure reaped through sale of fossil fuelSaudi Aramco has reported a record $161bn (£134bn) profit for 2022, the largest annual profit ever recorded by an oil and gas company, fuelled by soaring energy prices and rising global demand.The largely state-owned company’s profits rose by 46% year on year and it made more than the recent bumper results reported by Shell, BP, Exxon and Chevron combined. Continue reading...

Boss of packaging firm DS Smith calls for clarity on government’s long-term plans to decarbonise energyThe UK should “level up” its investment in green technologies to match the US and the EU, according to the chief executive of FTSE 100 packaging company DS Smith.Speaking just days before the chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spring budget, Miles Roberts said the UK government needed to give a clear signal of its long-term plans particularly for low-carbon power generation. Continue reading...

Environmental groups criticise cut in passenger tax, which will increase flights, but government says it remains committed to net-zeroA controversial new cut in air passenger tax due next month was passed after the airline industry told the government it would lead to a new era of “ultra low” prices for domestic flights in the UK, with one airline predicting a 31% rise in passengers, industry documents reveal.The new cut in air passenger duty (APD) for domestic flights was approved by Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor, halving the price to £6.50 from 1 April. The rail industry has warned the move could increase carbon emissions by 27,000 tonnes a year and result in 220,000 fewer rail journeys a year. Continue reading...

The company is one of the largest outdoor apparel brands globally, but it has long grappled with how growth can contradict environmental activismUnder California blue skies, the Patagonia outdoor clothing brand’s corporate campus is bustling with its usual mix of employees, pets – and kids.Situated in Ventura, north-west of Los Angeles and close to the beach for surfing purposes, the sprawl of neutral-colored stucco buildings is very on-brand for a business with a cult following among environmentalists. Wood-lined interiors make the offices feel more cabin than corporate. Blown-up posters from past marketing campaigns line hallways. “There are no profits to be made on a dead planet,” reads one from 2004. Continue reading...

Major flood warning issued in north-west Queensland after Burketown residents evacuated overnight. This blog is now closed

A fresh atmospheric river pummeling the state has caused flooding as rivers swell past their banks; experts say more wet weather is comingAuthorities ordered more than 1,500 people to evacuate early Saturday from a northern California agricultural community famous for its strawberry crop after the Pajaro River’s levee was breached by flooding from a new atmospheric river pummeling the state.Monterey county officials on Saturday said the break in the levee – upstream from the unincorporated community of Pajaro along California’s central coast – is about 100 feet (30.48m ) wide. Crews had gone door to door Friday afternoon to urge residents to leave before the rains came but some stayed and had to be pulled from floodwaters early Saturday. Continue reading...

Signing off on the Willow plan would place the president’s political career in conflict with climate-minded DemocratsThe Biden administration has denied reports that it has authorized a key oil drilling project on Alaska’s north slope, a highly contentious project that environmentalists argue would damage a pristine wilderness and gut White House commitments to combat climate crisis.Late Friday, Bloomberg was first to report citing anonymous sources that senior Biden advisers had signed off on the project and formal approval would be made public by the Interior Department next week. Continue reading...

Heat pumps have become the tech of choice to keep homes warm – but what are they and how do they work?Few climate technologies have ever had a moment quite like the one heat pumps are currently enjoying.While the share of electric vehicles and induction stoves sales may be growing, they still represent a sliver of all cars and stoves sold respectively. US heat pump sales, though, surpassed those of gas furnaces last year as the tech of choice to keep homes comfortable. Continue reading...

Several experts called for a wider range of chemicals to be scanned for and recommended testing on surfaces as well

We tried five bikes from Swapfiets, Buzzbike and Brompton to see what you get for your monthly moneyFor people new to cycling, buying a bike can seem daunting. Aside from the outlay, there is maintenance, and what if you decide you just don’t enjoy pedalling around?This is where subscription bikes come in. An increasingly common idea in continental Europe and now in parts of the UK, these let you rent a bike by the month or year, generally with a lock and mechanical support. As well as for the cycle-curious, this can be ideal if you are in a city temporarily, or a student. Continue reading...

The modern oil industry was born in 1859, yet it would take more than 100 years – and the near-extinction of a species – before it replaced blubber. As we now seek to replace oil in turn, are there lessons to be learned?Humpback whales can rhyme. Their songs are made up of individual themes, phrases and sounds – many of them ending similarly. These are repeated in patterns that create rhythms and structures. To human ears, the songs are a series of grunts, groans, sighs, burps and squeaks. But they are arranged by the whale in a highly elaborate manner.The songs change over time, too: themes develop and are replaced, and phrases shift until every few years a completely new song emerges. Whales also adopt the songs of other whales – like a pop hit that everyone starts singing. Continue reading...

Ridding country of the shrub will take 250 years at the current rate of progress, despise posing ‘a mortal threat’ to Britain’s temperate rainforest, say campaignersIt will take 250 years to eradicate rhododendron from England at the current rate of removal, according to new figures, despite the invasive woodland shrub posing “a mortal threat” to Britain’s temperate rainforest, campaigners warn.Rhododendron, introduced from Asia and widely planted by the Victorians, covers at least 37,600 hectares (93,000 acres) in England, much of it in the west of the country, which is also home to the remaining fragments of temperate rainforest. Continue reading...

‘Reset’ of clean energy policy, including small nuclear reactors, is response to Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction ActThe chancellor is poised to announce a £20bn investment in technology to reduce Britain’s carbon emissions at next week’s budget, in a riposte to Joe Biden’s flagship Inflation Reduction Act that aims to create thousands of new jobs.Separately, the government plans to add urgency to Britain’s nuclear programme, with a competition to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Decision to make episode about natural destruction available only on iPlayer angers programme-makers

Officers with C-IRG accused of ripping off protesters’ masks and pepper-spraying them during protest in British ColumbiaCanada’s federal police force has opened an investigation into a controversial unit tasked with overseeing environmental protests, following hundreds of complaints that officers used excessive force, disregarded court orders and violated protesters’ rights.The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, a watchdog arm of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said on Thursday it would examine the activities of the community-industry response group, or C-IRG, based in British Columbia. Continue reading...

Satellites show record destruction for the month of February as new government tries to undo damage wreaked under BolsonaroDeforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose in February to the highest level on record for the month, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as it tries to undo the environmental destruction wreaked under the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.Government satellites show that a record 322 sq km of Amazon rainforest were destroyed in February, a 62% increase on last year and the highest number for the month since records began. Continue reading...

An enterprising project in the North Yorkshire port aims to protect the marine environment and safeguard the shellfish population for generations to come

Appointment of Dame Caroline Spelman to nature watchdog’s board sparks cronyism allegations

Ex-vice-president says new projects ‘are a recipe for climate chaos’ ahead of Biden administration’s decision on Willow developmentAl Gore has warned it would be “recklessly irresponsible” to allow an enormous, controversial oil drilling project to proceed in Alaska, speaking ahead of a decision from the Biden administration on whether to approve it. Gore spoke amid growing alarm among Democrats and campaigners that the Willow development will drastically undermine the US’s effort to confront the climate crisis.The vast, multi-billion-dollar ConocoPhillips oil project, to be situated on the tundra of Alaska’s northern Arctic coast, is awaiting approval from the federal government that could arrive as soon as Friday. Gore, the former US vice-president and leading climate advocate, told the Guardian that the planned drilling would threaten local communities as well as the task of curbing dangerous global heating. Continue reading...

‘Carbon neutral’ claims are often based on credits certified by Verra – and investigation has suggested many are worthless

Verra will phase out programme by mid-2025 after Guardian investigation found it was flawed

Proposed El Paso climate charter seeks to prohibit use of city water for extraction projects including those in Permian BasinA first-of-its-kind municipal climate charter in Texas could throw a wrench in US fossil fuel extraction. Residents of a major Texas city just west of the Permian Basin, the largest oil field in the US, will have the chance to vote on the package this spring.If the proposal passes, the city of El Paso would adopt a comprehensive climate policy that would include prohibiting the use of city water for extraction projects outside city limits, such as in the Permian Basin, which makes up roughly 40% of all US oil production. Continue reading...

Fire ecologists analysed data from over 10,000 locations and 334 wildfires to assess how post-blaze conditions affect tree growthThe ancient, towering ponderosa pines and Douglas firs that dot the west are dying off at an alarming rate – and increasingly intense megafires, drought and heat are making it harder for their seedlings to grow, a new study has found.In an expansive study, a team of more than 50 fire ecologists analysed data from more than 10,000 locations after 334 wildfires to assess how the severity of a fire and the weather conditions afterwards affected conifers across the US west. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs, including a resting cheetah, banana stalk flies and snowy rooks Continue reading...

The unusual spectacle of an adult female killer whale spotted with the adopted – or abducted – calf of another species is causing experts to reassess orca behaviourOrcas, or killer whales, are apex predators, best known for their ferocious hunting techniques. So when a female was seen apparently caring for the offspring of another species, it came as a bit of a surprise. “I saw straight away there was something weird about it,” says Marie-Thérèse Mrusczok, who was working as a spotter on the Láki Tours whale-watching boat that witnessed the encounter.The ship’s crew initially thought it was a very small killer whale calf swimming alongside the orca, but photos later confirmed what Mrusczok suspected – that the female, called Sædís, appeared to be looking after a newborn long-finned pilot whale. Continue reading...

Youth campaign group is calling on Keir Starmer’s party to commit to ‘decade of green new deal action’