Group of 200 Totnes residents trespass and eat sandwiches and Victoria sponge to highlight lack of right to roamOn a beautiful Sunday in May a spot under the trees in an ancient woodland would seem like an idyllic location for a picnic for residents of the Devon town of Totnes.But when a group of 200 people settled down on the grass to enjoy sandwiches and slices of Victoria sponge next to the publicly funded woodland, they were actually breaking the law. Continue reading...

‘Alt leather’ is becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to a drive towards more sustainable fashionWould you ever wear shoes made from “grape leather”? Or gloves in “cactus leather”? What about a “kombucha leather” jacket and a “mushroom leather” bag?With the drive towards more sustainable fashion, the burgeoning world of animal-free “alt leathers” is becoming increasingly mainstream. This week saw the launch of new sustainable trainer brand Lerins, from Dune founder Daniel Rubin, including £130 shoes made with a leather-like material created from grape skins left over from wine-making. Continue reading...

City acts to contain wild boar population after African swine fever detected in body of dead animalPicnics have been banned and bins fenced off in a large swathe of northern Rome as health authorities move to contain the wild boar population after African swine fever was detected in a deceased animal.Feeding or approaching the animals has also been forbidden, while people who have walked through farmland or nature reserves in the affected areas have been told to disinfect their shoes. Continue reading...

There are heated moments in the second leaders’ debate of the federal election but Channel Nine’s audience fails to find a clear winner

PFAS-tainted sewage sludge is used as fertilizer in fields and report finds that about 20m acres of cropland could be contaminatedAbout 20m acres of cropland in the United States may be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge that has been used as fertilizer, a new report estimates.PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products heat-, water- or stain-resistant. Known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, they have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, liver problems, birth defects, immunosuppression and more. Continue reading...

Decrepit tanker used for storage at risk of creating a disaster worse than Exxon Valdez in 1989The UN is to stage a rare donor conference on Wednesday in a bid to raise the $80m (£65m) necessary to prevent an ageing oil tanker off the west coast of Yemen exploding and causing an environmental disaster potentially four times worse than the Exxon Valdez spill near Alaska in 1989.The money is needed to offload more than 1.14m barrels of oil that have been sitting in the decrepit cargo ship, Safer, for more than six years because of an impasse between Houthi groups and the Saudi-backed government over ownership and responsibility. Continue reading...

Seeds from nightcap oak trees were collected and propagated after black summer bushfires destroyed or damaged 20% of the population

Angus Rose starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament until Green MP Caroline Lucas arranged compromiseThe climate hunger striker who starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament has said he did not expect ministers would ignore his demands and potentially let him die.Angus Rose had said he would not eat until Greg Hands, the energy minister, arranged for Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientist, to give politicians and, via broadcast, the public, the climate change briefing he gave to Boris Johnson before the Cop26 climate summit. Continue reading...

A study found PFAS substances in clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture, some labeled ‘environmentally friendly’Nearly 60% of children’s textiles labeled “waterproof”, “stain-resistant”, or “environmentally friendly” that were tested as part of a new study contained toxic PFAS substances known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment.Among products checked were clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture. Continue reading...

Climate analysts are astounded by such a high reading during the rainy season, and is the third monthly record this yearDeforestation in Brazil’s Amazon surged to record levels for the month of April, nearly doubling the area of forest removed in that month last year – the previous April record – preliminary government data has shown, alarming environmental campaigners.In the first 29 days of April, deforestation in the region totalled 1,012.5 square km (390 square miles), according to data from national space research agency Inpe on Friday. The agency, which has compiled the monthly data series since 2015/2016, will report data for the final day of April next week. Continue reading...

The torpedo-shaped, bronze-hued fish has been seen only four times in nearly thirty years of deep-sea research, scientists saidA rare deep-sea fish has been spotted off the coast of northern California, prompting excitement among marine biologists who have attempted to track down the elusive creature for decades.The Bathophilus flemingi, also known as the highfin dragonfish, was captured on video by a team of researchers in Monterey Bay, California. Named after the mythical creature, the torpedo-shaped fish is a predator that roams the depths of the ocean. Continue reading...

Satellite imagery ‘illustrates spectre of rising food prices and hunger’ due to invasion of world’s sixth-largest wheat exporter

Report on effects of Typhoon Haiyan says fossil and cement firms engaged in ‘wilful obfuscation’ of scienceThe world’s most polluting companies have a moral and legal obligation to address the harms of climate change because of their role in spreading misinformation, according to an inquiry brought about by Filipino typhoon survivors.Experts say the long-awaited report published on Friday, which concludes that coal, oil, mining and cement firms engaged in “wilful obfuscation” of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy, could add fuel to climate lawsuits around the world. Continue reading...

Peaceful, unpolluted and often left untouched for centuries, a growing green church movement is helping these havens of biodiversity thriveThey are in nearly every village, town and city across the UK, thousands of church buildings peppering the landscape. But while many may no longer be in regular use, the churchyards surrounding them – quiet, peaceful and often ancient – amount to what Olivia Graham, the bishop of Reading, equates to “a small national park”. The land beyond the church gate is some of the most biodiverse in the UK because it has largely stayed untouched.“A churchyard is a little snapshot of how the countryside used to be,” says Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Pippa Rayner, who is working on Wilder Churches, a new initiative with the diocese of Bath and Wells “to enhance churchyard biodiversity across the county”.The land around Plymouth’s St Pancras church has remained relatively untouched for more than 500 years Continue reading...

Internal emails show Louisiana state senator Sharon Hewitt worked on a bill with a company that had financial ties to her spouseMore than 300 people were evacuated from their homes and 49 hospitalized when a carbon dioxide pipeline run by an oil and gas company ruptured in a rural community in Mississippi. People were described as wandering around “like zombies” in the aftermath of the February 2020 incident.Less than a week later, Sharon Hewitt, a Louisiana state senator who has considered running for governor, filed a bill drafted by the operator of that pipeline, Denbury Resources, into her own state’s legislature. Continue reading...

Independents report ‘misleading and unauthorised’ campaign signs; Scott Morrison won’t say if he will resign in case of hung parliament; Anthony Albanese backs royal commission into the pandemic; trans rights ‘debate’ ‘hugely regrettable’, Liberal senator says; at least 30 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a lounging monitor lizard, breeding puffins and bluebells Continue reading...

Encounters with jellyfish near Cronulla’s Shark Island have prompted warnings on how to treat stings outside of tropical waters

DNA study finds rarest cetacean, only found in Gulf of California, has enough genetic diversity to recover – if gillnet ban is enforced

New resources sent to remote stretches of state to tackle America’s largest wildfire, which is burning over 258 sq milesFirefighters in New Mexico have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire currently burning in the US, as Joe Biden declared the situation a disaster, bringing new resources to remote stretches of New Mexico that have been devastated by fire since early April.Nearly 1,300 firefighters and other personnel are currently battling the fire, which has fanned out across 258 sq miles (669 sq km) of high alpine forest and grasslands at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Continue reading...

Political scientist says state’s decision to rule out closing power stations shows major parties are ‘wedged’ on climate change

Cynthia Rosenzweig wins prize in recognition of her modeling of the climate crisis’ impact on food productionA Nasa climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food prize on Thursday.Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was awarded the $250,000 prize in recognition of her innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production. She is a senior research scientist at the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies and serves as adjunct senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, both based in New York. Continue reading...

People urged to leave out mud pies and dishes of fresh water for migrating birds as temperatures riseThe RSPB is urging the public to get their hands dirty this weekend and create mud pies to help endangered birds such as house martins, swifts and swallows get enough sludge to build their nests.A nine-day mini-heatwave is hitting the UK, which coincides with the return of migratory birds here to breed. Many of these birds have flown thousands of miles on their journey. But conservationists are concerned that the ground is getting so hard it could stop them from being able to make their nests. Continue reading...

Flights suspended and authorities urge people to stay indoors as fifth sandstorm in a month hits IraqHundreds of Iraqis have been taken to hospitals with breathing problems and Baghdad airport suspended flights for several hours as a thick sandstorm blanketed the country, the fifth to engulf Iraq within a month.Iraqi state media said most of the patients suffered respiratory issues as clinics across the country’s north and west struggled to keep up with the influx. Authorities urged citizens to stay indoors. Continue reading...

Launch of Chicagwa met with criticism that the city hasn’t done enough to help thousands of residents drinking lake water through lead pipesLori Lightfoot’s launch of Chicago’s own brand of canned water under the name “Chicagwa” may have created more waves than she expected.On Tuesday, the city’s mayor unveiled the artfully designed cans of Chicago tap water to celebrate their water source, Lake Michigan, in honor of National Drinking Water Week. But the city has been identified as having more potentially toxic lead pipes delivering that water to homes than anywhere else in the US – a fact that concerned locals are now reminding people about. Continue reading...

Campaigners hope to both and expand and entrench the re-imagining of streetscapes that occurred in the early part of 2020As an emergency measure for the pandemic, New York City’s banishment of cars from certain streets saw unexpected space open up for pedestrians, restaurant tables and playing children. A campaign backed by the city’s new mayor now aims to permanently wrest dominance away from vehicles and preserve these new outdoor havens.The alternative vision for America’s largest city demands that 25% of its street space is converted from car use to walkable pedestrian plazas, green space, bus lanes and dedicated cycle paths by 2025. The campaign, called 25x25, has now also been adopted by activists in Los Angeles, an indication of how some Americans are questioning the long-held primacy of cars amid a surge in cycling since the start of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Almost a third of hogs in the US are now raised in Iowa but a new report questions whether that’s good for residents or local economiesLew Carter, a retired long haul truck driver, has always preferred the country. In 1990 he bought a small plot on a hill surrounded by farm fields near his home town of Williams, in Hamilton county, Iowa, where he hoped to retire.Carter planted the homestead with a thicket of trees and replaced the dilapidated farm buildings with a storage shed and modular house. He met his second wife, Kathy, and in 2008 she moved in too. Continue reading...

Analysis conducted by the Ecology Center also finds all car seats under $100 contain either PFAS or flame retardantMore than half of children’s car seats tested for toxic flame retardants and PFAS contain the dangerous substances, a new report in the US has found.The analysis, conducted by the Ecology Center, an environmental and consumer advocacy group, also found all car seats costing under $100 contained either PFAS or flame retardant, which means lower-income children are more likely to be exposed. Continue reading...

Investigation launched after half of eggs from endangered wading bird in small study found to have fragile shellsA scientist has started a national investigation into curlews, after noticing in a small-scale study that some of the eggs being laid by the endangered birds were unusually fragile and crumbly.If it emerges that the problem is widespread, the fragile eggs could pose a grave risk to the future of the species, which has declined significantly in Scotland, England and Wales and by 42% between 1995 and 2008 in the UK overall. Continue reading...

Tomago Aluminium previously said shifting away from coal could lead to blackouts – now it’s publicly embracing renewables in the middle of an election campaign

‘We’re not supposed to live in a secret society,’ expert says after agency delays publishing maps of damage

According to the Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics report, about 85% of plastic ends up in landfills with 10% incineratedWhen most people toss a plastic bottle or cup into the recycling bin, they assume that means the plastic is recycled – but a new report lays bare how rarely that actually happens.According to the Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics, the organization behind the report released on Wednesday, the recycling rate for post-consumer plastic was just 5% to 6% in 2021. Continue reading...

Billions of birds are disappearing because of humanity’s impact on Earth, global review findsThe world’s birds, described as the planet’s “canaries in the coalmine”, are disappearing in large numbers as the colossal impact of humanity on the Earth grows, a global review has found.There are about 11,000 species of bird spanning the globe, but the populations of half of them are falling, while just 6% are increasing. Their flight and song make them easier to study than many animals, meaning they are the best studied large group. Continue reading...

The turtles, named after Steve Irwin and his father, Bob, had not been spotted in the Burdekin River since the 1990s

Opposition says it will recommit to phasing out live sheep exports from Western Australia but has not indicated when it will do so

Expert questions climate targets after energy minister says all eight coal-fired stations will remain open

Independent MP accuses Liberal party of caving in to its Coalition partner the Nationals on koala protection

Bank plan meets opposition after environmental protesters disrupt AGM in ManchesterShareholders dealt an embarrassing blow to Barclays’ climate credentials on Wednesday, with almost 20% rejecting the bank’s climate strategy as activists disrupted its annual meeting to protest against the bank’s financing of fossil fuels.Barclays said on Wednesday that 19.19% of voting shareholders were against the bank’s climate strategy, which set out its plans and progress towards goals to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

Move would also lower emissions by reducing razing of trees and methane emissions from livestock, scientists sayReplacing 20% of the world’s beef consumption with microbial protein, such as Quorn, could halve the destruction of the planet’s forests over the next three decades, according to the latest analysis.The move would also halve emissions from the global food system, by reducing the razing of trees and the methane emissions from livestock. Previous studies have found meat alternatives have lower environmental footprints but this latest analysis is the first to assess what impact that could have in the world. Continue reading...

Western Power Distribution agrees to payout after support during power cuts deemed ‘totally unacceptable’The UK’s biggest electricity distribution business has agreed to pay £14.9m after its support for vulnerable customers during power cuts was deemed “totally unacceptable”.The energy regulator said National Grid’s Western Power Distribution (WPD) did not provide proper support to 1.7 million customers during the outages. An Ofgem investigation, launched in 2020, found that WPD had failed customers in a number of areas including not carrying out criminal record checks for all staff visiting customers’ homes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Global Warming Policy Foundation has led the backlash against UK government’s net zero policyAn influential thinktank that has led the backlash against the government’s net zero policy has received funding from groups with oil and gas interests, according to tax documents seen by the Guardian and OpenDemocracy.Though the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) has always said it is independent of the fossil fuel industry, the revelations about its funding will raise questions over its campaigning.Adam Bychawski is a reporter for OpenDemocracy Continue reading...

Exclusive: Global Warming Policy Foundation has led the backlash against UK government’s net zero policyAn influential thinktank which has led the backlash against the government’s net zero policy has received funding from groups with oil and gas interests, according to tax documents seen by the Guardian and OpenDemocracy.Though the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) has always said that it is independent of the fossil fuel industry, the new revelations about its funding will raise questions over its campaigning. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel interest groups are telling New Mexicans: let us keep drilling or the state’s education system will collapseThe oil and gas industry wants to play a word-and-picture association game with you. Think of four images: a brightly colored backpack stuffed with pencils, a smiling teacher with a tablet tucked under her arm, a pair of glasses resting on a stack of pastel notebooks, and a gleaming school bus welcoming a young student onboard.“What do all of these have in common?” a 6 April Facebook post by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), asked. “They are powered by oil and natural gas!” Continue reading...

Frantic conservation efforts couldn’t save the tiny, intricately colored songbird, whose obit is the first in our new series of memorials for species that have gone extinct in living memoryThe last po’ouli died in an unusual nest. Too weak to perch, the brownish-greyish songbird rested in a small towel twisted into a ring. He was the last of his species, the last in fact of an entire group of finches, and occurred nowhere on Earth outside its native Hawaii. For weeks, as scientists tried to find him a mate, he had been getting sicker. The only remaining po’ouli had just one eye. Alone in the towel, alone in all the world, he closed it.He was born, like all po’ouli (pronounced po-oh-oo-lee), in Maui’s Hana rainforest, on the slopes of Mount Haleakalā – “house of the sun” – where it rains all the time. Also known as the blackfaced honeycreeper, his species was discovered in 1973. Then, researchers estimated the total population at 200 birds. Continue reading...

Campaigners seeking land reform to overturn system that they say denies them access to waterwaysCanoeists are campaigning for a right to “blue spaces”, with fewer than 4% of England’s rivers open to the public.Paddlers have described being shouted at and even subjected to physical abuse for passing through some stretches of river during their exercise. Continue reading...

A ban on selling smoky fuels was meant to cut carbon emissions, tackle air pollution and conserve ancient bogs. Instead, it has fuelled a tense narrative of urban elites versus rural poorThe peat sods lay spread on a field, at the end of which was a mound of earth the colour of dark chocolate. It was the edge of a bog, a habitat thousands of years in the making. A mechanised cutter with steel claws had gouged and sliced some of it into chunks that now covered an area the size of a football pitch. Enough, once dried and bagged, to heat a house for an Irish winter.Some environmentalists would consider this tableau in County Kildare – one replicated across rural Ireland at this time of year – akin to a crime scene, a mad, destructive assault on a precious natural resource, turning a carbon sink into a smoky fuel. Continue reading...

Northern rivers residents make their voices heard at first community hearing into devastating events they say could have been avoided

As dry conditions prevail, the state is restricting outdoor watering while exploring other avenues of waterWith little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply.The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly two-thirds the length of the state, affecting about 6 million southern Californians in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Continue reading...

Water levels at the Nevada reservoir have depleted to such a level that officials predict more grim finds in the futureA body inside a barrel was found over the weekend on the the newly exposed bottom of Nevada’s Lake Mead as drought depletes one of the largest US reservoirs – and officials predicted the discovery could be just the first of more grim finds.“I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains,” Lt Ray Spencer of Las Vegas police told KLAS-TV on Monday. Continue reading...

Researchers in Australia and North America say management of oyster reefs should incorporate Indigenous knowledge