Environment | The Guardian

It’s tempting to draw lines on a map, but we can’t forget that cities should be designed for the people who live there Continue reading...

Severe weather warnings issued for parts of eastern Australia still recovering from recent floods, with heavy rain forecast

Committee says changes should be made through legislation, not regulation, as energy minister says they will be revisited at a later date

UK only in early stages of finding permanent site for underground storage of hazardous spent fuelAs Boris Johnson prepares a new push for nuclear power, the £131bn problem of how to safely dispose of vast volumes of radioactive waste created by the last British atomic energy programme remains unsolved.The hugely expensive and dangerous legacy of the UK’s 20th-century nuclear revolution amounts to 700,000 cubic metres of toxic waste – roughly the volume of 6,000 doubledecker buses. Much of it is stored at Sellafield in Cumbria, which the Office for Nuclear Regulation says is one of the most complex and hazardous nuclear sites in the world. Continue reading...

Effect of cuts to efficiency subsidies highlighted as government struggles to finalise energy strategyMillions of households are paying an extra £170 in bills because of cuts to subsidies for measures such as home insulation, according to analysis that comes during an impasse on the government’s energy strategy.One cabinet source said it was now likely the strategy – designed to tackle rising bills and boost energy security – would not be ready this week, amid cabinet splits over funding for nuclear power and the relaxing of planning rules concerning onshore wind. Continue reading...

Environmentalists call changes ‘everything you could ever dream about’ but industry says they ‘undermine the economics of delivering housing’

Chris Thorogood had to venture deep into the Luzon rainforest to set eyes on the extraordinary Rafflesia banaoanaIt was after travelling 6,600 miles and battling through the tropical assault course of the Luzon rainforest that Chris Thorogood set his eyes upon the rare and extraordinary flower that ignited his childhood imagination 30 years ago.Thorogood, 38, last month became the first westerner to see the Rafflesia banaoana – an otherworldly-looking red spotted species that spans half a metre across – in an experience that reduced him to tears. Continue reading...

Former employees arrested for ‘extremist activities’, fuelling fears for conservationists’ safety and the future of protected areasOne of the oldest and largest wildlife NGOs in Belarus is being forced to shut down after accusations of “extremist activities”, as conservationists warn of “darkness” engulfing a region known for its rich natural heritage.Former employees of BirdLife Belarus (APB) were arrested and one has been in jail for six months under suspicion of attempting to destabilise the political situation in the country under the guise of protecting birds. The organisation has been ordered by a court to close next month after 24 years of work. Continue reading...

Man drowns on Sydney’s northern beaches; Labor senator Katy Gallagher says she had no ‘difficult arguments’ with Kimberley Kitching beyond what was normal in politics; 11 coronavirus deaths recorded nationwide. This blog is now closed

Brigades of volunteers are coming to the rescue of thousands of Pacific newts that perish each year as they migrate to their breeding groundsOn particularly warm and damp winter nights, as thousands of Pacific newts venture out onto the verdant Petaluma hills north of San Francisco – so does the Chileno Valley Newt Brigade.As the sunlight fades, volunteers spread out over a mile-long stretch of a rural road. Wearing reflective vests, much like school crossing guards, these brigadiers are here to help the newts make a perilous journey from a lake on one side of the road to the hills on the other. Working in pairs, they scan the road with flashlights, gently picking up each wriggly newt they find and moving them to safety. Continue reading...

The industry has been in steady decline but some believe the war in Ukraine makes the case for revival of energy technologyCompared to some of his pet projects – the bridge across the Irish Sea or a floating airport in the Thames – Boris Johnson’s plan to get 25% of UK electricity from nuclear power plants by 2050 isn’t all that fanciful.The same mark was reached within living memory, after the commissioning of Sizewell B in 1995. Continue reading...

The billionaire mining magnate known as Twiggy may be emulating Bill Gates with the scale of his philanthropy, but not everyone is convinced

Proposed theme park the size of 136 Wembleys will threaten protected species and local jobs, say campaignersIt promises to be one of Britain’s most unusual planning battles. On one side is an array of endangered wildlife that includes a species of jumping spider. On the other are backers of a theme park that they claim will rival Disneyland in its size and ambition.The park, called the London Resort, would be built on the Swanscombe peninsula on the Thames, near Gravesend, where it would cover land equivalent to 136 Wembley stadiums and would include themed rides, a water park, conference venues, hotels and a shopping centre. Continue reading...

One of the leading advocates of energy conservation explains why this could be a turning point for climate economicsTemperatures dropped far below freezing this week in Snowmass, Colorado. But Amory Lovins, who lives high up in the mountains at 7,200ft above sea level, did not even turn on the heating.That’s because he has no heating to turn on. His home, a great adobe and glass mountainside eyrie that he designed in the 1980s, collects solar energy and is so well insulated that he grows and harvests bananas and many other tropical fruits there without burning gas, oil or wood. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Charity says big four chains offer scores of deals every week, despite pledging to promote meat-free eatingBritain’s biggest supermarkets stand accused of “bombarding” shoppers with offers of cheap meat, despite pledging to promote more meat-free diets to improve health and tackle global heating.They are using money-saving promotions, such as two for the price of one, as a way of “pushing” meat, at odds with moves in the UK and globally for consumers to eat less of it, research found.While Morrisons and Asda ran 1,490 and 1,352 promotions respectively, Tesco (948) and Sainsbury’s (933) ran many fewer.Asda and Morrisons run a lot of multi-buy offers for animal products, such as three for £10, three for the price of two and buy one get one free.Sainsbury’s uses discounts on meat products to persuade people to buy them. Continue reading...

Wollumbin track reopening delayed after floods, while hikers asked to reconsider climb out of respect for Indigenous sacred place

The deal is intended to decrease reliance on Russia but will entrench reliance on fossil fuels, environmentalists sayA major deal that will see the US ramp up its supply of gas to Europe in an attempt to shift away from Russian fossil fuel imports risks “disaster” for the climate crisis, environmental groups have warned.Under the agreement, unveiled on Friday, the US will provide an extra 15bn cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year. This represents about a tenth of the gas the EU now gets from Russia, which provides 40% of the bloc’s total gas supply. Continue reading...

Tess Riley has been left fraught with anxiety over any potential impact the gas has had on her pregnancyA pregnant woman injured by a high quantity of poisonous gas that was accidentally released at the aquatics centre at London’s Olympic park is planning to sue the company that runs the pool.Tess Riley, 37, who fled the pool with her husband, Thom, and their two-year-old daughter Ruby, said they “vomited our guts out” after the incident, which took place moments after a parent and toddler session in the centre’s training pool on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...

Rhode Island Democrat talks to the Guardian about the president’s climate record and targeting oil industry’s ‘achilles heel’For nine years, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat representing Rhode Island since 2007, made weekly speeches called “Time To Wake Up” urging the Senate to take action on the climate emergency.He ended the weekly ritual once Joe Biden became president and Democrats took control of both houses of Congress. But now, with hopes of new climate legislation in shambles, Whitehouse is back at it again. “I revived the speech series because I lost confidence in the momentum for a climate solution,” he said. Continue reading...

Hundreds of protests across seven continents in first action since Cop26 climate summitYoung people across the world have begun a wave of school strikes for the climate, in the first Fridays for Future action since the Cop26 climate summit.Hundreds of protests were expected in communities on all seven continents, starting in New Zealand on Friday morning and heading west with the rising sun. Continue reading...

Activists condemn Wildlife Services, a division of the USDA, which says deaths necessary to protect farmers and public healthAn obscure division of the US government had a busy – and ruthless – year in 2021, killing more than 1.75 million animals across the country, at a rate of about 200 creatures every hour.The latest annual toll of Wildlife Services, a department within the US Department of Agriculture, has further stoked the fury of conservation groups that have decried the killings as cruel and pointless. Wildlife Services maintains the slaughter is necessary to protect agricultural output, threatened species and human health. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including mating frogs, vervet monkeys and a rehabilitated bald eagle Continue reading...

Highly virulent variants of avian flu now appear endemic in wild birds, making farms prone to outbreaks all year, experts warnFree-range chickens and eggs may no longer be feasible to produce in the UK and elsewhere in Europe in future due to a dramatic escalation in avian flu outbreaks, say leading disease experts.

Call comes as thinktank says the world’s 30 largest financial institutions are undermining their net zero targetsBillionaire Sir Christopher Hohn has urged shareholders to vote against bank directors involved in “greenwashing”, and who lobby against climate action.The hedge fund manager, who once had Britain’s highest salary at £1m a day, made headlines when he donated £50,000 to climate activist group Extinction Rebellion. Continue reading...

Heating of the atmosphere, due to the burning of fossil fuels, is seemingly upending a process that long appeared unshakeableThe arrival of spring has seemingly immutable rituals – lengthening days, blossoming plants and a surge in bees’ activity. But the onset of spring is now being warped by the climate crisis, with new research finding that many species of birds are nesting and laying eggs nearly a month earlier than they did a century ago.US scientists who analyzed the nesting trends of birds from egg samples collected in the Chicago area found that of the 72 species for which historical and modern data exists, around a third are now nesting much earlier in the year than before. Continue reading...

Aerial surveys show almost no reefs across a 1,200km stretch escaping the heat, prompting scientists to call for urgent action on climate crisis

Keith Pitt denies previous donations to Liberal party played a role while another coalminer says it wasn’t contacted regarding 70,000-tonne shipment

Keith Pitt denies previous donations to Liberal party played a role while another coalminer says it wasn’t contacted regarding 70,000-tonne shipment

Environmental campaigners make joint call as young people prepare for new wave of school climate strikesRussian and Ukrainian environmental activists have made a joint call for a European embargo on Russian oil, gas and coal, as children and young people prepare to take part in the latest wave of climate crisis school strikes and protests around the world.Arina Bilai, 16, of Fridays for Future Ukraine, and Arshak Makichyan, 27, of Fridays for Future Russia, said a ban on trade in Russian fossil fuels would starve its invasion of Ukraine of crucial funds, while accelerating Europe’s transition to clean energy. Continue reading...

Patrols suggested as residents say foragers collecting large bags of wild garlic are ruining annual supplyUsually in the springtime, Millham Lane in the Cornish town of Lostwithiel is flanked by thick, unbroken banks of strongly scented wild garlic.But this year ugly gaps have appeared in the bright green swathe after they were stripped by foragers – apparently professionals – intent on sourcing a fresh, free ingredient for fashionable dishes such as wild garlic pesto. Continue reading...

State government announces strike force and penalties, while two German nationals will be deported

Murujuga traditional custodians call for changes to government agreement from 2003 that restricts opposition to developments

Traditional orchards, havens for wildlife, have been lost to housing and farmland, National Trust reportsA century ago, small orchards were the glory not only of the countryside but of towns and cities across the UK, buzzing with life during the summer and, at this time of year, rich with the sight and scent of blossom.But research released as this spring’s blossom sweeps across the UK has found there are 80% fewer small “traditional” orchards, which are regarded as particularly important for flora and fauna, in England and Wales compared with in 1900. Continue reading...

Tiwi Islander and Larrakia peoples seeking to block South Korean development say it threatens marine life

New data suggests forests help keep the Earth at least half of a degree cooler, protecting us from the effects of climate crisisThe world’s forests play a far greater and more complex role in tackling climate crisis than previously thought, due to their physical effects on global and local temperatures, according to new research.The role of forests as carbon sponges is well established. But comprehensive new data suggests that forests deliver climate benefits well beyond just storing carbon, helping to keep air near and far cool and moist due to the way they physically transform energy and water. Continue reading...

Australia already has energy independence and extracts more gas than it needs to meet domestic demand. Indeed three-quarters is exported as LNG

PM ‘passionate’ about potential in light of fresh push for self-sufficiency after Russia invasion of UkraineBoris Johnson is expected to open the door to more onshore wind at next week’s energy strategy, despite some cabinet ministers lobbying against relaxing planning laws to allow more turbines.The cabinet is split over whether to aim for more onshore wind projects, which can often get into lengthy planning battles, after officials drew up plans for a target of 30GW by 2030. Continue reading...

Analysis: Chancellor could have helped low-income households by pushing green measures, say campaignersSolar panels will be about £1,000 cheaper for households to install from April, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced, with the removal of VAT on green home-upgrade equipment.Heat pumps and energy efficiency materials will also benefit from the zero rating in a boost for clean energy generation. Heat pump installations will be about £500 cheaper as a result and the cost of installing cavity insulation will fall by about £190 and loft insulation by about £160 for the average household. Continue reading...

Readers fail to see the logic behind the government’s drive to go for the nuclear option to generate electricityThere is much about this government’s – and, to its shame, Labour’s – newfound love affair with nuclear power that makes no sense (Johnson announces aim for UK to get 25% of electricity from nuclear power, 21 March).First, you cannot just turn off a nuclear power station. If we have 25% of our electricity generated by nuclear, then on days when all our needs can be met by renewables we will have to turn off 25% of our much cheaper renewable feed while using expensive, taxpayer-subsidised nuclear generation. Continue reading...

Government’s reef envoy says visiting scientists ‘have to see the good and the bad’ as widespread bleaching confirmed

One minister says windfarms are ‘not cost-effective’ and some prefer a push for frackingMinisters have not yet made a final decision about whether to include a renewed push for onshore wind in next week’s energy independence plan, with some in cabinet sceptical about the move, government sources say.The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has made clear publicly that he would like to see planning rules relaxed, in order to facilitate the building of more onshore windfarms. Michael Gove, who oversees the planning system, has also spoken out in favour. Continue reading...

António Guterres says entire planet should be covered by early warning systems within five yearsEveryone on the planet should be covered by an early warning system against extreme weather and climate-related disasters within five years, the UN secretary general has said.About a third of people around the world are not now covered by early warning systems, but in Africa the problem is greater, with about six in 10 people lacking such warnings. Continue reading...

Charity to look at how hedge varieties provide benefits such as rainwater control and wildlife shelterGardeners and homeowners should swap their fence for a hedge, the Royal Horticultural Society is urging as it begins a study into which species are best for tackling the climate crisis and pollution.Scientists at the charity are looking into green infrastructure, particularly in urban areas. One example of such infrastructure is using hedges to mark boundaries between properties and gardens. Continue reading...

Campaigners warn time running out for governments to halt and reverse the destruction of wildlife and ecosystems that support the planetTime is running out for governments to reach an ambitious Paris-style agreement for nature, say campaigners, who warn that crucial negotiations to protect biodiversity are moving at a “snail’s pace”.Amid increasingly alarming scientific assessments about the state of life on Earth, negotiators are meeting in Geneva for talks aimed at halting and reversing the destruction of wildlife and ecosystems that support human civilisation. Continue reading...

The latest wave of climate deniers claim green schemes are ‘unaffordable’. Success stories from around Europe prove that’s not trueWhile all eyes were on another horror, our war against the living world went nuclear. Over the weekend, temperatures at some weather stations in the Arctic rose to 30C above normal. Simultaneously, at certain weather stations in the Antarctic they hit 40C above normal. Two events, albeit off the scale, do not make a trend. But as part of a gathering record of extreme and chaotic weather, these unprecedented, simultaneous anomalies are terrifying.On their heels came news of another horrific event: mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during a La Niña year. La Niña is the cool phase of the Pacific cycle. Until now, widespread bleaching had happened only during the warmer El Niño years. The likely impacts of the next El Niño are too awful to contemplate.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist. He will discuss Regenesis at a Guardian Live event on Monday 30 May. Book tickets in-person or online here Continue reading...

Prof Andrew Macintosh says the system, which gives credits for projects such as regrowing native forests after clearing, is ‘a fraud’ on the environment, taxpayers and consumers

NSW government seeks to suspend Gareth Ward; Craig Foster lashes treatment of asylum seekers in National Press Club address; new research suggests long-lasting Covid immune response from vaccine-induced T-cells; at least 26 Covid deaths recorded; Atagi expected to green light fourth booster shots for some Australians. This blog has now closed

There’s new advice for gardeners on how to tackle this little beetle which doesn’t involve pesticidesThe first sign of black vine weevils, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, is usually when one of your favourite pot plant wilts and dies in the spring. The larvae, small creamy white sickle-shaped grubs, devour plant roots and then the base of the stems until the plant keels over. The grubs are a major pest in nurseries where there are many plants in containers. Out in gardens they attack many varieties of ornamentals including rhododendrons and camellias plus crops such as strawberries. Although outdoor attacks are seldom fatal they weaken the plants.When adult beetles emerge in April they are only 10mm long and nocturnal. The adults cannot fly but can run fast and climb plants at night, feeding by taking bites out of leaves. By day they hide under any debris on the soil surface to avoid being eaten by predators which include birds, frogs, toads, shrews, hedgehogs and other beetles. In the autumn they lay eggs in the soil, the larvae then munching away unseen all winter. Continue reading...

A call for collective action could help UK pivot away from dependence on Russian fossil fuelsThere is a second world war poster showing a red-faced couple looking angrily at their daughter as she adds more fuel to their fire. The caption reads: “Save fuel to make munitions for battle.”It was one of a series of public campaigning posters aimed at driving a collective response to the need to save energy for the war effort. The message was clear: stop using so much fuel, because it is needed for the fighting troops.Turn down the thermostat on your boiler by 1C. If everyone in the UK did this, it would reduce their energy demand by 10%. Energy bills would be cut by £670m, while saving 3.5m tonnes of CO2 a year, according to the Energy Savings Trust.Set your heating to come on only when required. This is estimated to help reduce a household’s electricity use by 2.8% and gas use by 2% (Energy Savings Trust).Set thermostats no higher than 19C and the water temperature in heating systems no higher than 55C, says the Committee on Climate Change.Keep your shower time to four minutes. This could save a typical household 950kWh of energy and 195kg of carbon emissions a year; equivalent to driving 700 miles from Birmingham to Aberdeen and back again (Energy Savings Trust).Turning lights off when leaving a room will save you around 70kWh of energy and 17kg of carbon annually – the equivalent to driving 61 miles from London to Canterbury (Energy Savings Trust).Insulate your home. A fully insulated home is 50% more energy efficient than a property that has no insulation, according to Eyre.Cut domestic energy demand by introducing a four-day week and encouraging more working from home, says the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions.Speed up the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps. After the failure of the Green Homes Grant, the government will launch its replacement on 1 April 2022. The boiler upgrade scheme will offer a £5,000 grant to replace gas boilers with air-sourced heat pumps. Switching from a typical gas heating system to an air-source heat pump could save about 9,200 kWh a year (Energy Savings Trust).Increase the use of renewables, which are now the cheapest form of energy production on the market. 649 solar and windfarms already have planning permission; if they went ahead they would save more gas than currently imported by the UK from Russia, according to Carbon Brief.Replace fossil-fuelled cars with electric ones. A fully electric vehicle could save 2 tonnes of CO2 a year and help end dependence on fossil fuel (CCC). Continue reading...

Authorities in Abruzzo step in to stop Carrito the Marsican bear’s increasingly brazen behaviourMarina Valentini is still bewildered as she surveys the scene of the crime, pointing to the floor of her bakery in Roccaraso, a small mountain town and ski resort in Italy’s Abruzzo region, where the crumbs of her freshly made biscuits were scattered.“My husband had popped to the bakery,” she said. “I was at home, expecting him for dinner, when he called and said: ‘Marina, there’s a bear in the bakery’. My first response was: ‘Have you been drinking?’” Continue reading...