UK activists fighting climate heating and pollution say public response more welcoming than expectedThe activists who took “climate action” against sports utility vehicles by flattening their tyres in the last two weeks have been receiving solidarity and calls for information from around the world.Tyre Extinguishers provides instructions on how to deflate SUV tyres, offers guidance on who to target and collates reports of actions across the country. They have gauged the campaign’s reach by angry emails from SUV owners. Continue reading...
Marine park’s chief scientist says aerial surveys so far indicate bleaching worst off TownsvilleDead corals are being recorded in aerial surveys across the Great Barrier Reef in what the marine park’s chief scientist says is a widespread and serious bleaching event on the world heritage icon.Aerial surveys have covered half of the 2,300km reef, with the worst bleaching observed in the park’s central region off Townsville, where corals on some reefs are dead and dying. Continue reading...
The child suffered significant lacerations to her head, back and arm after the incident in ArmidaleA three-year-old girl has been flown to hospital after suffering head wounds during a “terrifying” kangaroo attack in the New South Wales northern tablelands.Emergency crews from NSW Ambulance were called to a residential street in Armidale about 5.30pm on Thursday with reports the girl had been attacked by a kangaroo. Continue reading...
Cornish pub used in Daphne du Maurier novel says there are no pluses, just minuses to hunt visitsA pub that was the setting for a novel by Daphne du Maurier has banned hunts from meeting on its land after 100 years of the practice.The Jamaica Inn in Cornwall – immortalised in the 1936 novel of the same name about smuggling – announced the decision after the East Cornwall Hunt invited the Beaufort Hunt to meet there on Saturday, a move the pub called “extremely ill-advised”. Continue reading...
Diane Ordish opposes massive industrialisation of the land, and Anthony Cheke points to vast unused urban roofs that could be given over to solar farms. Plus a letter from Francis CreedPolly Toynbee is so right (The Tories railed against ‘green crap’. Why trust them to solve the energy crisis now?, 15 March), but it is unfair to describe those opposing gigantic windfarms and solar farms as “shire nimbys”. There are many environmentalists who don’t feel such massive industrialisation of our land and seascapes is necessary.Insulting anyone who opposes ugly and often highly profitable developments in the name of progress by calling them nimbys has a long history – those fighting to save Covent Garden from demolition, Welsh mining communities opposing windfarms, communities saving swathes of east London from elevated motorways, and in Brighton it was local people who rejected the wholesale demolition of now thriving neighbourhoods through the creation of conservation areas. As Joni Mitchell said, “You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone”. Continue reading...
Explainer: Boris Johnson has asked Saudi Arabia to pump more oil; what implications would this have?Why are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates being asked to pump more oil?Western powers are looking for ways to keep the pressure on Russia during its invasion of Ukraine. Some countries have committed to phasing out Russian oil and gas, while others are still investigating ways of doing this. Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries, along with Venezuela and Iran, that might be able to plug the gap in oil production. Continue reading...
Opponents of £2bn road tunnel say scheme will increase traffic and pollutionA fourth London council has voted to oppose a new £2bn road tunnel under the Thames in east London, putting the capital’s mayor at loggerheads with local authorities over his biggest infrastructure project.Sadiq Khan accused councils of “want[ing] to put off tough decisions”, after Greenwich councillors voted overwhelmingly to call for all work on the Silvertown tunnel to be paused immediately. Continue reading...
Phil Goldberg, a self-described ‘committed environmentalist’, has a powerful strategy to shield the largest oil companies in AmericaIn the spring of 2019, Phil Goldberg, a lawyer and hired gun for a front organisation serving some of America’s most powerful oil firms, spotted an opportunity to serve his masters.The University of Hawaii was holding a conference about a wave of lawsuits against the oil industry, and Goldberg was alarmed the event failed to include representatives from the energy business. So the day before the symposium, he fired off an email to the university demanding that big oil be heard alongside its critics. Continue reading...
A new project aims to shore up the disappearing coastline of New York City’s Staten Island, while reviving a once famously thriving oyster populationOn a recent Saturday afternoon, diners at the Brooklyn restaurant Grand Army slurped oysters drizzled in mignonette and lemon juice against a soundtrack of hip-hop classics and funk. Unbeknown to many of them, they were also supporting a new effort to use oyster shells as building blocks for new, living coastal reefs – a transformative use that’s not only restorative, but may also help protect the city from climate change.Grand Army is one of dozens of restaurants in the city donating its oyster shells to support restoration projects like Living Breakwaters, a $107m effort to shore up the disappearing coastline of New York City’s Staten Island. Continue reading...
Pro-leave MP is due to speak at event to launch Farage’s campaign for a referendum on net zeroA Labour MP is to appear on stage with Nigel Farage at the launch of an anti-net zero campaign for a referendum on policies to tackle climate change, a move that has sparked anger from party colleagues.Graham Stringer, a prominent Brexiter who has appeared with Farage at pro-leave events and on his GB News show, was billed as appearing alongside the former Brexit party leader along with Reform UK leader Richard Tice and the broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer. Continue reading...
Boris Johnson facing criticism over trip to Saudi Arabia to push for a rise in oil output to reduce the UK’s dependence on Russian fuel Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5X636)
Levelling up secretary calls for more onshore wind as ministers explore case for reversing fracking banMichael Gove has said he is “not convinced” by the case for more fracking in the UK, opening up a cabinet split after Boris Johnson ordered a rethink and Jacob Rees-Mogg backed reversing the moratorium.Gove, the levelling up secretary, made the comments at an environment reception, where he also spoke of the need for more onshore wind power. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5X5XE)
Measures to reduce PM2.5 ‘fall a long way short’, say campaigners, as government publishes new targets under Environment ActThe government has proposed to set air quality limits that would allow twice as much small-particle pollution in England as the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends as an upper limit, and that would not be met for almost 20 years.The new target is to reduce levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, to 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2040, in contrast to WHO guidelines, updated last September, that say concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic metre on average over a year.Reduce nutrient pollution in water in England, with phosphorus in treated sewage to be cut by 80% by 2037, and nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from agriculture to be reduced by 40% by 2037.Halt the decline in species by 2030 and increase species abundance by 10% by 2042, creating or restoring more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042.Halve residual waste produced by 2042, from 560kg per person in 2019;Improve the marine environment by ensuring 70% of “designated features” in marine-protected areas are in favourable condition by 2042.Increase tree canopy and woodland cover from 14% of England to 17.5% by 2050. Continue reading...
Environmental lawsuits are nothing new but now lawyers are turning their attention to cases that address the loss of biodiversityThe Tagus estuary near Lisbon is Portugal’s largest wetland, a vital habitat and stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds, including flamingos, black-tailed godwits and glossy ibis. It has also been earmarked as the site of a new airport, leading the environmental law charity ClientEarth and a group of Portuguese NGOs to sue Portugal’s government. When they get their day in court, they will argue that the authorities failed to properly consider how the project would affect an internationally protected nature reserve, and the knock-on effects on other countries visited by the birds.“If you destroy that site, you have an impact not only in Lisbon, but on all the sites up the flyway,” says Anna Heslop, head of wildlife and habitats at ClientEarth. “If the bird populations don’t arrive, they never get breeding.” Continue reading...
by Cait Kelly and Royce Kurmelovs (earlier) on (#5X520)
PM highlights China’s ‘chilling silence’ on Russian invasion as Labor says China has ‘responsibility’ to call out Putin’s actions; NSW Health confirms seventh case of Japanese encephalitis; man in court over Sydney boarding house fire; Coalition to spend $243m on four mining projects; a man has died in Broken Hill after driving his ute into flood waters; nation records at least 17 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed
Buckle up for the story of Ellen’s Energy Adventure – a ride whose sympathetic stance toward oil and coal is newly relevantIf you were lucky enough to be a small kid roaming Disney World’s Epcot Center until just a few years ago, you would have seen a ride nestled next to the monorail tracks that beckoned with gleaming mirror walls.An indoor ride, it was a welcome reprieve from the Florida sun. After buckling into your seat in what seemed like a theater auditorium, and the lights dimmed, a familiar figure would appear on the huge screen in front of you. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5X5DF)
Educating people about cutting energy use and investment in renewable power will be key, says E3G thinktankThe UK could eliminate all need for imports of Russian gas this year through a combination of energy efficiency, expanding renewable power generation and a campaign to help people change their behaviour, research has found.Information campaigns played a strong role in changing people’s behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people are unaware of the savings they could make in energy use through small changes that make no difference to their comfort but can cut bills substantially. Continue reading...
Though global prices are spiralling, fuelled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, this is no reason to drop rewildingShould we plough up Britain? Many people seem to think so. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, food prices were rocketing. Now they have reached an all-time record. The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland has called for Scotland’s feeble environmental measures – paying farmers to plant hedges, cover crops and introduce beetle banks – to be rescinded, so that food production can be maximised. Others insist that rewilding is a luxury we can no longer afford.It is true that the world now faces a major food crisis. Climate breakdown has begun to bite. Heat domes and droughts in North America and storms and floods in Europe and China last year damaged harvests and drove up prices. By February, the cost of food was 20% higher than a year earlier.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistGeorge Monbiot will discuss Regenesis at a Guardian Live event on Monday 30 May. Book tickets in-person or online here Continue reading...
My father, Peter Ackers, who has died aged 97, was a civil engineer and an expert in hydraulics. He worked on projects all over the world, involving hydropower, tidal energy, coastal protection, reservoir spillways and other hydraulic structures.Born in the Liverpool suburb of Bootle, he was the son of Mary (nee Jones), a supervisor in a quilt-making factory, and Peter Ackers, a carpenter/joiner in the Mersey docks. He attended Bootle grammar school, where he excelled at physics and mathematics. Continue reading...
Rewilding programme marks the ‘most significant step’ in ensuring the critically endangered species’ survivalFive mountain bongos have been released into a sanctuary in Kenya, a milestone in the fight for the animals’ survival with fewer than 100 left in the wildConsidered critically endangered, the chestnut-coloured mountain bongo is one of the largest forest antelopes and native to the equatorial forests of Mount Kenya, Eburu, Mau and Aberdares. IUCN predicts their numbers will probably continue to decline without direct action. A recent wildlife census in Kenya counted just 96 mountain bongos in the wild. Continue reading...
by Helena Horton and Damian Carrington on (#5X4JS)
Analysis: Many potential sites are either in ‘red wall’ areas or former safe constituencies in the south• Survey shows only five of 138 MPs in affected seats voice supportLook at the map of onshore exploration licences in the UK, and you could be forgiven for thinking it was an illustration of target seats for opposition parties in the next general election.Ministers privately acknowledge that “rethinking” fracking would be politically very difficult. Those areas most ripe for the controversial oil and gas extraction method are marginals in the “red wall” of constituencies in the north that historically have tended to be Labour, many of which were won by the Tories in 2019. Many of the others are former safe Conservative seats in the south where the Liberal Democrats are limbering up to pick off disillusioned former Tory voters. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#5X4CD)
Trust creates refuge for white-clawed crayfish in old cattle drinking hole on Wallington estate near MorpethAn “ark” refuge is being created by the National Trust to help save one of the UK’s most endangered native species from extinction.The white-clawed crayfish is the UK’s only indigenous crayfish but the population has been almost wiped out because of the introduction of a bigger American species in the 1970s. Continue reading...
Food banks were inundated, restaurants folded, farmers had to dump produce – but the pandemic also created space for fresh thinkingIn April 2020, while Covid-19 spread around the country, and millions of people were sheltering at home, Shay Meyers, the CEO of Owyhee Produce, one of the largest onion growers in the US, asked his workers to bury thousands of pounds of onions.The restaurants, school dining halls, and event centers that normally bought his onions were all shuttered. His cold storage was full. Even though the demand for onions in American kitchens remained as high as – or even higher than – before the pandemic, there simply wasn’t a way to get the food into the hands of those who needed it. In April alone, Owyhee Produce buried four million onions. Continue reading...
Survey finds farm and food assurance scheme ineffective in helping farmers reduce harmful chemicals useThe Red Tractor scheme, used to mark food produced to a “high standard”, is failing to regulate the use of pesticides on farms, a report has found.As the UK’s biggest farm and food assurance scheme, which certifies about 50,000 farmers, Red Tractor is relied upon to uphold environmental standards. The products are sold in all major UK supermarkets. Continue reading...
Since David Cameron’s 2013 U-turn, wind and solar power have been sidelined. Do you believe Boris Johnson will do better?In the grip of the energy crisis, gas prices are already due to increase by 50% in April, and will spike higher later in the year, while the chancellor’s modest mitigations do little for unaffordable bills. Boris Johnson is about to produce an energy strategy to cut reliance on Russian imports and speed UK generation. He wobbles on fracking.But before he boasts some “world-beating” plan, hold on to this salient fact. If the Tories had not blocked progress on renewables and insulation over the last decade, Britain would already be generating more clean energy than the amount provided by the fuels imported from Russia.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
With the growth of the ‘blue economy’, the UN must act decisively to protect our shared seas – or industry will decide their fate for usThe ocean is often seen as the last wild frontier: a vast and empty blue wilderness where waves, whales and albatrosses rule. This is no longer true. Unnoticed by many, a new industrial revolution is unfolding in our seas.The last several decades have seen exponential growth in new marine industries. This includes expansion of offshore oil and gas, but also exponential growth of offshore renewables, such as wind and tidal energy. Continue reading...
Environmental law organisation ClientEarth brings action and urges other shareholders to joinThe directors of Shell are being sued for failing to properly prepare the multinational oil and gas company for net zero.In what is thought to be a first-of-its-kind action, the lawsuit brought by activist shareholders claims that Shell’s 13 directors are personally liable for failing to devise a strategy in line with the Paris agreement, which aims to limit global heating to below 2C by slashing fossil fuel emissions. Continue reading...
Centrist Democrat, who holds key swing vote in US Senate, has poured scorn on the idea of phasing out gasoline and diesel carsFaced with rising gasoline prices, many Americans are now looking to switch to an electric car. But the shift away from fossil fuel vehicles has been criticized by Senator Joe Manchin, who has said he is “very reluctant” to see the proliferation of battery-powered cars.There has been a surge in interest in buying electric vehicles (EVs) in the wake of the war in Ukraine, analysts say, with drivers in the US unnerved by gasoline prices that have surpassed $4.30 a gallon as a result of the conflict and the supply chain issues from the pandemic. Continue reading...
‘Wealthy peers’ in the party blamed for lobbying against animal welfare measures in case they affect shooting in UKConservatives are blaming a “handful of very wealthy peers” who make up the shooting and hunting lobby over the news that legislation banning the import of hunting trophies is to be scrapped.The animals abroad bill contained measures including banning adverts for holidays that include elephant rides. It was to be a flagship bill signalling to the world that post-Brexit Britain was a world leader in animal rights, legislating against animal cruelty abroad. Most significantly, it included a commitment to ban the import of endangered animal parts. Continue reading...
Health board-owned Brynwhilach installation generates enough over 50-hour period to fulfil all of Morriston site’s energy needsThe UK’s first solar farm owned by a health board and linked directly to a hospital has exceeded expectations by, at times, providing all the electricity needed to run the site, even during the winter months.Health chiefs and Welsh government ministers had hoped the solar farm in south-west Wales would supply Morriston hospital in Swansea with a fifth of its energy consumption every year. Continue reading...