Premier vows not ‘to spare a dollar’ in recovery but residents increasingly frustrated by slow rollout of support

‘One day this place will be uninhabitable. The question I pose when people say that is, “Who gets to leave?”’ asks a biologistAway from the lights and fountains of the Las Vegas Strip, bulldozers are working overtime as the suburbs of Sin City are bursting out of their seams.Las Vegas is growing at a staggering rate. Clark county, where the city is located, is home to roughly 2.3 million people, but forecasts predict the population could go beyond 4 million by 2055. Continue reading...

Australian officials attempted to water down language around health of world’s largest coral reef in latest climate change report

Ukraine and US embassy denounce attack on huge Zaporizhzhia power station as war crime

Experts assess the risks after fire burned for several hours at Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility

Victoria Prentis says Britons need to be more willing to buy premium food and suggests boycott of Russian white fish

Fossil-fuel firms want to turn violence and bloodshed into an oil and gas propaganda-generating scheme. The goal: a drilling bonanzaLast week, we all watched in horror as Vladimir Putin launched a deadly, catastrophic attack on Ukraine, violating international treaties across the board. Most of us swiftly condemned his actions and pledged support for the Ukrainian people whose country, homes and lives are under attack.But the fossil-fuel industry had a different take. They saw an opportunity – and a shameless one at that – to turn violence and bloodshed into an oil and gas propaganda-generating scheme. Within hours, industry-led talking points were oozing into press releases, social media and opinion pieces, telling us the key to ending this crisis is to immediately hand US public lands and waters over to fossil-fuel companies and quickly loosen the regulatory strings. Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan’s plan would cut number of most polluting cars on London’s roads by further 20,000-40,000 a dayLondon’s ultra-low emission zone will be extended to the whole of Greater London by the end of next year under plans set out by the mayor, Sadiq Khan.City Hall said “bold measures are required” to reduce toxic air pollution and cut congestion in the capital, as well as tackling the wider climate emergency. Continue reading...

Royal Horticultural Society says the gastropods ‘play an important role’ in maintaining a healthy ecosystem

Donald Lee claimed he killed a Fannin bighorn sheep in Alaska but an online sleuth and Yukon conservation officers proved he didn’tWhen an Alaskan hunter ventured out into the rugged mountains and dropped his target with a single rifle shot, it seemed like the perfect crime.The only witness lay dead on the rocky landscape. Continue reading...

Sewage works, airports and seaports among key infrastructure at risk, says intergovernmental reportThe UK “is very much not adapted to climate change and not prepared”, according to a lead author of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.The study, published this week and approved by 195 countries, says the worldwide impacts of the climate crisis are more severe than predicted and there is only a narrow chance of securing “a liveable future for all”. Continue reading...

Body of man in 40s found south of Murwillumbah; death of man, 53, takes Queensland’s flood toll to 10 as premier mourns ‘unprecedented’ disaster; Japanese encephalitis case in Qld; at least 37 Covid deaths; Alan Tudge opts not to return to frontbench. This blog is now closed

Queensland and NSW bear the brunt of catastrophic weather conditions that have claimed 16 livesWhen Jenni Metcalfe returned to her Brisbane home to survey the damage as the nearby river peaked, water had already risen a metre up the back wall. There was nothing she could do. “I sat in the gutter and watched it and cried,” she said.The east coast of Australia has been battered by more than a week of torrential rain, as communities begin to survey the wreckage of fatal flash flooding that has left townships looking like war zones. Continue reading...

Firms sought to weaken draft EU law banning food imports linked to deforestation eight days after vowing to accelerate actionFive of the world’s biggest agribusiness firms sought to weaken a draft EU law banning food imports linked to deforestation, eight days after pledging to accelerate their forest protection efforts at Cop26, documents seen by the Guardian show.Forest protection hopes had been raised when the CEOs of 10 food companies with a combined revenue of nearly $500bn (£373bn) vowed to “accelerate sector-wide action” towards eliminating commodity-driven deforestation as the climate summit began on 2 November. Continue reading...

Analysis: Russian invasion could speed up renewables transition – or lead to disastrous return to coalVladimir Putin is using Russia’s hold over fossil fuel supplies to Europe as “a political and economic weapon” in the war in Ukraine, the world’s foremost energy adviser has said, presenting western governments with crucial questions over how they face down the threat to democracy while also heading off climate disaster.Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said: “Nobody is under any illusions any more. Russia’s use of its natural gas resources as an economic and political weapon shows Europe needs to act quickly to be ready to face considerable uncertainty over Russian gas supplies next winter.” Continue reading...

High-resolution images shot from a camera system mounted on planes focus in on the devastation

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including rescued pangolins, a foraging fiddler crab and a silver orb spider Continue reading...

Authorities are urging people to stay alert and check warnings with another east coast low predicted for coast early next week

Science and technology are tools that can be used for both good and bad ends, writes Rob DriverLaurence Kenney (Letters, 1 March) points the finger at “engineers and scientists” for enabling both the climate emergency and armed conflicts across the globe. This is an unhelpful framing of the issue.Science and technology are tools that can be used for both good and bad ends. How we choose to use them is a matter for all of society, not just for scientists. Let’s remember that it was climate science that revealed to us (nearly 40 years ago) that our desire for plentiful energy and transportation based on fossil fuels would lead to catastrophe. And that it is low-carbon technologies that now offer us a pathway out of our climate predicament. Continue reading...

Warren Entsch says northern Australia scheme aimed at cyclone-prone Queensland should be extended to other parts of the country

IEA says reducing temperature could help wean consumers off fuel that Russia is using as a weapon in Ukraine war

Why charging customers more for non-dairy milk in coffee at Starbucks and other cafes is more of a problem than you might thinkIf you are vegan, lactose intolerant, or simply don’t consume dairy, chances are your coffee run comes with an additional fee. Starbucks charges its US customers roughly 70¢ extra for oat, soy, almond, and coconut milk, and such additional costs are common at other cafes across the country.But not every coffee shop does the same. And the reasons they cite are not only customer taste preferences – they say that dairy milk is far worse for the climate, and that because rates of lactose intolerance are higher among people of color, the alternative milk surcharge also perpetuates unfairness. There are calls for more coffee shops, and Starbucks, to follow suit. Continue reading...

The 22-step plan includes preventing and intercepting plastic from entering waterways and educating about its hazardsMicroplastics can be found everywhere, from waterways to fish to inside the human body’s soft tissues. And it’s only getting worse – 11m metric tons of plastic enter the planet’s oceans each year, an amount that is expected to triple by 2040.California is trying to get ahead of the problem, becoming the first US state to put in place a comprehensive plan for tackling microplastics. The roadmap of 22 actions is focused on preventing plastic particles from getting into the environment, intercepting plastics pollution and educating the public about the problem. Continue reading...

Wildlife hospitals are preparing for an influx of sick animals trapped in their habitat or swept into other environments

Andrew Tierney is part of a new breed of cycling activists tackling a rise in online abuse head-on“If someone deletes their comment, that’s success for me,” says Andrew Tierney. “Hopefully, that person will think about what they’re saying in the future.”Tierney, who goes by the name @cybergibbons online, is part of a new breed of cycling activists. After noticing an increase in the amount of abuse and violent threats on social media directed at people who ride bikes, Tierney decided to take action. He started calling out the posters online, with the result that many deleted their comments or even their accounts. Continue reading...

Newcastle and Hunter region now in firing line and subject to severe weather warnings as clean-up begins further north

Nuclear watchdog chief pleads with invading troops to allow workers to carry on ‘providing safety and monotoring radiation’ at ZaporizhzhiaThe UN nuclear watchdog has voiced concern after Russian forces claimed to have surrounded Ukraine’s biggest atomic plant, and called for its workers to be left alone to do their jobs.Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the Russian government had informed the agency that its troops had taken control of the area around the Zaporizhzhia plant in south-eastern Ukraine, the second biggest in Europe, housing six of the country’s 15 reactors. Continue reading...

Weather pattern slashes rainfall in Australia’s southernmost state while temperatures soar

If you follow the Institute of Public Affairs’s logic on job losses, a net zero target is bad for everyone working in renewables too

Wealthy nations accused of depriving poorer ones of nutrient-rich food and wasting mackerel, sardine and anchovy stocksShoppers’ appetite for salmon is causing millions of tonnes of nutritious mackerel, sardines and anchovies to be wasted as fish feed, according to new research.Its authors say farming salmon is an inefficient way to produce nutritious seafood, calculating that half to 99% of minerals, vitamins and fatty acids in the wild-caught fish are not retained when fed to farmed Atlantic salmon. Continue reading...

Politicians, academics and campaigners criticise Nationals MP Paul Toole after he says ‘stop using the excuse of a moth’ to oppose dams

Republican Greg Gianforte confirmed he shot the cat after chasing it up a tree with dogs in his latest controversial hunting incidentThe governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, shot and killed a mountain lion that was being monitored by national park staff, after hunting the animal with hounds and chasing it up a tree.The Republican governor hunted the lion on 28 December, according to details first reported by the Washington Post that were confirmed on Monday by Gianforte’s press secretary, Brooke Stroyke. Stroyke said the governor had a valid hunting license, drove the lion up the tree, and shot it. Continue reading...

UN environment assembly resolution is being hailed as biggest climate deal since 2015 Paris accordWorld leaders, environment ministers and other representatives from 173 countries have agreed to develop a legally binding treaty on plastics, in what many described a truly historic moment.The resolution, agreed at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, calls for a treaty covering the “full lifecycle” of plastics from production to disposal, to be negotiated over the next two years. It has been described by the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as the most important multilateral environmental deal since the Paris climate accord in 2015. Continue reading...

Waitrose, Morrisons and M&S among firms to install refill stations in attempt to reduce plastic waste“Every shopper in the UK” will have access to refillable groceries in a large supermarket or with a delivery service under plans by some of the country’s biggest grocers.Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and the supply-chain company CHEP have joined a refillable grocery partnership and plan to both roll out unpackaged options in-store as well as letting people fill containers with essentials during home deliveries. Continue reading...

With Warragamba Dam spilling and water levels rising fast in Sydney’s north-west, thousands of people prepare to evacuate

Howard Cox denies any conflict of interest in his links to fair fuel group of MPs and company UltimumA lobbyist who has worked with Conservative MPs to argue that the development of as yet unproven fuel additives means it is unnecessary to phase out petrol and diesel engines is the director of a firm developing such products, it has emerged.Howard Cox, who runs the FairFuelUK campaign, is heavily involved with the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on fair fuel, which recommended last year that ministers urgently look at fuel additives, saying these reduced emissions by more than 50%. Continue reading...

There is a war on – no not that one – a war for the future of the entire planet!

Most of 358 victims worked on land, environmental and indigenous rights, with more killed in Mexico, India and among Afghan women

Mayor of northern NSW town calls for help, saying water ‘is still coming full force towards us’

Murwillumbah pharmacist determined to get to work to distribute medication asked for help on social media

Lismore dairy farmer tells of watching half his herd get swept away as others reassess future

Smoke blown from fires in drought-striken Argentina shrouds Asunción and surrounding regions in dangerous hazeA massive, fast-moving cloud of ash hundreds of metres tall and several kilometres wide has swept over southern Paraguay, as storms blew debris from wildfires raging in neighbouring Argentina following two years of severe drought.The colossal bank of smog enveloped Asunción, Paraguay’s capital, late on Monday, shrouding the city and its suburbs in a thick, grey haze with the aroma of burnt vegetation. Continue reading...

Campaigners aghast as emergency exemption on use of thiamethoxam granted due to risk to sugar beet cropAn insecticide banned due to its harm to bees will be used on sugar beet in Britain this year after ministers authorised an emergency exemption. The government overruled its own scientific advisers and the decision was called “scandalous” by campaigners.The neonicotinoid, called thiamethoxam, was banned in 2018 across Europe after a series of studies found it damaged bees. But British Sugar applied for an emergency exemption and on Tuesday the conditions for the exemption were met. Continue reading...

Readers respond to the latest stark warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the window to secure a liveable future is closingThe devastation and human misery described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC issues ‘bleakest warning yet’ on impacts of climate breakdown. 28 February) stands as an indictment of failing political leaders and their complicity with a fossil fuel industry that is literally destroying our only home.Scientists warn that we must act quickly to transition away from coal, oil and natural gas to clean energy. The longer we delay the transition, the more catastrophic the impact. Our elected leaders have no excuse; we must pressure them to act. Affordable clean energy is increasingly available. There are policy solutions. In near unanimity, economists say that the best way to speed the transition is to make the polluting industry pay a fee on its carbon pollution. Continue reading...

Irish scientists publish images of spider feeding on pipistrelle bats in ShropshireProtected pipistrelle bats have been captured and fed on by a noble false widow spider, the first time the behaviour has been seen.The arachnids are thought to have been accidentally introduced to the UK from the Canary Islands about 100 years ago and have been spreading ever since. Continue reading...

Hospital evacuated as flood waters from the Richmond River catchment are expected to reach Ballina on Tuesday night

Elderly woman found dead inside Lismore home and man found in flood waters west of Brisbane; 80,000 claims for disaster support lodged; RBA holds cash rate at record low; at least 39 Covid-related deaths across the nation. This blog is now closed

Report warns government’s conservation watchdog unable to fulfil duty of protecting environment as pay has plunged in real termsPeople working for the government’s conservation watchdog are so underpaid that it is threatening the UK’s ability to reach net-zero pledges, a trade union report warns.Salaries of those working for the government agency Natural England have fallen by 20% in real terms over the last decade, with starting pay thousands of pounds lower than private and charity-sector equivalents, according to the Prospect union’s Natural England 2022 report. Continue reading...

Experts and advocates are also exploring new ranking systems to add urgency to the growing disaster of rapidly warming landscapesClimate scientists from around the world issued dire warnings on Monday, in the latest IPCC report on the dangers posed in the unfolding climate crisis. Among them is extreme heat, a crisis that on average already claims more American lives than hurricanes and tornadoes combined.Though the impact is already being felt, heatwaves are largely silent killers. Often, the toll is tallied far into the aftermath of an event and is vastly undercounted. Unlike fires and floods that produce immediate and visible destruction, heat’s harmful effects can seem more subtle – even if they are in fact more deadly. Continue reading...

Authorities estimate 15,000 properties damaged by floods with possible severe thunderstorm forecast for south-east Queensland on Thursday