Environment | The Guardian

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a rescued fox, a snub-nosed monkey and beached whales Continue reading...

The Underground in Bloom competition showcases the talents of green-fingered TfL staff, who have turned tube and bus stations across the capital into havens for plants and trees, and even fruit and vegThe first official garden popped up at a London Underground station more than a century ago. Now, there is an annual Underground In Bloom competition, run by Transport for London (TfL), for the many stations going green.With plants grown in everything from used mayonnaise pots to old food delivery crates, makeshift station gardens are sprouting up around the capital, all managed by volunteer staff. Competition categories include the best indoor garden, best fruit and vegetables, best hanging baskets and best window baskets.South Tottenham station, with Sasha Diamond, whose garden backs on to the station’s green plot, tending to the flowers. A pelargonium and petunia peep through the fence Continue reading...

This weekend’s ballot could see Switzerland also giving farm animals the constitutional right ‘not to be intensively farmed’Swiss voters will vote on Sunday on whether to ban factory farming as unconstitutional and end imports of intensively farmed meat.The latest polling shows 52% of voters oppose a ban, and 47% support one. If the factory-farming ballot initiative is passed, Switzerland’s constitution, which already protects the “welfare and dignity of animals”, would be modified to include an animal’s right “not to be intensively farmed”, and new laws would lower animal stocking rates to meet organic standards. Continue reading...

See Monster, on a decommissioned North Sea gas platform, is one of the UK’s biggest ever public art worksIt looms high above the Grand Pier and makes the big wheel on the seafront look tiny. As it has taken shape on the beach at Weston-super-Mare, See Monster – a decommissioned North Sea gas platform converted into one of the UK’s biggest public art installations – has provoked a heady mix of head-scratching, interest and ire.Finally, after delays caused by the vagaries of this summer’s extreme weather (too hot at times, too windy at others), visitors are being invited this weekend to clamber onboard. Continue reading...

Campaigners say protesters arrested for blocking roads getting ‘lost in prison system’ while on remandClimate campaigners arrested on suspicion of blocking roads or other offences are waiting up to six months in prison before being tried.Josh Smith, a 29-year-old stonemason from Manchester, has been held on remand in HMP Peterborough for more than two months. Continue reading...

English Heritage identifies six most vulnerable sites as climate change intensifies coastal erosionThe wonderful wildness of the spot, a rocky Cornish headland pounded relentlessly by Atlantic breakers, has inspired poets, artists and dreamers for many a century.But Tintagel, immortalised in British mythology as the place of King Arthur’s conception, is one of a string of castles at risk of tumbling into the sea as climate change increases the pace of coastal erosion. Continue reading...

Energy secretary considers bypassing local planning rules as backbenchers voice oppositionMinisters face a furious backlash from Conservative MPs after overturning a manifesto pledge to pause fracking until it is proved safe, and then indicating drilling could be imposed without local support.Outlining a return to shale gas extraction in England after three years, Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissed worries about earthquakes caused by the practice as “hysteria”, claiming this was often down to a lack of scientific understanding. Continue reading...

New business secretary says opposition to fracking is ‘sheer ludditery’, yet he faces disbelief from many quarters

Defence Housing Australia wants to clear nearly 16 hectares of natural temperate grassland in Canberra’s north-west

Water minister says state will only consider additional 450GL efficiency projects if they do not negatively affect farmers or towns

This live blog has now closed, you can find our latest political coverage hereCatholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for the first time, a demographic milestone for a state that was designed a century ago to have a permanent Protestant majority, my colleague Rory Carroll reports.Thérèse Coffey is deputy prime minister as well as health secretary. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning, and responding to a question from the former Labour MP Ed Balls, who was presenting, she said that as deputy PM she would be “chairing things like the home affairs committee and different elements like that”. But she rejected claims this meant she would be doing the health job part time. She said:I’m conscious that in two weeks we’ve already pulled together our plan for patients and we will continue to develop that.I don’t think it will be a case of being part-time ... We don’t have fixed working hours. Continue reading...

Scientists and environmental groups call proposed legislation a ‘giveaway’ to fossil fuel industry that will gut protectionsScientists, health experts and environmental groups have condemned new legislation negotiated in secret by the fossil-fuel-friendly Democratic senator Joe Manchin and the Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, which will fast-track major energy projects by gutting clean water and environmental protections.The permitting bill published on Wednesday was the result of a deal between Manchin and Democratic leaders, which secured the West Virginia senator’s vote for Joe Biden’s historic climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, which Manchin held up for months. Continue reading...

Billboards hijacked across Europe to highlight role of airline emissions in climate crisisAs Kate, 23, walked out of Seven Sisters station, in Tottenham, north London, she noticed an airline advertisement attracting unusual attention.“I was on my way back home, I was coming out of the station, and I saw two people taking pictures of the billboard,” she said. “I thought at first it was just a normal airline ad, so I just walked past. Then I did a bit of a double take.” Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government discussing plans to designate sites as nationally significant infrastructure projectsLiz Truss is considering designating fracking sites as nationally important infrastructure, potentially cutting out local communities and breaking a leadership election promise, the Guardian can reveal.During her campaign to be the Conservative party leader, Truss said new sites would only go ahead with local consent. However, those familiar with discussions in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, say there have been discussions about pushing through sites without local approval by designating them as nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs). Continue reading...

Energy secretary tells MPs that quakes of 2.5 on Richter scale are routine natural phenomenon

Investigation reveals cattle raised on Mỹky territory ended up in global supply chain including food giantOn one side of the fence, in dense forest, the Mỹky people grow their crops: cassava, pequi and cabriteiro fruit. On the other side, ranchers raise cattle on devastated land. That land is the Mỹky’s, they say.Xinuxi Mỹky, the village elder, says this region used to be a forest where different villages thrived. Only one now remains and the farms have cut into that land as well. “This pasture, where the whites live, was also our village, but now they are raising cattle. The land belonged to us: Indigenous peoples.” Continue reading...

Ranchers risk fines amid a clash over water rights, as regulators and Indigenous nations warn of environmental dangerBefore Rick Lemos and the other directors of the Shasta River Water Association broke the law, they made a decision that under most circumstances might be considered unusual: they sent a letter to authorities spelling out exactly what they intended to do.The California regulation they would defy was an emergency order in response to the state’s punishing drought, in effect forbidding ranchers and farmers in this stretch of land near the Oregon border from diverting water from the Shasta River as they had done for more than a century. Continue reading...

The lead water crisis facing Chicago and many other US cities today has roots in a nearly century-old campaign to boost the lead industry’s sales

Experts warn that girls’ education will be worst hit, as many families are forced to move away from schoolsMore than 3.5 million children are at risk of dropping out of school due to the drought in the Horn of Africa, the United Nations has said, amid warnings the crisis could lead to “a lost generation” that misses out on education.According to new figures shared with the Guardian, Unicef now estimates that 3.6 million children in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are in danger of leaving school as a result of the cumulative pressure on households caused by the unrelenting drought. Continue reading...

Recent record fire seasons in the west have increased pollution across the country, affecting people’s health, scientists sayMillions of Americans are now routinely exposed to unhealthy plumes of wildfire smoke that can waft thousands of miles across the country, scientists have warned.Wildfires cause soot and ash to be thrown off into the air, which then carries the minuscule particles that can be inhaled by people many miles away, aggravating a variety of health conditions. The number of people in the US exposed to unhealthy levels of these particulates from wildfires at least one day a year has increased 27-fold over the last decade, a new study found, with 25 million people in 2020 alone breathing in potentially toxic air from fires. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis finds 151 licences already granted threaten environmentally important spots

Rescue efforts are continuing for the 35 surviving whales on Ocean Beach near Strahan after the second mass stranding to occur in Australia in two days

Biden promised to tackle climate crisis but administration’s rhetoric ‘changed substantially’ after the onset of the Ukraine war and it adopted the industry’s major demandsThe Russian tanks and armored vehicles had barely begun to roll into Ukraine before the fossil fuel industry in the US had swung into action. A letter was swiftly dispatched to the White House, urging an immediate escalation in gas production and exports to Europe ahead of an anticipated energy crunch.The letter, dated 25 February, just one day after Vladimir Putin’s forces launched their assault on Ukraine, noted the “dangerous juncture” of the moment before segueing into a list of demands: more drilling on US public lands; the swift approval of proposed gas export terminals; and pressure on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, to green-light pending gas pipelines. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Faith In Nature to give non-executive director or ‘nature guardian’ voice in business strategyA beauty company has appointed a director to represent nature on its board, giving the natural world a legal say in its business strategy.Faith In Nature, which sells soap and haircare products, as well as household cleaners and shampoo for dogs, says it is the first company in the world to give nature a formal vote on corporate decisions that might affect it. Continue reading...

Two firms control 40% of global commercial seed market, compared with 10 companies 25 years ago, ETC Group saysThe dominance of a small number of big companies over the global food chain is increasing, aided by the rising use of “big data” and artificial intelligence, new research has found.Only two companies control 40% of the global commercial seed market, compared with 10 companies controlling the same proportion of the market 25 years ago, according to the ETC Group, an eco-justice organisation. Continue reading...

The media outlets gave sizeable coverage to journal article that climate scientists said misrepresented their researchThe climate science denial echo-chamber has been loud and proud this week with claims a new “international study” has found no evidence of a climate emergency in records of extreme weather.So impressed was the Australian with the work that it ran uncritical coverage on page one and page two. Continue reading...

The centrist Democrat believes he has votes to pass the measure, which has met with resistance from the leftThe US senator Joe Manchin released an energy permitting bill on Wednesday to speed up fossil fuel and clean energy projects.The bill is expected to be attached to a measure to temporarily fund the government that Congress must pass before 1 October. Continue reading...

Report says urban nature restoration projects must be handled carefully to avoid pricing out localsPoorer communities could be forced out of their areas by rewilding because of “green gentrification”, according to a report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).The report finds that rewilding could lead to house prices rising as areas become more desirable and their risk of being affected by natural disasters such as floods decreases. New tourist opportunities may also result from enhanced green spaces and wildlife. Continue reading...

Opposition MPs say package should target businesses most in need and prioritise energy efficiencyMPs have raised concerns that the government’s energy bailout for businesses will see corporate giants handed huge discounts they do not need.The government on Wednesday announced a package of support including a cap that will halve the unit price paid for energy from 1 October to help companies, charities and public sector organisations, including schools, get through the winter. One estimate puts the cost of the scheme at £25bn. Continue reading...

Failure infuriates other states and may force Tanya Plibersek to impose highly controversial buybacks

Marine wildlife experts are assessing the scene near Strahan – the same location as Australia’s worst mass stranding exactly two years ago

Denmark ‘gets ball rolling’ at UN ahead of protests as poor nations call for greater collective commitmentYouth groups in Africa are preparing to embark on a series of climate demonstrations on Friday to highlight the problem of “loss and damage” to poor countries blighted by climate breakdown, as only one rich country has so far stepped up with funding for the problem.Actions will take place on Friday in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with more to follow in some other African nations over the weekend. Continue reading...

William references grandmother in recorded message for Earthshot Prize during royal mourning periodPrince William has said protecting the environment was a “cause close to my grandmother’s heart” as he delivered a pre-recorded speech at the environmental Earthshot Prize summit.Prevented by royal mourning from travelling to New York, the Prince of Wales recorded his message at the Windsor estate on Tuesday, the day after the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He had been due to fly to New York for the innovation summit of his £50m global environmental competition as a countdown to the awards being staged in the US. Continue reading...

Black bears preparing to hibernate have been lured into Jasper townsite by residents’ non-native apple and cherry treesThe waning days of summer and a bounty of ripe fruit have pitted hungry black bears against park rangers in a fight over a Canadian mountain town’s fruit trees.Residents living in the Jasper national park townsite have been warned that fruit trees on their properties are luring in black bears and need to be removed as soon as possible. Continue reading...

Chris Cornelius says geology is too challenging and government’s support is merely ‘soundbites’

The economic and political barriers to fracking here are extremely high. There are better solutions to the energy crisis

Tree project is central to net zero plan, international conference in London hearsThe UK government’s tree planting scheme is at risk because of the drought, the chief plant health officer has warned.Arid conditions have caused heat stress in the young saplings and caused them to become susceptible to disease, Nicola Spence said at the world’s first international plant health conference, held in London on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Amazon ecosystem is on verge of collapse, leaders tell brands such as Apple and Tesla as UN gathers in New YorkIndigenous leaders from the Amazon have implored major western brands and banks to stop supporting the ongoing destruction of the vital rainforest through mining, oil drilling and logging, warning that the ecosystem is on the brink of a disastrous collapse.Representatives of Indigenous peoples from across the Amazon region have descended upon New York this week to press governments and businesses, gathered in the city for climate and United Nations gatherings, to stem the flow of finance to activities that are polluting and deforesting large areas of the rainforest. Continue reading...

Benefit of six-month scheme for firms will depend on type of energy contract and date it startedLiz Truss has announced a fresh package of support to cover the huge spike in energy bills this winter – this time for businesses. Earlier this month, she unveiled the “energy price guarantee” which will freeze annual bills for average households at about £2,500.The help for businesses is intended to offer equivalent aid, freezing prices higher than they were last year but far lower than they would have been without intervention. Businesses had warned they would need to cut jobs or be forced to shut down without government help. Here’s what the measures mean for firms: Continue reading...

Hearing granted for Humane League, which says use of fast-growing chickens breaches welfare rulesAn animal welfare charity has been granted a court hearing to challenge the government over the legality in England of fast-growing broiler chickens.The UK’s first animal law firm, Advocates For Animals, has brought the case on behalf of the Humane League UK regarding so-called “Frankenchickens”, which can suffer from a wide range of health and welfare problems. Continue reading...

Blackjewel agreed to cover its coalminers’ back wages, but many of them have yet to receive any funds three years after the company filed for bankruptcyIn July 2019, about 1,700 coalminers working for an affiliate of one of the largest coalmine operators in the US, Blackjewel, found their paychecks had bounced. Many were left with bank accounts in the negative while bills and late fees piled up.Blackjewel then filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down its mines in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Wyoming, laying off miners without notice and leaving them without pay for the work they had completed the past two weeks. Continue reading...

Naegleria fowleri grows in warm fresh water, making it well-suited to proliferate as temperatures rise in the USThe death of a child in Nebraska this summer put the rare but deadly Naegleria fowleri – more commonly known as brain-eating amoeba – back in the headlines. The amoeba lives in warm, fresh water and can enter the body through the nose, where it travels to the brain and starts to destroy tissue.The case underscored a troubling new reality – climate change is encouraging the amoeba to pop up in parts of the US where it isn’t typical, such as the north and west. Continue reading...

Gas company’s approval set aside after Justice Mordecai Bromberg found the regulator did not consult properly with traditional ownersTiwi Islanders have won a landmark case against drilling for gas by Santos in their traditional waters after complaining that the company failed to consult them about the impact of the project.On Wednesday, judge Mordecai Bromberg set aside approval for the drilling, part of Santos’s $4.7bn Barossa project and gave Santos two weeks to shut down and remove its rig from the sea north of Melville Island.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Narta lagoon’s Dalmatian pelicans were saved from extinction but now the government is building an airport in Vlora’s protected landscapeHalf a dozen Dalmatian pelicans fly off as we approach the Narta lagoon, a marshland near Vlora in south-west Albania. It is a majestic sight – six elegantly soaring birds, with necks tilted back and wingspans almost matching that of an albatross. “They’re juveniles,” says Taulant Bino, head of the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS). “They might start their own family in the next years.”Although Dalmatian pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) do not breed here, the lagoon serves as an important feeding site for the birds and many more species, including flamingos, gull-billed terns and Kentish plovers. Migratory birds use the lagoon as a stopover during their long journey between Africa and central and northern Europe. They are key Mediterranean wetlands, the type of habitat that covered much of the whole Albanian coast until Enver Hoxha’s dictatorial regime drained large swaths of it in the 1950s and 60s, in an attempt to eradicate malaria and develop the lowlands for agriculture. Continue reading...

Families in NSW Liverpool Plains say authorities did not warn everyone before recent flooding

‘Massive event’ reported at Macquarie Harbour, near Strahan, a day after mass stranding at King Island

Plan would see Collinsville house 3GW of renewable energy generation to produce 1m tonnes of green ammonia for export

Morrison government refused to sign Leaders’ Pledge for Nature in 2020 but Anthony Albanese signals environment is back as priority

Research shows hospital admissions are linked to even short-term exposure, with boys more at risk than girlsAutistic children face an increased risk of hospitalisation if exposed to air pollution for relatively brief periods, with boys more at risk than girls, new research suggests.Admissions for issues such as hyperactivity, aggression or self-injury may be prevented by minimising their exposure, and cutting air pollution levels could lower the risks, the researchers behind the study concluded. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Open. Continue reading...

Widespread thunderstorms will make Thursday the ‘wettest day’ for NSW during public holiday honouring the Queen’s death