Environment | The Guardian

Climate activists in Austria have attacked a painting by Gustav Klimt, with one throwing a black, oily liquid at it and another glueing himself to the glass covering the painting. Members of Letzte Generation Österreich (Last Generation Austria) tweeted that they had targeted the 1915 painting Death and Life at the Leopold Museum in Vienna to protest against their government’s use of fossil fuels. After throwing the liquid at the artwork, which was not damaged, one activist was pushed away by a museum guard while another glued his hand to the glass over the painting

Brazil president-elect’s decision to fly on a jet owned by a health industry mogul criticised by both opponents and supportersBrazil’s president-elect has faced a backlash at home after flying to the Cop27 environmental summit on a private jet owned by a millionaire businessman.Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected on 30 October and has vowed to undo much of the environmental damage wrought by the outgoing far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...

Minister warns rightwing Tory MPs in danger of misreading public mood in similar way to US Republicans

Return of one of one of Britain’s rarest fish confirmed after DNA found in water samples above fish passesFor nearly two centuries, one of Britain’s rarest fish has been shut out of its spawning grounds by large weirs.But the endangered twaite shad has now returned to its historic spawning habitat on the River Severn, thanks to four new fish passes that enable the migratory fish to negotiate weirs and swim up river to lay eggs. Continue reading...

Queensland’s Gladstone council is pinning its hopes on a 10-year energy transition plan, amid concerns for its future in a net zero world

Critics says India’s plans to increase coal production to 1bn tonnes a year are environmentally devastating and unnecessary

Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh follows decade-long crackdown on civil society in Egypt

Chemical exposure and lifestyle choices probably to blame for reduction resulting in ‘sharp decline in probability of conception’The rate at which human sperm counts are decreasing has more than doubled since the turn of the century, and the mean level has dropped below a threshold that makes conception significantly more difficult.These findings are part of a new peer-reviewed study published today in the Human Reproduction Update journal that includes data from 53 countries and is the first meta-analysis to check levels in Central America, South America and Asia. Continue reading...

Hundreds waited to be rescued from their rooftops while others clung to trees as torrents of water rushed through the town

An ambitious forest management plan in the country’s Carpathian mountains is bringing state foresters ever closer to the dens of brown bears, a protected speciesWe’re on the hunt for brown bear dens in Poland’s Carpathian mountains, on the border with Ukraine. The lairs lie within the gnarled caverns that naturally form at the base of decaying fir trees when they get to about 130 years old. Each den is slightly different – some have rocky bottoms, others have been lined with beech leaves, making a sort of woodland mattress. Looking inside gives an insight into the character of each bear, just like visiting a friend’s house.We pass half a dozen caverns in a 15-hectare (37-acre) area on the steep, rocky woodland slope of Lutowiska forest district, just outside Bieszczady national park. There are an estimated 110 brown bears left in Poland and this slope is dense with dens and likely to be home to one mother and one or two cubs, with many others passing through. Continue reading...

Data shows E coli and intestinal enterococci at levels unsafe for swimming at Wolvercote Mill Stream, near OxfordThe only official bathing water area on the River Thames has failed tests for bacteria associated with sewage pollution, data shows.A section of Wolvercote Mill Stream, at Port Meadow, two miles outside Oxford, was designated as an official bathing area in April after a campaign by local people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Raw sewage releases exploit ‘monopoly’ of suppliers, argue corporate wrongdoing specialistsWater companies could be forced to pay their customers hundreds of millions in fines due to sewage pollution, a leading firm specialising in corporate wrongdoing has said.Fideres LLP, which has conducted investigations into issues ranging from Covid test prices to cryptocurrency scams, is now setting its sights on England’s water companies. Continue reading...

England’s tally of 80 confirmed incidents is second-highest figure since records beganThere were 108 confirmed incidents of illegal persecution of birds of prey across Britain in 2021, according to the RSPB’s annual bird crime report.England’s tally of 80 confirmed persecution incidents was the second-highest figure since records began in 1990, after an unprecedented surge in wildlife crime during the pandemic year of 2020. That year, a record 137 known incidents of bird of prey persecution were logged by the RSPB, with lockdowns seemingly creating an increased opportunity to kill raptors without detection. Continue reading...

The Guardian and dozens of international media titles publish a joint editorial calling for radical thinking on how to fund climate action in poorer countries

This editorial calling for action from world leaders on the climate crisis is published today by more than 30 media organisations in more than 20 countries

The case for rapid transition to renewables is stronger, but some developments are making it harderOn a breezy day in May, the Met Office issued a pithy forecast which would prove telling: “Quite windy.” In fact, on 25 May the UK set a record for wind power generation, 19.9 gigawatts – enough to cover more than half of Britain’s electricity needs, or boil 3.5m kettles. So plentiful was the wind power that National Grid was forced to ask some turbines in the west of Scotland to shut down, as the network was unable to store such a large amount of electricity.The episode represents a landmark which underlines both the progress of Britain’s renewables industry and the potholes in the road to replacing fossil fuels. Just six months earlier, global leaders met in Glasgow with renewable energy high on the agenda. Continue reading...

All four of the billionaire Atlassian co-founder’s proposed new directors secured seats on the board of Australia’s largest carbon emitter

Emergency services say they are mounting one of the biggest-ever flood responses in New South Wales’ history

Combined emissions from 15 companies surpass Russia’s and equate to more than 80% of EU’s methane footprint, study findsThe combined methane emissions of 15 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies are higher than those of several of the world’s largest countries, including Russia, Canada and Australia, according to a new study.The analysis from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Changing Markets Foundation found that emissions by the companies – five meat and 10 dairy corporations – equate to more than 80% of the European Union’s entire methane footprint and account for 11.1% of the world’s livestock-related methane emissions. Continue reading...

Previous summit’s president tells ministers no ‘backsliding’ must be allowed over climate crisis ‘red line’Alok Sharma, the former UK cabinet minister who presided over the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, has warned delegates at Cop27 that the possibility of limiting global heating to no more than 1.5C may be at risk.“We’ll either leave Egypt having kept 1.5C alive, or this will be the Cop where we lose 1.5C,” Sharma said at the opening on Monday of the high-level ministerial roundtable on pre-2030 ambition. Continue reading...

As negotiations develop, some countries pushed to weaken the goal of keeping a global temperature increase to 1.5CThis liveblog is now closedWe’ve been reporting a lot on the lack of food at Cop (it’s been on our reporters’ minds for obvious reasons).But my colleague Damian Carrington has found that vegan campaigners have capitalised on the burger shortage. Continue reading...

‘Proof of life’ note says writer, who has been on hunger strike, is drinking water againThe family of the jailed British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah say they have received proof of life, in the form of a letter in which he says he has ended his water strike after six days but will continue his hunger strike.“I’m sure you’re really worried about me,” Abd el-Fattah wrote to his mother, in a cautiously worded letter as his communications are heavily monitored by the Egyptian authorities. Continue reading...

Scientists say the world’s largest sand island helped create clearer water conditions for reef growth

Despite Labor’s increased emissions target, Australia has only improved four places to 55th out of 63 in the annual indexAustralia continues to trail other developed countries in addressing the climate crisis, in part due to the Albanese government’s support for new fossil fuel developments, according to an analysis released at the Cop27 UN conference in Egypt.The climate change performance index, published by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network with input from 450 climate and energy experts and campaigners, found Australia was still a “very low performing country”. It ranked 55th on a list of 63 countries and country groupings, up from 59th last year. Continue reading...

Secret court set up under energy charter treaty accused of conflicts of interest, self-regulation issues and institutional biasA secret court system that allows fossil fuel investors to sue governments for vast amounts of money has been accused of institutional bias, self-regulation issues and perceived conflicts of interest, as the drumbeat of EU countries leaving threatens to turn into a samba march.On Wednesday, the EU will be meeting to discuss reform of the energy charter treaty (ECT) but at the end of last week, Germany became the latest European country to announce its intention to leave the treaty. Slovenia exited earlier in the week, after similar moves by France, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland. The UK is now one of the last large economies to remain in the ECT. Continue reading...

Australia is back as a ‘constructive collaborator’ in negotations, he will tell summit, as he calls for more commitment from institutions

Leaders from Achuar and Wampis peoples say Petroperú is responsible for spills in their territoryNative leaders from the Peruvian Amazon are to travel to the US this week to lobby banks to cut financial ties with Peru’s state oil company, Petroperú.Leaders from the Achuar and Wampis peoples say the state company is responsible for oil spills in their territory that violate their human rights by polluting their water sources and irreparably damaging their fishing and hunting grounds. Continue reading...

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Shadow climate change secretary says group would cooperate to cut energy prices and promote clean technologyThe UK under a Labour government would form an “anti-Opec” alliance of countries dedicated to renewable energy, to bring down energy prices and promote clean technology, the shadow climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, has said.A clean power alliance would enable countries to cooperate to source components more cheaply, boost the expansion of wind, solar and other forms of low-carbon power, and potentially to share or export electricity across connected grids. Continue reading...

Carbon Tracker thinktank says investors in fossil fuels on the continent would be left with stranded assetsExpanding oil and gas exports would threaten the economic stability of many African countries, new analysis has found, despite soaring fossil fuel prices.Demand for fossil fuels is likely to fall sharply in the medium term, according to a report published on Monday by the Carbon Tracker thinktank. That makes relying on gas exports to fuel economic growth a short-term, risky strategy, while boosting solar power would prove a better long-term bet, the analysis found. Continue reading...

Days scheduled to discuss issues such as women’s rights and civil society alongside formal negotiationsWater and the effects of the climate crisis on water scarcity will come under scrutiny on Monday at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh as it enters its second week.The talks are scheduled to end on Friday, though it is likely they will continue at least into Saturday, with new measures and pledges hoped for on issues from greenhouse gas emissions cuts to financial assistance for the poorest nations. Continue reading...

Severe storms continue to drench exhausted communities as a humid air mass prompts flash flooding alerts in eastern Australia

Momentum matters on climate, and he won’t get another chance to make an urgent first impressionIt lasted only three hours, but Joe Biden’s visit to Egypt on Friday afternoon underlined that it was a mistake for Anthony Albanese not to attend the annual UN climate conference known as Cop27.Not a disastrous mistake, but an avoidable one, and a lost opportunity. The prime minister has turned down a chance to argue in front of more than 110 other leaders that his still-new government is serious about pushing for greater action – that, in the words of the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, “we’re back” after years as a global laggard. Momentum matters on climate, and Albanese won’t get another chance to make an urgent first impression. Continue reading...

Fertilizer Australia says ‘low’ profit margins are proof of competitive market, amid climbing costs and calls for public pricing index

With voters increasingly fearful about fires, floods and extreme temperatures, can the Tories find a way back towards reality?

Delegation at climate summit tell of destruction of protected areas and carbon toll of invasion and rebuildingUkraine has used the Cop27 climate talks to make the case that Russia’s invasion is causing an environmental as well as humanitarian catastrophe, with fossil fuels a key catalyst of the country’s destruction.Ukraine has dispatched two dozen officials to the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to spell out the links between the war launched by Russia in February, the soaring cost of energy due to Russia’s status as a key gas supplier, and the planet-heating emissions expelled by the offensive. Continue reading...

Why is the government fixated on Sizewell C when geothermal and tidal energy are safe, simple and cost-effective?I do not share your enthusiasm for the “good news” that Sizewell C is believed to be safe from Jeremy Hunt’s budgetary cuts (“Britain can’t afford to waver over nuclear power – soon it will be too late”, Editorial). “On a freezing cold, windless, winter’s evening”, Britain’s grid will indeed need an alternative power source to wind or solar, but why is it assumed that only nuclear can provide an alternative base load? And at the cost of how many billions? And how many decades of lead time?Geothermal could do the job faster, more safely and cheaply – for about a quarter of the cost. Geothermal power plants operate already in the United States, Italy and Iceland. And nothing is more certain and regular than the tide twice a day; sea turbines already operate in tidal flows off Orkney and Shetland and are another safe source of energy baseload. Let us not be blinkered by nuclear.

Portuguese economy minister António Costa e Silva was giving a speech when demonstrators got on to the premisesHundreds of protesters angry about the climate crisis took to the streets of Lisbon on Saturday, with dozens storming a building where Portugal’s economy minister, António Costa e Silva, was speaking, demanding that the former oil executive resign.Holding banners and chanting slogans, protesters demanded climate action. As some demonstrators broke into the building, those outside shouted: “Out Costa e Silva!” Continue reading...

On show at the company’s AGM may be the final big demonstration of shareholder activism in the nations’s electricity generation space

US climate envoy John Kerry has said his country is ready to discuss the loss and damage at Cop27After six years as the big cheese of UN climate negotiations, Patricia Espinosa has been enjoying walking the halls of power not quite as an ordinary Joe and apparently isn’t closely following the negotiations. “It has felt just amazing. I knew that as the [UNFCCC] executive secretary that I was missing so much, and it’s been a really wonderful experience.”Espinosa might not be paying close attention, but we’re starting to see developed countries push back against this year’s hot topic, loss and damage, after developing nations laid out a unified case for why a funding mechanism separate to climate adaptation and mitigation is needed to address the climate catastrophes that can’t be averted. The US in particular has been accused of being a “bad faith actor” due to its long track record of disrupting and delaying progress on the issue. Continue reading...

Project promises to create jobs and restore biodiversity, but locals say it is taking food-growing land out of productionThe rolling fields south of Grantham are scenic, but these huge expanses of wheat and beans are almost bereft of insects in summer. In autumn, a few skylarks sing and the occasional buzzard soars, but there is precious little life in the landscape.But soon a 1,525-acre swath of this productive Lincolnshire farmland will be brimming with wildlife, according to a new company that aims to restore biodiversity and make money by rewilding farmland. Continue reading...

The heavy presence of lobbyists from Moscow suggests Russia is using the climate talks to drum up business

A unique species on Socotra in Yemen, famed for its bright red resin and umbrella-shaped crown, has been in decline for years. Now islanders are leading efforts to save itJust after 4am on the Diksam plateau, near the centre of Yemen’s Socotra Island, a loudspeaker stirs local people from their sleep with the day’s first call to prayer. A heavy fog drifts over the plateau and a breeze ruffles a half-dozen green and blue nylon tents sheltering American and European tourists who have come to glimpse one of the island’s most iconic and otherworldly species: a strange, upside-down tree called the dragon’s blood (Dracaena cinnabari).As the sun rises, the fog recedes, illuminating a small cluster of buildings that form the village, the campsite and, to the west, a single paved road winding its way past the jagged Hajhir mountains toward the northern coast.The rapacious eating habits of Socotra’s goat population are thought to have contributed to the decline of the dragon’s blood tree. Photograph: Jess Craig Continue reading...

Major producers of soya and beef accused of failing to deliver on pledges to stop deforestationThe world’s largest food companies, whose products have been linked to the widespread destruction of rainforests, have failed to come up with an adequate strategy to align their business practices with the 1.5C climate target, according to campaigners.The leading producers of soya beans, palm oil, cocoa and cattle published their roadmap to align with 1.5C earlier this week, promising to develop and publish commodity-specific, time-bound targets on stopping deforestation which will be backed by science and checked each year. The companies include the Brazilian beef firm JBS, the American agricultural firm Cargill and the Singaporean food processing firm Wilmar International. Continue reading...

Despite ‘loss and damage’ focus there have been more oil and gas lobbyists than delegates from the most vulnerable countriesHumanity is on a highway to hell, with our foot on the accelerator. The message from the UN secretary general to more than 110 world leaders at the Cop27 UN climate summit in Egypt could not have been clearer: change course now, or face “collective suicide”.Greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise this year, research published this week has shown, despite stark warnings from climate scientists in the past year. The prospects of sticking to the 1.5C limit above pre-industrial levels that scientists tell us is necessary have receded to a “narrow window”. Continue reading...

After years of tension with policy-makers, will New Zealand manage to deliver its ‘world-first’ scheme to reduce methane and nitrous oxide in agriculture?Almost 20 years ago, hundreds of furious New Zealand farmers jumped into their tractors, farm bikes and trucks and ploughed up Wellington’s main street towards parliament to kick up a stink against the so-called “fart tax” – a levy on livestock methane gases, proposed by the then-Labour government to reduce emissions.A cow named Energy was led up the building’s granite steps and left an unwelcome mess in her wake. In doing so, she provided the opposition movement with a powerful, if indelicate, visual metaphor: rural New Zealand was ready for a mudslinging match with the capital. Just months later, the government abandoned the tax. Continue reading...

Advocates of plant-based protein say 75% of world’s farmland should be rewilded to reduce emissions• Cop27 live – latest news updatesEnough protein to feed the entire world could be produced on an area of land smaller than London if we replace animal farming with factories producing micro-organisms, a campaign has said.The Reboot Food manifesto argues that three-quarters of the world’s farmland should be rewilded instead. Continue reading...

The US president assured the summit the US would hit its climate targets by 2030 and apologised for pulling out of the Paris agreementThis liveblog is now closedSvitlana Romanko is a Ukrainian lawyer, climate campaigner and founder of Razom We Stand, a grassroots group calling for a permanent embargo on Russian fossil fuels and an immediate end to all investment into Russian oil and gas companies.So far, she’s somewhat disappointed by Cop27:I thought there would be more space to talk about the ongoing horrific fossil fuel war and the opportunity this should represent for a global green transformation, but it feels like these conversations are limited to the Ukrainian pavilion and not happening at the highest levels.EU exports of Russian LNG has risen 46% year-year-on year in the first nine months of 2022, according to European Commission figures, the EU needs to step-up, act more globally and ban all fossil fuels and insurance. We also demand that US institutions divest the billions they have invested in Russia’s carbon bombs. Continue reading...

Three UK countries ‘way above where we should be for this time of year’ says Met Office forecasterBritain’s armed forces have gone on parade on the warmest Armistice Day on record, according to the Met Office, with the country on track for what could be an unprecedented 11th month of above average temperatures.Unseasonably high temperatures led to “exceptionally mild” conditions across the UK, the forecaster said, with the record-breaking 19.5C recorded in Myerscough in Lancashire more than a degree warmer than the previous record of 17.8C at Kensington Palace in London. Continue reading...

Authority lent total of £655m over four years to owner of 53 solar parks across BritainOne of the country’s largest solar farm owners has entered administration amid the fallout from a scandal that forced an Essex council leader to resign.Administrators at Interpath Advisory have been appointed to Toucan Energy Holdings, which owns a portfolio of 53 solar parks with a combined capacity of 513 megawatts across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Continue reading...