Transport committee concludes that drop in fuel-duty revenues from shift to electric requires urgent action

Gaps in tracking industrial pollution before, during and after a natural disaster adversely impacts marginalized communitiesLast year, during Texas’s devastating winter freeze, oil refineries, chemical manufacturers and other industrial plants emitted a whopping 4.7m pounds of excess chemicals into the air that millions of people breathe.The storm was an example of how industrial emissions can spike during and immediately after natural disasters. But in a surprising move last Friday, Texas state regulators announced that wide-scale deployment of agency staff for air monitoring in these critical moments to be “often unnecessary”. Continue reading...

Environment minister tells world heritage centre that government investments are ‘strengthening the resilience of the reef’

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee sees lack of direction on how to end reliance on gasThe government is failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions from heating the UK’s homes, an influential committee of MPs has warned, with little sign of a clear plan for ending reliance on increasingly expensive gas.Home heating is responsible for about 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions, and must be tackled urgently if the government is to meet its carbon reduction targets. Last year, ministers announced a heat and buildings strategy, with the intention of weaning the UK away from gas – which makes up about 80% of domestic heating – and on to lower carbon alternatives, such as heat pumps. Continue reading...

European Environment Agency data shows worst-hit countries to be Germany, France and ItalySevere floods and other extreme weather have cost Europe about half a trillion euros in the past four decades, with Germany, France and Italy the worst-hit countries.Between 90,000 and 142,000 deaths were attributed to weather and climate-related events over the period 1980 to 2020, the overwhelming majority of them from heatwaves. Continue reading...

Energy analysts say their Hunter Valley plan is just ‘an expensive way to avoid a small amount of emissions’ when there are cheaper, greener alternativesLabor said this week it will back a gas-fired power plant in the Hunter Valley, but only if the gas is mixed with hydrogen.The rationale for this move, according to Labor, was the Morrison government’s $600m support for the project was “risking taxpayers’ money on a gas plant that experts say will become stranded in an increasingly renewable energy system”. Continue reading...

NSW utilities warned to monitor stocks of alum and to prepare their contingency plans

Measures include £200 rebate on energy bills as millions of households brace for record riseThe Treasury is scrambling to complete 11th-hour plans capable of softening a national cost of living crisis, including a £200 rebate on energy bills and more help for the poorest households.No 10 and the Treasury have been under pressure from Tory MPs to act as millions of households brace for a record hike in energy bills from April, and the prospect of rising mortgage rates and tax increases. Continue reading...

Government white paper criticised for overlooking opportunities along road to net zeroThe need to reach net zero carbon emissions, and the green jobs that could be created in doing so, received scant attention in the government’s levelling-up strategy, an omission slammed by green campaigners and businesses.The mention of “the green industrial revolution and transition to net zero” came second bottom of the list of 16 priorities in the levelling-up paper published on Wednesday, promising £26bn of capital investment, though green analysts said it was not clear if any of this was new money or how it would be spent. Continue reading...

Court imposes custodial sentences of between 24 and 32 days and hands 11 others suspended sentencesAn activist from Insulate Britain hung a banner proclaiming “insulate or die” at the high court in London on Wednesday as five members of the group were sentenced to jail.Arne Springorum displayed the banner as El Litten, 35, Theresa Norton, 63, Steve Pritchard, 62, and Dr Diana Warner, 62, were given custodial sentences of between 24 and 32 days. Ben Taylor, 27, who was due to be released this month from a six-month jail sentence imposed in November, was sentenced to another 32 days. Eleven more protesters received suspended sentences. Continue reading...

Findings of study show importance of educational and emotional support for children after disaster events, researchers say

Commission’s move widely criticised as undermining efforts to keep global heating below 1.5CThe European Commission has been accused of undermining its climate goals after it defied critics by pushing ahead with plans to include gas and nuclear in an EU guidebook for “green” investments.Gas and nuclear were deemed bridge technologies to meet the EU’s target of net zero emissions by 2050, in long-awaited proposals on the EU’s “taxonomy for environmentally sustainable economic activities”, which were published on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Plastics Rebellion complains to advertising watchdog about claims made in British TV advertInnocent drinks have been accused of “greenwashing” by plastic pollution campaigners after releasing an advert that claims buying their smoothies can help save the environment.Activists, who recently occupied the company’s headquarters, have lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about claims made in an advert entitled Little Drinks, Big Dreams. The ASA is currently reviewing the evidence submitted by the activists and Innocent, and is expected to make a ruling imminently. Continue reading...

Concerns government guidance will not bring an end to the ‘scandal of untreated sewage pollution’Ofwat must do more to make the water industry in England and Wales protect the environment, the government has said.Setting out the priorities for the regulator for the next five years the environment minister Rebecca Pow said water companies should significantly reduce the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows. Continue reading...

River Dee initiative comes as rising water temperature from climate heating threatens species’ survivalMillions of trees are being planted beside Scotland’s remotest rivers and streams to protect wild salmon from the worst effects of climate heating.Fisheries scientists have found rivers and burns in the Highlands and uplands are already too warm in summer for wild Atlantic salmon as they head upstream to spawn, increasing the threat to the species’ survival. Continue reading...

Plants now bloom in mid-April on average, with scientists warning of mismatches with insects and birdsPlants are flowering a month earlier in the UK as the climate heats up, a study has found.The researchers examined 420,000 recorded dates of first flowering for more than 400 species, dating to 1793. The average date for the first blooms was about 12 May up to 1986, but since then the date has been pushed forward to 16 April. Continue reading...

Efforts to restore major supply routes in South Australia have been hampered by huge rainfalls but the weather system is expected to ease

International Union for the Conservation of Nature says NSW government’s plan would inundate Indigenous sites and could create an in-danger listing for Blue Mountains

Formerly rare high temperatures now covering half of seas and devastating wildlife, study showsExtreme heat in the world’s oceans passed the “point of no return” in 2014 and has become the new normal, according to research.Scientists analysed sea surface temperatures over the last 150 years, which have risen because of global heating. They found that extreme temperatures occurring just 2% of the time a century ago have occurred at least 50% of the time across the global ocean since 2014. Continue reading...

Cop26 experts said no new fossil fuel plans would be compatible with climate targetsMinisters face a backlash from climate groups after giving the green light to a new North Sea oilfield just weeks after the Cop26 UN climate talks in Glasgow.The Abigail oil and gas field off the east coast of Scotland was quietly approved by the government’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) last month, defying climate experts who warned at the Glasgow conference in November that no new fossil fuel developments would be compatible with the world’s climate targets. Continue reading...

Former Labour MP Derek Wyatt points out three critical issues surrounding the government’s £100m investment in EDF’s nuclear power plantThree critical issues surrounding the future of the Sizewell C project were missing from the recent announcement (Ministers invest £100m in EDF’s £20bn Sizewell C nuclear power station, 27 January). The first is the appalling state of EDF’s finances. This is coupled with shutdowns at its French power stations, using similar technology to Sizewell C. Newer nuclear power stations are not working.The second is that China General Nuclear Power has a 20% stake in Sizewell C. How does the government intend to play its cards here? How much will it pay to ask CGNP to stand down? £100m? Continue reading...

Treasurer Matt Kean says $171m infrastructure spend is essential: ‘EVs will play a critical role in halving our emissions by 2030’

Woodside Energy is the largest donor among fossil fuel producers backing new oil and gas projects across Australia

Researchers say tackling the picnicking public’s instinctive ‘yuck factor’ will be part of their work

Product needed for food, hospitals and nuclear plants was under threat as main supplier faced supply crisisProduction of carbon dioxide for use in producing meat, beer and fizzy drinks has been secured for at least three months under a new industry deal.Meat processors, brewers, bakers and soft drink producers all use CO in making and packaging their goods. It is also required for the humane slaughter of animals including pigs and chickens, and is used by hospitals and nuclear power plants. Continue reading...

The islands no longer resemble what I knew as a child, as high tides and storms gnaw constantly at the road. Around here, change is non-negotiableA few months ago, I decided I wanted to drive the entirety of Highway 12 – a slim highway that snakes along North Carolina’s barrier islands – before the climate crisis alters it further.Though I spent much of my childhood on the southern part of North Carolina’s coast, these overdeveloped, humid islands have piqued my imagination for decades. I wanted to witness what remains, and what is likely to disappear. Continue reading...

Clever corvids become newest weapon in Södertälje’s war against street litterCrows are being recruited to pick up discarded cigarette butts from the streets and squares of a Swedish city as part of a cost-cutting drive.The wild birds carry out the task as they receive a little food for every butt that they deposit in a bespoke machine designed by a startup in Södertälje, near Stockholm. Continue reading...

Queenslanders urged to reduce energy consumption as high temperatures and high dew points leave state sweltering

Second world war codebreaking calculations used at Bletchley Park find 9,000 of those species are yet to be discoveredThere are an estimated 73,300 species of tree on Earth, 9,000 of which have yet to be discovered, according to a global count of tree species by thousands of researchers who used second world war codebreaking techniques created at Bletchley Park to evaluate the number of unknown species.Researchers working on the ground in 90 countries collected information on 38 million trees, sometimes walking for days and camping in remote places to reach them. The study found there are about 14% more tree species than previously reported and that a third of undiscovered tree species are rare, meaning they could be vulnerable to extinction by human-driven changes in land use and the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Northern outpost of ecological attraction could open in 2024 if government stumps up startup cashA northern English outpost of the Eden Project has moved a step closer to reality after councillors in Lancashire granted planning permission for the £125m eco-attraction.Eden Project North, which would be built in giant, transparent domes on Morecambe’s promenade, is being presented to government as a “shovel-ready” initiative that could help boost the deprived seaside town. Continue reading...

Government halts planned slaughter of animals in ‘wolf zone’, after campaigners secure injunctionNorway has halted a major hunt of wolves after campaigners secured a court injunction.Twenty-five animals, within four packs, are in the “wolf zone”, an area of nature set aside to protect the predators, and these have been given a stay of execution by the courts after campaigners argued wolves in a conservation area should not be shot. Continue reading...

Editorial calling for cycling licences and insurance is odd given paper’s previous campaigns for safer roadsEven in the context of the UK media’s famously curious coverage of everyday cycling, this was a surprise. Away from the more familiar tabloid cries of a “battle” over changes to the Highway Code, tucked away in the sober enclave of the Times’s editorial pages something odd was happening.It was near the bottom of a leader column on cycling that a paper which, less than a decade ago, launched the most concerted and effective media campaign for safe cycling seen in this country for years, decided in effect to declare war on those who opt for two-wheeled transport. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese will back controversial Snowy Hydro project that Morrison government has committed to fundingFederal Labor says Snowy Hydro could proceed with building a new power plant in the Hunter Valley if it wins the upcoming election – but insists the plant should be powered entirely by green hydrogen, instead of gas, by 2030.The opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, and the shadow climate change minister, Chris Bowen, are expected to make the announcement during a campaign visit to the electorate of Paterson on Tuesday. Continue reading...

US company’s Model 3 makes up almost two-thirds of electric cars sold in Australia in 2021, as EV market share grows to 2.39%

US giant agrees to hire auditors after calculation errors, poor record-keeping and inconsistent data collection discoveredUS coalmining giant Peabody Energy has repeatedly submitted incorrect greenhouse gas emissions reports to the Australian government, prompting questions about the reliability of national climate data based on company assessments.The Clean Energy Regulator found Peabody had a history of filing inaccurate reports required under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act due to calculation errors, poor record-keeping and inconsistent data collection and analysis. Continue reading...

Wind speeds of up to 100 miles an hour recorded in Scotland helped send power generation soaringThe UK’s windfarms generated a record amount of renewable electricity over the weekend as Storm Malik battered parts of Scotland and northern England.Wind speeds of up to 100 miles an hour recorded in Scotland helped wind power generation to rise to a provisional all-time high of more than 19,500 megawatts – or more than half the UK’s electricity – according to data from National Grid. Continue reading...

Auto show dedicates entire pavilion to electric vehicles but experts say more charging stations are needed for Biden’s goal to be realizedThe Washington DC Auto Show has been showcasing alternative fuel vehicles for 15 years, but this is the first year an entire pavilion was dedicated to electric vehicles, or EVs. In part, you can thank the current occupant of the nearby White House for that.If Joe Biden has his way with his ambitious $2.2tn Build Back Better plan there will be 50% zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030. The Biden administration also has plans to convert an estimated 600,000 of its fleet to alternative fuels as part of a renewed commitment to combat climate change. Continue reading...

The Humboldt penguins, Elmer and Lima, expertly watched over an egg that hatched on New Year’s DayA pair of male Humboldt penguins at a New York zoo have become foster parents to a new hatchling.The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse says the same-sex foster couple, Elmer and Lima, are a first for the zoo, although several other institutions have seen success with same-sex penguins tending eggs together and caring for newborns. Continue reading...

Pay-monthly models are catching on across a wide range of businesses – including food and even home insulationHollie Wright spotted an opportunity. Working in property management, she came across a company that needed to furnish a home for an employee moving in for a few months. What if they could rent everything from one place and pay a subscription?Two decades later, her business, Instant Home, allows people to pay a monthly rent starting at £220 for the basics for a one-bed flat (or £500 for more premium versions). When the rental ends, her company takes everything back. Continue reading...

Hunting and trapping will end after 82 wolves killed but commissioners won’t reinstate quotas ended by RepublicansMontana wildlife commissioners on Friday moved to shut down gray wolf hunting around Yellowstone national park, amid mounting criticism over a record number of animals shot or trapped after roaming across the park boundary this winter.But commissioners rejected calls to revive quotas that would limit the number of wolves killed along Yellowstone’s northern border to just a few annually. Those longstanding quotas were lifted last year after Republicans passed laws intended to drive down the wolf population by making it easier to kill the animals. Continue reading...

Orderly pine plantations in the Cairngorms are being messed up as part of a plan to let nature thriveThe Scots pine plantations in Abernethy forest are the crème de la crème in forestry terms: tall, straight and dense. These plantations were created in the 1930s, and the wood had a variety of uses, from ships’ masts to trench timbers. Now, this woodland is being retrofitted for wildlife as part of the UK’s largest land restoration project because, although it is striking to wander in such a regimented landscape, nature prefers things to be less orderly.The gnarled older and bigger trees are better for woodland species, which is why conservationists working on Cairngorms Connect are intentionally making a mess and artificially ageing trees as part of their efforts to restore Scotland’s old Caledonian pine forest to its former, imperfect glory. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ‘Shocked and concerned’ US government scientists say heat stress over Australia’s ocean jewel is unprecedented

Federal judge rules that Biden administration did not properly consider the leases’ impact upon the climate crisisA US federal judge has blocked a highly controversial sale of oil and gas drilling leases across 80m acres of the Gulf of Mexico, ruling that Joe Biden’s administration did not properly consider the leases’ impact upon the climate crisis.The decision, handed down by the DC court late on Thursday, represents a landmark victory for environmental groups that had sued the government to prevent what was the largest ever auction of oil and gas leases in the gulf’s history. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a big-headed frog, a relocated rhino and a hungry swan Continue reading...

Savings come largely from efficient electrical appliances and boilers but insulation could halve future billsEnergy efficiency measures have already saved the average British household about £1,000 a year in energy bills, and further insulation and home improvements could halve future bills, analysis has shown.But the future savings are unlikely to be realised unless the government focuses swiftly on insulation, as the savings to date have come largely from efficiency improvements in electrical appliances and boilers, which will not be repeated. Continue reading...

North Yorkshire fishers found pots heavy not with brown crab but with prized invaderInvasive king crabs have made their way to British shores, sparking fears that local brown crab and scallop populations could be decimated.This week, fishers in North Yorkshire found their pots heavy not with brown crab, but with the bright-red invader with long, spindly legs prized for their sweet flesh. London restaurants have already snapped up the haul, ready for weekend menus. Continue reading...

Country’s ‘corrupt’ approach to conservation leaves protected forests facing ‘oblivion’, human rights watchdog warnsRampant illegal logging of protected forests is threatening the cultural survival and livelihoods of indigenous people in Cambodia, according to Amnesty International.Members of the Kuy people, one of the largest of Cambodia’s 24 indigenous groups, told Amnesty how deforestation in two protected forests, along with government restrictions on access have undermined their way of life and violated their human rights. Continue reading...

Average Briton produces more carbon in two days than Congolese person does in entire year, study findsIn the first two days of January, the average Briton was already responsible for more carbon dioxide emissions than someone from the Democratic Republic of the Congo would produce in an entire year, according to analysis by the Center for Global Development (CGD).The study, which highlights the “vast energy inequality” between rich and poor countries, found that each Briton produces 200 times the climate emissions of the average Congolese person, with people in the US producing 585 times as much. By the end of January, the carbon emitted by someone living in the UK will surpass the annual emissions of citizens of 30 low- and middle-income countries, it found. Continue reading...

Many teachers and pupils frustrated over climate education despite ministers’ pledge to prioritise itBritain’s children are being failed by schools when it comes to learning about the climate crisis, with the subject often wholly missing from the curriculum, sidelined, or mistaught, students and education experts have said.A private member’s bill that would require basic knowledge of climate issues to be taught in the national curriculum receives its second reading in parliament on Friday with cross-party support. But it is unlikely to make it to the statute books, despite promises at Cop26 last November that ministers would prioritise climate education in schools. Continue reading...

New restrictions on administering drugs to healthy animals come into force across EU to tackle critical overuse, but UK fails to follow suitThe reputation of British farming is at risk after its failure to follow the EU in curbing the overuse of antibiotics in healthy animals, say campaigners.