Environment | The Guardian

Price tag for pumped hydro scheme has increased from $2bn to about $5bn since announced by Malcolm Turnbull in 2017

In today’s newsletter: With price cap expected to reach £3,500, we hear from those with the least to spare on how they will cope

Virus, which can damage the crustacean industry but poses no risk to humans, detected during routine testing on prawn farm

Warning comes after the last regular line supplying electricity to Ukraine’s Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily cut

Conservationists welcome successful breeding season but say birds remain at risk of being illegally killedNearly 120 rare hen harrier chicks have fledged in England this year, the highest number for more than a century, England’s conservation agency has said.Natural England and its partners recorded 119 hen harrier chicks successfully fledging from nests across uplands in County Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire. A fledgling is a young bird that has grown enough to acquire its initial flight feathers and is preparing to leave the nest and care for itself. Continue reading...

Russian-held site forced to fall back on diesel generators, raising risk of catastrophic failure of cooling systems

Supermarket chain says taking ‘different but perfectly good’ produce will help support farmersLidl and Waitrose will start selling “wonky” fruit and vegetables that have been “stunted” by UK drought conditions as part of efforts to support farmers struggling with the driest summer for 50 years.Lidl said it had written to its British suppliers who may need extra support, and would try to accommodate produce hit by extreme weather, even if it was different from what shoppers were used to. Continue reading...

Extreme heatwaves will be more common by end of decade unless more is done to cut emissions, say expertsThe record-breaking heatwaves seen across much of the world in recent months will become increasingly common by the end of the decade, according to research.Experts say how hot they will be is “hugely” dependent on our ability to curb carbon emissions in the next few years. Continue reading...

Post-Brexit UK accused of abandoning international obligations to protect marine life and human healthBritain is threatening human health, marine life and fishing by releasing raw sewage into the Channel and the North Sea, say three French Euro MPs.They have asked the European Commission to seek “political and legal” measures to stop the pollution, accusing the UK of abandoning international environmental regulations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Projects which would have cut annual electricity bills by £100m turned downSolar farms are being refused planning permission in Great Britain at the highest rate in five years, analysis has found, with projects which would have cut £100m off annual electricity bills turned down in the past 18 months.Planning permission for 23 solar farms was refused across England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and July 2022, which could have produced enough renewable energy to power an estimated 147,000 homes annually, according to analysis of government figures by the planning and development consultancy Turley. Continue reading...

Yellow warning in place for London, south-east, east of England and east Midlands, with flooding likelyTorrential downpours have battered parts of the UK as yellow thunderstorm warnings were in place for London and the south-east, the east of England and the east Midlands until 3pm on Thursday.The Environment Agency has issued six alerts for areas where “flooding is possible”. Forecasters have predicted flooding to be likely amid “intense downpours” and have warned that 50mm (1.97in) of rain could fall in a short space of time in some areas, with one part of Essex being hit by more than 25mm of rain in one hour. Continue reading...

Endangered species enjoys best summer in 150 years thanks to habitat restoration schemeThe large blue butterfly has enjoyed its best summer for 150 years in Britain thanks to targeted restoration work, which is also benefiting other rare insects including the rugged oil beetle and the shrill carder bee.The butterfly, which became extinct in Britain in 1979 but was reintroduced via caterpillars from Sweden four years later, flew in its greatest numbers in June this year since records began. Continue reading...

Move designed to secure energy supplies would mark a dramatic shift in Japan’s policy stance held since 2011 reactor meltdownJapan is considering building next-generation nuclear reactors and restarting idled plants in a major policy shift, 11 years after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant rocked the country’s dependence on atomic energy.The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said he had directed a government panel to look into how “next-generation nuclear reactors equipped with new safety mechanisms” could be used to help Japan achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. His “green transformation” council is expected to report back by the end of the year, he said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Plan risks catastrophic failure of cooling systems, says head of Ukraine’s atomic energy companyA detailed plan has been drawn up by Russia to disconnect Europe’s largest nuclear plant from Ukraine’s power grid, risking a catastrophic failure of its cooling systems, the Guardian has been told.World leaders have called for the Zaporizhzhia site to be demilitarised after footage emerged of Russian army vehicles inside the plant, and have previously warned Russia against cutting it off from the Ukrainian grid and connecting it up to the Russian power network. Continue reading...

Italian government ordered to compensate UK firm after exploration forbidden within 12 miles of coastA corporate tribunal has ordered the Italian government to pay more than £210m to the UK oil company Rockhopper as compensation for an offshore oil drilling ban.Rockhopper’s case was launched after the Italian government banned oil exploration and production within a 12 mile-limit off Italy’s coast in 2015, scotching the company’s planned Ombrina Mare oilfield. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Revisions revealed through FOI are more focused on protecting forestry industry than preventing species going extinct, scientists argue

Exclusive: State and territory building ministers to meet on Friday amid fierce debate about when and how new regime should begin

Surge of about 20% this year due to system that concentrates power and profits in hands of few companiesFood price rises around the world are the result of a “broken” food system that is failing the poor and concentrating power and profits in the hands of a few, food experts have said.Rising food prices are causing widespread suffering in developing countries, and even in the rich world the combination of high food and fuel prices threatens hardship for millions. Continue reading...

Surge in festivals after Covid lull risks making green spaces elitist as councils try to offset tightened budgetsCash-strapped councils are increasingly hiring out their green spaces to festivals, an expert has warned, blocking them off from residents for weeks at a time, damaging grass and causing congestion.Councils were “more desperate than ever” to attract commercial income to supplement their reduced budgets after a pandemic hiatus, risking making public parks “more exclusive and more elitist” in the process. Continue reading...

Latest supermarket to reduce labelling says removal from nearly 250 products will also save customers moneyAsda is to remove “best before” dates from almost 250 fresh fruit and vegetable products as it joins a movement among supermarkets to help customers cut waste and save money.The supermarket will leave the notes off produce including citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflowers and carrots across all its UK stores from 1 September. Continue reading...

Offshore gas regulator should have recognised the Munupi clan as an interested party, barrister tells federal court

Civil society groups say covert screening process excluded government’s criticsA group of Egyptian civil society organisations have been prevented from attending the Cop27 climate summit by a covert registration process that filtered out groups critical of the Egyptian government.Egypt’s foreign, environment and social solidarity ministries privately selected and screened NGOs that would be permitted to apply for one-time registration for Cop27, a separate process from applications for official observer status, which closed last year. Continue reading...

Environmental activists take action at Cobham services in Surrey, Clacket Lane in Kent and Thurrock in EssexEnvironmental protesters have blocked three service stations on the M25 in a second day of action this week attempting to put pressure on the government to end new oil and gas projects.According to the Just Stop Oil campaign, 32 of its supporters took action from 5am at Cobham services in Surrey, Clacket Lane services in Kent and Thurrock services in Essex. Continue reading...

Local authorities told to take measures and ‘use every unit of water carefully’ in effort to save autumn harvestA drought in China is threatening food production, prompting the government to order local authorities to take all available measures to ensure crops survive the hottest summer on record.On Tuesday, four government departments issued an urgent joint emergency notice, warning that the autumn harvest was under “severe threat”. It urged local authorities to ensure “every unit of water … be used carefully”, and called for methods included staggered irrigation, the diversion of new water sources, and cloud seeding. Continue reading...

Resources minister says exploration ‘central to alleviating future domestic gas shortfalls’ but Greens slam ‘mockery’ of climate target

Ukrainian campaigners call for immediate end to investments, to cut funds to war and help avoid climate breakdownUS and UK financial institutions have been among the leading investors in Russian “carbon bomb” fossil fuel projects, according to a new database of holdings from recent years.Campaigners in Ukraine said these institutions must immediately end such investments, to limit the funding of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to avoid climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Reserve Bank Australia says households may struggle to repay debts as asset prices will probably become more volatile

Exclusion zone set up around Noah’s Ark sanctuary in US amid outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 strainBird flu has killed hundreds of wild black vultures at a Georgia sanctuary that houses more than 1,500 other animals.At least 700 black vultures have died, Noah’s Ark animal care manager Allison Hedgecoth told WXIA-TV. State workers euthanized 20 to 30 other birds, she said. Continue reading...

Climate experts warn temporary increases in water levels will not mitigate a crisis that has been years in the makingFlash floods hitting the American south-west in recent days have shuttered parts of national parks including in Moab and Zion, closed highways in Colorado, submerged cars in Texas and trapped tourists in a New Mexico cave. A young woman remains missing after being swept away while hiking in Zion on Friday.But the destructive deluges have not been enough to relieve the drought and the continued pressure on water resources, experts say. Even strong storms are unable to overcome dry conditions that are decades in the making. Continue reading...

Environmentalists condemn ‘outrageous’ testing plans in Otway Basin off coast of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia

National Farmers Federation argues ‘non-monetary benefits’ should be included in workplace deals ahead of jobs summit

A rare bright spot for the UK’s energy supply as Seagreen’s £3bn project begins generating powerSteve Wilson is a little windswept after stepping off a rocking boat in choppy North Sea waters. Wilson is programme director of Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm, which this week began producing power.Wilson has just sailed an hour out to sea from Montrose, in Angus on the east coast of Scotland, with other local, interested parties. There, they witnessed a technician hop aboard one of the first turbines to feed power back to the mainland. A drone operator onboard protested about conditions that made it tricky to send up the machine. “We did deliberately decide to build it somewhere windy,” Wilson laughed after landing safely back on shore. Continue reading...

Carpet shark species can walk for up to two hours, enabling them to survive increasingly hostile environments, researchers sayResearchers at a Florida university say a small but feisty species of carpet shark with an extraordinary ability to walk on land is evolving to better survive warming seas and the climate crisis.The epaulette shark, commonly found on shallow reefs of Australia and New Guinea, can walk for up to 30 meters on dry land using paddle shaped fins, and survive hypoxia – a deficiency of oxygen – for up to two hours. Continue reading...

Climate group data shows it is 115 times more expensive to suspend a parking bay than pay for a permitCouncils have been accused of allowing public spaces to be “held hostage” by motorists after the huge difference in cost between parking charges and the cost of suspending parking was revealed.The latest figures, published by the climate charity Possible, lay bare the significant cost increase between a parking permit, used for vehicles such as cars and vans, and the cost of parking bay suspensions to use the space for other purposes. Continue reading...

Perenco sues Peru government for repeal of law that offers recognition to proposed Napo-Tigre reserveIsolated Peruvian tribes face a threat to their existence from a push to scrap a planned Indigenous reserve led by an Anglo-French oil company, Indigenous groups say.The firm, Perenco, whose slogan is “Oil remains an adventure”, filed an injunction in May for the repeal of a law offering preliminary government recognition to a proposed Napo-Tigre reserve. The first hearing is scheduled on 7 September. Continue reading...

Essex police arrest 18 people at three locations as protesters try to disrupt distribution of fuelDozens of environmental protesters have blocked critical oil infrastructure in Essex and the Midlands as they revived a campaign to “just stop oil”.At daybreak on Tuesday, about 50 people took part in protests targeting three oil terminals, from where fuel is distributed to petrol stations, the activist group Just Stop Oil said. Continue reading...

Sales at world’s top four traders have soared, raising concerns of profiteering and speculationCompanies at the centre of the global grain trade have enjoyed a record bonanza amid soaring food prices around the world, raising concerns of profiteering and speculation in global food markets that could put staples beyond the reach of the poorest, and prompting calls for a windfall tax.The world’s top four grain traders, which have dominated the global grain market for decades – have seen record or near-record profits or sales. They are forecasting demand to outstrip supply at least until 2024, which is likely to lead to even higher sales and profits in the next two years. Continue reading...

Researchers design composite resin for blades that can be broken down to make new products including sweetsThe next generation of wind turbine blades could be recycled into gummy bears at the end of their service, scientists have said.Researchers at Michigan State University have made a composite resin for the blades by combining glass fibres with a plant-derived polymer and a synthetic one. Once the blades have reached the end of their lifespan the materials can be broken down and recycled to make new products including turbine blades – and chewy sweets. Continue reading...

Local authorities have had to slash funding for maintaining their open spaces, and friends groups are picking up the slack

Deep cuts by local authorities leaving green spaces in decline, with poorest areas losing out the most

Senior Tories rule out asking households to reduce energy use despite planning for winter blackoutsNo 10 and allies of Liz Truss are resisting the idea that people should be asked to cut their energy use, with the government insisting that consumption of gas and electricity is a “decision for individuals”.With the threat of shortages possible this winter, officials have raised the option of the UK public being requested to reduce their energy usage, after countries in the EU including France and Germany were asked to cut gas demand by 15%. Continue reading...

Federal court hearing on the islands, north of Darwin, told a spill would mean ‘everything ends up dead’ in delicate marine ecosystem

South32 says expected financial returns on project do not justify investment as green groups welcome decision

Meteorologists issue warnings for more than 13 million people in north-east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and ArizonaMillions of Americans are under flood warnings after heavy rain this weekend in a large portion of the south and south-western US, where high waters submerged vehicles in Texas and swept hikers in Arizona off their feet.Government meteorologists issued flood warnings for more than 13 million people after torrential rainfall created life-threatening conditions in a region including north-east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico. Continue reading...

Target of 300,000 new homes a year not sustainable, finds researchers, with negative biodiversity and climate impactsEngland would use up the entirety of its 1.5C carbon budget on housing alone if the government sticks to its pledge to build 300,000 homes a year, according to a new study.The building of new homes under a business as usual scenario, coupled with current trends on making existing homes more efficient, would mean the housing system would use up 104% of the country’s cumulative carbon budget by 2050. Continue reading...

Olaf Scholz is in Canada where he plans to sign hydrogen supply chain deal as pressure mounts over looming winter crisisThe German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has said he is working as fast as he can to extricate Germany from its dependence on Russian gas and pursue new energy supplies, as pressure mounts on his government to come up with solutions to tackle a looming crisis.On the first day of a three-day visit to Montreal, Scholz met Canada’s prime minster, Justin Trudeau, on Monday. “Canada plays a really, really central role for the development of green hydrogen,” Scholz said. “That’s why we are very glad to be able to expand our cooperation in this area on this occasion too.” Continue reading...

Untreated human waste dumped in waters containing shellfish 29,000 times last year, Environment Agency data showsEnglish shellfish could be contaminated with sewage as untreated human waste was dumped 29,000 times by water companies last year in the water where they are cultivated.The new statistics found sewage was dumped into waters containing shellfish for 207,013 hours in one year. The worst offenders were South West, Southern Water and Anglian Water. There are fears that this could be happening again this year. Continue reading...

Ex-president says he will clamp down on illegal miners and loggers after murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno PereiraThe leading candidate to become Brazil’s next president has vowed to launch a major crackdown on the illegal miners and loggers laying waste to the Amazon in the wake of the “barbaric” murders of the Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips.Speaking to foreign journalists in São Paulo, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid tribute to the two men, who were gunned down in June while documenting the historic assault on Indigenous lands that has unfolded under Brazil’s current leader, Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...

Unusually the violet helleborine is only pollinated by wasps and is thriving thanks to nectar that is irresistible to the insectsA rare orchid that reproduces by getting wasps drunk is thriving in the gardens of Charles Darwin’s house after a two-year restoration programme.The violet helleborine is entirely pollinated by wasps, which are usually not perceived to be the best pollinators. They’re regimented and meticulously clean themselves, scientists say, which makes the process of pollination a fairly futile prospect – there’s nothing for the pollen to cling to. Continue reading...