Environment | The Guardian

Inflation Reduction Act could put US within striking distance of Biden’s goal of halving emissions by 2030, analysis suggestsThe US is, following decades of political rancor and fossil fuel industry obfuscation, almost certain to make its first significant attempt to tackle the climate crisis. Experts say it will help rewire the American economy and act as an important step in averting disastrous global heating.Independent analysis of the proposed legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, shows it should slash America’s planet-heating emissions by about 40% by the end of the decade, compared with 2005 levels. Continue reading...

In a political system long captured by fossil fuel interests, there is a disconnect between the arguments and the evidence• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastOne of the most striking voices for aggressive climate action right now is the secretary general of the United Nations. Speaking at the Major Economies Forum hosted by Joe Biden last month, António Guterres held little back as he compared the culpability of coal, oil and gas companies in causing climate breakdown to the damage caused by the tobacco industry.“We seem trapped in a world where fossil fuel producers and financiers have humanity by the throat. For decades, the fossil fuel industry has invested heavily in pseudoscience and public relations, with a false narrative to minimise their responsibility for climate change and undermine ambitious climate policies,” Guterres said. Continue reading...

Campaigners visit Berkshire estate belonging to Richard Benyon, minister in charge of access to natureIt’s hard to know what access to nature minister Richard Benyon normally finds in his gigantic Berkshire estate when he strolls out on a Sunday afternoon. It is unlikely, however, to be a loudly singing group of activist trespassers, dressed up as psychedelic animals and accompanied by an all-female morris-dancing troupe.But that’s what wandered up his drive on Sunday, when protesters visited the Englefield estate, calling on Benyon to open it up to the public and extend access for everyone to green space across England. Continue reading...

Fourth set of skeletal remains, as yet unidentified, discovered at Swim Beach in Nevada as lake hits lowest level in 80 yearsA fourth set of human remains has been found at the shrinking reservoir of Lake Mead as the drought gripping the western US continues to blaze and sends its water levels plunging.The fourth set of skeletal remains was found on Saturday at Swim Beach in Nevada, and are now being assessed by the local Clark county coroner. The identity of the body is unknown, nor the manner of death. Continue reading...

Ten years ago, a fire at Chevron forced thousands to seek health treatment. For young people, it was a transformative momentThis article originally appeared in Nexus Media News and was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.On the afternoon of 6 August 2012, a thick black plume grew over Richmond, California, 10 miles north-east of San Francisco. As the air grew thick with smoke, residents instinctively knew the source: the Chevron oil refinery that for decades has loomed over the working-class community. Continue reading...

As smoke from wildfires spreads from coast to coast, scientists are looking into how best to protect vulnerable populationsAs the climate crisis brings drought and dried-out landscapes, wildfires in the US west are spreading smoky air to millions of people, even those who live far from where the fires burn. The problem is becoming so pronounced that some television weather forecasters in California now include “smoke casts” in their reports, displaying models that predict where smoky air from a wildfire will travel days into the future.Wildfire smoke in recent years accounted for up to 50% of all dangerous, small particle air pollution in the western US, research shows, and the problem is growing.This story is co-published with The New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group. Continue reading...

Nothing suggests that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak fully understand the country’s most besetting problems, let alone how to fix themIn this Tory leadership contest, there has been a vogue for catching out candidates with things they once said: Liz Truss calling for a republic back in the days when she was a Liberal Democrat or a young Rishi Sunak boasting that he didn’t have any working-class friends. But it won’t be long before whoever wins is caught out by the things they didn’t say at all. We’ve heard more than enough about the differences between the two on tax and inflation but there has been a conspiracy of silence on some of the biggest problems facing this country, as though both contenders either don’t want to know how bad things are or know that they don’t have the mettle to solve them.Both have fought furiously over whether their economic plan will help Britons avoid an extremely expensive and miserable winter. But beyond bickering about their tinkering to help with the cost of energy bills, neither Truss nor Sunak has confronted the underlying problems that Britain has with its energy supply that make it more vulnerable should Vladimir Putin decide not to turn the gas back on. The impact of the war in Ukraine on fuel prices is something no prime minister can really control but the government and both leadership contenders are also shirking the things they can control. There has been no discussion of an emergency plan to deal with energy supply or energy demand. Britain’s housing stock is leakier than a sieve, which means the heating people can afford quickly escapes through the walls of their homes. We are still building properties that are sufficiently energy inefficient to need retro-fitting in the same way as homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. However old or new our homes are, they need a national programme of insulation. Continue reading...

Environment secretary says it is ‘right’ some firms have taken action to address driest period in England since 1976Further hosepipe bans could be introduced after the environment secretary called for water companies to implement restrictions, the first public intervention by a minister over the potential drought.George Eustice said it was “right” that some firms had already taken action to address the driest period in England since 1976. Continue reading...

Thousands of migratory creatures converged in the shallow water in St Ives to shed their shellsThousands of venomous crabs converged on the beaches of Cornwall due to rising sea temperatures caused by the climate crisis. The migratory creatures swarmed in the shallow water in St Ives, shedding their shells before returning to depths of up to 300ft.The crustaceans are instantly recognisable for their long legs and pincers and have a venomous bite that is poisonous to their prey but harmless to humans. Continue reading...

Head of International Atomic Energy Agency says shelling at Zaporizhzhia plant underlines ‘very real risk of a nuclear disaster’

Apparently underweight whale swimming towards Paris is refusing food and seems skittish, say French authoritiesFrench authorities were planning on Saturday to give vitamins to a beluga whale that swam way up the Seine, as they raced to save the malnourished cetacean that is refusing food.The apparently underweight whale was first spotted Tuesday in the river that flows through Paris to the Channel. On Saturday it had made its way to about 70km (44 miles) north of the French capital. Continue reading...

Weedkillers, insecticides and other pesticides are used on golf courses, and many, such as 2,4-D, have been linked to health problemsHarold Nisker spent roughly 50 years of his life playing golf in his Toronto suburb. He visited the course at his country club nearly every day, teeing up to play on the miles of pristine grass.Like many golfers, Nisker grew to have a certain expectation of the turf: green, trim, with no weeds in sight. But when Nisker died in 2014 from a rare type of lymphoma, his son Andrew began to wonder if his father’s death could be connected to all those golf games – and the pesticide applications that helped the golf course attain its aesthetic perfection. Continue reading...

Oil company spent £800,000 on social media influence ads after Labour proposed windfall taxBP has spent more than £800,000 on social media influence ads in the UK this year that champion the company’s investments in green energy, it can be revealed.On Tuesday, BP announced a 14-year high profit of £7bn for the second quarter of this year. In the previous eight days, the company paid about £570,000 to Facebook and Instagram for influence ads that reached tens of millions of viewers in the UK. Continue reading...

Feared pyrocumulonimbus clouds, akin to fire-triggered thunderstorms, are becoming more frequent as blazes rageNasa calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”.Aerial images of the McKinney fire taken this week captured an increasingly common phenomenon: a nearly 50,000ft plume known as a pyrocumulonimbus. Continue reading...

Leadership candidate accused of having ‘no credible plan’ to deal with soaring energy billsClimate activists disrupted Liz Truss’s appearance at the latest Conservative leadership hustings to highlight what they claimed was her failure to tackle the global heating crisis.During Truss’s opening remarks at the Winter Garden theatre in Eastbourne, several activists from the youth group Green New Deal Rising stood to heckle Truss about the government’s record and her policies. Continue reading...

George Harding-Rolls says false marketing should not be tolerated and Julian Crane makes a case for worldwide boycotts of guilty companies. Plus letters from Neil Blackshaw and Bill JacksonEmma Thompson’s recent article on greenwashing (Greenwashing is driving our descent into climate catastrophe. But we can stop it, 2 August) rightly points out how fossil fuel companies have delayed and deceived us for decades with their false promises. The bluster of greenwash reaches far beyond the oil and gas industry, however, and pervades a vast number of sectors, collectively blinding us to the scale of change needed and obscuring where the true solutions lie.Last year, outside London Fashion Week (without permission) we launched our website, www.greenwash.com, which highlights the vast array of greenwashing tactics used by the fashion industry, and we have since added examples from plastics and packaging. By seeing examples “in the wild” we hope to help citizens, company employees and policymakers learn to become super-detectors for greenwashing. Continue reading...

Analysis: breakdown of cooperation between world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters over Taiwan could spell disaster for global warming targetsChina’s decision to halt cooperation with the US over the climate crisis has provoked alarm, with seasoned climate diplomats urging a swift resumption of talks to help stave off worsening global heating.On Friday, Beijing announced a series of measures aimed at retaliating against the US for the “egregious provocation” of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, visiting Taiwan. China, which considers Taiwan its territory and has launched large-scale military exercises near the island, said it will stop working with the US on climate change, along with other key issues. Continue reading...

Campaigners say ‘our rivers are dying’ after driest July in England for more than 100 yearsMost of the UK’s rivers are on “red alert”, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), as campaigners say “our rivers are dying” and call for immediate nationwide hosepipe bans.This summer, water companies have come under intense criticism for their apparent failure to plan for drought and deal with their leaking pipes. Sarah Bentley, the chief executive of Thames Water, received a £496,000 bonus last year, which is nearly double the performance-related payout for the previous year, and a salary increase to £750,000 from £438,000 in 2020-21, annual accounts show. Continue reading...

Replacing the beloved transport vehicles with battery electric buses, experts argue, could be more pollutingOne slushy March evening, about 100 people gathered at a bus lot in Cambridge, Massachusetts, directly to the north-west of Boston, to commemorate the end of a transportation era.The guest of honor? Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s trolleybuses – sometimes called trackless trolleys – which have poles connecting to overhead wires that draw electricity to run their motors. The buses, along with the 86-year-old network of wires that support it, were being decommissioned after serving the Boston area faithfully for the past two decades, in part because they were getting difficult to maintain. As the trolleybuses grumbled along for one last evening, participants onboard reminisced, running off at various intersections to take photos of their ride making turns it hadn’t made in years. Continue reading...

Businesses along the river say drought means they are on the verge of having to shut productionGermany’s Rhine, one of Europe’s key waterways, is just days away from being closed to commercial traffic because of very low levels caused by drought, authorities and industry have warned.Crucially, the impending crisis could lead energy companies to cut their output, one of the country’s biggest gas companies has said. Continue reading...

Technology applied to Oude Rign river helps stop plastic pollution reaching seaFive years ago, Claar-els van Delft began to suspect that plastic waste on the beach at Katwijk in the Netherlands did not come from visitors, or the sea, but from the mouth of a nearby river.“We started picking up litter and we noticed, near the river entrance, pieces that came from fresh water – all kinds of plastic,” she says. “Tampon sheaths, brush bristles, but also crisp packages, drink packages, everything.” Continue reading...

Langholm community hails deal with Duke of Buccleuch as ‘beacon of hope for people and planet’A rewilding project on a former grouse moor at Langholm in southern Scotland has doubled in size after a “rollercoaster” fundraising campaign by local activists.The Langholm Initiative announced on Friday it had finally raised the £2.2m needed to buy out a further 2,415 hectares (5,300 acres) of moorland from one of Scotland’s largest hereditary landowners, the Duke of Buccleuch. Continue reading...

Birdwatcher ‘overcome with emotion’ on spotting the Santa Marta sabrewing, only third time it has been documentedA rare hummingbird has been rediscovered by a birdwatcher in Colombia after going missing for more than a decade.The Santa Marta sabrewing, a large hummingbird only found in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, was last seen in 2010 and scientists feared the species might be extinct as the tropical forests it inhabited have largely been cleared for agriculture. Continue reading...

Thousands more residents outside the original contamination zone may be drinking tainted waterA French industrial fabric producer that poisoned drinking water supplies with PFAS “forever chemicals” across 65 sq miles (168 sq km) of southern New Hampshire misled regulators about the amount of toxic substance it used, a group of state lawmakers and public health advocates charge.The company, Saint Gobain, now admits it used far more PFAS than regulators previously knew, and officials fear thousands more residents outside the contamination zone’s boundaries may be drinking tainted water in a region plagued by cancer clusters and other health problems thought to stem from PFAS pollution. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a bearded seal, peacocks and mating humpback whales Continue reading...

Green party’s Siân Berry says Sadiq Khan can still change his mind and prevent increase in traffic pollutionThe mayor of London is being urged to make an 11th hour intervention and halt plans for a new four-lane road tunnel under the River Thames that opponents say would worsen pollution and exacerbate the climate crisis.Tunnelling equipment is on site on the banks of the Thames, and work on the £2bn Silvertown tunnel is due to start in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Despite pleas from unions and the Greens, the bill easily passed upper house after Coalition sided with Labor

Head of the Thames is now more than 5 miles downstream as forecasters warn of further high temperatures to comeThe source of the Thames has dried up during the drought, with river experts saying it is the first time they have seen it happen while forecasters warn of further high temperatures to come.The river’s source has shifted from its official start point outside Cirencester during the continuing dry weather and is now more than 5 miles (8km) downstream. Continue reading...

As Guardian analysis reveals that human-caused global heating is driving more frequent and deadly weather disasters, there is no place for denialism any more

Wildlife with little data faces double the risk of dying out – which may mean many more species are endangered than previously thoughtPlants and animals that do not have enough data to be properly assessed appear to be at twice the risk of extinction as those that have been evaluated, meaning more species may face being wiped off the planet than previously thought, a study has warned.Researchers looked at the extinction risk of species assessed on the red list of endangered species and found that 56% of species in the data deficient (DD) category were threatened, compared with 28% of those that had been assessed. Continue reading...

The Babakina anadoni – less than half the size of a little finger – was sighted off the Isles of ScillyAn extremely rare multi-coloured sea slug has been spotted in British waters for the first time.The multi-coloured sea slug, Babakina anadoni, measures just 2cm in length and was confirmed as a first sighting by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. Continue reading...

Spectacle of leafy ash, oak and elm ambling through Leeuwarden’s streets offers vision of a greener futureIt is less of a marathon and more of an amble. But then a “walking forest” of 1,000 trees was never going to move at speed. Since May, volunteers have been transporting the native trees planted in wooden containers along a 3.5km stretch through the centre of the northern Dutch city of Leeuwarden, giving people an opportunity to experience an alternative, greener future.“We are a generation that has almost lost all hope,” says Johan Lakke, a student at the University of Groningen who is helping with the project, which is called Bosk, meaning “forest” in the local Frisian language. “This project gives me hope,” he says. “It shows us that if you’re crazy enough to think outside the box, you can achieve things.” Continue reading...

Seven years after the EPA accidentally released 3m gallons of acid mine water, poisoning waterways that carry water to fields, farmers are still waiting for compensationOn 7 August 2015, crews from the Navajo Nation irrigation office in Shiprock rushed to close the main gates of two irrigation canals that carry water from the San Juan River toward the fields of hundreds of Navajo farmers.It was peak growing season in the arid north-western corner of New Mexico. About 12,000 acres of crops had been planted. And a disaster was threatening all of them. Continue reading...

Thames Water’s £250m desalination facility out of action amid supply capacity doubtsA £250m desalination plant launched 12 years ago to increase drinking supplies during long dry spells has been put on hold, as water companies in England and Wales face growing political pressure over their management of the supply crisis.The Thames Water plant at Beckton, east London, opened in 2010 with plans to supply up to 1 million people during emergencies, but that ambition has been scaled back amid doubts as to when the facility can begin operating. Continue reading...

Australia’s environment minister says billionaire Palmer’s Central Queensland Coal proposal would likely have ‘unacceptable impacts’ on reef

Legislation passes with amendments from independents and Greens, enshrining an emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030

In letter to Daniel Andrews, union groups argue bill is ‘disproportionate’ and could lead to further limiting of workplace action

The latest comments from the former PM, who once said he was ‘agnostic’ on climate change, remind us some remain unmoved by scienceThe former prime minister John Howard remains an elder statesman among conservatives so when he’s asked on primetime television if he doubts that climate change is happening, his response is revealing.That moment happened on the ABC on Tuesday evening during an interview with actor David Wenham, who asked: “You’re not refuting the fact that there’s climate change?” Continue reading...

Tanya Plibersek accuses the Coalition of preventing the delivery of water for South Australia through ‘brown tape’ bureaucracy

Fast-growing species of branching and plate-like corals push cover up but are also the preferred prey for crown-of-thorns starfish

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned the record profits of energy companies during a global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'It is immoral for oil and gas companies to be making record profits from this energy crisis on the back of the poorest people and communities and at a massive cost to the climate,' he said during a press conference where he presented the third report by the Global Crisis Response Group. Guterres called on governments to tax these profits and use the funds to support vulnerable people through the energy crisis

António Guterres urges governments to introduce windfall levies and use money to support vulnerable peopleThe UN secretary general, António Guterres, has described the record profits of oil and gas companies as immoral and urged governments to introduce a windfall tax, using the money to help those in the most need.Speaking in New York on Wednesday, Guterres said the “grotesque greed” of the fossil fuel companies and their financial backers had led to the combined profits of the largest energy companies in the first quarter of this year hitting almost $100bn (£82bn). Continue reading...

Just two companies have banned use as firms in drier areas wait until last minute to avoid annoying customersWater companies are in a standoff with the government over hosepipe bans as they resist bringing in restrictions despite growing concerns about rivers running dry and the prospect of drought in England and Wales.The decision to restrict water usage is made by individual water companies, which are advised by the government and charities as part of the National Drought Group. Continue reading...

More than 5,600 displaced and 400,000 left without clean water after heavy rain causes two rivers to burst banksAt least 24 people have died and more than 5,600 people have been displaced by flash flooding in eastern Uganda.Two rivers burst their banks after heavy rainfall swept through the city of Mbale over the weekend, submerging homes, shops and roads, and uprooting water pipes. About 400,000 people have been left without clean water, and more than 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of crops have been destroyed. Continue reading...

Adam Bandt says Greens will back legislation but signals further fight on new fossil fuel projects, while the Liberal MP says she’ll cross the floor

Results of 10-year project reveal that rewilding areas can boost biodiversity and crop yieldsPutting farmland aside for nature does not have a negative effect on food security, a study has found.A 10-year project by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology revealed that nature-friendly farming methods boost biodiversity without reducing average yields. Continue reading...

As the climate crisis escalates, oil companies are posting record profits. We must accelerate a fair energy transitionThis week, major oil and gas companies reported 11-figure profits in the second quarter. At the same time, inflation has reached 40-year highs around the world and recessions loom. The obscene profits of the fossil fuel industry are jarring when set against the many households currently struggling to afford basic heating, cooling and food needs.Today, high energy prices are one of the leading factors driving inflation, and those prices are getting embedded into every facet of daily life, most obviously at the gas pump but also in delivery costs that affect everything from produce to paper towels.Tzeporah Berman is the international program director at Stand.earth and the chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative Continue reading...

Supplier cites record demand amid extreme dry conditions as reason for ban starting from 12 AugustThree million people in the UK will be under a hosepipe ban this month after Kent and Sussex announced emergency drought measures.South East Water said it had “no choice” but to restrict the use of water in its area from 12 August, citing demand this summer breaking “all previous records” amid extreme dry conditions. Continue reading...

After Concordia University Wisconsin built a 2,700ft rock wall to protect its beach and bluff, neighbors saw their own beaches begin to wash awaySix years ago, David Spector bought an 80-year-old house perched on a 120ft bluff, with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan.But that priceless view may end up costing Spector more than he could have imagined. His house, located about 20 miles outside of Milwaukee, sits in a particularly bad spot for erosion, with wind and waves whittling away at the base of the bluff. Ten years ago, the house stood 50ft away from the bluff’s edge. Today it’s less than 10ft away. Continue reading...