Environment | The Guardian

Campaigners say there has been a fivefold increase in damaging and ‘absurd’ burnings in national parksMore than 100 moorland fires have been reported across England’s national parks in the past four days, a fivefold increase on last year.Just weeks before countries gather in Glasgow for Cop26, the UN climate summit, thousands of acres of moorland across the north of England have been torched as part of annual burning carried out by the grouse shooting industry, a practice wildlife campaigners describe as “absurd” and “illogical on so many grounds”. Continue reading...

The activist says she will continue to repeat her message until governments take meaningful steps to address the climate crisisGreta Thunberg is “open” to meeting with Joe Biden at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, though the young Swedish activist does not expect much from either the US leader or the make-or-break summit that runs from 31 October to 12 November.In an interview with the global media collaboration Covering Climate Now, Thunberg expressed surprise at the idea that the US president, or any world leader, might want to sit down with her at Cop26, but said she was open to the possibility, if asked. “I guess that will depend on the situation,” she said. “I don’t see why these people want to meet with me, but yeah.” Continue reading...

Rumors have pointed to antifa, rightwingers, even space lasers as culprits but fire-setting accounts for a minority of blazesAs California endures another grueling wildfire season, the charges against two alleged arsonists this summer attracted widespread attention.Alexandra Souverneva, a former doctoral student and yoga teacher, made tabloid headlines in September when she told investigators suspecting her of causing the Fawn fire that she had tried to start a fire to boil water she thought contained bear urine. The arrest of Gary Maynard, a former criminal justice professor who allegedly went on a fire-setting spree near Lassen national forest in an effort to trap crews fighting the Dixie fire the month before, prompted warnings about the “potent threat” of an arsonist’s match as the state grapples with megafires. Continue reading...

Benton Harbor residents have had lead-contaminated water for at least three years as activists call on state to do moreResidents of a majority-Black city in Michigan have been advised by the state not to use tap water for drinking, bathing, or cooking “out of an abundance of caution” owing to lead contamination.For at least three years, residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan, have been suffering from lead-contaminated water with what experts describe as insufficient intervention from state and local officials. Continue reading...

Industry responsible for about 8% of CO emissions commits to reaching net zero by 2050 without offsettingCement makers around the world have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by up to a quarter this decade and reach net zero by 2050, in a move they said would make a major difference to the prospects for the Cop26 climate summit.The industry is responsible for about 7%-8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of more than any individual country except China and the US. Cutting emissions from cement production is difficult, because the chemical processes used to make it and concrete release CO. Continue reading...

In a petition to the international criminal court experts said the ‘mass deforestation’ poses a clear dangerThe Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro must be held criminally responsible for a “ruthless” assault on the Amazon that has exacerbated the climate emergency and imperilled humanity’s very survival, activists have argued in a petition to the international criminal court.In a submission to The Hague-based tribunal on Tuesday, legal and scientific experts said the “mass deforestation” unfolding under the rightwing nationalist posed a clear and present danger to Brazil, and to the world. Continue reading...

Biggest ever analysis shows public backs carbon tax on industry, flight levies and grants for heat pumpsThe UK public backs a carbon tax on polluting industries, higher levies on flying and grants for heat pumps in order to tackle the climate crisis, according to the biggest analysis of policy preferences ever published.Almost 22,000 people chose their favoured mix of policies to hit the government’s 2030 target for emissions cuts. A speed limit of 60mph on motorways and a campaign to reduce meat eating by 10% were also among the most popular measures, all of which had between 77% and 94% public support. Continue reading...

Arthur Sinodinos declares Australia has the potential to be an ‘alternative energy superpower’ as Scott Morrison continues efforts to land new policy

Wildlife officials in Colorado successfully remove obstruction from bull elk at fourth attempt this weekWildlife officials in Colorado say an elusive elk that wandered the hills with a car tyre around its neck for at least two years has at last been freed.The four-and-a-half-year-old, 270kg (600lb) bull elk was spotted near Pine Junction, south-west of Denver, on Saturday evening and tranquillised, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. It was the fourth attempt wildlife officers had made in the past week to try to capture and help it. Continue reading...

When China has shortages or surpluses of gas, coal or electricity they spread rapidly across the worldEnergy markets are a hot topic now with gas prices going vertical in Europe and coal prices breaking all-time highs. There have been numerous hypotheses lodged online blaming some very plausible causes including reduced gas storage and nuclear and some where the causal link appears to be missing, like renewables. Renewables are variable, but without them Europe would undoubtedly need more gas and be in more strife.Over the last year I’ve been working on a project with Australian National University on China’s coal markets and logistics and how domestic drivers lead to massive changes in imports. This focus has perhaps given me a different lens to look through recent energy market developments. Continue reading...

Attorney general will seek to determine cause of spill and how it could have been preventedCalifornia’s justice department is investigating the spill off the coast of Huntington Beach earlier this month, which sent thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean, the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced on Monday.The spill, from an undersea pipeline, polluted the waters near Los Angeles last weekend, blackening beaches and endangering wildlife. Continue reading...

Exclusive: upbeat US climate envoy anticipates big announcements from key players at Glasgow talks

Prince of Wales warns of ‘catastrophic’ impact to planet if more ambitious action not taken in Glasgow

Charles’s ‘quaint’ solution to decarbonise his Aston Martin using high blend of bioethanol is not scalable, experts sayBurnishing his green credentials before the Cop26 summit, it was with pride that Prince Charles revealed that he runs his Aston Martin on “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process”.“I hope he drives caerphilly,” was one response on social media. Continue reading...

A WWF-Australia report reveals more than 1,500 of the country’s unique ecosystems are lacking protection

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FSO Safer has been abandoned since 2017 and loss of its 1.1m barrels would destroy Yemen’s fishing stocksThe impact of an oil spill in the Red Sea from a tanker that is rotting in the water could be far wider than anticipated, with 8 million people losing access to running water and Yemen’s Red Sea fishing stock destroyed within three weeks.Negotiations are under way to offload the estimated 1.1m barrels of crude oil that remains onboard the FSO Safer, which has been deteriorating by the month since it was abandoned in 2017. The vessel contains four times the amount of oil released by the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska in 1989, and a spill is considered increasingly probable. Continue reading...

Hundreds of international health organisations and professionals sign open letter to politicians ahead of Cop26More than 400 international health organisations and professionals, representing two-thirds of global healthcare workers, have signed an open letter calling on politicians to consider the health benefits of climate action ahead of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.“We know that climate change is impacting people’s health, this is increasingly visible around the world. We also know that many solutions to address climate change offer tremendous health co-benefits,” said Dr Jeni Miller of Global Climate and Health Alliance, the organisation which drafted the letter. “The health community is really seeing that if we don’t step up and call for action on climate change, we’re failing the patients and the communities that we care for.” Continue reading...

Extinction Rebellion and others urged to use ‘more constructive’ methods to avert ‘catastrophic’ climate crisis

As world leaders gather for the environmental conference, here is our summary of the key terminology

Everything you need to know about the Glasgow conference seeking to forge a global response to the climate emergency

At least three people dead and 11 others missing after incident in flood-hit Hebei provinceA bus has fallen into a river in northern China, leaving at least three people dead and 11 others missing after flooding from heavy rains destroyed homes and covered farmland in two provinces.Video posted online showed people on top of an almost submerged bus in a rushing river flowing over a nearby bridge outside the city of Shijiazhuang, about 165 miles (265km) south-west of Beijing. Continue reading...

Ecosystem collapse is as much a threat as the climate crisis, but valuing nature will help us meet both these challengesAll eyes are on Cop26 in Glasgow since the climate crisis aroused worldwide attention and compelled more than 120 countries to join the unprecedented global Race to Zero carbon-emissions campaign. But the UN biodiversity conference in Kunming, or Cop15, should not be overshadowed, as biodiversity loss is an equally grave threat to humanity.Cop15, delayed repeatedly by the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place in two parts, online from 11 October, with more detailed discussions left for April’s meeting in Kunming, China. The conference will convene governments from around the world to agree new goals for nature for the next decade, as global biodiversity losses pose a threat to human wellbeing, affecting food, health and security, and increasing the likelihood of pandemics. Continue reading...

The government should be supporting green jobs for fossil fuel workers, not deepening our dependency on oil and gasIn three weeks’ time world leaders will gather in my hometown of Glasgow to talk about the biggest threat to our future: the climate crisis. We’ve seen an unrecognisable summer of flooding and extreme heat, and as a result people have lost their lives in Europe and around the world. The crisis is very much upon us.And yet, incredibly, our prime minister, Boris Johnson, is preparing to sign off on a new drilling permit at Cambo oilfield, west of Shetland. If approved, Cambo would produce 170m barrels of oil and would deepen the climate crisis for decades to come. It would be a staggeringly backward move, going against the science and denying us all the green recovery we’ve been promised.Peter Capaldi is an actor and campaigner Continue reading...

‘It was like a clamp around my leg,’ says Eric Steinley, who was helped by others at Sonoma county beach

Exclusive: executives demand meaningful action to protect ecosystems as UN biodiversity summit opensWorld leaders must do more to prevent the destruction of nature, business leaders have warned before a summit in China that aims to draw up a draft UN agreement for biodiversity.In an open letter, the chief executives of Unilever, H&M and nine other companies have called on governments to take meaningful action on mass extinctions of wildlife and the collapse of ecosystems or risk “a dead planet”. Continue reading...

Winged mammal is the first non-bird to be included in the beloved annual poll, which has been running for 16 yearsNew Zealand’s bird of the year competition has been hit with a flurry of controversy, after a species of native bat was granted entry into the polls.Candidates for the beloved annual election released today included shock newcomer the long-tailed bat, or pekapeka-tou-roa. It is the first time a New Zealand native land mammal has been included in the competition, which has been running for 16 years. Continue reading...

Letter from 2019 reveals business secretary supported £1.2bn project linked to Conservative donorA cabinet minister has been accused of making misleading claims about a £1.2bn cable project linked to a Conservative donor.Almost one in 10 Conservative MPs had taken money from firms linked to Viktor Fedotov, revealed in the Pandora papers to have secretly co-owned a company once accused of participating in a massive corruption scheme. One of those firms included Aquind. Continue reading...

The National Farmers’ Federation is demanding Nationals MPs drive a hard bargain for agriculture in any deal ahead of Cop26 climate talks

Activists, including veteran Swampy, barricade themselves inside tunnel at site in BuckinghamshireA group of environmental activists are facing eviction after barricading themselves inside a tunnel to protest against the HS2 rail project.The protesters, who include Dan Hooper, the veteran activist also known as Swampy, are involved in a tunnel protest in Buckinghamshire.

The tax concession scheme specifically excludes ‘prospecting, exploring or drilling activities’ but the company claims new well is clearly for R&D

BBC Springwatch presenter says car set alight and gate burned down at New Forest propertyThe BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has said he will carry on his activism after an arson attack on his home.Packham said arsonists set fire to a car and burned down the gate to his property, in full view of his CCTV cameras. Hampshire constabulary said it was investigating the fire. Continue reading...

Environmentalist and landowner Isabella Tree says that ‘troubling’ relationship with housebuilders calls the party’s environmental credentials into questionThe prominent role played by a large housebuilding company and Tory donor in last week’s Conservative party conference has been called “terrifying” by a leading environmentalist who founded one of the most successful rewilding projects in England.Isabella Tree, co-owner of the Knepp estate in West Sussex and author of Wilding, her 2018 book about how turning loss-making farmland into the largest rewilding experiment in lowland England, said the “cosy” relationship between developers such as Thakeham, which in effect sponsored parts of the conference, and the Tory party, was deeply worrying and threatening to green causes. Continue reading...

Marine photographer Angel Fitor first saw endangered cichlids in a pet shop. Now his award-winning images could help save these fishLake Tanganyika is the world’s longest freshwater lake. It stretches for more than 400 miles across central Africa and provides a home for some of the planet’s most extraordinary aquatic creatures. But this remarkable refuge – and its inhabitants – are under threat.Pesticide runoffs from farms, sewage and overexploitation by collectors for the ornamental fish trade are devastating life in the lake. In particular, these forces are driving many populations of cichlid fish – of which there are more than 240 species in Lake Tanganyika – to extinction. Continue reading...

Conservationist delivers petition to Buckingham Palace and urges royals to set example before Cop26Chris Packham has called on the royal family to “step up” by committing to rewilding their estates before the Cop26 climate summit.The conservationist and broadcaster delivered a petition signed by more than 100,000 people to the gates of Buckingham Palace on Saturday, accompanied by more than 100 school strikers. Packham said “the time for talking is finished” and urged the royal family to lead by example by improving the ecological condition of their land. Continue reading...

Over the last five years, the 100 top law firms in the US represented fossil fuel clients in 358 legal cases and transactions worth $1.36tnThe world’s biggest corporate law firms have been making millions of dollars representing fossil fuel companies but, as the climate crisis intensifies, this work is coming under increasing scrutiny.Over the last five years, the 100 top ranked law firms in the US facilitated $1.36tn of fossil fuel transactions, represented fossil fuel clients in 358 legal cases and received $35m in compensation for their work to assist fossil fuel industry lobbying, according to a “climate scorecard” published in August. Continue reading...

The state’s ageing oil infrastructure means more disasters are likely as companies move away from fossil fuelsA gash in an underwater pipeline sent tens of thousands of gallons of oil rushing into the waters near Los Angeles last weekend, blackening beaches and endangering wildlife.While the US Coast Guard believes a ship’s anchor may have damaged the pipeline months ago, California’s ageing oil infrastructure will also bear increasing scrutiny. Experts say that the devastating spill is unlikely to be the last, especially in a rapidly changing industry where equipment is primed to suffer from underinvestment and lack of attention. Continue reading...

Only ecodesign stoves can be legally sold from 2022 – but experts say the standard is shockingly weakNew wood burning stoves billed as more environmentally friendly still emit 750 times more tiny particle pollution than a modern HGV truck, a report has shown.Only stoves that meet the ecodesign standard can be legally sold from the start of 2022 in the UK and EU, but experts said the regulation was shockingly weak. Continue reading...

‘My fear is that we will see fewer delegates from some of the most afflicted countries,’ a Cop26 insider from a developing nation saysCop26 will be a “conference of the parties” like no other, as this is a year like no other. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way Cop26 will operate, and that has many worrying implications.Cop26 should have taken place in November 2020, but the decision was taken in May 2020 to delay it by a year, because of Covid. However, the extra time has not meant that the negotiations have advanced more. The negotiators have not been able to meet in person, which has been difficult. We had online discussions and pre-meetings but these were very different from the formal negotiations that would normally have taken place to prepare the ground for Cop26.Every week we’ll hear from negotiators from a developing country that is involved in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations and will be attending the Cop26 climate conference. Continue reading...

Big business says accelerating emissions cuts would leave Australians better off by an average of $5,000 per person each year by 2050Big business has thrown its weight behind a 50% emissions reduction by 2030 to avoid a “costly and damaging” game of climate catch-up.The Business Council of Australia believes a cut of between 46% and 50% on 2005 levels within the decade is pragmatic, ambitious and will drive investment. Continue reading...

Human rights council also appoints special rapporteur to monitor impact of climate crisis on rightsThe UN’s main human rights body has overwhelmingly voted to recognise the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right, and to appoint an expert to monitor human rights in the context of the climate emergency.The human rights council passed the clean-environment resolution, which also calls on countries to boost their abilities to improve the environment, by 43-0 while four member states – China, India, Japan and Russia – abstained. Continue reading...

Restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante represents victory for advocates after protections were slashedJoe Biden restored environmental protections on Friday to three national monuments and their vast expanse of vital ecosystems and sacred Indigenous spaces, reversing cuts made by Donald Trump.“These protections provide a bridge to our past, but they also build a bridge to a safer and more sustainable future,” said Biden. “One where we strengthen our economy and pass on a healthy planet to our children and our grandchildren.” Continue reading...

Residents set up traffic patrol to challenge drivers forming long polluting queues near London schoolBounds Green primary school sits on a road so busy it has a bridge for a pedestrian crossing. Even on a good day the air is acrid, suffused by mephitic fumes belched continuously by traffic on the A109, which bisects this north London neighbourhood.But over recent weeks, with the fuel crisis turning the nearby petrol station into a magnet for drivers scouring the city for fuel, good days have been seldom. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a rescued sloth, a hidden alligator and a jellyfish swarm Continue reading...

A century ago, women activists planted an arboretum outside Bath. Only one tree survived – now it’s generating seeds for a new woodland and a new causeIn a sunny back garden north-east of Bath stands a 30-metre pine tree. Its widespread branches are home to squirrels, magpies and nuthatches, and in late summer it sheds its needles to thatch the lawn below. The tree has seen enormous political and social change over its 100-year lifespan and, if the women who come to visit it have a say, has yet to see a lot more.When midwife Eileen Paddock moved to Batheaston village 43 years ago, her two young boys wasted no time climbing the tree in their new home. But she knew nothing about its history until a Canadian professor of art history got in touch three decades later. Continue reading...

UK firm says windfarm project that could help power British homes could be completed by 2030The prospect of an energy island in the North Sea surrounded by windfarms with the ability to power British homes has taken a step closer after National Grid, the UK energy company, revealed that it is in talks about helping to build the project – and claimed it could be done before 2030.“We are in tripartite discussions over an energy island that the UK would likely connect to,” Nicola Medalova, the company’s managing director of interconnectors, told New Scientist. She declined to name the two other parties in the talks. Continue reading...

Campaigners say combination of waste from local plant as well as private septic tanks to blameWindermere could become “ecologically dead” because of the amount of sewage being pumped into its waters, campaigners have warned.Pictures show algal blooms across the surface of the lake. Campaigners say there is also evidence of dead fish and invertebrates, indicating the waters are not healthy. Continue reading...

Record high prices and shortages of electricity have crippled industrial outputChinese officials have ordered more than 70 mines in Inner Mongolia to increase coal production by almost 100m tonnes, with the country battling its worst power crunch and coal shortages in years.The move is the latest attempt by Chinese authorities to boost coal supply amid record high prices and shortages of electricity that have led to power rationing across the country, crippling industrial output. Continue reading...

Beloved small bird known for its polyamory and shared household labour narrowly beats tawny frogmouth and gang-gang cockatoo in Guardian Australia/Birdlife Australia poll