Testing by the Department of Defense revealed dangerous levels of the contaminants, drawing concern from public health advocatesDangerous levels of toxic PFAS are contaminating water supplies in areas around at least 12 military bases, new Department of Defense testing has revealed, drawing concern from public health advocates that the DoD is not doing enough to protect the public.The data released this week by the military shows levels for five kinds of PFAS compounds at what Scott Faber, vice-president of government affairs for Environmental Working Group, characterized as “extremely high” levels, and he said they present a health threat to residents living nearby. Continue reading...

Coalition of lawyers, journalists and campaigners challenge climate-busting mega projects exposed in Guardian investigation

ACT is the only jurisdiction bucking the trend of soaring power bills now plaguing the rest of Australia

As Russia seeks to strip Arshak Makichyan of his citizenship, he says negotiating with Putin on the Ukraine war or the climate crisis is impossible – and the west must act now for survivalArshak Makichyan made a name for himself as Russia’s ‘lone climate activist’, protesting for change in a country where oil and gas exports have propped up the country’s economy for decades.Every Friday, for nearly two years, Makichyan protested alone in Moscow’s Pushkin Square, hoping to draw Russian attention to the danger posed by climate change. Born in Armenia, but given Russian citizenship when he was 10, Makichyan graduated from a prestigious music conservatory and turned to activism after reading about climate change and Greta Thunberg’s weekly strikes. “I was representing Russia as a violinist on competitions, and I was organising Friday for Futures, so I had a feeling that I am a future of Russia,” he said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations such as robins and blackbirds, researchers warnA brightly coloured subtropical songbird from Asia could colonise Britain’s gardens and change the dawn chorus for ever, a new paper warns.The highly invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations, particularly competing with garden birds such as the robin and blackbird, researchers say. Early signs suggest this little bird – olive green with a bright red beak and yellow throat – may already be establishing itself in gardens and woodlands in southern parts of the country. Continue reading...

Controversial asphyxiation method used in 73% of culls this year despite vets urging its use to be limitedThe US poultry industry has increasingly switched to “the most inhumane method available” to cull tens of millions of birds during the latest outbreak of avian influenza, according to government data.Outbreaks of the disease, also known as bird flu, have wreaked havoc across Europe and the US this year, with 38 million birds killed in the US so far.

Ideas shouldn’t be ruled out ‘simply because it’s unfashionable to talk about them’, Liberal leader says

Conservation groups welcome Palaszczuk government’s funding injection as part of broader threatened species package

Bowen blames decade of inaction on renewables and limitations on gas trigger for preventing a swifter fix

Prince of Wales praises his mother’s ability to ‘bring us together’ at Platinum Jubilee Party at the PalaceThe Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge paid tribute to the Queen – and environmental activists across the world – in speeches at a concert at Buckingham Palace.Speaking on the third day of a four-day celebration to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace, Prince Charles began his address “Your Majesty, Mummy”. Continue reading...

Not long ago, the humpback was almost wiped out, now its numbers are booming in what conservationists say is a ‘wonderful success story’

The $40m ‘solar skin’ building is expected to supply almost all its own electricity, becoming carbon neutral within years

Our values of decency and tolerance, and confidence in a secure green future, make Labour the party of patriotism nowAs we come together as a nation to celebrate the Queen’s remarkable platinum jubilee, we also unite around our bunting and flags in a moment of pure British patriotism. Being patriotic isn’t something that Labour has always looked comfortable with, but progressive politics has been at its most successful and transformational when it captures the best of British values, nurtures our world-famous institutions and instils a belief that our best days lie ahead of us, not just in the past.A quick survey across British politics today tells us that it’s not the Conservatives that enshrine these patriotic principles but Labour. Continue reading...

Author cites Brexit and the climate crisis as examples of previous generations ‘breaking’ their futureThe author Elif Shafak has said she thinks “there’s a scream building up” inside many young people, because they feel their future “is being shaped by older generations”.“It’s difficult to be young, in this age in particular,” the Turkish-British novelist told the Hay festival. “It’s their future that’s been broken by previous generations,” she said, citing Brexit and the climate emergency. Continue reading...

Last year the government asked for ‘big ideas’ on access to green space. Now it is refusing to publish the responsesWhen countryside campaigners were invited to meet government ministers and share “big, creative ideas” for “structural and systemic changes” around access to green spaces, they thought it could be too good to be true. Was the government listening, and were England’s archaic laws on countryside access about to change?Last summer, groups representing more than 20 million people who are active outdoors, including ramblers, canoeists and mountaineers, were asked to speak to officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury to explain how people are shut off from accessing green space because of trespass laws and other barriers. Continue reading...

Toxic particles from tyre wear almost 2,000 times worse than from exhausts as weight of cars increasesAlmost 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tyre wear than is pumped out of the exhausts of modern cars, tests have shown.The tyre particles pollute air, water and soil and contain a wide range of toxic organic compounds, including known carcinogens, the analysts say, suggesting tyre pollution could rapidly become a major issue for regulators. Continue reading...

Though protected in a cool, damp ‘frost pocket’, beaver dams are restricting water flow, threatening Maryland’s deciduous conifersGripping the long branch of a speckled alder tree, ecologist Deborah Landau slowly steps into the waist-deep murky water. “You can’t see anything, so watch your step,” she warns as she makes her way through the chilly labyrinth of the Finzel swamp preserve in Maryland. The swamp is a meditation for the senses: the sweet aroma of red spruce, the call of the locally rare alder flycatcher and an array of colour in what appears as endless blueberry and rhododendron shrubs.The preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in the central Appalachians of far western Maryland in the US, protects a rare boreal fen. Its most notable resident is the American larch (Larix laricina), or tamarack tree, a deciduous conifer that is the reason for Landau’s sojourn in the swamp. Lying within a “frost pocket” – a microclimate where cold air is trapped by the adjoining slopes and subject to frequent frosts – Finzel swamp provides a favourable year-round climate for the locally endangered larch and other more northern flora and fauna. It is as if a piece of the Pleistocene survived the warming epoch to remind us what life was once like in these ancient mountains. Continue reading...

Labor government recommends minimum wage be increased in line with inflation; Anthony Albanese says stopping new gas projects ‘doesn’t reflect the needs’ of economy; new monkeypox cases reported in NSW and Victoria; nation records at least 50 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a rock goby, a fox-chasing crow and a frolicking Icelandic horse Continue reading...

As the Ukraine war and climate crisis act as a wake-up call for the industry, one UK farm is leading the wayLettuces are sprouting, the wildflowers are in bloom and a buzzard is circling above the meadow on a sunny spring day at Huxhams Cross Farm near the village of Dartington in Devon. From the top of a hill, Marina O’Connell can survey most of the 15 hectares (37 acres) she has dedicated the past six years to transforming.When she took over running the farm in 2015, she recalls, the farm contractor called this a “miserable bit of land”. Now the fields and hedgerows buzz with wildlife, and young farm workers chat as they sow carrot seeds and plant out early spinach. Further downhill, chickens peck about near polytunnels full of vegetables and soft fruit. Continue reading...

This week’s Queensland news in brief: action over forensics lab, discrimination law slammed

Trump restricted states’ power in favor of fossil fuel development but proposed rule would empower local officials to protect waterThe Biden administration on Thursday proposed undoing a Trump-era rule that limited the power of states and Indigenous American tribes to block energy projects like natural gas pipelines based on their potential to pollute rivers and streams.The Clean Water Act allows states and tribes to review what effect pipelines, dams and other federally regulated projects might have on water quality within their borders. Continue reading...

Pupils’ vital attention skills stunted by ‘toxic’ peaks of road noise heard from the classroomRoad-traffic noise significantly slows the development of crucial memory and attention skills in primary school children, research has found.The study of almost 2,700 children aged between seven and 10 in 38 schools in Barcelona, Spain, is the first to assess the impact of traffic noise on child cognitive development over time and to determine the impact of peaks in noise. Continue reading...

Most widely used pesticide in history harms critical ability of bumblebee to regulate nest temperatureThe critical ability of wild bumblebees to keep their colonies at the right temperature is seriously damaged by the weedkiller glyphosate, research has revealed.Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in history, intended to kill only plants. The harm to bumblebees – vital pollinators – was not identified in regulatory risk assessments, which only test whether a pesticide rapidly kills healthy, individual bees. However, the collective failure to regulate colony temperature could have a massive impact on its ability to produce the next generation, the scientists said. Continue reading...

New study finds 44% of world’s land surface needs increased protection, with 1m wildlife species at risk of extinction

Little things like home insulation hacks and avoiding the dryer are important – and if you’re struggling, you can ask for help

Environmentalists threaten legal action over UK permit for Shell to develop Jackdaw fieldEnvironmentalists are threatening legal action in an attempt to halt the development of a new gasfield in the North Sea that has been given the green light by the UK government.Climate experts reacted with anger after the government announced it had given the Jackdaw field, to be developed by the oil multinational Shell, “final regulatory approval” on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Officers make several arrests after protesters jump over barriers during trooping the colour paradeAnimal rights activists linked to Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after disrupting the start of platinum jubilee celebrations by storming the Mall during the trooping the colour parade.Scotland Yard said officers made several arrests after the protesters jumped over barriers lining the Mall and confronted marching Grenadier Guards with leaflets demanding an end to hunting on royal land. Continue reading...

While voters have cited environment as a top priority, the issue has become secondary to the homelessness crisis and crimeAs Los Angeles heads to the polls for the first round of voting to elect a new mayor, the climate future of America’s second largest city may hang in the balance.Los Angeles has built a reputation as a leader on sustainability and climate solutions, setting first-in-the-nation goals to decarbonize and plans to achieve them. But the progressive metropolis – home to nearly 4 million people – faces environmental challenges that will only get worse as the climate grows more extreme. The temperature is rising, water is waning and LA smog is nearly as renowned as the world-famous Hollywood sign. Continue reading...

Three former UN climate heads say gap between government promises and actions will change environment irreversiblyThe policies currently in place to tackle the climate crisis around the world will lead to “catastrophic” climate breakdown, as governments have failed to take the actions needed to fulfil their promises, three former UN climate leaders have warned.There is a stark gap between what governments have promised to do to protect the climate, and the measures and policies needed to achieve the targets. At the Cop26 summit last November, countries agreed to bring forward plans to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – the limit of safety, according to scientists. They have so far submitted pledges that would limit temperatures to under 2C.This article was amended on 2 June 2022 to correct a conversion from celsius to fahrenheit. Continue reading...

Calls for faster transition away from ‘volatile’ fossil fuel supply as SA burns large amounts of gas and diesel

One ecologist counted 160 dead wild birds while walking round a Scottish loch, and figures from other countries are just as worryingAs he walked along the shoreline of a Highland loch on a fine May evening, ecologist and wildlife photographer Peter Stronach could hardly believe what he was seeing. The beach was littered with dead and dying birds: male eider ducks, several species of gulls, a gannet, a puffin and no fewer than 26 pink-footed geese, which should by now have been on the way back to their Icelandic breeding grounds.In all, Stronach recorded 72 individual birds of 17 species at Loch Fleet national nature reserve on the east coast of Scotland on that one day, plus many more in the following days. Continue reading...

Greg Mullins says Chris Bowen’s invitation to meet with experts is a ‘stark contrast’ to outgoing Coalition government

Bowen says mechanism designed to limit energy price rises, if used, would have no impact until next January

The path to net zero is plagued by claims that LNG is less dirty than coal, but there is practically no evidence to back them up

Market operator warns of possible shortfall of gas supplies on Thursday in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania amid cold snap

Thursday’s meeting of oil-producing nations will be first since EU imposed sanctions on Russian crudeOil prices have risen before Thursday’s meeting of the Opec cartel of oil-producing nations, as ministers prepare to set output targets for July in their first gathering since the EU imposed sanctions on Russian crude.Opec is under pressure from some members to exclude Russia, the world’s third largest oil producer, from future quotas, in a move that could pave the way for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pump more oil. Continue reading...

‘On what sort of planet does the commonwealth think they don’t need a recovery plan for a Tasmanian devil’, asks Wilderness Society

Deflationists and Tyre Extinguishers both say they want to make SUV ownership impossible in urban areasA new group of climate activists targeting the owners of sports utility vehicles has set itself up as a friendly rival to the Tyre Extinguishers by deflating the tyres of dozens of vehicles in the suburbs of Glasgow.In a statement, the group, which calls itself the Deflationists, claimed to have let down the tyres of 50 vehicles in the city’s affluent Newlands area and the neighbouring Shawlands. Continue reading...

Calls for action as decline is seen as evidence of harm caused by climate crisis, pollution and fish farmingSalmon anglers have called for urgent action to protect Scotland’s wild salmon after the lowest number on record were caught last year.The latest official data shows that 35,693 Atlantic salmon were caught by anglers on Scottish rivers last year, the lowest number since records began in 1952 and just 75% of the average over the last five years. Continue reading...

Ohio woman, 25, was tossed 10ft in air after getting close to female bison on boardwalkAn Ohio woman was gored by a bison after approaching the animal while visiting Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, park officials said on Tuesday.The 25-year-old was visiting the national park from Grove City, Ohio, about 20 minutes outside Columbus. Continue reading...

Ohio woman, 25, was tossed 10ft in air after getting close to female bison on boardwalkAn Ohio woman was gored by a bison after approaching the animal while visiting Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, park officials said on Tuesday.The 25-year-old was visiting the national park from Grove City, Ohio, about 20 minutes outside Columbus. Continue reading...

Rewilding advocates say decision by royal estates is ‘an appallingly undemocratic affront to our futures’The duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, two of the royal family’s largest portfolios of land, have snubbed tree campaigners who are calling for the royals to rewild their estates.Rewilding advocates at the campaign group Wild Card have been meeting for months with the crown estate, which manages most of the royal land and pays the revenue into the Treasury. They say relations have been “really positive”. Continue reading...

Seaweed could help feed world and reduce climate crisis impact, Vincent Doumeizel tells Hay festivalSeaweed could help feed the world and reduce the impact of the climate emergency, a UN adviser on food has suggested.Speaking at the Hay festival in Wales, Vincent Doumeizel suggested that the term “sea forest”, which is how seaweed is referred to in Norway, would be more appropriate, “because we would understand that we need to protect and preserve them as we do with all the land forests”. Continue reading...

Experts believe plants in Sussex and Kent were 'stolen to order’A spate of thefts of rare orchids from sites in southern England has concerned scientists, who say endangered species may be at risk.Orchid experts believe that the plants, from locations including in Sussex and Kent, may have been “stolen to order”. Continue reading...

Rising seas choked the flora on the tiny mammals’ island habitat, and in just a few years they were goneNo one knows how the Bramble Cay melomyses – rodents with large, liquid eyes and reddish-brown fur, small enough to fit in the palms of your hands – ended up on Bramble Cay.The cay is speck of land about 50km (31 miles) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, at the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Were the melomyses washed there on driftwood in a storm? Did they arrive thousands of years ago on a land bridge that no longer exists? Continue reading...

Katharine Hayhoe says the world is heading for dangers people have not seen in 10,000 years of civilisationThe world cannot adapt its way out of the climate crisis, and counting on adaptation to limit damage is no substitute for urgently cutting greenhouse gases, a leading climate scientist has warned.Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy in the US and professor at Texas Tech University, said the world was heading for dangers unseen in the 10,000 years of human civilisation, and efforts to make the world more resilient were needed but by themselves could not soften the impact enough. Continue reading...

The fossil fuel industry faces a reckoning in the Niger Delta after disasters made it one of the most polluted places on the planetOn 10 October 2004, Eric Dooh received an urgent call from one of his father’s employees: the waterway surrounding their houses was running black with oil. Near the outskirts of Dooh’s village of Goi, a pipeline built by Royal Dutch Shell in the 1960s carried oil from inland Nigeria to an offshore terminal where it would be barreled and exported around the world. Dooh suspected the pipeline had sprung a leak. He attempted to alert the pipeline operator, but both Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary had largely abandoned oil operations in Goi a decade earlier in response to local uprisings. On that day, Shell’s community relations officer was unavailable, Dooh recalled. He reported the leak to a nearby police station instead.It wasn’t until the next day that officials climbed onboard a helicopter, ascended over Dooh’s village situated on the banks of the Oroberekiri Creek in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta region, and confirmed what villagers already knew: oil was spreading and not letting up. Continue reading...

African delegation says proposed new law ignores local voices and could harm rather than save wildlife

US president welcomes New Zealand’s PM to Oval Office and speaks of devastation caused by mass shootingsNew Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has met US president Joe Biden to discuss shared concerns about China’s growing influence in the Pacific, as well as extremism and dealing with the aftermath of mass shootings.The two leaders spoke for more than an hour, with Biden saying Ardern’s leadership on issues like climate change, violence and extremism was of international importance. Continue reading...