by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#62STW)
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...
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...
Exclusive: Truss oversaw cut in funds to tackle water pollution, since when raw sewage discharge has risenThe Tory leadership frontrunner, Liz Truss, was responsible for cutting millions of pounds of funding earmarked for tackling water pollution during her time as environment secretary, the Guardian can reveal.Truss, who was in charge at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) between 2014 and 2016, oversaw “efficiency” plans set out in the 2015 spending review to reduce Environment Agency funding by £235m. Continue reading...
Ofwat is criticised for failing to curb huge bonuses for CEOs of companies that polluteOfwat, the water regulator, is not using its full powers to clamp down on sewage pollution and leaks, ministers, MPs and charities have said.The regulator has been criticised for giving water companies a “licence to leak” for years and not curbing massive bonuses for CEOs who preside over a system of pollution and chaos. Continue reading...
Bee populations are in steep decline in UK but community funded projects have led to recovery of the ‘vital ecosystem engineers’Encouraging numbers of bees have been recorded at a handful of locally funded wildflower projects in the South Downs, showing that populations can recover if given support.For several decades, bee populations in the UK have seen a steep decrease owing to the stress of the climate emergency. Continue reading...
Nationwide alert issued with south-west especially badly hit, as major companies forced to suspend workA record-breaking drought has caused some rivers in China – including parts of the Yangtze – to dry up, affecting hydropower, halting shipping, and forcing major companies to suspend operations.A nationwide drought alert was issued on Friday as a long-running and severe heatwave in China’s heavily populated south-west was forecast to continue well into September. Continue reading...
As Dutch government weighs resuming gas production in earthquake zone this winter, anxiety is rising in GroningenBastiaan Jeroen’s farm in ’t Zandt has columns made of reinforced concrete. “During one earthquake, I saw them twisting,” he said. “If a chip comes off, it will cut you in half. That’s the fear we’re living in.”Jeroen lives in the province of Groningen, home to a vast gas field and the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into the links between gas extraction and the hundreds of earthquakes and tremors that have traumatised residents. His farmhouse has been shattered by hundreds of cracks from the last decade’s quakes. One outer wall is propped up by several large wooden beams. Continue reading...
Environment Agency figures indicate people could be swimming in human waste this summer without warningSewage monitors at some popular seaside destinations in England and Wales are faulty or not installed, Environment Agency data has revealed, meaning people could be swimming in human waste this summer without realising.Seaside holidays this year have been marred by water companies pumping raw sewage into the ocean, with popular beaches in areas including Sussex and Devon having to close. Continue reading...
by Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington on (#62RK3)
Touring flood-hit region of Nelson, prime minister says country must do ‘all we can’ to deal with damaging events triggered by a warming climateNew Zealand’s flood- and slip-prone regions do not have the mechanisms in place to cope with rapid environmental changes brought about by the climate crisis, Jacinda Ardern has said after visiting the aftermath of a monster storm.The prime minister was touring the site of devastating flooding and landslips around Nelson, at the top of the South Island, when she was asked if she was satisfied that New Zealand had the framework and investment to cope with weather events that are becoming more frequent. Continue reading...
‘Seal crackers’ and bean bag rounds are designed to scare off protected wildlife but critics say the occasionally deadly measures amount to animal cruelty
Areas where energy use is high but average income low include Birmingham, Bradford and Cornwall, says Friends of the EarthResidents in Birmingham, Bradford and Cornwall will be hit hardest by spiralling energy prices as the crisis threatens to deepen this week, a study has shown.The areas contain the largest number of “energy crisis hotspots”, where communities are at greatest risk of serious financial hardship as a result of unaffordable energy costs, according to Friends of the Earth. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#62RCW)
Research from Onward outlines ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut energy billsThe two Conservative leadership candidates are failing to promise the policies needed to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, a right-leaning thinktank has warned, despite a clear need for measures that would cut consumer bills as well as carbon.Insulating Britain’s draughty homes would cost the government just over £1bn a year in grants plus a similar amount in subsidised loans, while a 50% cut in stamp duty could encourage people to install low-carbon heat pumps when they move house, according to the proposals from Onward. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#62R2M)
Boris Johnson gives financing go-ahead after warnings decision could limit incoming governmentBoris Johnson has approved funding for a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk in the final weeks of his premiership, but some of Liz Truss’s senior allies are split over the decision.The prime minister and the chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, approved financing for the construction of two new reactors known as Sizewell C, enabling private funding of about £20-30bn to be raised. Continue reading...
As sewage is discharged into the UK’s seas and targets are missed, company chiefs use their time on other rolesSome of the highly paid bosses of England’s water companies are earning tens of thousands of pounds in second boardroom jobs, advising on the pay deals of other top executives.Five of the chief executives of England’s nine water and sewerage companies are also working as non-executive directors in other firms, sitting on remuneration committees. Continue reading...
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, world’s smallest sea turtle species, discovered in Chandeleur Islands off coast of New OrleansFor the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of New Orleans.Wildlife experts at the Breton national wildlife refuge have documented more than 53 turtle crawls and two live hatchlings that were navigating towards the sea, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced in a press statement this week. Continue reading...
Calls for greater oversight of parliamentary groups after concerns raised about Tory backbench committeeA lobbying firm whose clients include the oil giant BP provided “administrative support” to a committee of Conservative MPs conducting an inquiry into the energy crisis.Crowne Associates took meeting minutes and helped compile reports for the 1922 backbench committee on business, energy and industrial strategy. The influential sub-committee, chaired by the former business secretary Andrea Leadsom, went on to recommend policies sympathetic to the oil and gas industry, including calling for a loosening of planning laws to enable fracking. Continue reading...
Some restaurants are listening, with Corrigan’s not sourcing from intensive shoots and the Ritz not serving a Glorious Twelfth dishFrom 12 August to early December, it’s usually possible to walk into old-fashioned fine dining establishments across the country and order the rare British delicacy that is grouse, frequently served with bread sauce and game chips.But those hoping to eat the tiny game bird in the gilded Ritz dining room in London will be out of luck this year, as the world-famous hotel has quietly removed it from the menu after an outcry from environmental campaigners. Continue reading...
Billions of the pellets end up in the sea, killing turtles, whales and dolphins, and are washed up on beaches around the worldMaritime authorities are considering stricter controls on the ocean transport of billions of plastic pellets known as nurdles after a series of spillages around the world.Campaigners warn that nurdles are one of the most common micro-plastic pollutants in the seas, washing up on beaches from New Zealand to Cornwall. The multicoloured pellets produced by petrochemical companies are used as building blocks for plastic products, from bags to bottles and piping. Continue reading...
Demand goes through the roof as struggling British households try to tackle soaring electricity pricesBritish households are racing to install roof-top solar electricity panels amid huge energy price rises, with installers saying demand has “exploded”.Simon Dudson, the chief executive of the Little Green Energy Company, which serves London and south-east England, says: “It’s absolutely crazy times. It’s unprecedented. We have had a 400-500% increase in business.” Continue reading...
Four years of failed rains in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have left the region facing catastrophe this yearThe number of people at risk of starvation in the drought-ravaged Horn of Africa has increased to 22 million, the UN’s world food programme (WFP) says.Years of insufficient rainfall across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have caused the worst drought in 40 years and conditions akin to famine in the hardest-hit areas, aid groups say. Continue reading...
Four days after a ‘suspicious’ break-in, one pup is found safe and another appears to have been hit by a carEmotions are bittersweet at a Canadian zoo after a runaway wolf pup was safely located after four days on the loose, but another was found dead along a road.Conservation officers and zoo staff in Canada have spent the last four days searching for a runaway wolf after mysterious break-in freed a pack of the predators from the popular zoo. Continue reading...
Royal Foundation also places investments in trust that owns shares in firms that buy palm oil, investigation revealsThe charity founded by the Duke of Cambridge, who launched the Earthshot prize, keeps its investments in a bank that is one of the world’s biggest backers of fossil fuels, according to an investigation.The Royal Foundation, the charity set up by the Cambridges, also places more than half of its investments in a fund – advertised as green – that owns shares in large food companies. Some of these firms buy palm oil from companies linked to deforestation, the investigation by the Associated Press (AP) claimed. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#62P6G)
Several species including orange-tip show marked increase but climate crisis poses long-term threatSun-loving butterflies are flourishing in Scotland’s hotter summers with significant increases across a number of species including red admiral, orange-tip and ringlet, according to a report.However, the report’s authors say this trend is likely to be short-lived without measures to reduce the effects of the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Forces already receiving 999 calls before restrictions come into force, diverting call handlers from emergenciesPolice chiefs have urged members of the public not to report suspected breaches of hosepipe bans to forces.Police forces have already received 999 calls about residents’ use of water, even before restrictions are in place. Continue reading...
Business Roundtable aims to weaken efforts that would enable investors to hold companies accountable for their climate promisesThree years ago today, in a statement that would be described as “historic”, “monumental” and “revolutionary”, America’s most powerful and politically connected corporations promised to “protect the environment by embracing sustainable practices across our businesses”.The “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” came from the Business Roundtable, an influential Washington DC lobbying group whose 200-plus members include the chief executives of some of the world’s biggest companies, including Apple, Pepsi, Walmart and Google.Generate goodwill and positive PR by publishing bold climate goals, with little fear of being held accountable or legally liable for achieving those goals.Can choose to selectively disclose certain parts of their carbon footprint, or none at all.Are not required to reveal the greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout their supply chains – which, for most companies, make up the majority of their emissions.Make high-profile pledges to fight climate change, while paying to maintain memberships in the Business Roundtable and other trade associations that spend millions of dollars to lobby governments against meaningful climate action. Continue reading...
Polish minister Anna Moskwa says experts have found algal bloom in water samples, after mass die-off puzzled scientistsRare micro-organisms known as golden algae could be the cause of a mass die-off of fish in the Oder River that has puzzled scientists for days, Poland’s environment minister has suggested.“After further investigations, the Institute of Inland Fisheries in Olsztyn has found rare microorganisms, so-called golden algae, in water samples from the Oder River,” Anna Moskwa said on Thursday. Continue reading...
Receding rivers and lakes have exposed ghost villages, a Nazi tank and a Roman fortThe warning could not be starker. Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine (“If you see me, then weep”), reads the grim inscription on a rock in the Elbe River near the northern Czech town of Děčín, close to the German border.As Europe’s rivers run dry in a devastating drought that scientists say could prove the worst in 500 years, their receding waters are revealing long-hidden artefacts, from Roman camps to ghost villages and second world war shipwrecks. Continue reading...
by Theresa Malone, Ashley Kirk, David Blood, Lucy Swa on (#62NZK)
Despite the arrival of heavy rain, nine UK regions remain drought zones. But what is a drought and why is it happening?Despite the heavy rain and thunderstorms that have hit the UK this week, several areas of the country remain in drought. Drought was officially declared across eight regions of England on Friday 12 August, with a ninth – Yorkshire – added a few days later. Continue reading...
A fourth straight day of rain brought by an ‘atmospheric river’ has damaged roads and homes and forced more than 400 households to evacuateTorrential downpours that have battered New Zealand for four days straight have caused floods that could take years to clean up and displaced at least 1,200 people from their homes in the top of the South Island.Friday’s rain comes on top of weeks of wet weather and is worsening conditions in New Zealand’s already sodden landscape. Experts have attributed the unseasonably wet weather to a narrow stream of water vapour, or “atmospheric river”, sitting above the country. Continue reading...
Water company executives received on average £100,000 in bonuses, despite most firms missing targetsThe annual bonuses paid to water company executives rose by 20% in 2021, despite most of the firms failing to meet sewage pollution targets.Figures show on average executives received £100,000 in one-off payments on top of their salaries, during a period in which foul water was being pumped for 2.7m hours into England’s rivers and swimming spots. Continue reading...
The toxic chemicals, PFAS, are now thought to be contaminating drinking water supplies for over 200 million AmericansA new method for decomposing some PFAS compounds may represent a major breakthrough in addressing widespread environmental contamination across the world, according to research published on Thursday.PFAS, or per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and man-made processes that attempt to destroy them are expensive, energy intensive and have yielded questionable results.Tell us what you think about the Guardian’s climate reporting – it takes just 2 minutes Continue reading...
Fears for river ecosystems as average number of species declinesChemical pollution is killing off the invertebrate species that are the basis of England’s river ecosystems, with experts raising the alarm over falling diversity of mayfly, caddisfly and stonefly species.A census of aquatic wildlife on 12 English rivers found that in the spring and summer 2021, the mean number of riverfly species detected had fallen. In autumn last year, an average of just 10 species were recorded in each sample, compared with 13 in 2016. Continue reading...
Met Office data shows that despite number of storms this week, days of thunder are decreasing overallMore than half of the lightning strikes in the UK this year have taken place since Sunday, the Met Office has said.Lightning and thunder signalled the end of the country’s latest heatwave this week after a long spell of high temperatures in the south. Continue reading...
Country is hoping a new North Sea terminal can supply 8% of its gas usage as war in Ukraine upends energy policyAs tourists at the Hooksiel resort on Germany’s North Sea coastline lean back in their wicker beach chairs or stomp around the mud flats, the cast-iron jetty that stretches for 1.3km into the ocean to their right is a familiar sight. The frantic clanging of metal on metal at its furthest tip, however, is new.Built in 1982, the jetty was designed to host not just two import terminals for chemicals but also one for liquefied natural gas (LNG), shipped in on tankers from the US. With cheap Russian gas beating LNG for price, those tankers never arrived. Two adjacent plots of land, reclaimed from the North Sea to make space for industry, instead attracted rare warblers and bitterns. Continue reading...
B4Box in Stockport says by training workers in multiple skills it can build a better future and provide jobsLike many others, Orianne Landers left school feeling it had failed to prepare her for the challenges of life. “I did OK at GCSE and A-level. But the subjects I took aren’t much help to me now. I took English and drama, which helped with confidence,” she says. “But they’re not as useful as you think they’re going to be.”Landers, 25, soon found her calling in construction. “I did a painting and decorating qualification. That got me thinking about getting a house one day. I thought it would be easier if I could do all the maintenance work myself.” Continue reading...
Anglo-Italian pair – accompanied by their dog – hoped to highlight scale of climate crisis and encourage bike useFaced by the threat of the climate emergency, some people recycle more, or turn down the central heating thermostat a notch. Daniel Rayneau-Kirkhope and Arianna Casiraghi drew a 600-mile wide GPS bicycle across Europe. While accompanied by their dog.The couple gave up their jobs as physics researchers to undertake the 4,500-mile cycle trip through seven countries, a route painstakingly planned to plot the outline of a giant bicycle over the continent. Continue reading...
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