Environment | The Guardian

NSW Labor and others warn failure to bring land clearing under control is ‘unsustainable’ and threatens Coalition pledge to cut emissions by 2030

One claim from the past week is based on a nuclear plant that hasn’t been built and another confuses the role of battery storage

Norco says 44 workers who lost homes would be affected if government assistance ends

Most likely scenario to reach net zero by 2050 projects all coal-fired power plants exit by 2043, according to market operator

The fences Joe Ricketts erected around his ranch in the middle of the Blackfeet reservation are a deadly hazard for wildlifeAlmost immediately after their new billionaire neighbor put up miles of 5ft fences around his Montana ranch, complaints started coming in to the Blackfeet tribe.In photos and videos captured by Blackfeet tribal members and reviewed by the Guardian, animals such as elk, deer, moose and grizzly bears can be seen struggling to navigate around or over the fences as they follow a historical migration path. Sometimes, they are trapped in corners of the fences, or wounded and limping after failed attempts to jump over the barriers. On numerous occasions, mother moose have been seen separated from their young. Continue reading...

Palace says cheesemakers to Queen must keep up with environmental standards or risk removal of coat of armsThe Queen could remove the royal warrant from her favourite cheddar cheese after its producer filled a river with a noxious black sludge, the Guardian has learned.Sources at Buckingham Palace said the warrant for Davidstow cheddar, produced by Dairy Crest, could be removed on environmental grounds after it was fined £1.5m by the Environment Agency. Continue reading...

Prime minister will say food insecurity has become a significant challenge and Australia has a major role to play in meeting the challenge

Climate activists say plight of jailed Alaa Abd El Fattah shows protesters’ voices will be ignored at Sharm el-Sheikh summitFive months before a pivotal UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, one of Egypt’s most prominent political prisoners remains behind bars. Now on his 89th day of a hunger strike, Alaa Abd El Fattah is subsisting on just a hundred calories a day, normally in the form of skimmed milk or a spoonful of honey in his tea.Abd El Fattah, a figurehead of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, has spent most of the past decade in prison. First jailed for organising demonstrations against a law that in effect banned protest altogether, he was re-arrested in 2019 during anti-government protests in which he had no involvement, and last year was sentenced to a further five years in a maximum security prison on charges of “spreading false news undermining national security”, for comments about torture on social media. Continue reading...

Just two species of the freshwater fish still exist in the ancient waters of Lake Lanao in the Philippines after predatory fish were accidentally introducedIt was a celebrated clan: a group of 17 carp species found nowhere else in the world except for an ancient freshwater lake in the Philippines. One so fat it could be fried without oil, another sought after for its delectable egg-filled ovaries, a third known, oddly enough, for its endearing overbite.Yet in recent years 15 of them have been declared extinct, victims of mismanaged fish farming efforts that accidentally introduced predatory fish into their home. In all likelihood, these invaders will continue to menace the native carp until none of them are left. Continue reading...

Climate change minister says inquiry needed as carbon offset scheme is integral to target of 43% emissions reduction by 2030

Remaining curbs on food imports imposed after 2011 nuclear disaster to be scrappedFood from Fukushima will be freely available in the UK from Wednesday, weeks after Boris Johnson snacked on popcorn from the Japanese prefecture hit by a triple nuclear meltdown in March 2011.Britain restricted Fukushima imports after the disaster, the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, but has gradually lifted them, even as other countries limit or ban produce from the region. Continue reading...

In our writer’s garden, and across the country, the scourge of Dutch elm disease has not been entirely eliminatedLook up. If you do, you’ll almost certainly see butterflies where you’ve never noticed them before.The hairstreaks are hugely overlooked mostly treetop-dwelling butterflies. Two species are active now: the white-letter hairstreak and the purple hairstreak. Continue reading...

UK government put under ‘considerable pressure’, says chair of all-party parliamentary group on banning trophy huntingThe US hunting lobby has spent £1m putting pressure on the government to delay the trophy import ban, a new report by MPs has found.Boris Johnson promised to ban the imports of these trophies three years ago, but the legislation has still not gone through parliament. Because of the delay, the Conservative MP and animal welfare campaigner Henry Smith has put forward his own private member’s bill to ban imports of hunting trophies. Continue reading...

Progress report from the Climate Change Committee suggests ministers could renege on greenhouse gas emissions commitment

Committee on Climate Change report paints a dire picture of Britain’s progress in reducing farm emissions and homes insulationThere are currently no credible plans to help the majority of households to improve their energy efficiency, the progress report from the Committee on Climate Change concludes: a gaping policy hole that is costing the UK dear, not just in climate terms but in unnecessarily high energy bills for our leaky homes. Insulating buildings would be the quickest and most effective way to counter soaring gas prices, but has been largely ignored by the government after the botched “green homes grant” was scrapped last year. Even our new homes are not efficient: at least 1.5m homes have been built in recent years that will require expensive retrofitting. “It’s a complete tale of woe,” said Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigners say funding may provide incentive to restart fracking if moratorium is liftedFracking companies are likely to be eligible for tax breaks, potentially worth billions, that the government is extending to oil and gas companies to encourage new exploration of fossil fuel resources.Combined with high gas prices, the extra funding – which amounts to a subsidy, according to campaigners – could provide a strong incentive to restart fracking operations if a moratorium in the UK is lifted, which could happen as early as this week. Continue reading...

Nairobi biodiversity talks end in stalemate, prompting open letter to world leaders calling for action before Montreal conferenceUN biodiversity negotiations have reached crisis point due to a lack of engagement from governments, leading NGOs have warned, three years after experts revealed that Earth’s life-support systems are collapsing.Last week, countries met in Nairobi for an extra round of talks on an agreement to halt the human-driven destruction of the natural world, with the final targets set to be agreed at Cop15 in Montreal. Governments have never met a target they have set for themselves on halting the destruction of nature despite scientists warning in 2019 that one million species face extinction, and that nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. Continue reading...

Activists horrified by decision to give green light to stage three of the New Hope Group’s controversial mine

‘It’s the wrong policy debate at the wrong time,’ industry says of capacity mechanism

Scientists warn that while total number of cyclones may be decreasing, global heating will see a higher proportion of more damaging stormsGlobal heating has coincided with fewer tropical cyclones forming each year around the globe compared with the second half of the 19th century, according to a new study.The average annual number of cyclones fell by 13% across the 20th century, with steeper declines seen after 1950. Continue reading...

Former military heads warn of risks to food supply ahead of report from Australian Security Leaders Climate Group

A third of respondents think Albanese should adopt a more ambitious emissions target, while nearly half blame the Coalition’s climate wars for the energy crisis

Discovery of varroa mite at Newcastle port has led to NSW beehives being locked down with a potentially ‘devastating effect’ on crops

Climate-friendly practices can increase yields while improving ecosystem of farms, scientists sayFarmers could continue to produce high crop yields with far less use of artificial fertilisers if they adopted environmentally sustainable practices, an academic study has shown for the first time.Techniques such as adding manure and compost to soils, growing nitrogen-fixing plants between crops, and cultivating a wide range of produce instead of sticking to the same crops, can all increase yields while protecting and improving the natural ecosystems of farms. Continue reading...

António Guterres says the world must turn the tide of rising sea levels, ocean heating, acidification and plastics pollutionThe UN secretary general has declared that the world is in the middle of an “ocean emergency”, and urged governments to do more to restore ocean health.Speaking at the opening of the UN ocean conference in Lisbon, Portugal, attended by global leaders and heads of state from 20 countries, António Guterres said: “Sadly, we have taken the ocean for granted and today we face what I would call an ocean emergency. We must turn the tide.” Continue reading...

Tim and Geli Harris to take agency to high court over groundwater removal for farming near protected wetlandsA couple are taking the Environment Agency to the high court in a landmark case to stop the abstraction of water damaging internationally important wetlands in the Norfolk Broads.In a sign of the growing struggle over the allocation of scarce water resources in the dry south-east, Tim and Geli Harris are seeking to reduce the removal of groundwater to irrigate potatoes and other crops farmed next to three protected wetlands, including Hickling Broad national nature reserve. Continue reading...

Ten arrested as direct action group starts week of ‘disruption’ to ‘resist climate destruction’ as NSW police pledge crackdown

Extreme temperatures forecast for capital this week after premature end to rainy seasonJapan’s government has warned millions of people in the Tokyo region to save energy or face power cuts, as the capital battles record June temperatures after a premature end to the rainy season.Temperatures of 35C (95F) were forecast in the city throughout the day, with similarly extreme weather expected for the rest of the week, according to the Japanese meteorological agency. Continue reading...

After becoming extinct in the wild, European bison were reintroduced to Poland in 1954 and Romania in 2012. Photographer Alexander Turner went in search of Europe’s largest land mammal with rangers from Foundation Conservation Carpathia Continue reading...

New data shows carbon pollution rose 0.8% in 2021 as manufacturing, agriculture and gas bounced back from pandemic lockdowns

Environment minister receives enthusiastic welcome in Lisbon and flags five blue carbon projects to safeguard ocean health

Penalties for peaceful action are now the same as for aggravated assaultLast Friday dozens of armed New South Wales police officers raided a camp near Sydney and arrested two environmentalists. One was Aunty Caroline Kirk, an Aboriginal elder. She was charged with “wilfully obstructing and intimidating police”.“I can’t run, I can’t climb,” she said. “All I can do … is teach my culture. Why are they doing this?” Continue reading...

Spanish city becomes first in the world to adopt measure as periods of hot weather become more frequentThe southern Spanish city of Seville is to become the first in the world to name and classify heatwaves – much in the way that tropical storms or hurricanes are named – in an effort to better shield residents as periods of excessively hot weather become more frequent.The year-long pilot project in one of Spain’s hottest cities will classify heatwaves into three categories and named from a list that include Xenia and Wenceslao. Continue reading...

Nieces of journalist killed in the Amazon pay tribute to their uncle, who sent frequent and funny emails about life in BrazilDom Phillips was a storyteller. Through his career as a journalist, he told the stories of those who were unable to speak out and whose views were overlooked. His second book, How to Save the Amazon, aimed to do exactly this – to speak the story of the Amazon and the Indigenous people within it, and provide solutions to preserve their culture in conjunction with current Brazilian society.For us, however, he was always Uncle Dom. He has been present in our lives since we were born and was very much involved with our upbringing when we were small children. He remained a positive influence, even when he moved to Brazil in 2007. Continue reading...

From Montana’s prairies to Kazakhstan’s steppes, vast tracts of land are being enriched. Here’s how to witness those changes

19-year-old activist warns world faces ‘total natural catastrophe’ unless citizens take urgent actionGreta Thunberg has warned that the world faces “total natural catastrophe” unless citizens take urgent action as she made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury festival.The 19-year-old activist led chants of “climate … justice” after delivering a rousing speech from the Pyramid stage which painted an apocalyptic picture of the future of the planet. Continue reading...

Demands include end to fossil fuels, preservation of biodiversity and greater social justiceAbout 3,500 protesters have gathered in Munich as the G7 group of leading economic powers prepare to hold their annual gathering in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, which holds the rotating presidency this year.Police said earlier that they were expecting a crowd of about 20,000, but initially fewer people showed up for the main protest, which started at midday on Saturday, the German news agency dpa reported. Continue reading...

Control zone had been enforced around a pig farm near Feltwell after possible case reportedOfficials have ruled out a suspected case of foot and mouth disease in Norfolk.Movement restrictions and a temporary six-mile (10km) control zone for animals were enforced around a pig farm near Feltwell in west Norfolk, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Continue reading...

Nearly 100 birds are being ‘headstarted’ to boost numbers as species vanishes from lowland EnglandAn evocative peeping echoes across a large, sunny aviary. The distinctive call of the curlew comes from dozens of chicks, who strut through long grass squabbling over a much-prized worm.The scruffy-looking chicks with the beautiful voices may be the best hope for the endangered species, whose numbers have halved in the past 25 years as it vanishes from lowland England. Continue reading...

Makers of the €250,000 Lightyear 0 hope to convince drivers it can be a viable climate-friendly alternativeWinding past the ochre-coloured plateaux of the Bardenas Reales natural park in northern Spain, Roel Grooten nudged me to take my foot off the accelerator.The car continued to barrel down the open stretch of road, its speed dipping only slightly. “It keeps on going,” said Grooten, the lead engineer for the Dutch car company Lightyear, as we whizzed through the lunar-like landscape. “What you feel is nothing holding you back. You feel the aerodynamics, you feel the low-rolling resistance of the tyres, of the bearings and the motor.” Continue reading...

We must work with local communities to restore key species on a global scale if we are to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises gripping the world

Australian fisheries management says there are regional differences and new data only applies to population in New Zealand

By funding and stocking products from Brazilian meat giant JBS, firms have also supported land-grabbing, investigation claims Continue reading...

Campaigners call to prioritise grain for human consumption over its use as a fuelThe US will press ahead with biofuels production, the deputy secretary for agriculture has said, despite increasing concerns over a global food crisis, and calls from campaigners to prioritise grain for human consumption over its use as a fuel.Jewel Bronaugh, the deputy secretary of agriculture, said US farmers could continue to produce biofuels without harming food production. “We are keeping food security top of mind, but at the same time we also want to remain steadfast in the support and promotion of biofuel,” she told journalists in London, where she met the UK government to discuss a possible trade deal and cooperation on food issues. Continue reading...

1994 agreement allows investors to sue governments for changes in energy policy that harm their profitsClimate activists have said a deal to update a “dangerous” energy treaty has failed to make the agreement compatible with the urgency of the climate crisis.After more than four years of talks, 52 countries and the EU on Friday struck a deal to “modernise” the energy charter treaty, a 1994 agreement that allows investors to sue governments for changes in energy policy that harm their profits. Continue reading...

Government generosity meant industry could pollute for free, and airlines were left with 900,000 excess permits they could keep or sellThe UK government gave airlines nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in free pollution permits in a single year, enough for the entire industry to dodge a carbon emissions cap and trade scheme entirely, according to research.In 2021 the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS), which charges polluters per tonne of carbon emitted, handed airlines 4.4m free allowances and the industry only surrendered 3.4m back. In effect, UK taxpayers covered the entire cost of aviation industry emissions, plus some to spare. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a rare albino otter, a wild toki bird and a big-eared opossum Continue reading...

Lawyers representing 20-week-old foetus allege state is breaching rights of future generationsA 20-week-old foetus is fronting a legal challenge in South Korea that argues the state is breaching the rights of future generations by not doing enough to cut national emissions.Parents and lawyers representing the foetus, as well as 61 babies and children under 11, claim national carbon targets do not go far enough to stop runaway climate change and that this is unconstitutional. Continue reading...

Images from Lake Oroville and Lake Shasta compiled by the state show ‘a shocking drop in water levels’ compared to years pastCalifornia’s two largest reservoirs are at critically low levels, signaling that the state, like much of the US west, can expect a searing, dry summer ahead.This week, officials confirmed that Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, was at just 55% of its total capacity when it reached its highest level for the year last month. Meanwhile, Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir, was at 40% capacity last month – after the state endured its driest start to a year since the late 19th century. Continue reading...