Around 190,000 battery electric cars were sold amid disruption to global supply chainsBooming electric car sales were a bright spot in a tough car market last year amid disruption to global supply chains hitting manufacturers, according to fresh data.In its annual sales snapshot for 2021, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said carmakers sold 190,000 battery electric cars across the country last year, accounting for about 11.6% of total sales.Vauxhall CorsaTesla Model 3Mini MiniMercedes-Benz A-classVolkswagen PoloVolkswagen GolfNissan QashqaiFord PumaKia SportageToyota YarisTesla Model 3Kia NiroVolkswagen ID3Nissan LeafAudi e-tronHyundai KonaMini MiniRenault ZoeVauxhall CorsaMG ZS Continue reading...

A Duke University study nine top rated products contained PFAS, which has been linked to cancer and other health problemsAnti-fogging sprays and cloths often used to prevent condensation on eyeglasses from wearing a mask or on face shields may contain high levels of potentially toxic PFAS “forever chemicals”, according to a new study led by Duke University.Researchers tested four of the top-rated anti-fogging sprays as well as five top-rated anti-fogging cloths sold by Amazon. In all nine products, experts found fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and fluorotelomer ethoxylates (FTEOs), two types of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). Continue reading...

One in five ads served on search results for 78 climate-related terms placed by firms with interests in fossil fuels, research findsFossil fuel companies and firms that work closely with them are among the biggest spenders on ads designed to look like Google search results, in what campaigners say is an example of “endemic greenwashing”.The Guardian analysed ads served on Google search results for 78 climate-related terms, in collaboration with InfluenceMap, a thinktank that tracks the lobbying efforts of polluting industries. Continue reading...

Lovers of peace and opponents of air pollution can now breathe easy as Washington offers rebates on electric toolsA roaring and often harmful cacophony that has long afflicted Washington DC has finally been silenced. Not the roar of politicians sounding off, alas, but the use (and sale) of gasoline-powered leaf blowers, banned since New Year’s Day.Anyone using the blowers, which have been blamed for ear-splitting noise and a stew of air pollution, risks a fine of up to $500. Continue reading...

Port of Newcastle says move is part of plan to decarbonise the business by 2040 and ‘we don’t really have a choice’

Flooding in past 14 years has caused major disruption to schools, hospitals and care homes, analysis findsFlooding over the past 14 years has caused major disruption to towns and cities, schools, hospitals and care homes, a study reveals.The analysis shows towns and cities have been hit by flash flooding 51 times. Fifteen hospitals and 68 schools have also suffered from rising flood waters, which have caused major disruption to patients and to children.Urban drainage: heavy rainfall puts drainage and sewerage infrastructure under strain, even exceeding their limits, and contributing to flooding in some cases.Hospitals: at least 15 experienced flooding causing disruption or imminent risk of disruption to patient services or hospital support services,Schools: a least 68 schools have suffered sufficient water entering buildings to disrupt lessons, or school transport; 22 suffered at least significant damage and seven severe damage andCare homes: nine care homes and four retirement complexes have been flooded. Major disruptions to social care included carers unable to reach elderly people in rural areas; loss of power, hot water and heating in care homes. Continue reading...

Marine geoscientists study glacial sediments to determine where to install turbines at seaThe last of Britain’s glaciers melted 10,000 years ago, but the way they shaped the landscape still affects our lives today. Locations of towns and cities have been determined by which direction those giant rivers of ice flowed; tourists flock to see the picturesque lakes and hills sculpted by their brute force, and gardeners curse soils with an overabundance of glacial clay.Now those ancient ice sheets are reminding us of their existence out at sea too, influencing which locations are suitable for offshore windfarms. Gareth Carter, a marine geoscientist at the British Geological Survey, has been using subsurface imagery to map the land under the North Sea and advising engineers where to site their foundations for the huge Dogger Bank Wind Farm, 80 miles (130km) off the north-east coast of England. Continue reading...

Despite a recent wave of heavy rain and snow, a third of the state still struggles in extreme or exceptional drought conditionsCalifornians will not be able to water their lawns for 48 hours after rainstorms or let their sprinklers run on to the sidewalk under new, mandatory water saving rules that could result in a fine of up to $500 a day.The restrictions, adopted by state regulators on Tuesday, come as California continues to struggle under drought conditions, despite a recent wave of heavy rain and snow. Continue reading...

Satellite data shows ocean surface 3C above normal as swimmers say water feels more like February and March

Dammed rivers could accelerate climate crisis as creatures move into previously inhospitable areasThe transformation of the rapidly warming Arctic is being accelerated by a wave of thousands of newcomers that are waddling and paddling northwards: beavers.Scientists who sought to map the spread of beavers in Alaska were astounded to find that the creatures have pushed far north into previously inhospitable territory and are now set to sweep into the furthest northern extremities as the Arctic tundra continues to heat up due to the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Researchers are using satellite technology to monitor the health of these vital carbon sinks and help restore themFlanders Moss bog is slumped on the flat, farmed landscape of the Carse of Stirling in Scotland like a jelly fungi. It wobbles when you walk on it, and a metal pole goes down eight metres before reaching hard ground. This lowland-raised bog is a dome of peat fed mainly by rainfall and it acts like a single organism – the whole thing has to be looked after for any part to be in really good shape. If it is drained in one area it will affect the water level across the entire bog.For much of human history peat bogs have been thought of as wastelands. This 860-hectare (2,125-acre) site has been hacked away and drained since the early 1800s to make space for fertile farmland below. It is about 60% of its original size. Bogs scar easily and the drainage ditches made more than 100 years ago are still visible. Continue reading...

Just months after the town was plagued by noxious odors from a chemical spill, residents are inundated againA large cleanup effort is under way in Los Angeles county after an estimated 8.5m gallons of raw sewage flooded through a neighborhood in the city of Carson, closing beaches and leaving toilet paper, feces and toxic residue strewn across nearby streets and sidewalks.The spill occurred last Thursday when a 60-year-old sewer line failed, spewing sewage from a manhole and into the Dominguez Channel, a 15-mile flood-control waterway that eventually pours into the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...

Destruction of trees, grasses and other plants in the Cerrado is a major source of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissionsDeforestation last year rose to the highest level since 2015 in Brazil’s Cerrado, prompting scientists on Monday to raise alarm over the state of the world’s most species-rich savanna and a major carbon sink that helps to stave off climate change.The Cerrado, the world’s largest savanna spread across several states of Brazil, is often called an “upside-down forest” because of the deep roots its plants sink into the ground to survive seasonal droughts and fires. Continue reading...

Gamekeepers told certain species such as carrion crows and jackdaws can be shot as government updates definition of ‘livestock’Some wild birds can be killed in order to protect game birds bred for shooting in England, the government has ruled, in an update to guidance on general shooting licences.General licences give broad permissions to shoot certain species of wild birds to protect livestock, aid conservation, and preserve health and public safety. Continue reading...

Temperature records were broken across all four nations over the new year weekendAccording to the UK’s Met Office: “The extremely mild spell is driven by a flow of warm, moist air pushing across the UK from the Canary Islands and further south in the Atlantic.” This has resulted in the “unusual situation of one weather system breaking weather records for two days in separate calendar years”. Continue reading...

Brussels faces backlash and charges of greenwashing after publishing draft proposals on New Year’s EveThe European Commission is facing a furious backlash over plans to allow gas and nuclear to be labelled as “green” investments, as Germany’s economy minister led the charge against “greenwashing”.The EU executive was accused of trying to bury the proposals by releasing long-delayed technical rules on its green investment guidebook to diplomats on New Year’s Eve, hours before a deadline expired. Continue reading...

National Parks Service describes rare incident in which sneaky grizzly joined chase with the Junction Butte packWildlife officials in Yellowstone national park captured the “unusual” sight of a cheeky grizzly bear tagging along with a pack of hunting wolves, then making off with their kill.The enthralling video, posted to the National Parks Service Facebook page, shows the October incident in which the wolves from the Junction Butte pack in northern Yellowstone were joined by a lumbering grizzly as they hunted a herd of elk. Continue reading...

The UK’s green energy initiatives are failing just at the moment when we hold the leadership of Cop26Britain’s electricity generation went through an unfortunate phase last year. According to the UK-based website Carbon Brief, it got dirtier for the first time in years as renewable sources failed to provide sufficient power to help the nation’s economy recover from lockdown restrictions. More coal and gas had to be burned to generate electricity.This jump occurred – in part – because 2021 was notable for its low winds. Wind farm output dropped by almost 15% from 2020, despite the fact that more turbines had been installed across the nation. At the same time, nuclear power generation fell by almost 10% because of problems with ageing reactors. Continue reading...

At least seven reported injured while cause of the blaze remains under investigationThree people are missing and feared dead after a wind-stoked wildfire roared through two towns in Boulder county, Colorado, prompting thousands of evacuations and destroying nearly 1,000 homes, authorities said on Saturday.Officials initially said there were no reports of fatalities or missing residents following the rare urban wildfire that erupted Thursday morning on the northern outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area. Continue reading...

Campaigners fear fuel poverty could hit highest level since records began unless government actsThe number of UK households living in fuel poverty could climb to the highest level on record by this spring unless the government moves to soften the blow of a looming record high energy bill hike, according to a fuel poverty charity.Around 4 million homes in the UK were already classed as fuel poor before a surge in global energy market prices triggered one of the steepest ever energy bill hikes in October, but campaigners are braced for a record increase in the numbers unable to pay their energy bills following another hike this spring. Continue reading...

Young birdwatchers encourage enthusiasts to find species in their own patch, and to travel on foot or by bikeTwitching is synonymous with birdwatching, which can often involve long journeys in search of rare species. But now a new breed of climate-conscious birder is trying to persuade fellow enthusiasts to keep it local instead.A group of young birders has created a challenge for spotters to find birds in their own patch close to home rather than routinely travelling long distances to spot particular birds, a practice known as “twitching”. Continue reading...

‘Invest in the future, but keep things simple.’ The energy-industry doyenne shares her solutions for our current supply ills and the climate crisisJuliet Davenport may have made a lucky escape from the energy supply market. The founder and former chief executive of green power supplier Good Energy ended her 20-year tenure last February, months before an unprecedented surge in global energy prices left the industry reeling.But then, it’s not unusual for Davenport to be ahead of the curve. Set up in the late 1990s, Good Energy was one of the first “challenger” suppliers to compete with the behemoths of British Gas and others, which had been created by privatisation. It was also a pioneering investor in renewable power, and an early champion of small-scale community energy ventures. Continue reading...

Our business writers pick their contenders for the headlines in 2022, from startups to venerable high street favouritesIn all likelihood, BT will be under new ownership, or at the least involved in a takeover battle, in June next year. The billionaire Patrick Drahi has been assiduously building his stake in the British telecoms giant, having spent more than £3bn to acquire 18% to date, making him BT’s biggest shareholder. Continue reading...

A growing number of towns and villages are following Chester’s lead in helping local businesses to eradicate deforestation-linked oil from their supply chains

Justin Welby uses his new year message to urge people not to despair over the climate crisisThe archbishop of Canterbury has urged the public not to despair over the climate crisis as he said there are “real reasons to hope” in 2022.Justin Welby used his new year message on BBC One to address the issue, following a year in which the UK hosted the UN’s climate summit in Glasgow. Continue reading...

Steady decline of migratory bird concerns conservationists who highlight importance of wildlife-friendly farmingThe piercing “crex crex” call of the male corncrake once kept country people awake at night. But its last breeding strongholds are falling silent as this elusive migratory bird teeters on the brink of extinction in Britain.Despite a successful rescue effort that led to its numbers rallying on the islands of north-west Scotland, rising to 1,289 calling males in 2014, the corncrake’s population has since fallen by more than 30%, to just 850 calling birds in Scotland in 2021. Continue reading...

Law bans sale of carrots, bananas and other items in plastic as environment groups urge other countries to followA law banning plastic packaging for large numbers of fruits and vegetables comes into force in France on New Year’s Day, to end what the government has called the “aberration” of overwrapped carrots, apples and bananas, as environmental campaigners and exasperated shoppers urge other countries to do the same.Emmanuel Macron has called the ban on plastic packaging of fresh produce “a real revolution” and said France was taking the lead globally with its law to gradually phase out all single-use plastics by 2040. Continue reading...

Creatures such as hedgehogs waking without sufficient food as abnormal weather disrupts hibernation

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a sleeping bear, a baby orangutan and an albino jaguarundi Continue reading...

As rewilding projects restore habitats and ecosystems, we list the plants and animals staging a comeback across Britain

From floating solar farms and volcanic cement to deep-sea mining and asexual reproduction, 15 things to watchIt is no secret that the diversity of life around us is plummeting. Scientists declared more than 100 species to be extinct in 2020 alone. That’s bad news not only for the creatures themselves but for those of us (that would be all of us) who rely on them for food, to produce oxygen, to hold soil in place, to cleanse water, to beautify our world and so much more. According to the World Economic Forum, nature plays a key role in generating more than half of global GDP.So what can we do to reduce future harm? One big thing is to identify emerging threats and opportunities to protect biodiversity and proactively shape policies and actions to prevent harm early on. To this end, a group of scientists and conservation practitioners led by William Sutherland, a professor of conservation biology at the University of Cambridge, create and publish a “horizon scan” of global trends with impacts for biodiversity each year. Read on for this year’s top picks. Continue reading...

The US president has made at least five disaster tours in the past year as his administration has tried to pass sweeping climate policies, with mixed successIn September, Joe Biden stood in a ravaged area of Manville, New Jersey, after Hurricane Ida brought hundred-year flooding. He motioned at the water marks that reached as high as the first-story windows on some of the homes on the block.“Literally over your head, that’s pretty amazing,” the president reportedly said, while consoling a family whose home was destroyed by a fire that began alongside the flooding. “Well, thank God you’re safe.” Continue reading...

From local activism to shareholder rebellions, here’s what climate advocates accomplished over the last year.After a year of record-breaking climate disasters and a grim prognosis from the world’s top experts who warn the planet has already sustained “irreversible” harm, a movement is gaining momentum to force change. As the UN secretary general declared in August, the urgent need to curb carbon emissions marks a “death knell” for the fossil fuel industry.For decades, Americans were told that standing up to powerful oil and gas companies wasn’t possible. But the reality is that everyday people are making a difference in the fight to cut emissions. These grassroots victories also show that the people who have been made most vulnerable by fossil fuel extraction, including Black and brown communities, already have solutions on hand. Continue reading...

From Wally the walrus to dancing sea slugs it was a good year for spotting wildlife at sea, but the climate crisis and human activity are taking their tollHumpback whales are becoming an increasingly common sight off the coast of Britain, according to a marine review of 2021, but dumped fishing gear is causing a rising number of stranded seals and dolphins.Walruses, pufferfish and furrowed crabs were among the marine creatures from far-flung places that visited the UK and Ireland this year due to the climate crisis, according to the Wildlife Trusts, while puffins returned to the Isle of Man for the first time in 30 years after a rat eradication programme. Continue reading...

Biodiversity talks in Kunming are likely to be delayed again, but the world urgently needs a Paris-style agreement for nature

New products range from washing machine filters and balls to fabrics made from kelp and orange peelFrom filters to bags to balls, the number of products aimed at stopping the torrent of microplastic fibres being flushed out of washing machines and into rivers and oceans is increasing rapidly.Grundig recently became the first appliance manufacturer to integrate a microfibre filter into a washing machine, while a British company has developed a system that does away with disposable fibre-trapping filters. Continue reading...

Adam McKay’s end-of-the-world film is a ‘powerful’ depiction of society’s response to scientific warnings, campaigners sayDon’t Look Up, the latest celluloid offering from the writer-director Adam McKay, has become Netflix’s top film globally despite dividing critics and viewers.The film, a satire in which two scientists played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence attempt to warn an indifferent world about a comet that threatens to destroy the planet, is an intentional allegory of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Declared extinct in the wild in 2003, species has been reintroduced to its native river after being bred in ChesterA “charismatic little fish” declared extinct in the wild has been reintroduced to its native Mexico after being bred in an aquarium at Chester zoo.The tequila fish (Zoogoneticus tequila), which grows to no bigger than 70mm long, disappeared from the wild in 2003 owing to the introduction of invasive, exotic fish species and water pollution. Continue reading...

Climate summit president makes clear UK net zero agenda is responsibility of all government colleaguesTackling the climate crisis must be a whole government effort or risk the Cop26 climate summit becoming “just a bunch of meaningless promises”, the cabinet minister who chaired the UN summit has said.Alok Sharma, who acted as president for Cop26 in November, made clear that all of his colleagues must bear a joint responsibility for the UK’s net zero agenda, and that the international community viewed continued UK efforts as vital. Continue reading...

Decarbonization should be a slam dunk, especially in progressive states. But a recent fight over hydropower shows states must listen carefully to voters firstEarlier this year, Massachusetts passed a landmark law as part of a push towards decarbonization that requires the state to cut emissions in half by 2030.But the state’s plan to meet this ambitious goal hit a snag this fall, when residents in Maine voted down a regional clean energy project, arguing it would irreversibly damage their own natural resources in order to deliver hydropower somewhere else.This article was updated on 29 December 2021 to include comment from Clean Energy Matters, a political action committee funded by Avangrid, and to add further clarification to the story. Continue reading...

Beads add hardly any extra weight to fishing gear and could save thousands of lives, it is claimedSimple plastic beads could save the lives of some of the thousands of porpoises and other cetaceans that get caught in fishing nets each year, scientists say.Harbour porpoises use echolocation to find their prey and for orientation. However, their acoustic signals cannot pick up the mesh of a gillnet, and as a result they often become trapped. Continue reading...

India’s tiger corridor and Australia’s possum ‘tunnel of love’ are among the myriad infrastructure projects providing safe passage

Two 37-tonne lorries will serve supermarket’s Magor distribution centre in Wales from JanuaryTesco is to launch the first fully-electric HGVs to be used commercially in Britain to serve its distribution centre in Wales.Two 37-tonne lorries will transport goods from a rail freight terminal in Cardiff to the company’s hub in Magor, about 30 miles away, from January. Continue reading...

Environmental activist criticises US president for expanding fossil fuel infrastructureGreta Thunberg has criticised Joe Biden for not leading the fight against the climate crisis.In an interview with the Washington Post, the 18-year old Swedish environmental activist rejected the idea that the US president is a leader on climate issues. Continue reading...

Ten Insulate Britain activists spent Christmas in jail as campaigners decry ‘power grab’ over right to protestAt least 18 peaceful environmental protesters have been sent to prison this year, with 10 spending Christmas Day behind bars.As concern about the climate crisis grows, activists have been jailed after blocking roads, disrupting court proceedings and in one case climbing on top of an aeroplane in an attempt to draw attention to the escalating emergency. Continue reading...

Court instructs company to stop tests along Wild Coast after concerns raised about wildlife and lack of consultationShell will be forced to halt oil exploration in vital whale breeding grounds along South Africa’s eastern coastline after a local court blocked the controversial project.The court order calls for an immediate halt to Shell’s seismic tests which involve blasting sound waves through the relatively untouched Wild Coast marine environment, which is home to whales, dolphins and seals. Continue reading...

Severe weather brings record low temperatures in Seattle and huge snowfalls in California and NevadaThe US west is facing record-breaking cold temperatures and heavy snow as severe weather sweeps the region from Washington to California.Officials in Oregon and western Washington opened emergency warming shelters as temperatures dropped into the teens (below zero in centigrade) amid an arctic blast that forecasters said would last several days. In California, heavy snow closed ski resorts and shut down travel across much of the Sierra Nevada, the mountainous region along the California-Nevada border. Continue reading...

Research shows UK’s 50 most polluted areas also have highest rates of child povertyThe Labour party has demanded stricter limits on air pollution after analysis showed the close correlation between children living in poverty and dirty air in the UK.Five London boroughs rank worst for child poverty and worst for dirty air, according to government data collated by Labour, mapping areas of high poverty against statistics on air pollution. The analysis showed that the higher the rate of child poverty in a given area, the dirtier the air there was on average, with most of the 50 most polluted areas in the UK also showing the highest rates of child poverty. Continue reading...

The climate emergency has clear themes with heroes and villains. Describing it this way is how to build a movementThe biggest success of the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long campaign to push doubt about climate science is that it forced the conversation about the climate crisis to centre on science.It’s not that we didn’t need scientific research into climate change, or that we don’t need plenty more of it. Or even that we don’t need to do a better job of explaining basic science to people, across the board (hello, Covid). But at this moment, “believe science” is too high a bar for something that demands urgent action. Believing science requires understanding it in the first place. In the US, the world’s second biggest carbon polluter, fewer than 40% of the population are college educated and in many states, schools in the public system don’t have climate science on the curriculum. So where should this belief – strong enough to push for large-scale social and behavioural change – be rooted exactly?Amy Westervelt is a climate journalist and the founder and executive producer of the Critical Frequency podcast network Continue reading...

Net Zero Diaries focus group finds people sceptical about whether Cop26 commitments will stickBritons are concerned that hypocrisy by politicians will affect the public’s willingness to change their own behaviour to tackle the climate crisis – and doubt that Cop26 commitments can be met unless they are legally binding.The opinions come from the latest in the Net Zero Diaries, a project run by the consultancy Britain Thinks to examine evolving attitudes to the pursuit of a net zero emissions target, the first collation of public views from the cohort since the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. Continue reading...