Fossil fuel interest groups are telling New Mexicans: let us keep drilling or the state’s education system will collapseThe oil and gas industry wants to play a word-and-picture association game with you. Think of four images: a brightly colored backpack stuffed with pencils, a smiling teacher with a tablet tucked under her arm, a pair of glasses resting on a stack of pastel notebooks, and a gleaming school bus welcoming a young student onboard.“What do all of these have in common?” a 6 April Facebook post by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), asked. “They are powered by oil and natural gas!” Continue reading...

Frantic conservation efforts couldn’t save the tiny, intricately colored songbird, whose obit is the first in our new series of memorials for species that have gone extinct in living memoryThe last po’ouli died in an unusual nest. Too weak to perch, the brownish-greyish songbird rested in a small towel twisted into a ring. He was the last of his species, the last in fact of an entire group of finches, and occurred nowhere on Earth outside its native Hawaii. For weeks, as scientists tried to find him a mate, he had been getting sicker. The only remaining po’ouli had just one eye. Alone in the towel, alone in all the world, he closed it.He was born, like all po’ouli (pronounced po-oh-oo-lee), in Maui’s Hana rainforest, on the slopes of Mount Haleakalā – “house of the sun” – where it rains all the time. Also known as the blackfaced honeycreeper, his species was discovered in 1973. Then, researchers estimated the total population at 200 birds. Continue reading...

Campaigners seeking land reform to overturn system that they say denies them access to waterwaysCanoeists are campaigning for a right to “blue spaces”, with fewer than 4% of England’s rivers open to the public.Paddlers have described being shouted at and even subjected to physical abuse for passing through some stretches of river during their exercise. Continue reading...

A ban on selling smoky fuels was meant to cut carbon emissions, tackle air pollution and conserve ancient bogs. Instead, it has fuelled a tense narrative of urban elites versus rural poorThe peat sods lay spread on a field, at the end of which was a mound of earth the colour of dark chocolate. It was the edge of a bog, a habitat thousands of years in the making. A mechanised cutter with steel claws had gouged and sliced some of it into chunks that now covered an area the size of a football pitch. Enough, once dried and bagged, to heat a house for an Irish winter.Some environmentalists would consider this tableau in County Kildare – one replicated across rural Ireland at this time of year – akin to a crime scene, a mad, destructive assault on a precious natural resource, turning a carbon sink into a smoky fuel. Continue reading...

Northern rivers residents make their voices heard at first community hearing into devastating events they say could have been avoided

As dry conditions prevail, the state is restricting outdoor watering while exploring other avenues of waterWith little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply.The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly two-thirds the length of the state, affecting about 6 million southern Californians in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Continue reading...

Water levels at the Nevada reservoir have depleted to such a level that officials predict more grim finds in the futureA body inside a barrel was found over the weekend on the the newly exposed bottom of Nevada’s Lake Mead as drought depletes one of the largest US reservoirs – and officials predicted the discovery could be just the first of more grim finds.“I would say there is a very good chance as the water level drops that we are going to find additional human remains,” Lt Ray Spencer of Las Vegas police told KLAS-TV on Monday. Continue reading...

Researchers in Australia and North America say management of oyster reefs should incorporate Indigenous knowledge

Demonstrators stage dawn protest at plans for new oil and gas fields in North Sea off Scotland’s coastJust Stop Oil has taken action in Scotland for the first time, with more than 50 activists blockading an oil terminal in Glasgow.Shortly before sunrise on Tuesday, about 40 supporters of the civil resistance campaign against fossil fuel production blocked the entrance to the Nustar Clydebank terminal, locking themselves together and climbing on tankers. Continue reading...

Conservative candidates placed the most Facebook ads pledging to roll back the schemes, Guardian analysis revealsCandidates in 21 council areas in Thursday’s local elections have pledged to roll back low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) or clean air zones, a Guardian analysis of Facebook ad library data has found.Most of the adverts – 136 out of 164 analysed – were placed by Tory candidates, putting local Conservative parties at odds with central government which has encouraged councils to adopt clean air zones and LTNs, and funded the schemes. Continue reading...

Nightly restriction in north comes as woman says boar ‘was on top of my head’ during encounter on SundayResidents in several neighbourhoods in northern Rome have imposed a nightly “curfew” after a spate of attacks by wild boar, which for years have roamed the Italian capital.In the most recent encounter, a woman said a boar “was on top of my head” after she was pushed to the ground during an attack on Sunday night. The incident prompted exasperated residents of Balduina and six other districts to impose an 8.30pm curfew. Continue reading...

Officials admit they did not conduct equality assessment before launch of heat and buildings strategyThe UK government is to formally consider the impact of its flagship energy efficiency plan on people most at risk from soaring bills, citing the conflict in Ukraine as a factor.The move comes after officials admitted they did not carry out an equality assessment of the heat and buildings strategy before it was announced last autumn. It sets out to slash carbon emissions from 30m homes and workplaces and is a key part of the UK’s net zero target. Continue reading...

Bear had wandered hundreds of kilometres south of species’ territory in incident experts say could become more commonCanadian police have shot and killed a polar bear that wandered into a Quebec community hundreds of kilometres south of the species’ normal territory, in an incident that experts warn could become more common as sea ice coverage becomes more unpredictable thanks to global heating.The Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police service, warned residents this weekend that a polar had been spotted near the town of Madeleine-Centre – the first time the Arctic’s apex predator had been spotted in the community. Continue reading...

Report mapped 10 electorates considered most at risk of becoming uninsurable due to flood, fire and other extreme weather risk

Eco bottle from sustainable brand When in Rome goes on sale through Ocado this weekThe paper wine bottle is one of the biggest ideas since the screw top but as pecorino in a brown paper eco-bottle arrives at Ocado, there’s one thing to remember, try not to get it wet.The £11 white, from the sustainable wine brand When in Rome, goes on sale this week, and is the first wine in a paper bottle to be sold in a mainstream UK supermarket. Even if the bottle does become damp, all is not lost, says Rob Malin, the company’s founder, because the wine is safe in a recyclable plastic pouch inside. Continue reading...

April temperatures at unprecedented levels have led to critical water and electricity shortagesFor the past few weeks, Nazeer Ahmed has been living in one of the hottest places on Earth. As a brutal heatwave has swept across India and Pakistan, his home in Turbat, in Pakistan’s Balochistan region, has been suffering through weeks of temperatures that have repeatedly hit almost 50C (122F), unprecedented for this time of year. Locals have been driven into their homes, unable to work except during the cooler night hours, and are facing critical shortages of water and power.Ahmed fears that things are only about to get worse. It was here, in 2021, that the world’s highest temperature for May was recorded, a staggering 54C. This year, he said, feels even hotter. “Last week was insanely hot in Turbat. It did not feel like April,” he said. Continue reading...

Incredible Edible says a new law could give people better health, wellbeing and access to fruit and vegetablesPeople should be given the right to turn road verges, sterile lawns around hospitals and underused public spaces into vegetable gardens and orchards, say campaigners for a “right to grow” law.Incredible Edible, a network of more than 150 community growing groups, has drawn up plans to oblige local authorities to keep a register of public land suitable for vegetable and fruit-growing, which local groups could apply to access. Continue reading...

Up to 120,000 new homes halted in areas including Eden Valley and Norfolk Broads due to ‘nutrient neutrality’ rulesA legal requirement that new houses do not pollute nearby wetlands, rivers and nature reserves has halted development across a swath of England.Forty-two local authorities in England were last month told they must ensure that new homes are “nutrient neutral” and do not add damaging nitrates or phosphates to river catchments and protected areas including the Eden Valley in Cumbria, the River Camel in Cornwall and the Norfolk Broads. Continue reading...

Thinktank says following Chile’s example would give ministers greater incentive to meet targetsRishi Sunak is being urged to issue a new generation of green bonds that would offer higher returns to investors if the UK government fails to hit its climate change targets.The Social Market Foundation (SMF) said its plan for sustainability-linked bonds would provide ministers with a greater incentive to meet carbon-reduction goals and would help boost the UK’s prospects of being a global financial hub for green finance. Continue reading...

AGL says it’s determined to go ahead with the merger despite the purchase, which has made Cannon-Brookes the company’s largest single shareholder

The Ukraine war has focused minds on win-win policies from ending coal and oil subsidies to raising petrol taxes on petrolRussia’s invasion of Ukraine has amplified the importance of national-security considerations in western countries’ energy policies. At the same time, governments must continue to focus on reducing environmental damage – in particular, on cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Both goals, geopolitical and environmental, are urgent and should be evaluated together.These two objectives are not necessarily in conflict, as some believe. There are plenty of energy measures the west can adopt that would benefit the environment and further its geopolitical aims. The most obvious steps, especially for the European Union, are sanctions that reduce demand for imports of fossil fuels from Russia. Continue reading...

Liberal Democrats condemn ‘environment scandal’ as party releases figures compiled from Environment Agency dataUntreated sewage was discharged into England’s coastal bathing waters for more than 160,000 hours last year, according to figures collated by the Liberal Democrats to mark the start of the summer sea-swimming season.Data compiled by the party using Environment Agency figures on 2021 discharges shows that water companies released raw sewage 25,000 times into designated bathing waters off the English coast. Continue reading...

RSPB reports 183 pairs at reserves including in Arne in Dorset and Minsmere in SuffolkThe distinctive sight and sound of a Dartford warbler singing from the top of a sprig of gorse in the May sunshine is making a welcome comeback after the bird almost became extinct half a century ago.Dartford warblers suffered a population crash and were at risk of vanishing from the UK in the 1960s, largely because of loss of the lowland heathland they thrive in. Continue reading...

After cutting ties with the agency, Prof David Karoly is free of its restrictions on commenting on climate policy

The heritage listed and critically endangered Cumberland plain woodland was cleared for a new defence department facility

In the central highlands north-west of Melbourne, farmers are fighting plans to install 85-metre towers through their propertiesFor the past year, “PISS OFF AUSNET” has been expertly mown into the rolling green hills at Blampied in Victoria’s central highlands. The quaint, 157-year-old Swiss Mountain Hotel has panoramic views of the scene, which is surrounded by farmland.Despite the serenity of the setting, the message reveals a community of farmers and tourism stakeholders allied in a dogfight against the company behind the Western Victorian Transmission Network Project (WVTNP). Continue reading...

Energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng believed to be open to extension in response to leap in gas prices and energy security concernsNuclear power advocates believe the energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, is open to extending the life of the Hinkley Point B plant to help wean the UK off gas imports and prevent a faster-than-expected decline in Britain’s fleet of atomic reactors.Soaring gas prices and the war in Ukraine have already spurred the government to ask coal power plant owners to stay open longer, while ministers also revisited their staunch opposition to fracking in the light of energy supply concerns. Continue reading...

Chemical companies hid their knowledge of the damage caused by PFAS for decades. With a new class-action lawsuit, Bilott intends to hold them accountableLast month, an Ohio court certified a class action lawsuit brought by lawyer Rob Bilott that would cover 7 million people – and at some point possibly everyone living in the United States – who have been exposed to certain hazardous “forever chemicals” known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS.The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, kidney disease and a range of other human health problems. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, persisting indefinitely in the environment. Continue reading...

As final decision looms on controversial pit, industry expert says there is no domestic market for its fuelClaims that a new coalmine in Cumbria will help supply British-made steel and replace Russian imports do not “stack up”, a senior industry figure has warned, as the government prepares to make a final decision over the project.Supporters of the proposed mine, which would be the UK’s first new coalmine in 30 years, have suggested that at least a share of the coal produced would be used in domestic steel production. They also say it could lower reliance on Russian coking coal in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Otter would likely not have survived without intervention of goldendoodle Gus, officials sayA rescue of a drowning baby otter from a near-freezing river in Minnesota was remarkable not only for the successful outcome but for the identity of the rescuer – a tiny three-legged dog waging its own battle for survival with cancer.Wildlife officials said the otter would likely not have survived without the intervention of Gus, a six-year-old goldendoodle that had one of its back legs amputated earlier this year because of tumors. Continue reading...

Hundreds of mills could be converted to generate clean electricity – but the Environment Agency has just raised application fees by up to 790%New hydropower schemes to help transform and preserve some of the country’s historic watermills face being wrecked by a huge increase in application fees, energy campaigners warn.Some watermills have already had turbines installed to generate clean electricity, but campaigners say there are hundreds more across Britain which could be converted to hydropower to help conserve the sites and power the nation. Continue reading...

In his new book, Tony Hall, who has maintained Kew’s world-renowned arboretum for more than 20 years, reveals the stories behind some of the country’s most loved and unusual treesI am not exactly sure where my fascination and love of trees came from, but I do remember from a very young age seeing fallen acorns under a huge oak tree and being told that this tree had produced all of these acorns and that each one, like the one I had picked up and was holding in my hand, could grow into an oak tree and be hundreds of years old.After spending a lifetime working with trees, they continue to amaze me with their ability to grow and adapt through decades, and in many cases centuries, of seasonal change.2. An oak tree in Chirk, Wales. After the yew, the oak is the longest living of native British trees Continue reading...

With hunger across Horn of Africa and 600,000 children out of school, ‘desperate’ parents push more girls into early marriageDrought-afflicted areas of Ethiopia are seeing “dramatic” increases in child marriage as the worst climate-induced emergency for 40 years pushes people to the brink, the head of Unicef has said.Three consecutive failed rainy seasons have brought hunger, malnutrition and mass displacement to millions of people in the Horn of Africa, including parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti. Continue reading...

Moscow’s long-feared halt to supplies has met stoicism, trepidation – and a renewed determination to go it alone

Mountain frog lives in Queensland’s Gondwana rainforests which were extensively burned in black summer bushfires

Protesters charged with causing criminal damage of more than £5,000, Surrey Police saidFour climate activists have been charged after protests at two motorway service stations in Surrey.Nathan McGovern, 22, Amber Alexander, 18, Louis Hawkins, 22, and Rosa Sharkey, 22, have been charged with causing criminal damage of more than £5,000, Surrey police said. Continue reading...

Staff raise concerns after incoming chief executive Andrew McConville emphasises agricultural outcomes in introductory letter

Attorney general has launched an inquiry into fossil fuel companies’ role in causing global environmental crisisCalifornia’s attorney general has subpoenaed ExxonMobil as part of what he called a first-of-its-kind broader investigation into the petroleum industry for its alleged role in causing a global plastic pollution crisis, allegations that the company called meritless.Attorney general Rob Bonta said on Thursday that the industry for decades has encouraged the development and use of petroleum-based plastic products while seeking to minimize public understanding that their widespread use harms the environment and public health. Continue reading...

LA-based based Climate Emergency Fund donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to activistsJust Stop Oil’s disruptive protests, blamed for petrol shortages across parts of England, have been funded by US philanthropists who say they want to incite a global “spring uprising” over climate change.The environmental activists, whose oil terminal blockades have enraged ministers and rightwing commentators, have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Los Angeles-based Climate Emergency Fund (CEF). Continue reading...

Insect’s forest populations have halved over past half-century despite increased woodland habitatMoths have declined faster in British woods over the last half-century than on farmland or in cities, despite woodlands having increased and moths being shielded from chemical and light pollution by the trees.Forest populations of moths halved between 1968 and 2016 compared with average national losses of a third, according to a study. Continue reading...

Campaigners say move by Cornish garden is latest example of epidemic of plastic being laid across UKThe Eden Project in Cornwall has installed plastic grass in a children’s play area to stop them getting muddy.The garden is one of a number of organisations and public bodies laying artificial turf in what environmental campaigners say is an epidemic of plastic being laid across the UK. There was a surge in interest across the UK in buying artificial grass during lockdown, according to data on Google Trends. Continue reading...

Residents are voicing fury over expansions set to displace thousands while Biden’s administration last year launched an investigation into a Houston projectTexas, with its wide-laned roads and supersized highways, seems like an unlikely place for a rebellion against the supremacy of American car culture.But last week a band of residents from across Texas descended upon the state’s department of transportation (DoT) to voice fury over new highway expansions that are set to displace thousands of people and raze hundreds of businesses, schools and churches. Meanwhile, the state is actively crushing local plans to encourage more cycling and walking as an alternative to driving. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a giant panda, jumping fish and an osprey egg Continue reading...

No Mow May scheme promotes letting wild plants thrive to provide nectar for insectsThe number of people not mowing their lawns is increasing after a successful campaign to keep gardens wild, a leading nature charity says.Gardeners are this year being urged once again by Plantlife to keep their lawnmower in the shed during No Mow May, in order to let wild plants thrive and provide nectar for insects. Continue reading...

A 69-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after the animal repeatedly stomped on her at Arundel Hills Country Club, Queensland ambulance says

Pacific Elders Voice group says military tension ‘created by China and the US and its allies’ are secondary to rising seas and catastrophic cyclonesGrowing military tensions in the Pacific between China, the US and Australia do not address the most significant security threat to the region – climate change – former leaders of Pacific nations have warned.In a statement on Friday, the Pacific Elders Voice group, which includes former leaders of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Kiribati and Tuvalu, as well as Dame Meg Taylor, the former secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat, said that “the primary security threat to the Pacific is climate change”, rather than geo-strategic tensions. Continue reading...

The ‘gas-guzzling fleet guarantees decades of pollution with every postcard and package,’ says an attorneyCalifornia and 15 other states that want the US Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks as the agency modernizes its mail delivery fleet.Three separate lawsuits, filed by 16 states and environmental groups Thursday in New York and California, ask judges to order a more thorough environmental review before the Postal Service moves forward with the next-generation delivery vehicle program. Continue reading...

New research warns pressures of rising heat and loss of oxygen reminiscent of ‘great dying’ that occurred about 250m years agoGlobal heating is causing such a drastic change to the world’s oceans that it risks a mass extinction event of marine species that rivals anything that’s happened in the Earth’s history over tens of millions of years, new research has warned.Accelerating climate change is causing a “profound” impact upon ocean ecosystems that is “driving extinction risk higher and marine biological richness lower than has been seen in Earth’s history for the past tens of millions of years”, according to the study. Continue reading...

The jolt in costs is being blamed mostly on more expensive fossil fuels and falling reliability of coal-fired power plants

Landscape ‘primed for flooding’ with dams at capacity after back-to-back La Niña events