Environment | The Guardian

Climate Change Committee says government needs to ‘step up very rapidly’ to meet ‘historic’ targetsBoris Johnson’s government has set “historic” targets on the climate crisis but has failed so far to come up with the policies needed to reach them, the government’s independent advisers on the climate have warned.The Climate Change Committee published two progress reports on Thursday, showing the UK lagging behind on its key goal of 78% cuts to greenhouse gases by 2035 and making recommendations on how to get back on track. Continue reading...

The odd taste and odor of Sacramento’s water is due to a harmless compound fueled by the droughtThe water district of Sacramento, California, has always fielded calls from concerned residents reporting a weird taste and odor in the water coming out of their taps. A naturally occurring compound called geosmin can give the water an earthy taste when water levels are low and temperatures are high.The water isn’t dangerous, but it is stinky. Typically the complaint calls don’t start until autumn or late summer. But this year is different, thanks to a worsening drought that has hit the region hard.

Evidence the reef is in trouble has been building for years, federal opposition environment spokesperson Terri Butler saysLabor has called on the government to justify its claim a UN body bowed to political pressure in recommending the Great Barrier Reef be placed on a world heritage “in danger” list, saying there had been warning signs the site had been in trouble for years.Guardian Australia revealed on Wednesday that Dr Fanny Douvere, of Unesco’s World Heritage Centre in Paris, had rejected a suggestion by the environment minister, Sussan Ley, that the body told the Australian government a week ago it would not be recommending the reef be moved to the “in danger” list. Continue reading...

Activists welcome move but warn recycling should not be default solution to plastics crisisLego has unveiled its first bricks made from recycled plastic bottles and revealed that it hopes to include the pieces in sets within two years.The Danish company, which takes its name from the Danish words for “leg godt”, meaning “play well”, makes billions of bricks a year, most of them from a plastic called ABS which gives them “clutch power”, helping them to grip together. Continue reading...

Scientists increasingly concerned about thresholds beyond which recovery may become impossibleClimate scientists are increasingly concerned that global heating will trigger tipping points in Earth’s natural systems, which will lead to widespread and possibly irrevocable disaster, unless action is taken urgently.The impacts are likely to be much closer than most people realise, a a draft report from the world’s leading climate scientists suggests, and will fundamentally reshape life in the coming decades even if greenhouse gas emissions are brought under some control. Continue reading...

Cut of £80m hindering effort to monitor sewage discharges and farming activity, MPs toldThe head of the Environment Agency has called for the government to reinstate a £120m grant to help increase surveillance of water companies and cut pollution in rivers.Sir James Bevan, the chief executive of the agency, told MPs that water companies and the farming industry, the two main polluters of rivers, were not doing enough to protect the environment. Continue reading...

Pigeon races would be hampered by 21-day rule and need for health certificate, government toldFive years on from the Brexit vote, there is one group whose right to smooth travel to EU countries from the UK has been overlooked, according to a shadow minister: pigeons.New post-Brexit conditions stopping cross-Channel pigeon races unless the birds have the necessary paperwork must be overturned, the government has been told. Continue reading...

Recent blast registered as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake off Florida coast and is enough to have outsized effects on marine life in areaThe US navy set off a massive explosion last week, detonating a 40,000lb blast as part of a test to determine whether its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is ready for war. The test, known as a full ship shock trial, is just the first of three planned blasts over the coming months.But the amount of explosive used – 40,000 lbs – is enough to have outsized effects on any marine life in the area, said Michael Jasny, who directs the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Marine Mammal Protection Project, working on the law and policy of ocean noise pollution. Continue reading...

Nationals propose ban of water buybacks as party uses return of leader Barnaby Joyce to reassert influenceAn emboldened National party is flexing its muscle under returned leader Barnaby Joyce, demanding the Liberals adopt major changes to the Murray-Darling Basin plan as the two parties enter negotiations on a new Coalition agreement.On Wednesday the Nationals blindsided Liberal colleagues by introducing amendments to a government bill to reduce environmental flows under the basin plan, revealing they had been secretly working on it for “months” in a bid to change government policy. Continue reading...

Almost two-thirds of renewable energy schemes built globally last year expected to undercut coal costsAlmost two-thirds of wind and solar projects built globally last year will be able to generate cheaper electricity than even the world’s cheapest new coal plants, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).The agency found that the falling cost of new windfarms and solar panels meant 62% of new renewable energy projects could undercut the cost of up to 800 gigawatts (GW) worth of coal plants, or almost enough to supply the UK’s electricity needs 10 times over. Continue reading...

Pesticides regulator says it has concerns about the effects of bromadiolone on animals that eat miceThe national pesticides regulator has refused a request from the New South Wales government to allow farmers to use a rodent poison described as “napalm for mice” around crops to battle the devastating mouse plague.Conservationists had warned the use of bromadiolone would have devastating affects on native species in the central west and put endangered birds at risk. Continue reading...

Country looks to export excess manure from intensive pig and poultry farms to combat rising pollution and emissionsA surge in pig and poultry farming in Northern Ireland has built a multimillion-pound industry, feeding British consumers chicken and pork. But it is creating a climate and pollution headache for politicians.After a decade of growth, the country has a poultry population of 25 million and pig production has risen to almost 1.5 million, with most of the meat exported to Great Britain. Continue reading...

Scheme using boreholes to capture Earth’s warmth will provide same heat as 2,300 homes with 50% less emissionsOne of the UK’s largest low-carbon heating systems will soon begin warming homes and offices in London’s Square Mile by capturing heat from more than 650ft below the streets of the City.The £4m scheme, to be housed in the historic Port of London Authority building on Charterhouse Street next to Smithfield Market, will provide the same amount of heat as used by 2,300 average UK homes with 50% less carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Around the world, dozens of ingenious projects are trying to ‘trick’ the ocean into absorbing more CO. But critics warn of unforeseen consequencesTom Green has a plan to tackle climate change. The British biologist and director of the charity Project Vesta wants to turn a trillion tonnes of CO into rock, and sink it to the bottom of the sea.Green admits the idea is “audacious”. It would involve locking away atmospheric carbon by dropping pea-coloured sand into the ocean. The sand is made of ground olivine – an abundant volcanic rock, known to jewellers as peridot – and, if Green’s calculations are correct, depositing it offshore on 2% of the world’s coastlines would capture 100% of total global annual carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Cool Walks aims to help pedestrians avoid dangerous heat and find public drinking fountainsA new app promises to help Barcelona residents find the shadiest route between two places to avoid extreme heat.Cool Walks, a routing tool for pedestrians first developed at a data visualisation contest, aims to show users a variety of walking routes to take for their intended destinations. Continue reading...

Greens and Labor orchestrated upset Senate victory to prevent Arena from investing in carbon capture and storageJoel Fitzgibbon has blasted an upset victory in the Senate orchestrated by the Greens and Labor preventing the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) from investing in carbon capture and storage as “ideological craziness”.Labor, the Greens and crossbench senators combined on Tuesday night to disallow a controversial instrument written by the energy minister, Angus Taylor, that would have allowed Arena to invest in a broader range of technologies, including some used to abate fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Government had wanted Arena to invest in carbon capture and storage as well as ‘clean’ hydrogen made using gasThe Australian Renewable Energy Agency will not be able to invest in carbon capture and storage after the Senate voted to disallow a government instrument expanding its investment remit.Labor, the Greens and crossbench senators combined on Tuesday night to disallow a controversial instrument written by the energy minister, Angus Taylor, to allow investment in a broader range of technologies including some using fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Temperatures reach 34.7C in Russian capital as weather bureau blames climate changeMoscow has sweltered through its hottest June day for 120 years after the temperature hit 34.7C with even hotter weather expected over the coming days.Russia’s weather service, Roshydromet, which blamed climate change for the soaring temperatures. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Unesco’s Fanny Douvere denies any political interference, noting the reef’s outlook has gone from ‘poor to very poor’A senior Unesco official has rejected the Australian government’s claims it bowed to political pressure when deciding to recommend the Great Barrier Reef be placed on the world heritage “in danger” list.Dr Fanny Douvere, of Unesco’s World Heritage Centre in Paris, also rejected a suggestion from the Australian environment minister, Sussan Ley, that the UN body had told the government a week ago it would not be recommending the listing. Continue reading...

Large-scale environmental destruction affects the future of all life on our planet. Criminalising it would finally hold decision-makers to accountAn international team of lawyers co-chaired by Philippe Sands QC and Dior Fall Sow has presented the outcome of its work announced in November last year to develop a legal definition of ecocide. This is a crucial step towards adding ecocide to the list of other major offences recognised by the international criminal court (ICC), including crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.Making large-scale destruction of nature and its associated loss of biodiversity an international crime means that individuals, not legal entities, can be personally held accountable and prosecuted if found guilty. This implies that responsibility for damage cannot be dealt with by budgeting for potential fines. Corporations very rarely intend to cause mass damage and destruction; rather, it is a consequence of their activities. The proposed definition of ecocide describes the crime as one of recklessness; the perpetrator acted in the knowledge that there was “substantial likelihood” of serious harm arising from their conduct, but they acted anyway. Continue reading...

Willow fire is one of dozens burning across US west, including Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, amid dry conditionsFirefighters are battling to contain a wildfire that erupted near Big Sur last week, as the flames continue to engulf the dry California landscape and threaten historical sites, cabins and ranches.The fire is one of dozens of wildfires burning in hot, dry conditions across the US west, including in Arizona and New Mexico. Continue reading...

Packaging prices spike with 135m boxes languishing in homes or stuck at recycling depotsThe nation’s online shopping habit is causing a cardboard shortage as empty delivery boxes are hoarded in homes or stuck in council recycling bins.UK households have amassed 135m cardboard boxes during the pandemic, keeping valuable raw material out of the recycling chain and pushing up packaging prices, according to the packaging specialist DS Smith. Continue reading...

Industry says buying carbon offsets means overall emissions will fall compared with peak year of 2019The UK aviation industry has announced carbon targets that allow emissions from planes to increase into the mid-2030s. It says buying carbon offsets will result in overall emissions falling compared with 2019 levels.The move was welcomed by government ministers. But environmental groups said the industry was “trying to have its cake and eat it” and said only reducing flights would guarantee the carbon cuts needed to tackle the climate crisis. Aviation caused 7% of the UK’s emissions in 2018. Continue reading...

Australian government ‘stunned’ by recommendation and will strongly oppose draft decision, environment minister Sussan Ley says

The president took swift action upon entering the White House, but recent developments raise concern his agenda has stalledOn his first day at the White House, Joe Biden earned praise for following through on several campaign promises, committing the US to strict climate goals and a greener future. Now, nearly six months into his presidency, several of those commitments are being put to the test, and already, many are falling apart.A court last week ruled that the Biden administration did not have the authority to unilaterally pause oil and gas lease sales across the US. The decision came alongside news that congressional bargaining over Biden’s climate and infrastructure bill is hitting a wall with Republicans and the administration is now considering a slimmed-down version. Continue reading...

C-230 would require government to study effect of pollution and industry on marginalized people but conservatives could sink planFor generations, marginalized communities in Canada have feared that heavy industry is slowly poisoning their air, land and water.Related: America's dirty divide: how environmental racism leaves the vulnerable behind Continue reading...

David Littleproud says Nationals ‘not going to trade ourselves away until we can see the detail and see what we can get’The Nationals are considering whether to support the Liberals’ “preference” for net zero emissions by 2050 as the junior party prepares to renegotiate the Coalition agreement.Following his resurrection as Nationals leader, Barnaby Joyce left open the possibility of supporting a net zero pledge, saying he would be “guided” by the party room on whether to support the target. Continue reading...

In Haines, where the salmon once leaped under snow-capped mountains, a massive mining project promises well-paid jobs – and threatens a fragile ecosystem

How a series of mass coral bleaching events linked to rising sea temperatures prompted calls for action ahead of world heritage committee meeting

Funds were intended to address discriminatory policies – but ‘promises to Black farmers are always put on hold’The US Department of Agriculture was scheduled to begin sending out payments to Black and minority farmers this month, as part of a $4bn loan forgiveness program included in the $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill that passed Congress in March.But a lawsuit on behalf of white farmers accusing the Biden administration of discrimination has, at least temporarily, stopped the checks, prompting dismay among Black farmers and campaigners. Continue reading...

Queensland environment minister Meaghan Scanlon says ‘the world is watching’ and more needs to be done to protect the reef from climate change

Exclusive: Environment Agency chair warned minister of ‘real-world impacts’, FOI request revealsVital work on river pollution and flood defences is being stopped or cut back because the Environment Agency has been underfunded for years, freedom of information documents reveal.A shortfall in funding of tens of millions of pounds is having real world consequences for our rivers, according to a letter from Emma Howard Boyd, the chair of the EA, to George Eustice, the environment secretary. The letter was obtained by River Action, a campaigning body, under FOI laws. Continue reading...

Mining billionaire’s private investment arm, Tattarang, hauls in 7.33% stake in Huon AquacultureThe iron ore billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has waded into Tasmania’s controversial salmon industry investing almost $20m in the troubled Huon Aquaculture Group.Through his family’s private investment arm, Tattarang, Forrest has hauled in a 7.33% stake in the Tasmanian salmon farmer, with a statement made to the Australian Stock Exchange late on Monday confirming the purchase. Continue reading...

Mice have damaged internal wiring and ceiling panels at Wellington correctional centre

Most cities likely to be affected by the pollutant, which is particularly harmful to children’s brainsToxic lead from petrol that was banned 20 years ago still lingers in the air in London, a study has shown, with researchers saying the legacy of leaded fuels is likely to hang over most cities.While levels are much lower than at their peak in the 1980s, they remain far above natural background levels. Lead is extremely poisonous and there is no safe amount of exposure. It is of particular concern for children, as it damages their developing brains and ability to learn. Continue reading...

The system would also have very little impact on the environment, in contrast to livestock farming, scientists sayCombining solar power and microbes could produce 10 times more protein than crops such as soya beans, according to a new study.The system would also have very little impact on the environment, the researchers said, in stark contrast to livestock farming which results in huge amounts of climate-heating gases as well as water pollution. Continue reading...

Mayor unveils plans to charge high-polluting vehicles, but campaigners angered by private car exemptionGreater Manchester has approved plans for a clean air zone (CAZ) scheme under which high-polluting commercial and passenger vehicles will be charged to drive through the city.High-polluting heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will be charged £60 a day; vans, £10; and taxi and private hire vehicles, £7.50 to drive within the zone. Failure to pay will result in a £120 fine in addition to the daily charge. Private cars will be exempt. The scheme is expected to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) next week and is expected to launch on 30 May 2022. Continue reading...

When hard-pressed farmers do a deal with the energy industry, full-on eco terror ensues, undoing this movie’s careful groundworkIf HP Lovecraft had joined Extinction Rebellion, this is the kind of idea he might have come up with: a cautionary horror story about fracking, which disguises itself as a 70s ensemble drama before erupting into something altogether ickier. While Terrence Malick loved filming American cornfields at the hallowed “magic hour”, this awkward hybrid prefers loitering at what you might call “morbid hour”, with Korean cinematographer Eun-ah Lee bathing everything in sallow, deathly light. The blight beneath everyone’s feet is creeping into their hearts.Set in rural Pennsylvania, Unearth is a tale of two houses: the Lomacks and the Dolans. Beer-chugging divorcee dad George Lomack (Marc Blucas) is struggling to provide for his two daughters with a failing auto-mechanic business; dollar signs light up in his eyes when a gas-extraction outfit called Patriot Exploration comes calling with an offer for his land. This is much to the horror of Kathryn Dolan (Adrienne Barbeau, on fearsome form), matriarch of the neighbouring clan, who is fighting to keep her land productive, and whose photographer daughter Christina (Allison McAtee) likes blowing off some steam amid the corncobs with pent-up George. Continue reading...

Woman finds hungry elephant rummaging for late-night snack – and it’s not the first time he’s stopped byRatchadawan Puengprasoppon was awoken in the early hours of Saturday morning by crashing and banging. When she went to find out what had happened, she discovered an elephant’s head poking through her kitchen wall beside the drying rack.The male elephant, named Boonchuay, appeared to be looking for something to eat. His trunk rummaged through the kitchen drawers, knocking pans and cooking paraphernalia to the floor. He chewed on a plastic bag as Ratchadawan, unsure what to do, filmed the episode on her phone. Continue reading...

A powerful form of clean energy already exists – and it is far more reliable than wind and solarOn 30 April, the Indian Point nuclear power plant 30 miles north of New York City was shut down. For decades the facility provided the overwhelming majority of the city’s carbon-free electricity as well as good union jobs for almost a thousand people. Federal regulators had deemed the plant perfectly safe.Related: Earth is trapping ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, Nasa says Continue reading...

Former deputy PM says ‘based on feedback from some university constituents’ he won’t take up role in July as plannedThe former deputy prime minister Mark Vaile won’t become the next chancellor of the University of Newcastle following a backlash over his links to a coal company.The university released a statement on Monday afternoon confirming Vaile, who is the chairman of Whitehaven Coal, had advised he intended “not to proceed” with the appointment. Continue reading...

Marsupials introduced to Maria Island, east of Tasmania, to safeguard their numbers but have decimated birdlifeAn attempt to save the Tasmanian devil by shipping an “insurance population” to a tiny Australian island has come at a “catastrophic” cost to the birdlife there, including the complete elimination of little penguins, according to BirdLife Tasmania.Maria Island, a 116-square-kilometre island east of Tasmania, was home to 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins around a decade ago. Continue reading...

Alliance of doctors and nurses calls for environment bill to include reduction in small particle pollution limitsMedical leaders are urging Boris Johnson to cut legal levels of air pollution in the UK to below World Health Organization limits in response to the death of the schoolgirl Ella Kissi-Debrah from toxic air.Members of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change are calling for the reduction in limits of PM2.5 to be included in the environment bill, which returns to parliament this week. Continue reading...

Conservationists warn of impact on world’s largest mammal migration, key to seed dispersal across AfricaPlans to create a huge commercial farm next to a national park in Zambia could have a “catastrophic” impact on wildlife, conservationists have warned, threatening vital habitat for bats undertaking the world’s biggest mammal migration.Every October, about 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats descend on the evergreen swamps of Kasanka national park in central Zambia from across Africa, feasting on figs and fruit and berries in the surrounding area, and dispersing seeds across the continent in their epic journey. The park is home to 479 bird species and 114 mammals. Continue reading...

Majority support subsidising EV purchases and setting a date to ban import of petrol-powered cars, while others prefer a carbon tax to lower emissionsAustralia’s top economists overwhelmingly back government measures to speed the transition to electric cars in order to meet emission reduction targets.An exclusive poll of 62 of Australia’s preeminent economists – selected by their peers – finds 51 back measures to boost the takeup of electric cars including subsidising public charging stations, subsidising the purchase of all-electric vehicles, and setting a date to ban the import of traditionally powered cars. Continue reading...

Thirty-two of the slow-flying water birds were found in Orange county, with all but 10 showing fractures to their wingsAuthorities in California are looking for a suspected human culprit behind attacks on more than two dozen brown pelicans found seriously injured in the south of the state.In an alert issued last week, the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Orange county said 32 pelicans have been found between San Clemente and Huntington Beach, with all but 10 showing compound fractures to their wings. Continue reading...

Countrywide scheme is flourishing after being set up to reverse a 75% decline in insect populationsTo escape the Berlin bustle on a summer afternoon, all that Derek O’Doyle and his dog Frida have to do is lap the noisy building site outside their inner-city apartment, weave their way through the queue in front of the ice-cream van, and squeeze between two gridlocked lorries to cross over Baerwaldstrasse.Bordered by a one-way traffic system lies a bucolic 1,720 sq metre haven as colourful as a Monet landscape: blue cornflowers, red poppies, white cow parsley and purple field scabious dot a sea of nettles and wild grass as armies of insects buzz through the air. Two endangered carpenter bees, larger than their honey bee cousins and with pitch-black abdomens, gorge themselves on a bush of yellow gorse. Continue reading...

Activists have traveled from all over the US to protest against the construction of Line 3, a giant project that crosses Indigenous landAs the sun set, more than a dozen young people carried a wooden bridge toward a narrow section of the Mississippi River. The bridge allowed the group to cross more easily from their camp to where the immense oil pipeline was being built on the other side.They were cited for trespassing – but they had symbolically laid claim to the marshy landscape. Continue reading...

Financial aid ‘critical’ to help developing countries limit fossil fuels – and make Cop26 a success, says UNThe head of climate change at the UN has warned that world leaders are still “far away” from securing a deal to limit the disastrous effects of global heating, with less than five months to go before a key summit in Glasgow.Time is now running out, said Patricia Espinosa, who was formerly foreign minister of Mexico but now leads the UN on climate policy. She told the Observer that although advances had been made at the G7 meeting in Cornwall last weekend, progress had not been made on honouring past commitments to find $100bn (£72.5bn) a year to help developing countries invest in green technologies. Continue reading...

Exploratory project in Botswana and Namibia is threat to ecosystems, local communities and wildlife, conservationists sayTens of thousands of African elephants are under threat from plans for a massive new oilfield in one of the continent’s last great wildernesses, experts have warned.Campaigners and conservationists fear the proposed oilfield stretching across Namibia and Botswana would devastate regional ecosystems and wildlife as well as local communities. Continue reading...