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...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5KCQM)
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...
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...
by Sarah Martin Chief political correspondent on (#5KC3W)
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
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...
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...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5KBEN)
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...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5KBEP)
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...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok and Pirada Anuwech on (#5KAQ4)
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...
Foreign affairs minister says net zero emissions target preferable by 2050 even as Liberals’ coalition partner shoots down ideaMarise Payne has said that net zero emissions as soon possible and preferably by 2050 is “the broad position of the Australian government”, playing down claims by the Nationals their agreement wasn’t sought or given for a net zero target.In an interview on ABC’s Insiders, the foreign affairs minister also said Australia’s position matters because climate change is a “key security challenge” for the Pacific and conceded that joint naval exercises in the South China Sea are at least in part directed at China over its human rights record. Continue reading...
Student Climate Network planning more demonstrations over oil firm’s funding of climate crisis exhibitionA group of activists who were threatened with arrest on Saturday evening after staging an “occupation” of the Science Museum in London have vowed to renew their fight on Sunday.The London branch of the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) organised a demonstration at the museum in protest at its decision to accept sponsorship from fossil fuel giant Shell. Continue reading...
Industry says state is ‘up there with best global practice’ as environment minister aims for 52% of new car sales by 2030-31The New South Wales government will waive stamp duty on electric vehicle purchases and provide subsidies for 25,000 new purchases as part of a $490m strategy to drive uptake of EVs.Under the plan announced on Sunday, people buying battery and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles priced under $78,000 from 1 September will pay no stamp duty, and $3,000 rebates will be available on the same day for the first 25,000 private purchases of electric vehicles priced under $68,750. Continue reading...
Controversial plan to build 3,000 houses in Sussex will have ‘catastrophic impact’ on environment, say wildlife campaignersTwo of the UK’s oldest institutions – Eton College and trout fishing – are heading for an unexpected, watery confrontation. The battle has been sparked by an announcement by the £42,000-a-year boarding school that it plans to sell off 500 acres of East Sussex for a massive housing development. The move has triggered widespread anger, with infuriated members of the fishing community arguing that the proposal is a threat to one of the most important spawning grounds of the sea trout in England.The proposed 3,000-house new town would be built at North Barnes Farm, near East Chiltington, at the edge of the South Downs National Park. The Bevern stream, part of the River Ouse catchment area, runs through the land and is a nationally important spawning ground for sea trout. Continue reading...
Tourists line the air-conditioned casino labyrinths amid record temperatures – but many locals are not able to take cover indoorsBy midnight on Wednesday, two days into a scorching heat wave to hit the US west, the air in Las Vegas had barely cooled.Throughout the day and for the days that followed, temperatures in the desert city hovered close to historic highs, peaking at 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius), and setting a new record for such dangerously hot weather so early in the year. Meanwhile, dust and smoke from nearby wildfires hung in the stiff hot air, casting a brown haze over the valley. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5K8CB)
Companies should be subject to globally agreed carbon floor price to reach Paris climate goalsCompanies with high greenhouse gas emissions should be subject to a carbon price of $75 a tonne of carbon dioxide, the International Monetary Fund has said, as a way of reaching the goals of the Paris climate agreement.A carbon floor price would mean that companies, including energy generators and heavy industries, would have to pay for the carbon they produce. At present, many countries and regions have their own carbon pricing systems, but there is no globally agreed carbon price. Continue reading...
In an open letter, 16 philanthropists said they could not support the appointment of Mark Vaile ‘who is determined to build new coalmines’Prominent philanthropists have said they will not donate to the University of Newcastle after coalmining executive Mark Vaile was appointed the institution’s new chancellor.Vaile, a former federal Nationals leader and the current chairman of Whitehaven Coal, was named the university’s new chancellor earlier this month, a decision that prompted a member of the university council to resign. Continue reading...
Judges say state’s failure to meet climate targets breaches civil law and human rights conventionBelgium’s failure to meet climate targets is a violation of human rights, a Brussels court has ruled, in the latest legal victory against public authorities that have broken promises to tackle the climate emergency.The Brussels court of first instance declared the Belgian state had committed an offence under Belgian’s civil law and breached the European convention on human rights. Continue reading...
by Christopher Staudinger for the Louisiana Illuminat on (#5K7PQ)
Marathon Petroleum received more tax benefits than any other US oil company while also cutting about 9% of its workforceOne morning in September, word of layoffs began to spread quickly through Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in the small industrial community of Garyville, Louisiana.Seven months into the pandemic, workers at the oil refining plant thought they would be spared the fate of their colleagues at other facilities, who had already been jettisoned into a daunting job market. Continue reading...
The recommendation from threatened species experts comes after bushfires hit already struggling populationsKoalas could soon be listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory after bushfires smashed already struggling populations and destroyed precious habitat.A federal panel of threatened species experts has recommended the marsupial’s status be upgraded from vulnerable in each of the three jurisdictions. Continue reading...
Owners of Queensland’s controversial Carmichael mine say plant will use 3.1m tonnes of coal a year to make PVCThe owners of the controversial Carmichael mine in Queensland want to build a US$4bn plant in India that would use Australian coal to make plastic.Adani Enterprises, which owns the Carmichael coalmine, said in submissions to Indian authorities the plant will use 3.1m tonnes of coal a year at the plant to make PVC. Continue reading...
With traffickers taking species from the wild before they are even recorded, one of the UK’s oldest constabularies is on guard at Kew Gardens• Podcast: Inside the world of wildlife traffickingJohn Deer runs a peculiar operation. As Kew Gardens’ security manager it is his job to protect the 1.8 million people that visit every year. It is also his job to make sure plants and cuttings do not vanish from the botanical collection while the public are on the royal estate. To do so, members of one of the UK’s oldest constabularies patrol the grounds and officers keep watch from a state-of-the-art control room.“We’ve had people climb over the perimeter walls to access the gardens. It’s why we have 24-hour security,” Deer says, noting that there is still the occasional breach. “But the orchids, I would say, are more protected.” Continue reading...
‘Song tutoring’ gives the regent honeyeater a better chance of survival in the wild, researchers findCaptive-bred regent honeyeaters – a native Australian songbird threatened with extinction – are being taught to sing the right songs, with new research showing it helps them survive when they are released into the wild.Less than 400 critically endangered regent honeyeaters, a woodland songbird, are left in the wild so conservationists are supporting the bird with a captive breeding program. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5K6S1)
Airline’s new domestic routes include Birmingham to Newquay, less than 200 miles, for £22.99EasyJet launched 12 new domestic UK flying routes on Thursday, a decision criticised by green campaigners as likely to increase greenhouse gas emissions.The airline said the routes, which will include Birmingham to Newquay for £22.99 – less than 200 miles – as well as Liverpool to Bournemouth at £22.99 and Manchester to Edinburgh at £30.00, as well as to Belfast and the Channel Islands, were in response to passenger demand following restrictions on travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the new routes were served by other airlines, including Stobart Air, which recently went bust. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5K6D6)
Countries urged to take urgent action on managing water and land and tackling the climate emergencyDrought is a hidden global crisis that risks becoming “the next pandemic” if countries do not take urgent action on water and land management and tackling the climate emergency, the UN has said.At least 1.5 billion people have been directly affected by drought this century, and the economic cost over roughly that time has been estimated at $124bn (£89bn). The true cost is likely to be many times higher because such estimates do not include much of the impact in developing countries, according to a report published on Thursday. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#5K6D8)
Government accused of disregarding coroner’s words about death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, aged 9The government has refused to commit to an immediate lowering of legal levels of air pollution as a result of the death of a nine-year-old child from toxic air.Ella Kissi-Debrah was the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of their death in a historic ruling by a coroner earlier this year. Continue reading...
Lion famous for his gnarly face and exceptional mane was celebrated for long reign at top of many pridesIt is seldom a death at 14 is celebrated with awe, but for conservationists, the passing of Scarface of natural causes marked a remarkable end for the most famous lion in the world.“With its death, the Mara has lost yet another iconic lion,” said the Nation newspaper, with the Kenyan Wildlife Service reporting he “died in peace without any disturbance from vehicles or hyenas”. Continue reading...
Colony of small-flowered tongue orchid plants discovered in rooftop garden of investment bank NomuraA rare species of orchid believed to have been extinct in the UK has been discovered on the roof of an office building in the City of London.Serapis parviflora, also known as small-flowered tongue orchid, was found growing in the 11th-floor rooftop garden of the Japanese investment bank Nomura. It is usually found in the Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal. Continue reading...
Pristimantis ledzeppelin is discovered in Cordillera del Cóndor, which straddles Ecuador and PeruResearchers in the misty mountains of the Ecuadorian Andes have discovered a new species of terrestrial frog and named it after the pioneering British rock band Led Zeppelin.Pristimantis ledzeppelin, known in English as Led Zeppelin’s Rain Frog, was found by the scientists David Brito-Zapata and Carolina Reyes-Puig in the Cordillera del Cóndor, which straddles south-east Ecuador and north-east Peru. Continue reading...