Environment | The Guardian

After more than a decade of debate, the coastal commission is set to vote on the proposed $1.4bn project near Los AngelesCalifornia officials are poised to decide the fate of a controversial desalination plant planned along its southern coast, in a vote that comes as the American west battles an increasingly perilous drought.California water use leapt 19% in March, amid one of the driest months on record. After more than a decade of debate, the California coastal commission on Thursday will finally vote on a proposal for a $1.4bn desalination plant in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

The petroleum company is under investigation for misleading the public while exacerbating the global plastic pollution crisisAccused of misleading the public for decades on the promise of plastic recycling, oil and chemical companies are pushing a new idea: “advanced recycling”. Environmental advocates, however, say it’s more of the same old greenwash and litigators hope holding companies accountable for past lies might prevent the spread of a new one.In late April, California attorney general Rob Bonta launched an investigation into ExxonMobil for its role in exacerbating the global plastic pollution crisis. Bonta says he was partly inspired by a 2020 investigation from NPR and Frontline that showed how companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Dow and Dupont were aware of the inefficacy of plastic recycling, yet they still strategized marketing campaigns that told a different story to the public. Continue reading...

Auditor general says Victoria has most native vegetation cleared, proportional to land mass, in Australia

Kyiv repelled Russian forces by opening a Soviet-era dam on the Irpin River. Now, ecologists hope Ukraine’s newest wetlands can survive, or even thrive, after the warThere’s an acrid smell in the air and an unsettling crunch underfoot as we step over the metallic black and gold detritus of war. Ahead of us, framed by tree branches amputated by tank shells and mortar fire, the sky is reflecting brilliantly on the shimmering flood waters.After negotiating more than a dozen army checkpoints within the thick forests of Kyiv’s outer boundary, we have reached the flooded village of Demydiv on the Irpin River and the long-lost wetland basin, which has returned after the dam was opened by Ukrainian troops defending the capital from Russian army units, and was later struck by a missile.The newly restored wetland basin in Demydiv, Ukraine Continue reading...

Our author spots four of these striking birds as they pause their migration at the Somerset LevelsSporting the splendid feathery collars that give the ruff its name, they reminded me of the foppish, preening courtiers of Tudor times.This trio of male ruffs, along with a much smaller female (known as a reeve) were frantically feeding at the RSPB’s Ham Wall reserve. This is one of their favoured stopover points on their long journey north, from Africa to the Arctic tundra. Continue reading...

The Transport and Environment campaign group says Neste is cynically using the bandColdplay have been branded “useful idiots for greenwashing” after announcing a partnership with the Finnish oil company Neste to halve their touring emissions last week.Neste claims to be the world’s largest producer of sustainable biofuels, but the firm’s palm oil suppliers cleared at least 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of forest in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia between 2019 and 2020, according to a study by Friends of the Earth. Continue reading...

1,500 civil society groups from 130 countries back Vanuatu’s move to seek protection from the international court of justiceVanuatu’s push for the international court of justice to protect vulnerable nations from climate change has received the backing of 1,500 civil society organisations from more than 130 countries, as it heads toward a crucial vote at the UN General Assembly later this year.In 2021 Vanuatu announced its intention to seek an advisory opinion by the international court of justice on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from climate change. Continue reading...

Exclusive: US presidential envoy says limiting global heating to 1.5C could be made harder by conflictThe longer the war in Ukraine carries on, the worse the consequences will be for the climate, the US presidential envoy John Kerry has warned.Many countries are struggling with an energy crisis while also urgently needing to cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global heating to 1.5C, he said. Continue reading...

Report reveals extent of sixth mass bleaching event with worst-affected reefs between Cape Tribulation and Whitsundays

We do what we do because it is right, not because it is legal. The Queen’s speech has only strengthened our resolveIf your house was burning down and the emergency services were not answering your call, what would you do? Would you try to put out the fire yourself? This is what climate activists are currently doing, and what they will continue to do, whatever changes the government makes to legislation to curb protest.Despite politicians across the world committing to net zero, action is yet to follow rhetoric. Instead, nations continue to extract fossil fuels from the ground and burn them, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere contributing to extreme weather that will displace millions. Here in the UK, the government has approved new oil- and gasfields in the North Sea, despite hosting Cop26 just a few months ago and committing to decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet its net zero target by 2050. Continue reading...

Measures in Queen’s speech would have outlawed protests that won votes for women and legalisation of unions, say criticsEnvironmental campaign groups have hit out at the “draconian” protest crackdown bill announced in the Queen’s speech.The new law appears to be targeted at groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain who have used disruptive methods to draw attention to the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The dropping lake level exposed a second set of human remains within a week, flooding Las Vegas with lore about organized crimeLas Vegas is being flooded with lore about organized crime after a second set of human remains emerged within a week from the depths of a drought-stricken Colorado River reservoir, just a 30-minute drive from the notoriously mob-founded Strip.“There’s no telling what we’ll find in Lake Mead,” said the former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman on Monday. “It’s not a bad place to dump a body.” Continue reading...

Turkey has recorded rise in strandings across its Black Sea coast since beginning of Russian invasion

Conglomerates have bought out several smaller companies as the meat substitute market is predicted to grow rapidlyBig meat and food conglomerates threaten to push out smaller producers of meat alternatives in the same way they have affected other food industries, according to two recent reports.Meat companies such as JBS and Cargill have invested heavily in plant-based proteins and laboratory-grown meats in recent years and bought out several smaller companies, according to a report published Tuesday by the non-profit Food & Water Watch and a March report from IPES-Food, a coalition of food systems experts. Continue reading...

About 4.8 million animals are trafficked each year largely driven by Chinese demand for traditional medicine, says charityThe illegal sale of donkey skins is thriving in online marketplaces, with traders openly flouting local laws, and social media multinationals such as Facebook doing little to prevent the illegal trade, according to a new investigation.Traders on Facebook are offering large quantities of donkey skins on the site, the report said, including one trader in Kenya, where the trade is effectively banned, who listed 2,000 for immediate sale. The report found large numbers of sellers in countries that have bans on the donkey skin trade, including Kenya, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana. Continue reading...

Electric car plant has also been affected by intensifying Covid lockdowns in ChinaTesla has halted most of its production at its Shanghai plant because of problems securing parts for its electric vehicles, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the latest in a series of difficulties for the factory.The plant plans to manufacture fewer than 200 vehicles on Tuesday, according to the memo, far fewer than the roughly 1,200 units it has been building each day since shortly after it reopened on 19 April after a 22-day closure. Continue reading...

Exclusive: RHS says queries about diseases down 45% in good sign for May blooms such as lupins and irisPlant diseases are at their lowest levels in the UK for years because of a cold, dry spring, meaning it could be a bumper year for apples, and popular blooms such as iris are likely to be spectacular.The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said years like this may be few and far between in the future, as the climate becomes warmer and wetter, creating ideal conditions for pests. But this year, spring favourites such as quince and hawthorn are doing well, with gardener queries to the charity about plant diseases on their plots down 45% on last year. Continue reading...

Charity’s report says nearly all targets set since 2000 have been missed, revised or quietly ignoredThe international aviation industry has failed to meet all but one of 50 of its own climate targets in the past two decades, environment campaigners say.A report commissioned by the climate charity Possible assessed every target set by the industry since 2000 and found that nearly all had been missed, revised or quietly ignored. The charity says the findings undermine a UK government plan to leave airlines to reduce their emissions through self-regulation. Continue reading...

Pieter De Poortere is putting his best-known character, Dickie, to work to help galvanise opposition to a giant plastics plant in AntwerpBelgian cartoonist Pieter De Poortere was trying to do his bit for the environment: eating less meat and diligently sorting his rubbish – glass, paper, plastics. He realised it wasn’t enough. “I thought if we all sort out our trash, then everything will be recycled, everything will be OK, then we are doing great. But actually that is not true,” he said pointing to the problems of the global waste industry, where wealthy countries’ plastic may be dumped, or burned on open fires in poorer countries.So he put his best-known character to work, as part of an international art project that launched in April, aiming to draw attention to the problem of plastic production. Continue reading...

Analysis says countries can save money by switching from coal straight to renewable energiesCountries should move from coal to renewable energy without shifting to gas as a “transition” fuel to save money, as high gas prices and market volatility have made the fossil fuel an expensive option, analysis has found.Natural gas has long been touted as a “transition” fuel for economies dependent on coal for their power needs, as it has lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal but requires similar centralised infrastructure, and gas-fired power stations take only a couple of years to build. Earlier this year, before Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Commission angered green campaigners by including gas as a “bridge” to clean energy in its guidebook for green investment. Continue reading...

The probability of one of the next five years surpassing the limit is now 50%, up from 20% in 2020The year the world breaches for the first time the 1.5C global heating limit set by international governments is fast approaching, a new forecast shows.The probability of one of the next five years surpassing the limit is now 50%, scientists led by the UK Met Office found. As recently as 2015, there was zero chance of this happening in the following five years. But this surged to 20% in 2020 and 40% in 2021. The global average temperature was 1.1C above pre-industrial levels in 2021. Continue reading...

Indigenous trees were being lost, and a way of life with it. So local villagers decided to replant their historic woodlandChepalungu forest has been at the heart of Kenya’s Kipsigis community for as long as anyone can remember. It is also a source of streams that recharge the Mara River and, owing to its proximity to the Maasai Mara national reserve, a refuge for wildlife.But during widespread protests following the presidential election results in 2007, much of the forest in Bomet county, south of the Rift Valley, was destroyed and the trees felled. Joseph Towett, an elder from the community and a passionate conservationist, remembers the devastation. “Trees were regarded as a home for animals and birds, so cutting them was like destroying them. The destruction was like a curse,” he says. Continue reading...

Data shows company increased its use of underwater explosives, releasing 8,057 ‘seal crackers’ to scare the animals

Group of 200 Totnes residents trespass and eat sandwiches and Victoria sponge to highlight lack of right to roamOn a beautiful Sunday in May a spot under the trees in an ancient woodland would seem like an idyllic location for a picnic for residents of the Devon town of Totnes.But when a group of 200 people settled down on the grass to enjoy sandwiches and slices of Victoria sponge next to the publicly funded woodland, they were actually breaking the law. Continue reading...

‘Alt leather’ is becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to a drive towards more sustainable fashionWould you ever wear shoes made from “grape leather”? Or gloves in “cactus leather”? What about a “kombucha leather” jacket and a “mushroom leather” bag?With the drive towards more sustainable fashion, the burgeoning world of animal-free “alt leathers” is becoming increasingly mainstream. This week saw the launch of new sustainable trainer brand Lerins, from Dune founder Daniel Rubin, including £130 shoes made with a leather-like material created from grape skins left over from wine-making. Continue reading...

City acts to contain wild boar population after African swine fever detected in body of dead animalPicnics have been banned and bins fenced off in a large swathe of northern Rome as health authorities move to contain the wild boar population after African swine fever was detected in a deceased animal.Feeding or approaching the animals has also been forbidden, while people who have walked through farmland or nature reserves in the affected areas have been told to disinfect their shoes. Continue reading...

There are heated moments in the second leaders’ debate of the federal election but Channel Nine’s audience fails to find a clear winner

PFAS-tainted sewage sludge is used as fertilizer in fields and report finds that about 20m acres of cropland could be contaminatedAbout 20m acres of cropland in the United States may be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge that has been used as fertilizer, a new report estimates.PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products heat-, water- or stain-resistant. Known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, they have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, liver problems, birth defects, immunosuppression and more. Continue reading...

Decrepit tanker used for storage at risk of creating a disaster worse than Exxon Valdez in 1989The UN is to stage a rare donor conference on Wednesday in a bid to raise the $80m (£65m) necessary to prevent an ageing oil tanker off the west coast of Yemen exploding and causing an environmental disaster potentially four times worse than the Exxon Valdez spill near Alaska in 1989.The money is needed to offload more than 1.14m barrels of oil that have been sitting in the decrepit cargo ship, Safer, for more than six years because of an impasse between Houthi groups and the Saudi-backed government over ownership and responsibility. Continue reading...

Seeds from nightcap oak trees were collected and propagated after black summer bushfires destroyed or damaged 20% of the population

Angus Rose starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament until Green MP Caroline Lucas arranged compromiseThe climate hunger striker who starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament has said he did not expect ministers would ignore his demands and potentially let him die.Angus Rose had said he would not eat until Greg Hands, the energy minister, arranged for Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientist, to give politicians and, via broadcast, the public, the climate change briefing he gave to Boris Johnson before the Cop26 climate summit. Continue reading...

A study found PFAS substances in clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture, some labeled ‘environmentally friendly’Nearly 60% of children’s textiles labeled “waterproof”, “stain-resistant”, or “environmentally friendly” that were tested as part of a new study contained toxic PFAS substances known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment.Among products checked were clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture. Continue reading...

Climate analysts are astounded by such a high reading during the rainy season, and is the third monthly record this yearDeforestation in Brazil’s Amazon surged to record levels for the month of April, nearly doubling the area of forest removed in that month last year – the previous April record – preliminary government data has shown, alarming environmental campaigners.In the first 29 days of April, deforestation in the region totalled 1,012.5 square km (390 square miles), according to data from national space research agency Inpe on Friday. The agency, which has compiled the monthly data series since 2015/2016, will report data for the final day of April next week. Continue reading...

The torpedo-shaped, bronze-hued fish has been seen only four times in nearly thirty years of deep-sea research, scientists saidA rare deep-sea fish has been spotted off the coast of northern California, prompting excitement among marine biologists who have attempted to track down the elusive creature for decades.The Bathophilus flemingi, also known as the highfin dragonfish, was captured on video by a team of researchers in Monterey Bay, California. Named after the mythical creature, the torpedo-shaped fish is a predator that roams the depths of the ocean. Continue reading...

Satellite imagery ‘illustrates spectre of rising food prices and hunger’ due to invasion of world’s sixth-largest wheat exporter

Report on effects of Typhoon Haiyan says fossil and cement firms engaged in ‘wilful obfuscation’ of scienceThe world’s most polluting companies have a moral and legal obligation to address the harms of climate change because of their role in spreading misinformation, according to an inquiry brought about by Filipino typhoon survivors.Experts say the long-awaited report published on Friday, which concludes that coal, oil, mining and cement firms engaged in “wilful obfuscation” of climate science and obstructed efforts towards a global transition to clean energy, could add fuel to climate lawsuits around the world. Continue reading...

Peaceful, unpolluted and often left untouched for centuries, a growing green church movement is helping these havens of biodiversity thriveThey are in nearly every village, town and city across the UK, thousands of church buildings peppering the landscape. But while many may no longer be in regular use, the churchyards surrounding them – quiet, peaceful and often ancient – amount to what Olivia Graham, the bishop of Reading, equates to “a small national park”. The land beyond the church gate is some of the most biodiverse in the UK because it has largely stayed untouched.“A churchyard is a little snapshot of how the countryside used to be,” says Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Pippa Rayner, who is working on Wilder Churches, a new initiative with the diocese of Bath and Wells “to enhance churchyard biodiversity across the county”.The land around Plymouth’s St Pancras church has remained relatively untouched for more than 500 years Continue reading...

Internal emails show Louisiana state senator Sharon Hewitt worked on a bill with a company that had financial ties to her spouseMore than 300 people were evacuated from their homes and 49 hospitalized when a carbon dioxide pipeline run by an oil and gas company ruptured in a rural community in Mississippi. People were described as wandering around “like zombies” in the aftermath of the February 2020 incident.Less than a week later, Sharon Hewitt, a Louisiana state senator who has considered running for governor, filed a bill drafted by the operator of that pipeline, Denbury Resources, into her own state’s legislature. Continue reading...

Independents report ‘misleading and unauthorised’ campaign signs; Scott Morrison won’t say if he will resign in case of hung parliament; Anthony Albanese backs royal commission into the pandemic; trans rights ‘debate’ ‘hugely regrettable’, Liberal senator says; at least 30 Covid deaths recorded. This blog is now closed

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a lounging monitor lizard, breeding puffins and bluebells Continue reading...

Encounters with jellyfish near Cronulla’s Shark Island have prompted warnings on how to treat stings outside of tropical waters

DNA study finds rarest cetacean, only found in Gulf of California, has enough genetic diversity to recover – if gillnet ban is enforced

New resources sent to remote stretches of state to tackle America’s largest wildfire, which is burning over 258 sq milesFirefighters in New Mexico have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire currently burning in the US, as Joe Biden declared the situation a disaster, bringing new resources to remote stretches of New Mexico that have been devastated by fire since early April.Nearly 1,300 firefighters and other personnel are currently battling the fire, which has fanned out across 258 sq miles (669 sq km) of high alpine forest and grasslands at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Continue reading...

Political scientist says state’s decision to rule out closing power stations shows major parties are ‘wedged’ on climate change

Cynthia Rosenzweig wins prize in recognition of her modeling of the climate crisis’ impact on food productionA Nasa climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food prize on Thursday.Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was awarded the $250,000 prize in recognition of her innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production. She is a senior research scientist at the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies and serves as adjunct senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, both based in New York. Continue reading...

People urged to leave out mud pies and dishes of fresh water for migrating birds as temperatures riseThe RSPB is urging the public to get their hands dirty this weekend and create mud pies to help endangered birds such as house martins, swifts and swallows get enough sludge to build their nests.A nine-day mini-heatwave is hitting the UK, which coincides with the return of migratory birds here to breed. Many of these birds have flown thousands of miles on their journey. But conservationists are concerned that the ground is getting so hard it could stop them from being able to make their nests. Continue reading...

Flights suspended and authorities urge people to stay indoors as fifth sandstorm in a month hits IraqHundreds of Iraqis have been taken to hospitals with breathing problems and Baghdad airport suspended flights for several hours as a thick sandstorm blanketed the country, the fifth to engulf Iraq within a month.Iraqi state media said most of the patients suffered respiratory issues as clinics across the country’s north and west struggled to keep up with the influx. Authorities urged citizens to stay indoors. Continue reading...

Launch of Chicagwa met with criticism that the city hasn’t done enough to help thousands of residents drinking lake water through lead pipesLori Lightfoot’s launch of Chicago’s own brand of canned water under the name “Chicagwa” may have created more waves than she expected.On Tuesday, the city’s mayor unveiled the artfully designed cans of Chicago tap water to celebrate their water source, Lake Michigan, in honor of National Drinking Water Week. But the city has been identified as having more potentially toxic lead pipes delivering that water to homes than anywhere else in the US – a fact that concerned locals are now reminding people about. Continue reading...

Campaigners hope to both and expand and entrench the re-imagining of streetscapes that occurred in the early part of 2020As an emergency measure for the pandemic, New York City’s banishment of cars from certain streets saw unexpected space open up for pedestrians, restaurant tables and playing children. A campaign backed by the city’s new mayor now aims to permanently wrest dominance away from vehicles and preserve these new outdoor havens.The alternative vision for America’s largest city demands that 25% of its street space is converted from car use to walkable pedestrian plazas, green space, bus lanes and dedicated cycle paths by 2025. The campaign, called 25x25, has now also been adopted by activists in Los Angeles, an indication of how some Americans are questioning the long-held primacy of cars amid a surge in cycling since the start of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Almost a third of hogs in the US are now raised in Iowa but a new report questions whether that’s good for residents or local economiesLew Carter, a retired long haul truck driver, has always preferred the country. In 1990 he bought a small plot on a hill surrounded by farm fields near his home town of Williams, in Hamilton county, Iowa, where he hoped to retire.Carter planted the homestead with a thicket of trees and replaced the dilapidated farm buildings with a storage shed and modular house. He met his second wife, Kathy, and in 2008 she moved in too. Continue reading...