NGOs argue priority list was drawn up without consideration of methane emissionsAn EU plan to fast-track funding and permits for 30 gas projects is facing a legal challenge from NGOs including ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth Europe.The European Commission has been asked to review its backing for infrastructure projects such as the EastMed pipeline, a 1,180-mile (1,900km) gas pipeline to connect offshore gas fields in Israel and Cyprus to Italy. Continue reading...
Santos has reported attempt to contact Tiwi land council over $4.7bn Barossa gasfield but federal court challenge claims it did not meet its legal obligationsTraditional owners from the Northern Territory’s Tiwi Islands have launched a legal challenge to the $4.7bn Barossa offshore gas project, saying they were not consulted about plans to drill the gas field.The project is a joint venture between Santos and SK E&S and will involve drilling for gas in the Timor Sea and transporting it via a 260km pipeline to the existing Darwin LNG facility.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...
Alessandra Sampaio, wife of Dom Phillips, tells Brazilian authorities: ‘Please answer the urgency of the moment with urgent actions’The wife of a British journalist who has gone missing in a remote corner of the Brazilian Amazon notorious for illegal mining and drug trafficking has urged authorities to intensify their search efforts.Dom Phillips, a longtime Guardian contributor, vanished on Sunday morning while journeying by boat through the Javari region of Amazonas state where he was reporting for a book he is writing about conservation. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#601JE)
World risks ‘sleepwalking to disaster’, officials told, as Bonn summit envoys walk out during Russian addressDelegates have walked out of a session at a climate summit in Bonn on Monday as a Russian official made a speech, in a sign of the geopolitical tensions overshadowing the negotiations.The low-key protest marked the first intervention by Russia in a UN climate forum since the invasion of Ukraine, but it did not stop the talks. Continue reading...
Analysts’ forecast comes as campaigners warn windfall tax package could harm climate effortsMore than £8bn of North Sea energy projects could now be given the green light rapidly as fossil fuel firms take advantage of a tax break in Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax, analysts have forecast.Last month the chancellor introduced the one-off levy on North Sea oil and gas operators who have raked in outsized profits as energy prices have boomed with the aim of raising £5bn to help fund measures to offset rising household bills. Continue reading...
City abandons €72m scheme to develop area and create huge garden in time for 2024 OlympicsProtesters in Paris are celebrating having saved more than 40 trees – one of them over 200 years old – from being chopped down or threatened with damage around the Eiffel Tower as part of a €72m scheme to create a huge garden.Paris’s city hall has been forced to row back on plans to clear the area around the structure on the Champ-de-Mars to improve access to the tower and make the traffic-clogged area greener in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Continue reading...
Testing by the Department of Defense revealed dangerous levels of the contaminants, drawing concern from public health advocatesDangerous levels of toxic PFAS are contaminating water supplies in areas around at least 12 military bases, new Department of Defense testing has revealed, drawing concern from public health advocates that the DoD is not doing enough to protect the public.The data released this week by the military shows levels for five kinds of PFAS compounds at what Scott Faber, vice-president of government affairs for Environmental Working Group, characterized as “extremely high” levels, and he said they present a health threat to residents living nearby. Continue reading...
As Russia seeks to strip Arshak Makichyan of his citizenship, he says negotiating with Putin on the Ukraine war or the climate crisis is impossible – and the west must act now for survivalArshak Makichyan made a name for himself as Russia’s ‘lone climate activist’, protesting for change in a country where oil and gas exports have propped up the country’s economy for decades.Every Friday, for nearly two years, Makichyan protested alone in Moscow’s Pushkin Square, hoping to draw Russian attention to the danger posed by climate change. Born in Armenia, but given Russian citizenship when he was 10, Makichyan graduated from a prestigious music conservatory and turned to activism after reading about climate change and Greta Thunberg’s weekly strikes. “I was representing Russia as a violinist on competitions, and I was organising Friday for Futures, so I had a feeling that I am a future of Russia,” he said. Continue reading...
Exclusive: invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations such as robins and blackbirds, researchers warnA brightly coloured subtropical songbird from Asia could colonise Britain’s gardens and change the dawn chorus for ever, a new paper warns.The highly invasive red-billed leiothrix could threaten native bird populations, particularly competing with garden birds such as the robin and blackbird, researchers say. Early signs suggest this little bird – olive green with a bright red beak and yellow throat – may already be establishing itself in gardens and woodlands in southern parts of the country. Continue reading...
Controversial asphyxiation method used in 73% of culls this year despite vets urging its use to be limitedThe US poultry industry has increasingly switched to “the most inhumane method available” to cull tens of millions of birds during the latest outbreak of avian influenza, according to government data.Outbreaks of the disease, also known as bird flu, have wreaked havoc across Europe and the US this year, with 38 million birds killed in the US so far.
Prince of Wales praises his mother’s ability to ‘bring us together’ at Platinum Jubilee Party at the PalaceThe Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge paid tribute to the Queen – and environmental activists across the world – in speeches at a concert at Buckingham Palace.Speaking on the third day of a four-day celebration to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee at the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace, Prince Charles began his address “Your Majesty, Mummy”. Continue reading...
Our values of decency and tolerance, and confidence in a secure green future, make Labour the party of patriotism nowAs we come together as a nation to celebrate the Queen’s remarkable platinum jubilee, we also unite around our bunting and flags in a moment of pure British patriotism. Being patriotic isn’t something that Labour has always looked comfortable with, but progressive politics has been at its most successful and transformational when it captures the best of British values, nurtures our world-famous institutions and instils a belief that our best days lie ahead of us, not just in the past.A quick survey across British politics today tells us that it’s not the Conservatives that enshrine these patriotic principles but Labour. Continue reading...
Author cites Brexit and the climate crisis as examples of previous generations ‘breaking’ their futureThe author Elif Shafak has said she thinks “there’s a scream building up” inside many young people, because they feel their future “is being shaped by older generations”.“It’s difficult to be young, in this age in particular,” the Turkish-British novelist told the Hay festival. “It’s their future that’s been broken by previous generations,” she said, citing Brexit and the climate emergency. Continue reading...
Last year the government asked for ‘big ideas’ on access to green space. Now it is refusing to publish the responsesWhen countryside campaigners were invited to meet government ministers and share “big, creative ideas” for “structural and systemic changes” around access to green spaces, they thought it could be too good to be true. Was the government listening, and were England’s archaic laws on countryside access about to change?Last summer, groups representing more than 20 million people who are active outdoors, including ramblers, canoeists and mountaineers, were asked to speak to officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury to explain how people are shut off from accessing green space because of trespass laws and other barriers. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5ZYY4)
Toxic particles from tyre wear almost 2,000 times worse than from exhausts as weight of cars increasesAlmost 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tyre wear than is pumped out of the exhausts of modern cars, tests have shown.The tyre particles pollute air, water and soil and contain a wide range of toxic organic compounds, including known carcinogens, the analysts say, suggesting tyre pollution could rapidly become a major issue for regulators. Continue reading...
Though protected in a cool, damp ‘frost pocket’, beaver dams are restricting water flow, threatening Maryland’s deciduous conifersGripping the long branch of a speckled alder tree, ecologist Deborah Landau slowly steps into the waist-deep murky water. “You can’t see anything, so watch your step,” she warns as she makes her way through the chilly labyrinth of the Finzel swamp preserve in Maryland. The swamp is a meditation for the senses: the sweet aroma of red spruce, the call of the locally rare alder flycatcher and an array of colour in what appears as endless blueberry and rhododendron shrubs.The preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in the central Appalachians of far western Maryland in the US, protects a rare boreal fen. Its most notable resident is the American larch (Larix laricina), or tamarack tree, a deciduous conifer that is the reason for Landau’s sojourn in the swamp. Lying within a “frost pocket” – a microclimate where cold air is trapped by the adjoining slopes and subject to frequent frosts – Finzel swamp provides a favourable year-round climate for the locally endangered larch and other more northern flora and fauna. It is as if a piece of the Pleistocene survived the warming epoch to remind us what life was once like in these ancient mountains. Continue reading...
by Nino Bucci (now) and Caitlin Cassidy (earlier) on (#5ZYBQ)
Labor government recommends minimum wage be increased in line with inflation; Anthony Albanese says stopping new gas projects ‘doesn’t reflect the needs’ of economy; new monkeypox cases reported in NSW and Victoria; nation records at least 50 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed
As the Ukraine war and climate crisis act as a wake-up call for the industry, one UK farm is leading the wayLettuces are sprouting, the wildflowers are in bloom and a buzzard is circling above the meadow on a sunny spring day at Huxhams Cross Farm near the village of Dartington in Devon. From the top of a hill, Marina O’Connell can survey most of the 15 hectares (37 acres) she has dedicated the past six years to transforming.When she took over running the farm in 2015, she recalls, the farm contractor called this a “miserable bit of land”. Now the fields and hedgerows buzz with wildlife, and young farm workers chat as they sow carrot seeds and plant out early spinach. Further downhill, chickens peck about near polytunnels full of vegetables and soft fruit. Continue reading...
Trump restricted states’ power in favor of fossil fuel development but proposed rule would empower local officials to protect waterThe Biden administration on Thursday proposed undoing a Trump-era rule that limited the power of states and Indigenous American tribes to block energy projects like natural gas pipelines based on their potential to pollute rivers and streams.The Clean Water Act allows states and tribes to review what effect pipelines, dams and other federally regulated projects might have on water quality within their borders. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5ZY53)
Pupils’ vital attention skills stunted by ‘toxic’ peaks of road noise heard from the classroomRoad-traffic noise significantly slows the development of crucial memory and attention skills in primary school children, research has found.The study of almost 2,700 children aged between seven and 10 in 38 schools in Barcelona, Spain, is the first to assess the impact of traffic noise on child cognitive development over time and to determine the impact of peaks in noise. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5ZY52)
Most widely used pesticide in history harms critical ability of bumblebee to regulate nest temperatureThe critical ability of wild bumblebees to keep their colonies at the right temperature is seriously damaged by the weedkiller glyphosate, research has revealed.Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in history, intended to kill only plants. The harm to bumblebees – vital pollinators – was not identified in regulatory risk assessments, which only test whether a pesticide rapidly kills healthy, individual bees. However, the collective failure to regulate colony temperature could have a massive impact on its ability to produce the next generation, the scientists said. Continue reading...
by Matthew Taylor Environment correspondent on (#5ZXKC)
Environmentalists threaten legal action over UK permit for Shell to develop Jackdaw fieldEnvironmentalists are threatening legal action in an attempt to halt the development of a new gasfield in the North Sea that has been given the green light by the UK government.Climate experts reacted with anger after the government announced it had given the Jackdaw field, to be developed by the oil multinational Shell, “final regulatory approval” on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Officers make several arrests after protesters jump over barriers during trooping the colour paradeAnimal rights activists linked to Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after disrupting the start of platinum jubilee celebrations by storming the Mall during the trooping the colour parade.Scotland Yard said officers made several arrests after the protesters jumped over barriers lining the Mall and confronted marching Grenadier Guards with leaflets demanding an end to hunting on royal land. Continue reading...
While voters have cited environment as a top priority, the issue has become secondary to the homelessness crisis and crimeAs Los Angeles heads to the polls for the first round of voting to elect a new mayor, the climate future of America’s second largest city may hang in the balance.Los Angeles has built a reputation as a leader on sustainability and climate solutions, setting first-in-the-nation goals to decarbonize and plans to achieve them. But the progressive metropolis – home to nearly 4 million people – faces environmental challenges that will only get worse as the climate grows more extreme. The temperature is rising, water is waning and LA smog is nearly as renowned as the world-famous Hollywood sign. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5ZXDE)
Three former UN climate heads say gap between government promises and actions will change environment irreversiblyThe policies currently in place to tackle the climate crisis around the world will lead to “catastrophic” climate breakdown, as governments have failed to take the actions needed to fulfil their promises, three former UN climate leaders have warned.There is a stark gap between what governments have promised to do to protect the climate, and the measures and policies needed to achieve the targets. At the Cop26 summit last November, countries agreed to bring forward plans to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – the limit of safety, according to scientists. They have so far submitted pledges that would limit temperatures to under 2C.This article was amended on 2 June 2022 to correct a conversion from celsius to fahrenheit. Continue reading...
One ecologist counted 160 dead wild birds while walking round a Scottish loch, and figures from other countries are just as worryingAs he walked along the shoreline of a Highland loch on a fine May evening, ecologist and wildlife photographer Peter Stronach could hardly believe what he was seeing. The beach was littered with dead and dying birds: male eider ducks, several species of gulls, a gannet, a puffin and no fewer than 26 pink-footed geese, which should by now have been on the way back to their Icelandic breeding grounds.In all, Stronach recorded 72 individual birds of 17 species at Loch Fleet national nature reserve on the east coast of Scotland on that one day, plus many more in the following days. Continue reading...
Thursday’s meeting of oil-producing nations will be first since EU imposed sanctions on Russian crudeOil prices have risen before Thursday’s meeting of the Opec cartel of oil-producing nations, as ministers prepare to set output targets for July in their first gathering since the EU imposed sanctions on Russian crude.Opec is under pressure from some members to exclude Russia, the world’s third largest oil producer, from future quotas, in a move that could pave the way for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pump more oil. Continue reading...
Deflationists and Tyre Extinguishers both say they want to make SUV ownership impossible in urban areasA new group of climate activists targeting the owners of sports utility vehicles has set itself up as a friendly rival to the Tyre Extinguishers by deflating the tyres of dozens of vehicles in the suburbs of Glasgow.In a statement, the group, which calls itself the Deflationists, claimed to have let down the tyres of 50 vehicles in the city’s affluent Newlands area and the neighbouring Shawlands. Continue reading...
Calls for action as decline is seen as evidence of harm caused by climate crisis, pollution and fish farmingSalmon anglers have called for urgent action to protect Scotland’s wild salmon after the lowest number on record were caught last year.The latest official data shows that 35,693 Atlantic salmon were caught by anglers on Scottish rivers last year, the lowest number since records began in 1952 and just 75% of the average over the last five years. Continue reading...
Ohio woman, 25, was tossed 10ft in air after getting close to female bison on boardwalkAn Ohio woman was gored by a bison after approaching the animal while visiting Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, park officials said on Tuesday.The 25-year-old was visiting the national park from Grove City, Ohio, about 20 minutes outside Columbus. Continue reading...
Ohio woman, 25, was tossed 10ft in air after getting close to female bison on boardwalkAn Ohio woman was gored by a bison after approaching the animal while visiting Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, park officials said on Tuesday.The 25-year-old was visiting the national park from Grove City, Ohio, about 20 minutes outside Columbus. Continue reading...
Rewilding advocates say decision by royal estates is ‘an appallingly undemocratic affront to our futures’The duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, two of the royal family’s largest portfolios of land, have snubbed tree campaigners who are calling for the royals to rewild their estates.Rewilding advocates at the campaign group Wild Card have been meeting for months with the crown estate, which manages most of the royal land and pays the revenue into the Treasury. They say relations have been “really positive”. Continue reading...