Byungsu Kim pleaded guilty to attempting to ferry more than 3,700 wild dudleya plants from California parks to South KoreaWhen Byungsu Kim appeared for his sentencing hearing on Zoom from the Santa Ana jail in California, his jaw was wired shut.The 46-year-old South Korean national had been in prison for more than two years on two different continents. According to the US government, he was an “international succulent trafficker”, perhaps the most notorious houseplant poacher in the world. Continue reading...
A move out of the city gives you a front-row seat for the show of the seasonLast spring, I finally moved out of town. That makes it sound like I gave in after decades of edgy murder-mile living, rivers of piss, my children playing with syringes. I did a tiny bit of that back when you could still see blowjobs and drug deals from the window of my east London flat and not men in ironic Deirdre Barlow glasses selling rare succulents for £700, but mainly I lived in a quiet corner of Brussels. When I moved back to the UK, it was to a provincial city centre where I complained constantly, like those idiots who pay millions to live in Soho, then decide they don’t like the noise of people having fun.So after a year enveloped in the blessed peace of the outer suburbs, what have I learned? Well, after a lifetime of aching for the first frost, fetishising boots and boring on about hygge, I admit it: I was wrong about winter. It turns out that when you move somewhere with no insulation as an energy crisis starts to bite, no amount of woodsmoke-scented candles and hot chocolate will keep you cosy. When people recommend turning your thermostat down a degree, I laugh, my breath dancing spirals in the morgue-cold air: the modest number on ours is a mad aspiration, like me saying I’ll do a 7am yoga class. Getting out of bed (two duvets, blanket, electric blanket, flattened and grilled like a human panini) requires superhuman effort: I put my clothes on top of my pyjamas, so no skin is ever exposed, mummying myself in so many layers my arms stick out like a toddler in a padded snowsuit. It’s very sexy. Continue reading...
Ending onshore wind projects, solar subsidies and energy efficiency schemes has added to inflated bills, study findsThe decision by David Cameron’s government to ditch what he denounced as “green crap” policies will cost every household as much as £150 a year by the autumn, new analysis has shown.With energy prices already soaring and bills set to rise even further this year, it suggests Cameron’s decisions to effectively end onshore wind projects in England, cut solar subsidies and slash energy-efficiency schemes played a large part in rising bills. It comes with the government preparing to announce its much anticipated energy strategy this week, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further drives up energy prices. It is expected to push measures such as solar and onshore wind power generation, as well as North Sea oil projects. However, there are concerns that the Treasury is holding back more radical action. Continue reading...
Yoga guru will visit dozens of countries en route from London to India to raise awareness of plight of one of nature’s greatest resourcesOne of India’s best-known spiritual leaders is embarking on a 100-day motorbike journey from London to India to raise awareness of one of nature’s most undervalued resources.Sadhguru, or Jaggi Vasudev, is setting off on Monday on a 30,000km (18,600-mile) trip through Europe and the Middle East in an effort to “save soil”, meeting celebrities, environmentalists and influencers in dozens of countries along the way. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5X9EF)
Amid a cost-of-living crisis the government is attempting to secure energy supplies and try to dampen soaring costsSoaring energy prices are helping to create a cost-of-living crisis, with the average family’s energy bill rising by 54%. The energy price cap has been raised to £1,971 and a further increase is expected later this year, which would take the average household bill to about £2,300. The government has responded by offering a one-off £200 discount on bills from October, to be paid back over five years. Continue reading...
People asked to record flowering cherry and plum trees near them to see whether patterns are changingThe British public have been asked to track flowering fruit trees to help determine whether climate change is changing blooming patterns, in one of the largest studies of its kind.The University of Reading and Oracle for Research have developed a fruit recording website where citizen scientists can easily post their findings. People will initially be asked to record the flowering cherry and plum trees near them, with apple trees soon to follow. Continue reading...
Hens have been indoors for months because of avian flu and their eggs must now be differently labelledConsumers will no longer be able to buy free-range eggs in the UK from Monday, with birds not having been allowed outdoors since November due to fears of avian flu outbreaks.Eggs sold in shops will have to carry a sticker or label saying they are in fact “barn eggs”, the name given to eggs produced by hens permanently housed indoors. Continue reading...
More chemicals being released by reused plastic could indicate need for ‘super clean’ recycling processA widely used kind of recycled plastic bottle passes more potentially harmful chemicals into their contents than newly manufactured bottles, researchers have warned.Researchers from Brunel University London found 150 chemicals that leached into drinks from plastic bottles, with 18 of those chemicals found in levels exceeding regulations. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5X8KS)
Tory chair hits out at ‘net zero dogma’, Corbynistas and ‘cancel culture brigade’The Conservative chair has announced that Boris Johnson will kick off a two-year election campaign from May, as he hit out at “net zero dogma” and sought to pitch Labour as still linked to Jeremy Corbyn.Oliver Dowden, the party co-chair and former culture secretary, made his comments in a speech at the Tory spring conference in Blackpool, as the party attempts to draw a line under the prime minister’s troubles over alleged lockdown-breaking parties. As part of an attempt to downplay the scandal, the Brexit minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, dismissed the furore over Partygate as “disproportionate fluff” compared with the crisis in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s call to once more dig for coal at the colliery has been granted and many fear it will hamper tourism as well as damage the environmentNestled beneath waterfall country in the south western tip of the Brecon Beacons national park, the town of Glynneath is perfectly positioned to exploit the visitors drawn to the beauty of the landscape.It is as Jacob Rees-Mogg said in the House of Commons, our green and pleasant land. But a powerful group of Tory MPs pushing back against the need to pivot away from fossil fuels to meet the UK’s net zero targets believe it should play host not to a future involving clean air, renewable energy and sympathetic tourism but to the revival of the coal industry. Continue reading...
UK activists fighting climate heating and pollution say public response more welcoming than expectedThe activists who took “climate action” against sports utility vehicles by flattening their tyres in the last two weeks have been receiving solidarity and calls for information from around the world.Tyre Extinguishers provides instructions on how to deflate SUV tyres, offers guidance on who to target and collates reports of actions across the country. They have gauged the campaign’s reach by angry emails from SUV owners. Continue reading...
Marine park’s chief scientist says aerial surveys so far indicate bleaching worst off TownsvilleDead corals are being recorded in aerial surveys across the Great Barrier Reef in what the marine park’s chief scientist says is a widespread and serious bleaching event on the world heritage icon.Aerial surveys have covered half of the 2,300km reef, with the worst bleaching observed in the park’s central region off Townsville, where corals on some reefs are dead and dying. Continue reading...
The child suffered significant lacerations to her head, back and arm after the incident in ArmidaleA three-year-old girl has been flown to hospital after suffering head wounds during a “terrifying” kangaroo attack in the New South Wales northern tablelands.Emergency crews from NSW Ambulance were called to a residential street in Armidale about 5.30pm on Thursday with reports the girl had been attacked by a kangaroo. Continue reading...
Cornish pub used in Daphne du Maurier novel says there are no pluses, just minuses to hunt visitsA pub that was the setting for a novel by Daphne du Maurier has banned hunts from meeting on its land after 100 years of the practice.The Jamaica Inn in Cornwall – immortalised in the 1936 novel of the same name about smuggling – announced the decision after the East Cornwall Hunt invited the Beaufort Hunt to meet there on Saturday, a move the pub called “extremely ill-advised”. Continue reading...
Diane Ordish opposes massive industrialisation of the land, and Anthony Cheke points to vast unused urban roofs that could be given over to solar farms. Plus a letter from Francis CreedPolly Toynbee is so right (The Tories railed against ‘green crap’. Why trust them to solve the energy crisis now?, 15 March), but it is unfair to describe those opposing gigantic windfarms and solar farms as “shire nimbys”. There are many environmentalists who don’t feel such massive industrialisation of our land and seascapes is necessary.Insulting anyone who opposes ugly and often highly profitable developments in the name of progress by calling them nimbys has a long history – those fighting to save Covent Garden from demolition, Welsh mining communities opposing windfarms, communities saving swathes of east London from elevated motorways, and in Brighton it was local people who rejected the wholesale demolition of now thriving neighbourhoods through the creation of conservation areas. As Joni Mitchell said, “You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone”. Continue reading...
Explainer: Boris Johnson has asked Saudi Arabia to pump more oil; what implications would this have?Why are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates being asked to pump more oil?Western powers are looking for ways to keep the pressure on Russia during its invasion of Ukraine. Some countries have committed to phasing out Russian oil and gas, while others are still investigating ways of doing this. Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries, along with Venezuela and Iran, that might be able to plug the gap in oil production. Continue reading...
Opponents of £2bn road tunnel say scheme will increase traffic and pollutionA fourth London council has voted to oppose a new £2bn road tunnel under the Thames in east London, putting the capital’s mayor at loggerheads with local authorities over his biggest infrastructure project.Sadiq Khan accused councils of “want[ing] to put off tough decisions”, after Greenwich councillors voted overwhelmingly to call for all work on the Silvertown tunnel to be paused immediately. Continue reading...
Phil Goldberg, a self-described ‘committed environmentalist’, has a powerful strategy to shield the largest oil companies in AmericaIn the spring of 2019, Phil Goldberg, a lawyer and hired gun for a front organisation serving some of America’s most powerful oil firms, spotted an opportunity to serve his masters.The University of Hawaii was holding a conference about a wave of lawsuits against the oil industry, and Goldberg was alarmed the event failed to include representatives from the energy business. So the day before the symposium, he fired off an email to the university demanding that big oil be heard alongside its critics. Continue reading...
A new project aims to shore up the disappearing coastline of New York City’s Staten Island, while reviving a once famously thriving oyster populationOn a recent Saturday afternoon, diners at the Brooklyn restaurant Grand Army slurped oysters drizzled in mignonette and lemon juice against a soundtrack of hip-hop classics and funk. Unbeknown to many of them, they were also supporting a new effort to use oyster shells as building blocks for new, living coastal reefs – a transformative use that’s not only restorative, but may also help protect the city from climate change.Grand Army is one of dozens of restaurants in the city donating its oyster shells to support restoration projects like Living Breakwaters, a $107m effort to shore up the disappearing coastline of New York City’s Staten Island. Continue reading...
Pro-leave MP is due to speak at event to launch Farage’s campaign for a referendum on net zeroA Labour MP is to appear on stage with Nigel Farage at the launch of an anti-net zero campaign for a referendum on policies to tackle climate change, a move that has sparked anger from party colleagues.Graham Stringer, a prominent Brexiter who has appeared with Farage at pro-leave events and on his GB News show, was billed as appearing alongside the former Brexit party leader along with Reform UK leader Richard Tice and the broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer. Continue reading...
Boris Johnson facing criticism over trip to Saudi Arabia to push for a rise in oil output to reduce the UK’s dependence on Russian fuel Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#5X636)
Levelling up secretary calls for more onshore wind as ministers explore case for reversing fracking banMichael Gove has said he is “not convinced” by the case for more fracking in the UK, opening up a cabinet split after Boris Johnson ordered a rethink and Jacob Rees-Mogg backed reversing the moratorium.Gove, the levelling up secretary, made the comments at an environment reception, where he also spoke of the need for more onshore wind power. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5X5XE)
Measures to reduce PM2.5 ‘fall a long way short’, say campaigners, as government publishes new targets under Environment ActThe government has proposed to set air quality limits that would allow twice as much small-particle pollution in England as the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends as an upper limit, and that would not be met for almost 20 years.The new target is to reduce levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, to 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2040, in contrast to WHO guidelines, updated last September, that say concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic metre on average over a year.Reduce nutrient pollution in water in England, with phosphorus in treated sewage to be cut by 80% by 2037, and nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from agriculture to be reduced by 40% by 2037.Halt the decline in species by 2030 and increase species abundance by 10% by 2042, creating or restoring more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042.Halve residual waste produced by 2042, from 560kg per person in 2019;Improve the marine environment by ensuring 70% of “designated features” in marine-protected areas are in favourable condition by 2042.Increase tree canopy and woodland cover from 14% of England to 17.5% by 2050. Continue reading...
Environmental lawsuits are nothing new but now lawyers are turning their attention to cases that address the loss of biodiversityThe Tagus estuary near Lisbon is Portugal’s largest wetland, a vital habitat and stopover for tens of thousands of migratory birds, including flamingos, black-tailed godwits and glossy ibis. It has also been earmarked as the site of a new airport, leading the environmental law charity ClientEarth and a group of Portuguese NGOs to sue Portugal’s government. When they get their day in court, they will argue that the authorities failed to properly consider how the project would affect an internationally protected nature reserve, and the knock-on effects on other countries visited by the birds.“If you destroy that site, you have an impact not only in Lisbon, but on all the sites up the flyway,” says Anna Heslop, head of wildlife and habitats at ClientEarth. “If the bird populations don’t arrive, they never get breeding.” Continue reading...
by Cait Kelly and Royce Kurmelovs (earlier) on (#5X520)
PM highlights China’s ‘chilling silence’ on Russian invasion as Labor says China has ‘responsibility’ to call out Putin’s actions; NSW Health confirms seventh case of Japanese encephalitis; man in court over Sydney boarding house fire; Coalition to spend $243m on four mining projects; a man has died in Broken Hill after driving his ute into flood waters; nation records at least 17 Covid deaths. This blog is now closed
Buckle up for the story of Ellen’s Energy Adventure – a ride whose sympathetic stance toward oil and coal is newly relevantIf you were lucky enough to be a small kid roaming Disney World’s Epcot Center until just a few years ago, you would have seen a ride nestled next to the monorail tracks that beckoned with gleaming mirror walls.An indoor ride, it was a welcome reprieve from the Florida sun. After buckling into your seat in what seemed like a theater auditorium, and the lights dimmed, a familiar figure would appear on the huge screen in front of you. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5X5DF)
Educating people about cutting energy use and investment in renewable power will be key, says E3G thinktankThe UK could eliminate all need for imports of Russian gas this year through a combination of energy efficiency, expanding renewable power generation and a campaign to help people change their behaviour, research has found.Information campaigns played a strong role in changing people’s behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people are unaware of the savings they could make in energy use through small changes that make no difference to their comfort but can cut bills substantially. Continue reading...
Though global prices are spiralling, fuelled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, this is no reason to drop rewildingShould we plough up Britain? Many people seem to think so. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, food prices were rocketing. Now they have reached an all-time record. The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland has called for Scotland’s feeble environmental measures – paying farmers to plant hedges, cover crops and introduce beetle banks – to be rescinded, so that food production can be maximised. Others insist that rewilding is a luxury we can no longer afford.It is true that the world now faces a major food crisis. Climate breakdown has begun to bite. Heat domes and droughts in North America and storms and floods in Europe and China last year damaged harvests and drove up prices. By February, the cost of food was 20% higher than a year earlier.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistGeorge Monbiot will discuss Regenesis at a Guardian Live event on Monday 30 May. Book tickets in-person or online here Continue reading...
My father, Peter Ackers, who has died aged 97, was a civil engineer and an expert in hydraulics. He worked on projects all over the world, involving hydropower, tidal energy, coastal protection, reservoir spillways and other hydraulic structures.Born in the Liverpool suburb of Bootle, he was the son of Mary (nee Jones), a supervisor in a quilt-making factory, and Peter Ackers, a carpenter/joiner in the Mersey docks. He attended Bootle grammar school, where he excelled at physics and mathematics. Continue reading...
Rewilding programme marks the ‘most significant step’ in ensuring the critically endangered species’ survivalFive mountain bongos have been released into a sanctuary in Kenya, a milestone in the fight for the animals’ survival with fewer than 100 left in the wildConsidered critically endangered, the chestnut-coloured mountain bongo is one of the largest forest antelopes and native to the equatorial forests of Mount Kenya, Eburu, Mau and Aberdares. IUCN predicts their numbers will probably continue to decline without direct action. A recent wildlife census in Kenya counted just 96 mountain bongos in the wild. Continue reading...
by Helena Horton and Damian Carrington on (#5X4JS)
Analysis: Many potential sites are either in ‘red wall’ areas or former safe constituencies in the south• Survey shows only five of 138 MPs in affected seats voice supportLook at the map of onshore exploration licences in the UK, and you could be forgiven for thinking it was an illustration of target seats for opposition parties in the next general election.Ministers privately acknowledge that “rethinking” fracking would be politically very difficult. Those areas most ripe for the controversial oil and gas extraction method are marginals in the “red wall” of constituencies in the north that historically have tended to be Labour, many of which were won by the Tories in 2019. Many of the others are former safe Conservative seats in the south where the Liberal Democrats are limbering up to pick off disillusioned former Tory voters. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#5X4CD)
Trust creates refuge for white-clawed crayfish in old cattle drinking hole on Wallington estate near MorpethAn “ark” refuge is being created by the National Trust to help save one of the UK’s most endangered native species from extinction.The white-clawed crayfish is the UK’s only indigenous crayfish but the population has been almost wiped out because of the introduction of a bigger American species in the 1970s. Continue reading...