Critics say cash from UK, Norway, France and Germany could be wasted as damning report reveals illegalities, corruption and environmental crimesEnvironmental groups have raised concerns about a $500m (£380m) forest protection deal signed by Boris Johnson at Cop26, after a damning report into the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s “lawless” logging sector.Johnson signed the letter of intent on behalf of the Central African Forest Initiative (Cafi) for a 10-year agreement which includes objectives to protect high-value forests and peatlands. Of the £200m committed to protecting the Congo basin by the UK at Cop26, £32m was given to Cafi from the aid budget. Continue reading...

Progressive congressman from Maryland believes that no other crisis, even the existential threat of the changing climate, can be solved without first protecting the fabric of American democracyWhen it comes to fighting for democracy and climate change – two of Jamie Raskin’s top priorities – the whole thing feels a bit like a game of chicken and egg to the Democratic congressman.On the one hand there is the planet, heating up quickly past the limit that is safe and necessary for human survival, while Congress stalls on a $555bn climate package. On the other, a pernicious movement, spurred by Donald Trump and other rightwing conspiracy theorists, to upend voting rights protections and cast doubt on the current election system. Continue reading...

In north-western New Mexico, traditional Indigenous farming methods are being passed down to protect against the effects of climate crisisOn a windy winter day in Acoma Pueblo in north-western New Mexico, Aaron Lowden knelt beside a field near the San Jose River, the tribe’s primary irrigator for centuries.“The soil has been building up,” said Lowden, an Indigenous seed keeper and farmer, pushing his hand into the soft, dark dirt at the base of a stalk of dried Acoma blue corn. In the summer, this otherwise dry stretch of land turns into a “food forest”, said Lowden, pulling up a photo on his phone showing lush rows of corn, intercropped with Hopi yellow beans, and Acoma winter squash – the “three sisters” of Pueblo agriculture. Continue reading...

Successful breeding program brings optimism for a native species nearly eradicated by disease and bushfires

Divers find no leaks and government says ‘outlook is positive’ as navies try to limit environmental harm from sinking of vessel carrying 750-1,000 tonnesSome neighbouring countries have offered to help Tunisia prevent damage to the environment after a merchant ship carrying up to 1,000 tonnes of fuel sank off the country’s coast, the Tunisian defence ministry has said.The ship, which was travelling from Equatorial Guinea to Malta, requested entry to Tunisian waters on Friday evening due to bad weather. It sank near Gabes, and the Tunisian navy rescued all seven crew members. After being checked in hospital, all seven were taken to a hotel. Continue reading...

Nadhim Zahawi to announce course from 2o25 that will give pupils ‘deeper understanding’ of environmentA new natural history GCSE will be launched next week, focusing on how pupils can protect the planet.The qualification will be available from September 2025 and is expected to be announced by the education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, on Thursday. Continue reading...

Police issue warning after first conviction since targeting of fuel terminal began on 1 AprilA 64-year-old woman has been convicted of aggravated trespass after taking part in a Just Stop Oil protest at a fuel site in Essex last week.Catherine Maclean, of Hurstpierpoint in West Sussex, became the first person to be convicted over involvement in the recent wave of fuel site blockades after admitting the offence at Chelmsford magistrates court on Saturday, Essex police said. Continue reading...

Park agency’s order to stop harvesting salts for commercial gain has angered Indigenous communityFor years, Melissa Daniels has been travelling to the vast wilds of northern Alberta to harvest naturally occurring salts on lands her ancestors once hunted and fished. She blends the salt with wildflowers from the woods and sells it in small batches.But Canada’s national park agency recently ordered her to stop, in a move that has angered her community and highlighted the park’s troubling history. Continue reading...

Anhydrous products are good for the planet and consumers – but will mainstream brands buy into the concept?The climate crisis is driving a new trend that will change the look of your bathroom cabinet for ever: waterless skincare.While wrapping-free, vegan toiletries have long had a place on British high streets, thanks to independent brands such as Lush, the new wave of waterless – or anhydrous – beauty products is driven by a combination of ethical concerns, innovations taken from Korean skincare and new developments in packaging. Continue reading...

Olympic gold medallist Etienne Stott among protesters calling for an end to investment in fossil fuelSix people were arrested after climate-change activists clambered on top of an oil tanker in central London on Saturday.Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion said three people in Bayswater Road had climbed on top of the Shell tanker where they held up an “End fossil filth” banner while other demonstrators gathered around the vehicle. Among those taking part in the protest were Olympic gold medal-winning canoeist Etienne Stott and fellow British Olympian Laura Baldwin. “I am acting to try to disrupt the toxic fossil fuel industry that is destroying everything we hold dear,” Stott told reporters. Continue reading...

Plea by shadow justice secretary Steve Reed for nationwide bans on activists’ tactics angers many on left of partyLabour faces an escalating internal row over the treatment of climate crisis protesters after a shadow cabinet minister backed calls for nationwide injunctions to stop them blocking critical roads and fuel supplies.Steve Reed, the shadow justice secretary, called for immediate and wide-ranging bans on protesters’ tactics to be put in place last week. Reed said ministers should “get on with their jobs” and block further action from the Just Stop Oil group after about 40 arrests were made at Inter Terminals in Grays, Essex, last Monday. Others were arrested at Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak is merely the latest member of the government to display disdainful indifference to criticismIf, as your editorial suggests, we feel “we are governed by ministers who regard the rules as being for other people” (“Chancellor has damaged faith in democracy”, Comment), it is because they operate with the complacent condescension of Roman patricians, a group that governed by birthright and among whom Boris Johnson behaves like Caesar.It helps to explain what Andrew Rawnsley calls “The stench of entitlement now oozing from Rishi Sunak’s home as well as Mr Johnson’s” (Comment). Rawnsley wonders whether Sunak was “naive, idiotic, complacent, cavalier or arrogant” over his wife’s tax affairs, but once we recognise that Tory ministers think of themselves not as a class but a political caste all becomes clear. Continue reading...

Olympians Etienne Stott and Laura Baldwin among those who climbed on oil tanker, while others hung banner from Marble ArchSix people have been arrested after Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists, including two Olympians, scaled an oil tanker in west London. The Metropolitan police said that 40 people were arrested in total on Saturday in a number of protests across the capital.The gold medal-winning canoeist Etienne Stott, along with two others, climbed on to the Shell tanker on Bayswater Road with a banner reading “End fossil filth”. Continue reading...

Interior department raises royalty rates by 50% as administration juggles high oil prices and climate impactAs federal officials weigh efforts to fight the climate crisis against pressure to bring down high gasoline prices, the interior department is moving forward with the first onshore sales of public oil and natural gas drilling leases under Joe Biden.The move also calls for a sharp increase in royalty rates for companies, ostensibly to limit global emissions driving the climate crisis, though economists say the effect will be relatively small. Continue reading...

Break into male-dominated public-transport helps tackle city’s pollution crisis and safety concernsMonika Devi is thrilled to be driving her autorickshaw. The 35-year-old has two reasons to be particularly proud as she winds her way through New Delhi’s insanely congested streets.She is one of the first women to be driving one of the three-wheeled taxis that swarm the roads of the Indian capital. And she is driving one of Delhi’s first e-rickshaws – part of the city’s drive to tackle its notoriously filthy air. Continue reading...

Cost of living crisis could stall campaign to phase out the modern genetically selected fast-growing broilerThe Ross 308 is one of the most successful products in consumer history, with many tens of billions sold around the world over the last decade.With its own 15-page performance manual, low production costs and a bargain price for shoppers, it is marketed as the world’s most popular meat chicken. Continue reading...

The dressing-up trend is for throwaway chic – good news for sellers, sponsors and influencers, less so for the environmentFestival fashion, with its riot of colour, sequins, flower crowns and anything-goes outfits, is back. After a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus, Coachella, the California-based music festival that attracts 250,000 fans, made its return this weekend, bringing with it vibrant new trends and a cash boost for the fashion industry.Coachella, the most fashionable event of the festival season, is known as much for its outfits as its performances. Trends for the rest of the year’s festival fashion are often dictated by the outfits worn by celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Katy Perry and Gigi Hadid. For streetwear brands and fast-fashion labels, Coachella is particularly important. The Boohoo-owned fast-fashion label, Pretty Little Thing, streetwear resale site StockX and US-based Gen Z retailer Revolve will sponsor areas at the festival, not just to advertise to attendees but also to those watching from home and on social media. Continue reading...

Ship carrying 750 tonnes of fuel from Egypt to Malta ran into difficulty in bad weather on Friday eveningA tanker carrying 750 tonnes of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta sank in the Gulf of Gabes off Tunisia’s south-east coast, sparking a rush to avoid a spill.The Equatorial Guinea-flagged Xelo was sailing from the Egyptian port of Damietta to Malta when it requested entry to Tunisian waters on Friday evening owing to bad weather. Continue reading...

The birds have not been seen in northern California for more than a century. Now they could help restore an ecosystemTucked among tall redwood trees in a remote part of northern California, four young California condors await their chance to take to the skies.The fluffy juveniles – housed in a facility where they playfully peck at each other and jump between perches – will help usher in a new era. Referred to as prey-go-neesh by the Yurok people who called this land home, the sacred scavengers are the first group to be reintroduced to their native range since they disappeared from the region more than a century ago. Continue reading...

After little sales growth over past five years, sector faces even bigger task to attract hard-pressed customersOrganic dairy, for so long the sector’s success story, is facing a crisis of confidence, with fears about whether people will keep buying organic milk, butter and cheese as food prices soar.Some UK organic farmers are being paid a milk price that is lower than the price some of their non-organic competitors get. Continue reading...

Residents of Lawrence Weston, a deprived housing estate, achieve £4m target without government aidA community group in one of the poorest parts of Bristol has met its funding target to build the tallest wind turbine in England, despite a lack of any central government funding for locally owned wind power generation.The group of residents from Lawrence Weston, a deprived housing estate on the edge of the West Country city, have secured £4m, and expect to begin groundworks for the turbine, which measures 150 metres from its base to the tip of its blade, in June. The wind turbine, which has a maximum capacity of 4.2MW, will sell energy to the grid. The group estimates it will bring in at least £100,000 a year. Continue reading...

Green Alliance says ‘mask has slipped’ as member of Net Zero Scrutiny Group shares scientist’s paper on TwitterA Conservative MP has shared a paper that says the climate emergency is not happening.Steve Baker, the MP for Wycombe and a leading member of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, shared the report, produced by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), on his Twitter feed. Continue reading...

Gasteranthus extinctus had been presumed extinct after extensive deforestationA South American wildflower long believed to be extinct has been rediscovered.Gasteranthus extinctus was found by biologists in the foothills of the Andes mountains and in remnant patches of forest in the Centinela region of Ecuador, almost 40 years after its last sighting. Continue reading...

Water shortages leading to rising salt concentrations and sandstorms are eroding world’s ancient sitesSome of the world’s most ancient buildings are being destroyed by climate change, as rising concentrations of salt in Iraq eat away at mud brick and more frequent sandstorms erode ancient wonders.Iraq is known as the cradle of civilisation. It was here that agriculture was born, some of the world’s oldest cities were built, such as the Sumerian capital Ur, and one of the first writing systems was developed – cuneiform. The country has “tens of thousands of sites from the Palaeolithic through Islamic eras”, explained Augusta McMahon, professor of Mesopotamian archaeology at the University of Cambridge. Continue reading...

As climate breakdown and worldwide conflict continue to place the food system at risk, seed banks from the Arctic to Lebanon try to safeguard biodiversityAs the risks from the climate crisis and global conflict increase, seed banks are increasingly considered a priceless resource that could one day prevent a worldwide food crisis. Two in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction, and though researchers estimate there are at least 200,000 edible plant species on our planet, we depend on just three – maize, rice and wheat– for more than half of humanity’s caloric intake.There are roughly 1,700 seed banks, or gene banks, around the world housing collections of plant species that are invaluable for scientific research, education, species preservation and safeguarding Indigenous cultures. Continue reading...

Charity launches campaign to stem decline of species including starlings, bumblebees and hedgehogsPlant sunflowers and lavender in your garden this spring to reverse the decline of previously common garden species, the RSPB has urged the British public.The bird charity has launched a “nature on your doorstep” campaign to highlight that UK gardens and balconies combined cover 4,000sq km, an area more than twice the size of Greater London. Together these connected habitats could help reverse the fortunes of species including starlings, bumblebees and hedgehogs.Sunflowers – beautiful and easy to grow from seed, these classic flowers are great for pollinators and are a great food source for birds when they set seed.Cornfield annuals – for just a couple of pounds you can have the glow of red poppies and blue cornflowers within weeks.Mini-meadow – just let parts of your lawn grow for a few months, or even better until late summer, and be rewarded with drifts of clovers and other meadow flowers.Lavender – the familiar lovely-smelling herb that’s brilliant for bees and butterflies.Foxgloves – tall purple, pink and white flowers that are bee magnets. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including swimming buffalo, a rescued pangolin and swirling reindeer Continue reading...

The musician and activist, who has collaborated with Michael Stipe on a new song for Earth Day, is asking questions of the music industry, and the likes of Coldplay are happy to answerGiven that it’s an industry addicted to air travel, whose artists put on energy-intensive live shows and release albums on vinyl, the music business is rightly being scrutinised for its green credentials. But as Brian Eno argues, an increasing number of musicians and workers are also trying to improve sustainability and public understanding. “Lots of people are becoming aware that we can’t just talk about the problem – we have to do something about it in our own practice,” he says.On Earth Day this year – 22 April – the producer, artist and activist plans to light up the internet with previously unheard music to direct attention and funds towards the climate crisis. Approximately 100 artists will release material exclusively via Bandcamp – with the platform dropping its usual 15% cut to 10% – and the proceeds being distributed among causes at the forefront of the emergency. Continue reading...

Government was in possession of a newly-released report that linked large-scale farms and wild salmon to contagious virusCanada was warned in 2012 by its own scientists that a virus was infecting both farmed and wild salmon, but successive governments ignored the expert advice, saying for years that risks to salmon were low.Justin Trudeau’s government has said it will phase out open-pen industrial fish farms off the coast of British Columbia by 2025. But both his government and the previous Conservative government were in possession of a newly released report that linked large-scale farms and wild salmon to the highly contagious Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV). Continue reading...

Critics say trial in Leicester Square is ‘manipulative’ but expert says fast food ideally suited for plant-based dishesAll fast food will eventually become vegan, a leading plant-based restaurateur has said, after Burger King trialled making one of its flagship restaurants completely meat-free.The Burger King outlet in Leicester Square, London, has been offering only vegan food for a month to test its popularity. This includes a plant-based version of its Whopper burger, as well as a “chicken” katsu burger and vegan nuggets. Continue reading...

Rush hour chaos at Chiswick roundabout as environmental activists vow to ‘stop the flow of oil in London’Environmental campaigners have caused rush-hour chaos in west London by clambering on to an oil tanker and forcing the closure of a major roundabout leading to the start of the M4 motorway.“Road closures are currently in place at the Chiswick roundabout,” Hounslow police tweeted on Thursday morning. “Diversions are in place. Please avoid the area if possible.” Continue reading...

Fine and dry weather expected for most, with possible showers in north-west, before cooler MondayMost of the country will bask in fine and dry weather over the Easter weekend, with forecasters predicting that a new record for the hottest day of the year could be set on Good Friday.Temperatures are expected to rise to more than 10C above average, peaking at 22C in some parts of the UK. Continue reading...

Agency will look at whether Black citizens’ rights were violated in polluted industrial corridor in LouisianaThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened a series of civil rights investigations into state agencies in Louisiana to examine whether permits granted in the highly polluted industrial corridor, known locally as Cancer Alley, have violated Black citizens rights.The news, first reported by the New Orleans Advocate, marks further enforcement action taken by the federal agency in the region since the EPA administrator, Michael Regan, visited the area late last year. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigners have caused rush-hour chaos in west London by clambering on to an oil tanker and forcing the closure of a major roundabout leading to the start of the M4 motorway Continue reading...

Researchers say Brexit politicians now pushing against net zero amid cost-of-living crisisRightwing populist parties have a detrimental impact on climate policy, researchers have found for the first time, amid growing fears of a similar movement in the UK.The study, by the universities of Sussex and Warwick, looked at the policy of more than 25 countries over a period of more than a decade. Researchers created a climate policy index and compared it with a baseline of a centre-right government. They found the combined effect of the presence of a rightwing populist party in parliament and in government was associated with a reduction in the index of about 25% on average.The Netherlands 2010 – the populist and climate-sceptic PVV party got its best ever electoral result and came in as a junior coalition partner in a centre-right led government. The scale and ambition of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and renewable energy targets set by the previous government were reduced, and a coal phaseout remained off the agenda.Norway 2013 – the populist Progress party entered a minority government. Previous centre-left coalition governments had had ambitious climate policy, but again targets for emissions reduction and renewables were reduced. The Progress party took over the ministry of petroleum and energy and issued new drilling licences for oil, including in the Arctic for the first time.Denmark 2015 – the centre-right Venstre party formed a minority government that had informal support from the populist Danish Peoples’ party, which got 21% of the vote, its best ever share. There was backsliding on emissions reduction and renewables targets, and the goal of phasing out coal set by the previous government was dropped.Poland 2015 – the populist PiS took power as the largest party in a coalition government. In its first term it was hostile to renewables, blocking onshore wind and opposing expansion of renewable energy targets at the EU level. It also blocked the 2050 carbon neutrality goal in the European Council. However, from 2019 the party changed position on renewables.Austria 2017 – the populist FPÖ came in as a junior partner in a centre-right led government. The FPÖ had little impact in the end but voted against Austria joining the Paris Agreement and against parliament declaring a climate emergency in 2019. Continue reading...

Dogger Bank saved from destructive practice along with three other areas, after campaigning by activistsThe UK’s largest sandbank has been protected from bottom trawling, an environmentally destructive fishing technique.Activists have been calling on the government for years to stop bottom trawling at Dogger Bank, an important site off the east coast of England for species including sand eels, hermit crabs, flatfish and starfish. Continue reading...

President describes ‘catastrophe of enormous proportions’ as more than 300 people die in Durban areaSouth Africa is bracing for more heavy rain in districts hit by massive and lethal downpours earlier this week.More than 300 people have died in flooding in and around the eastern coastal city of Durban in recent days. On Wednesday the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, described the flooding as a “catastrophe of enormous proportions”, directly linking it to the climate emergency. Continue reading...

Carlo Amodeo fell in love with Sicilian black bees after being mesmerised by them as a child. He has spent more than 40 years finding and preserving themIt was love at first sight when five-year-old Carlo Amodeo first saw a swarm of black bees. He could not stop thinking about them and every night for a week he had the same dream: of building a house for the bees made from wood using his toy carpentry set.Amodeo, now 62, still remembers that first encounter. It took place in the 1960s, while he was spending the summer with his mother at the seaside 30 minutes from Palermo, in north-west Sicily. He saw the swarm hanging from an olive trunk during a stroll in the countryside. “I was paralysed, motionless like a dog pointing at prey,” he recalls. “Then my mother dragged me off to the beach.” Continue reading...

The world’s farms produce only a handful of varieties of bananas, avocados, coffee and other foods – leaving them vulnerable to the climate breakdown Continue reading...

Morrison says he ‘won’t support any shutdowns of native forestry’ as he announces new Tasmania hub in country’s most marginal electorate

Angus Taylor claims that to be the opposition’s aim but Chris Bowen says it’s a target ‘more than two-thirds of these companies already have’

NSW, Victoria and Queensland may face a reduction in reliability if new generation projects don’t progress on schedule, Aemo says

President Cyril Ramaphosa blames ‘catastrophic’ rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal on climate crisisThe death toll from devastating floods in and around the South African port city of Durban has risen to 306, the government said Wednesday, after roads and hillsides were washed away as homes collapsed.The heaviest rains in 60 years pummelled Durban’s municipality, eThekwini in Zulu. According to an AFP tally, the storm is the deadliest on record in South Africa. Continue reading...

Peer-reviewed analysis of 2,500 pets finds vegan dogs visit the vet less often and require fewer medicationsVegan diets are healthier and safer for dogs than conventional meat-based diets, according to the largest study to date, as long as they are nutritionally complete.The diet and health of more than 2,500 dogs were followed over a year using surveys completed by their owners. These assessed seven general indicators of health, such as multiple visits to the vets, and 22 common illnesses. Continue reading...

Affiliates of Scientists for Extinction Rebellion highlight climate science they say government is ignoringTwenty-five scientists have pasted pages of scientific papers to the windows of the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and glued their hands to the glass to highlight the climate science they said the government was ignoring.The scientists, affiliated with Scientists for Extinction Rebellion, arrived at the department’s building at 1 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, just after 11am. Doctors and health professionals staged a decoy action to give them space to get into position. Continue reading...

Urgent action is needed, say conservationists, after report shows numbers of birds of prey in the country declining by as much as 95% over the past 40 yearsDarcy Ogada rarely spots raptors​ from her home in central Kenya any more. ​The birds were once ​a ​common​ ​​sight in the industrial town of Thika, 25 miles (40km) north of Nairobi, but the ​region’s ​forests are rapidly declining, and the few remaining raptor populations face the added threats of poison and persecution.“It is a disaster,” says Ogada, “Every day I go out of the house and look into the sky, I am disappointed. I might see the extinction of these birds in my lifetime.” Continue reading...

Loophole allows chicken-meat farmers to retain free-range status after birds ordered indoors to stem avian fluA loophole in government regulations means that chickens can still be called free-range even though they are no longer allowed outside because of the outbreak of avian flu.The UK has been affected by what government officials have called the “largest ever outbreak of avian flu” over the winter, with almost 100 reported highly pathogenic outbreaks in England, Scotland and Wales. Continue reading...

Climate breakdown has fueled ‘decisive increase’ in intensity, researchers say, as separate study links crisis to increased rainfallExtremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons are now twice as likely as they were in the 1980s due to global heating, according to new research that warns the climate crisis is supersizing storms that threaten life and property in coastal areas.Climate breakdown has contributed to a “decisive increase” in intense hurricane activity since 1982, the study states. Researchers in Germany and Switzerland who undertook the analysis wrote that the growing hyperactivity of storms could be “robustly ascribed” to the rising temperature of the oceans. Continue reading...

How the war in Ukraine is reshaping Europe. Plus: a French election volte-face

Judge says environmental activists ‘inspired me personally’ after impassioned speeches in courtInsulate Britain protesters have been praised by a judge, who said he was “inspired” by their commitment to greener living, as he fined 12 of them over a demonstration that disrupted the journeys of drivers on the M25.The protesters blocked traffic at junction 3 of the motorway. Some glued themselves to the tarmac, while another glued himself to a police car. Continue reading...