Environment | The Guardian

Despite controversy over Queensland coal mine, the tycoon’s investments in green energy at home have helped his wealth rise to $88.5bnThe Indian coal mining tycoon Gautam Adani has become Asia’s richest person thanks to a push into green energy that has boosted his fortune to $88.5bn.Adani has overtaken fellow countryman Mukesh Ambani to enter the top 10 of the world’s richest people, according to figures from Forbes and Bloomberg, after seeing his personal fortune rise by $12bn in the past year. Continue reading...

Defra report blamed algal blooms but independent research points to chemical released from sedimentsAn independent study has linked the deaths of thousands of crabs and lobsters and a mystery dog illness to dredging for the government’s flagship freeport on Teesside – a key to the Conservative’s post-Brexit, “levelling-up” agenda.The report has led local fishers to reject a government theory that an “algal bloom” is responsible for the huge piles of dead crustaceans that began washing up on beaches along England’s north-east coast in October. Continue reading...

Australia’s energy market can be bewildering, but a new consumer guide aims to reveal the reality behind ads featuring wind farms

Judge rebukes Marine Management Organisation for prosecution over direct action to stop bottom trawlingThe government agency charged with protecting the marine environment has dropped its case against Greenpeace over a protest intended to obstruct destructive fishing practices in UK coastal conservation areas.The judge in the case rebuked the Marine Management Organisation over the case, saying that the licensing regime, under which the case was brought, “could be better used as a source of protection against those who actively seek to harm the marine environment”. Continue reading...

Last two full-time fishing vessels left in harbour cannot afford to pay for work to protect Port IsaacA Cornish fishing village familiar to fans of gentle comedy drama is facing a crisis because part of its sea defences are crumbling and there are no longer enough working boats to fund the repairs.Householders in Port Isaac, the setting for the long-running ITV show Doc Martin, are worried that if one of the breakwaters that protect the picturesque village are not repaired, homes could be inundated when Atlantic storms sweep in. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Activists challenge updated shooting licences, which allow wild birds in England to be shot to protect game birdsThe government is facing a legal challenge over its newly updated shooting licences for England, which classify game birds as livestock and so allow wild birds to be shot to protect them.Campaigners have said the licences give an unfair advantage to gamekeepers, as they allow the birds to be defined as livestock when shooters want to kill other birds to protect them, but are otherwise considered wild birds so the estate owners are not liable for any damage the game birds cause. Continue reading...

Conservationists welcome interim injunction to stop farm development they say threatens migration of 10 million fruit batsConservationists in Zambia have hailed a high court injunction preventing deforestation and commercial agriculture on the edge of Kasanka national park, which they say threatens the world’s biggest mammal migration.Every October, about 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats descend on the swamps of Kasanka from across Africa and beyond. They feast on fruit in and around the park, one of Zambia’s smallest but under the highest level of protection, dispersing seeds across the continent on their epic journey. Continue reading...

Unique colony of blue whales increasingly at risk from tankers and container ships, say marine campaigners

Research finds sites too often far from amenities, without public transport, cycling links or even pavementsNew greenfield housing developments are locking residents into car dependency, making everyday journeys impossible without a vehicle, a new report has found. Meanwhile, pledges for walking, cycling and public transport are often left unfulfilled.The group Transport for New Homes (TfNH) visited 20 new housing developments in England, finding that while those on urban brownfield sites generally lived up to sustainable transport pledges, greenfield sites were often far from shops and amenities, without public transport, cycling links or even pavements, and the homes themselves were seemingly designed around car parking. Continue reading...

Dairy alternative goes on sale at Waitrose this week, the latest offering in a booming alt-milk market worth £400m a yearFirst came soya, nut and then oat but the new challenger to the plant milk crown is the humble spud as potato milk arrives on UK supermarket shelves.Described as “deliciously creamy” and capable of producing the “perfect foam” for a homemade latte or cappuccino, the Swedish potato milk brand Dug goes on sale in 220 Waitrose stores this week. Continue reading...

Amazon, Ikea, Nestlé and others will fall short of promise to cut carbon by 100%, says NewClimate InstituteSome of the world’s biggest businesses are failing to live up toclaims they will hit net-zero emissions targets, according to research that suggests they will cut their carbon emissions by only 40% rather than the 100% cuts claimed.Household names such as Amazon, Ikea, Nestlé and Unilever are among the companies named as showing little substance to their claims that they will cut emissions drastically. Continue reading...

Researchers call for safeguards to protect undamaged regions and for urgent work to restore degraded areas

Environmentalists fear premier could legislate away regulations and undo progress toward net zero at the stroke of a pen

Environment Agency devastates banks of river near Taunton ‘to protect properties in Bathpool’Anglers are “heartbroken” after a 250-metre stretch of the River Tone in Somerset was stripped of trees by the Environment Agency as part of flood management measures.The semi-wild section of river running through Taunton was a popular spot for anglers and wildlife-lovers, where kingfishers were often spotted. However, the majority of trees were felled last week, leaving the banks of the river as bare earth. Continue reading...

Petition urges FDA to strongly limit use of BPA, which is linked to cancer and other health problemsA comprehensive review of recent studies into a chemical often used in plastics and resins has revealed that the average American is exposed to levels of the dangerous compound that are 5,000 times higher than what the European Union now considers safe.The main exposure route for bisphenol-A (BPA) is via plastic and metal food packaging, and that has prompted a call for strong new limits on its use. Continue reading...

Researchers and citizen scientists found the animal to be active in every state and territory, even in densely populated cities

Temperatures in 499 counties across west, north-east and upper midwest US have already breached 1.5C (2.7F)More than a third of the American population is currently experiencing rapid, above-average rates of temperature increase, with 499 counties already breaching 1.5C (2.7F) of heating, a Guardian review of climate data shows.The US as a whole has heated up over the past century due to the release of planet-warming gases from burning fossil fuels, and swaths of the US west, north-east and upper midwest – representing more than 124.6 million people – have recorded soaring increases since federal government temperature records began in 1895. Continue reading...

Campaigners say ‘money isn’t the issue’ when there’s no koala recovery plan, while other threatened species receive little funding

Workers at the Jon Donaire plant in California are struggling to cope – so why won’t the factory’s owner raise its offer?More than 150 workers at the Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Santa Fe Springs, California, have been on strike since early November over wages, healthcare coverage and working conditions.The dispute centers on food workers, hailed as heroes early in the pandemic, who are struggling to cope with spiraling costs of living as the company that employs them posts billion-dollar revenues. Continue reading...

Angry residents have rallied to a campaign against the ‘trashing’ of the capital. Some blame mayor Anne Hidalgo while others see the protests as a far-right ployIn the middle of Paris’s third Covid lockdown last March, a hashtag appeared on Twitter with a photo of a lock on the Canal Saint-Martin that runs through the north of the city clogged with litter, plastic bags and bottles.Images of Paris looking worse for wear are nothing new but, within days, dozens of pictures of overflowing bins, broken pavements and graffiti-covered walls appeared with the same hashtag – #SaccageParis – which roughly translates as Trashed Paris. Continue reading...

Officials in Woodside – a mansion-filled, tech entrepreneur enclave – claim wildcat land keeps them from building multi-unit homesAt first glance, the town of Woodside may look more like a sprawl of mansions built on big-tech billions than crucial habitat for threatened California mountain lions.But town officials might suggest looking again. Continue reading...

After advising US president Joe Biden on energy, Saul Griffith is back in Australia to declare war on the climate crisis

The 23 coal and gas approvals could release six times the greenhouse gas Australia emits in a year, environment group warns

UK needs to reduce gas addiction and ramp up clean energy investment to bring energy bills down permanentlyCutting green levies on energy bills, or watering down the UK’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions, would fail to help households with high energy prices and store up problems for the near future, analysts have warned.Ed Matthew, campaigns director at the E3G thinktank, said: “Cutting green levies to tackle the energy bills crisis would be utterly self-defeating. It would only keep the UK addicted to gas for longer. The only cure is to ramp up clean energy investment and eliminate energy waste. That is the permanent solution to bring down energy bills. Any politician working against that is directly undermining the interests of their constituents and likely to be in the pocket of the fossil fuel lobby.” Continue reading...

Japan’s return to commercial whaling in 2019 has left few buyers for Iceland’s meatIceland, one of the only countries that still hunts whales commercially, along with Norway and Japan, plans to end whaling from 2024 as demand dwindles, the fisheries minister has said.“There are few justifications to authorise the whale hunt beyond 2024,” when current quotas expire, Svandis Svavarsdóttir, a member of the Left Green party, wrote in Morgunblaðið newspaper. Continue reading...

Though only 12% of new sales were zero-exhaust electric vehicles, emissions fell by 11.2% in 2021The carbon dioxide emissions of new cars sold in the UK dropped to the lowest level ever in 2021 thanks to the unprecedented surge in electric vehicle sales, industry data suggests.Average new car CO emissions fell by 11.2%, to 119.7g for every kilometre driven, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. Continue reading...

The state pumps millions into methane produced by manure – but advocates argue it increases greenhouse gas emissions and encourages factory farmingA coalition of climate, environmental and animal welfare groups is calling for California to remove the huge subsidies provided to dairy farms to turn animal waste into a form of energy called biogas.Manure, which emits the potent greenhouse gas methane, is a big problem for US farms, and is particularly stark in California, where the dairy industry accounts for nearly half the state’s methane emissions. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a natterjack toadlet, white pelicans and a hibernating iguana Continue reading...

Researchers find the felines are connected to more than 485 species, from carrion beetles to bald eaglesFrom the Canadian Rockies to Patagonia, pumas have the largest terrestrial range of any mammal in the Americas. Now, a new study has reported the web of life these elusive cats support, showing how they are connected to more than 485 other species, from eagles feeding on their carrion to elk impacted by their “fear effect”.Researchers reviewed 162 studies published between 1950 and 2020 looking at how pumas – also known as mountain lions or cougars – enrich ecosystems and support other species. They found the large cats contribute 1.5m kilograms of meat a day to scavenger communities across North and South America, with 281 species getting to feed on carcasses they have killed. Continue reading...

Researchers say cutting carbon footprint of world’s wealthiest may be fastest way to reach net zeroWealthy people have disproportionately large carbon footprints and the percentage of the world’s emissions they are responsible for is growing, a study has found.In 2010, the most affluent 10% of households emitted 34% of global CO, while the 50% of the global population in lower income brackets accounted for just 15%. By 2015, the richest 10% were responsible for 49% of emissions against 7% produced by the poorest half of the world’s population. Continue reading...

The state’s capacity to handle the challenges of more severe weather will be tested yet again as the climate crisis intensifiesAs many Texans endure another harsh cold snap this week when a winter storm hits the state, some 50,000 people have been hit by power outages in a grim reminder of last year’s big freeze in the state.While this week’s experience will probably not rival the 2021 winter storm that ​left much of Texas in darkness and was responsible for several hundred deaths, it is a test for the state’s capacity to handle the challenges of more severe weather as a result of the ongoing global climate crisis. Continue reading...

Study by Which? looked at greenhouse gas emissions as well as plastic waste and food wasteWaitrose and Lidl are the most sustainable supermarkets, according to a Which?’s eco-friendly grocer ranking.Iceland finished last, according to the research, which tracked supermarket policies on: plastic waste and food waste, which shoppers have reported are the biggest issues for them; and greenhouse gas emissions, which most experts say poses the greatest environmental threat. Continue reading...

Transport committee concludes that drop in fuel-duty revenues from shift to electric requires urgent action

Gaps in tracking industrial pollution before, during and after a natural disaster adversely impacts marginalized communitiesLast year, during Texas’s devastating winter freeze, oil refineries, chemical manufacturers and other industrial plants emitted a whopping 4.7m pounds of excess chemicals into the air that millions of people breathe.The storm was an example of how industrial emissions can spike during and immediately after natural disasters. But in a surprising move last Friday, Texas state regulators announced that wide-scale deployment of agency staff for air monitoring in these critical moments to be “often unnecessary”. Continue reading...

Environment minister tells world heritage centre that government investments are ‘strengthening the resilience of the reef’

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee sees lack of direction on how to end reliance on gasThe government is failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions from heating the UK’s homes, an influential committee of MPs has warned, with little sign of a clear plan for ending reliance on increasingly expensive gas.Home heating is responsible for about 14% of the UK’s carbon emissions, and must be tackled urgently if the government is to meet its carbon reduction targets. Last year, ministers announced a heat and buildings strategy, with the intention of weaning the UK away from gas – which makes up about 80% of domestic heating – and on to lower carbon alternatives, such as heat pumps. Continue reading...

European Environment Agency data shows worst-hit countries to be Germany, France and ItalySevere floods and other extreme weather have cost Europe about half a trillion euros in the past four decades, with Germany, France and Italy the worst-hit countries.Between 90,000 and 142,000 deaths were attributed to weather and climate-related events over the period 1980 to 2020, the overwhelming majority of them from heatwaves. Continue reading...

Energy analysts say their Hunter Valley plan is just ‘an expensive way to avoid a small amount of emissions’ when there are cheaper, greener alternativesLabor said this week it will back a gas-fired power plant in the Hunter Valley, but only if the gas is mixed with hydrogen.The rationale for this move, according to Labor, was the Morrison government’s $600m support for the project was “risking taxpayers’ money on a gas plant that experts say will become stranded in an increasingly renewable energy system”. Continue reading...

NSW utilities warned to monitor stocks of alum and to prepare their contingency plans

Measures include £200 rebate on energy bills as millions of households brace for record riseThe Treasury is scrambling to complete 11th-hour plans capable of softening a national cost of living crisis, including a £200 rebate on energy bills and more help for the poorest households.No 10 and the Treasury have been under pressure from Tory MPs to act as millions of households brace for a record hike in energy bills from April, and the prospect of rising mortgage rates and tax increases. Continue reading...

Government white paper criticised for overlooking opportunities along road to net zeroThe need to reach net zero carbon emissions, and the green jobs that could be created in doing so, received scant attention in the government’s levelling-up strategy, an omission slammed by green campaigners and businesses.The mention of “the green industrial revolution and transition to net zero” came second bottom of the list of 16 priorities in the levelling-up paper published on Wednesday, promising £26bn of capital investment, though green analysts said it was not clear if any of this was new money or how it would be spent. Continue reading...

Court imposes custodial sentences of between 24 and 32 days and hands 11 others suspended sentencesAn activist from Insulate Britain hung a banner proclaiming “insulate or die” at the high court in London on Wednesday as five members of the group were sentenced to jail.Arne Springorum displayed the banner as El Litten, 35, Theresa Norton, 63, Steve Pritchard, 62, and Dr Diana Warner, 62, were given custodial sentences of between 24 and 32 days. Ben Taylor, 27, who was due to be released this month from a six-month jail sentence imposed in November, was sentenced to another 32 days. Eleven more protesters received suspended sentences. Continue reading...

Findings of study show importance of educational and emotional support for children after disaster events, researchers say

Commission’s move widely criticised as undermining efforts to keep global heating below 1.5CThe European Commission has been accused of undermining its climate goals after it defied critics by pushing ahead with plans to include gas and nuclear in an EU guidebook for “green” investments.Gas and nuclear were deemed bridge technologies to meet the EU’s target of net zero emissions by 2050, in long-awaited proposals on the EU’s “taxonomy for environmentally sustainable economic activities”, which were published on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Plastics Rebellion complains to advertising watchdog about claims made in British TV advertInnocent drinks have been accused of “greenwashing” by plastic pollution campaigners after releasing an advert that claims buying their smoothies can help save the environment.Activists, who recently occupied the company’s headquarters, have lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about claims made in an advert entitled Little Drinks, Big Dreams. The ASA is currently reviewing the evidence submitted by the activists and Innocent, and is expected to make a ruling imminently. Continue reading...

Concerns government guidance will not bring an end to the ‘scandal of untreated sewage pollution’Ofwat must do more to make the water industry in England and Wales protect the environment, the government has said.Setting out the priorities for the regulator for the next five years the environment minister Rebecca Pow said water companies should significantly reduce the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows. Continue reading...

River Dee initiative comes as rising water temperature from climate heating threatens species’ survivalMillions of trees are being planted beside Scotland’s remotest rivers and streams to protect wild salmon from the worst effects of climate heating.Fisheries scientists have found rivers and burns in the Highlands and uplands are already too warm in summer for wild Atlantic salmon as they head upstream to spawn, increasing the threat to the species’ survival. Continue reading...

Plants now bloom in mid-April on average, with scientists warning of mismatches with insects and birdsPlants are flowering a month earlier in the UK as the climate heats up, a study has found.The researchers examined 420,000 recorded dates of first flowering for more than 400 species, dating to 1793. The average date for the first blooms was about 12 May up to 1986, but since then the date has been pushed forward to 16 April. Continue reading...

Efforts to restore major supply routes in South Australia have been hampered by huge rainfalls but the weather system is expected to ease

International Union for the Conservation of Nature says NSW government’s plan would inundate Indigenous sites and could create an in-danger listing for Blue Mountains