Environment | The Guardian

First minister believes seabed rights would allow the country to make best use of its wind and wave powerThe Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has said that devolving the crown estate to Wales could boost the country’s aspirations to become a world leader in renewable energy.One of the Labour-led government’s key strategies in tackling the climate emergency is to make the most of Wales’ extraordinary natural resources, including wind and wave power. Continue reading...

The claim landholders have done the ‘heavy lifting’ relies on the protocol being signed seven years before it actually was• Temperature Check is a weekly column examining claims about climate change made by governments, politicians, business and in the media

The strong comments from the French ambassador come as a report ranks Australia last on emissions reduction for developed nations

Treasury document suggests move to electric vehicles could hit poorer citizens hardestAnger is growing across the Conservative party over a Treasury document on the costs of the net zero strategy which MPs claim has been “neutered” – though sources insisted estimates had not been reliable enough to include.Alongside Boris Johnson’s strategy to end Britain’s contribution to the climate crisis by 2050, the Treasury released an assessment warning it may need to raise taxes or cut public spending to fund the strategy. Continue reading...

One of world’s biggest fertiliser producers calls for action as high gas prices force it to slash productionThe global energy crisis could escalate into a world food crisis leading to famine in vulnerable countries unless urgent action is taken, one of the world’s biggest producers of fertiliser has warned.Svein Tore Holsether, the chief executive of Yara, which produces 8.6m tonnes of the key fertiliser ingredient ammonia annually, said high gas costs meant it was curbing production in Europe by 40%. Continue reading...

Our ridiculous addiction to acquiring more possessions is stuffing up the planet, so it’s time to call in the expertsAges ago, an old friend who was an early adopter of environmental concerns wanted a new kitchen. He asked an expert he knew from his work in woodland conservation what wood his new kitchen should be built with. He was startled to get a sharp response: “If you really care, then don’t come to me asking which wood to use; ask yourself if you really need a new kitchen.” Point taken, but not much acted upon, by him, me or anyone else I’ve come across.I’m so sick of stuff. Some of it is stuff I really need or that is at least genuinely nice to have, but a good 70% is useless stuff. Clothes I’ll never wear, books I’ll never read, kitchen utensils I’ll never utilise. Items big and small that presumably felt essential the day I bought them but turned out to be quite the opposite. I suppose that as I get older the 70% figure will grow and grow until the morning of the day I shuffle off this mortal coil. At this point the percentage of stuff I own that is useless to me will stand at a nice round 100, because, of course, I won’t be able to take it with me. But what I will be able to do is leave it to my children to bump up the percentage of stuff useless to them that they own. And so it goes on.Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist

The units are expensive to install, and become less efficient at low outside temperatures, writes Gary Bennett. Plus letters from Frank Brown and Austen LynchIf you search online how domestic heat pumps work, you soon find out that they are expensive to install and generate a constant noise that could be a problem with close neighbours (£5,000 grants unveiled to support home heat pump installation, 18 October). What is less well known is that, although they might replace what gas and oil-fired domestic boiler systems do, they also start becoming less efficient and effective when the outside temperature is about 5C and lower – just the temperature at which you definitely need effective domestic heating.Also, there is no guarantee that the electricity used to power each unit comes from a renewable or truly zero carbon source. So why are we wasting our time with this “compromise”, and at a cost to us taxpayers of £5,000 a pop? Surely it couldn’t be for last minute Cop26 cosmetic reasons?

Government ‘nudge unit’ document published alongside net zero strategy before being withdrawn within hoursA blueprint to change public behaviour to cut carbon emissions, including levies on high-carbon food and a reduction in frequent flying, was published by the government alongside its net zero strategy on Tuesday but was withdrawn within a few hours.Recommendations in the blueprint are in contrast to Boris Johnson’s promise in the strategy foreword that transitioning to net zero could happen without sacrificing the things we love. “This strategy shows how we can build back greener, without so much as a hair shirt in sight,” the foreword stated. Continue reading...

Himalayan state of Uttarakhand suffers heaviest rain in more than 100 years, with Nepal also badly affectedMore than 150 people have died in devastating floods across India and Nepal, after some of the heaviest rainfall in over a century triggered flash flooding and landslides.In the north Indian state of Uttarakhand, at least 46 people died and 11 were missing after record-breaking rainfall caused by cloudbursts, an intense deluge of rain, on Monday and Tuesday. Continue reading...

Children’s rights body rejects landmark case by group of activists including Greta ThunbergA group of youth activists say they have been spurred to fight even harder after their landmark case arguing that countries perpetuating the climate crisis violate their human rights was rejected by a UN children’s rights body.Greta Thunberg and 15 other activists from around the world filed their case accusing Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey of violating their rights to life, health and culture under the convention on the rights of the child by failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would restrict global warming to 1.5C, in accordance with the Paris agreement. Continue reading...

Gas company announces it has full environmental approval from Northern Territory government

West Virginia senator objects to bill that would steadily retire the coal industry which continues to provide ample financial support to himIn the tumult of negotiations over the most consequential climate legislation ever proposed in the US, there is growing scrutiny of the fossil fuel industry connections of the man poised to tear down the core of the bill – the West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.Manchin, a centrist Democrat, has objected to key provisions of a multitrillion-dollar reconciliation bill that would slash planet-heating emissions and help the US, and the world, to avert catastrophic climate breakdown. In a finely balanced Senate, Democrats need all 50 of their senators to vote for the bill, with no Republicans willing to vote for the climate measures. Continue reading...

Thanks to a local vet and a group of concerned ecologists, the churra lebrijana breed has been rescued from extinctionEvery morning a trio of churra lebrijana sheep turn up eagerly for work, toiling away as children head to school and the rush-hour traffic grips the southern Spanish city of Seville. Shaggy, skittish and nearly extinct, the daily outing is an unconventional attempt to help save the rare breed – by putting them to work.Since the start of this year, these churra lebrijana sheep – a breed indigenous to Andalusia whose numbers had dwindled to about two dozen animals – have spent hours each day grazing and getting to know the visitors to San Jerónimo park. The project is the culmination of a decades-long conservation effort by local officials and a bit of left-field thinking by ecologists. Continue reading...

Study prompts call for reforms to safeguard conditions of fishers from countries including the Philippines, Egypt, Ghana and IndonesiaRacist insults, verbal abuse, long working hours with few breaks and pay below the legal minimum wage are “common workplace experiences” of migrant workers in the Irish fishing sector, says a new study.The report, conducted by Maynooth University’s Department of Law, comes four months after a damning assessment by the US state department over Ireland’s failure to combat human trafficking, which stated that undocumented workers on Irish vessels are vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour. Continue reading...

Cross-party group says regions could be devastated by a rapid switch to low-carbon technologiesUK public sector pension schemes could deepen divisions in society unless they use their billions of pounds of investment to cushion communities pivoting away from carbon-intensive industries such as steel and carmaking, MPs have said.The cross-party group argues towns and regions across Britain could be devastated by a rapid switch to low-carbon technologies, leaving them to face the same future as mining towns hit by pit closures in the 1980s, unless pension funds take account of the impact of investments on vulnerable households and businesses. Continue reading...

Despite pledges of action from many nations, almost none have policies to wind down production, report saysFossil fuel production planned by the world’s governments “vastly exceeds” the limit needed to keep the rise in global heating to 1.5C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, a UN report has found.Despite increasing pledges of action from many nations, governments have not yet made plans to wind down fossil fuel production, the report said. The gap between planned extraction of coal, oil and gas and safe limits remains as large as in 2019, when the UN first reported on the issue. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, called the disparity “stark”. Continue reading...

Bad weather hits production across Europe as flowering seasons become earlier and shorterFrench beekeepers expect their worst harvest in decades as unseasonably cold and wet weather due to climate change has prevented bees from producing honey.Beekeepers association UNAF said that based on information received from regional associations it expects the honey harvest for 2021 to come in at 7,000 to 9,000 tonnes, or about a third of the 2020 harvest. Continue reading...

P&Cs raise thousands to buy air filter machines – only to have them knocked back by authorities

Government’s net zero plan wants to link energy upgrades to home financing, but policy details will be criticalIf you want to live in an energy inefficient home, expect to pay more for your mortgage. Or perhaps the implied message in the government’s net zero documents was starker: you won’t even get a mortgage unless you bring the property up to scratch.As nudges to homeowners and homebuyers go, it’s strong stuff. Quite right too, one might say: UK homes, on average, are shockingly leaky. And, since most home improvements happen soon after a purchase, one can see the logic in linking an energy upgrade to the mortgage process. Continue reading...

Department says falling income from levies that brought in £37bn last year could cause ‘significant and permanent fiscal pressure’New taxes may be needed to replace billions of pounds in lost income from fuel duty on petrol and diesel cars, the Treasury has warned, revealing concerns at the heart of government over risks to the public finances from the green transition.In documents released on Tuesday by Rishi Sunak’s department alongside the government’s net zero strategy, No 11 Downing Street said much of the £37bn raised last year from fuel duty and vehicle excise duty (VED) could be lost if drivers make the switch to electric cars, which have a low or zero tax rate to encourage take-up. Continue reading...

The plan to decarbonise Britain must be welcomed. But in key areas it falls shortIn a number of ways the net zero strategy published by the UK government on Tuesday falls short of what was hoped for, and perhaps even expected by more optimistic observers. The public investment that ministers have committed to is insufficient, their faith in private-sector solutions overblown.The combination is concerning. As the host of the upcoming Cop26 summit, and the first major industrialised country to put a net zero target into law, the UK is in a unique position. By significantly upping their ambitions with regard to emissions cuts, ministers had the chance to send a powerful message. Instead, they have hedged many of the new commitments in ways which risk undermining them. Continue reading...

Government says strategy would create 440,000 jobs, but Treasury warns taxes may need to rise to fund changes

Plans include replacing gas boilers with heat pumps and but no proposals for insulationMinisters have published the UK’s net zero strategy, a 400-page document detailing the future of tackling climate change and carbon emissions in the UK. What are the key policies – and what’s missing?Ambitious plans for insulationGaps in commitments on fossil fuelAlternatives to car and air travelMeat and dairy farmingFuture of fuel duty Continue reading...

Query over homeowners’ costs as government’s net zero strategy reveals lender targets to encourage energy efficiencyThe government is exploring plans to link mortgages to green home improvements by imposing targets for lenders, to help decarbonise the UK’s ageing and leaky housing stock.Highlighting the move in its net zero strategy, published on Tuesday, the government said it was working with mortgage lenders to support homeowners in improving the energy performance of their properties. Continue reading...

East Coast Cluster and HyNet North West chosen for scheme aimed at cutting 20-30m tonnes of CO2 a yearThe UK government has selected two sites in the north of England to develop multibillion-pound carbon capture projects by the middle of the decade as part of its fast-track scheme to cut 20-30m tonnes of CO2 a year from heavy industry by 2030.Ministers gave the green light to the East Coast Cluster, which plans to capture and store emissions produced across the Humber and Teesside, and the HyNet North West project in Liverpool Bay, which will also produce low carbon hydrogen from fossil gas. Continue reading...

Scientists say the animals are vital to ecosystem and true number affected is probably far higher

Party’s final proposal on net zero expected to go to cabinet and joint party room early next week• Download the free Guardian app; get our morning email briefingThe National Farmers’ Federation has made a final pitch to the National party to support a net zero emissions reduction target before Scott Morrison heads to Glasgow, telling MPs that failure to do so could “punish farmers” as the rest of the world decarbonises.Morrison is due to depart for the United Nations-led climate conference late next week by the Nationals continue to work a package of measures to accompany any 2050 commitment – including funding for regional jobs and infrastructure projects.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Study author calls for coordinated efforts to remove discarded fishing nets before they reach threatened marine life in gulf’s ‘high biodiversity region’Targeted action is needed to combat the growing issue of “ghost nets” in the Gulf of Carpentaria, researchers say.Analysis of aerial surveys conducted between 2004 and 2020 has found that the number of ghost nets along the gulf coastline has increased despite years of clean-up efforts. Continue reading...

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Driver seen inching car forwards on to protesters blocking road in Thurrock as onlookers goad her onFootage has emerged of an Insulate Britain protester being pushed by a Range Rover driven by a woman taking her son to school.In the video a woman drives up to a roadblock protest at a busy junction, leaps from the black four-wheel-drive vehicle, snatches a banner and shouts at two activists: “I’m not joking, my son needs to get to school. Move out the way. Move out the way now.” Continue reading...

GMB union calls week-long strike from 1 November with rail staff also planning industrial actionBin workers in Glasgow have confirmed that they will strike during the Cop26 climate conference, amid growing anxieties that the city’s summit arrangements are falling into chaos with threats of industrial action across services and transport.Glasgow city council urged the workers to reconsider causing disruption during a “busy and difficult time”, as the GMB union confirmed a week-long strike from 1 November, the first full day of the UN conference. Continue reading...

Campaigners say museum ‘doubling down’ on ‘reckless’ choices of funder with backing from arm of coal giant AdaniThe UK’s Science Museum has “doubled down” on its sponsorship of climate exhibitions by fossil fuel companies, campaigners say, by taking funding from a subsidiary of the Adani Group.Adani is a conglomerate with major holdings in coal, the most polluting fossil fuel. The Energy Revolution gallery, opening in 2023, will be sponsored by Adani’s Green Energy arm. Continue reading...

PM says partnership will help emerging solutions that are still too expensive for commercial developmentThe UK government has announced plans to launch a £400m package of investment alongside the US billionaire Bill Gates to boost the development of new green technologies.Boris Johnson said the deal would help power a “green industrial revolution” and develop emerging technologies that were currently too expensive to be commercially successful but were essential to hitting the government’s climate goals. Continue reading...

Their use could help the UK meet its climate targets, but there are concerns over high installation and running costsThe government has set out plans to offer £5,000 grants to help 90,000 households install home heat pumps, and other low-carbon heating systems, over the next three years as part of its plan to cut Britain’s reliance on fossil fuel heating.As gas boilers are phased out, heat pump installations could reach up to 600,000 a year in the 2030s – but is Britain ready for a home heating revolution? Continue reading...

It’s vital that unions and employers join forces to ensure staff can transfer their skills into low-carbon businesses• Paul Clarke is a former engineer in a coal-fired power stationIn the past, industrial change was poorly managed, leading to skilled staff being made redundant, withdrawing from work or drifting into less skilled employment. Anyone who remembers the dole queues after the closure of our country’s coalmines in the 1980s may be rightly wary of promises of a “just transition” for fossil fuel workers as we move into a net-zero future. But, it doesn’t have to be this way, and I’d like to share my story as a testament to what is possible when we come together to properly prepare for the future.Three years ago, I worked at Cottam, an EDF coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, as a professional engineer. I was proud of my job. My skills kept the country’s lights on and kettles boiling. It was more than a career for me, it gave me a sense of purpose. Continue reading...

Despite overwhelming support for onshore windfarms, planning rules mean it is possible for only one person to prevent developmentThe UK, being a windy island, has vast potential to produce more electricity from onshore windfarms. With urgent action required on the climate crises, the latest renewable prospectus is that substantial investment by 2030 in cheap onshore wind would cut household bills by £25 a year, create 27,000 jobs and level up deprived areas.Polls show more than 70% of people, especially Conservatives, are in favour. The government’s December 2020 energy white paper seems to agree, saying onshore wind is one of the “key building blocks of the future generation mix”. Continue reading...

Doubts over sustainability of company’s wood-burning power plant mount within financial sectorDrax has been booted from an investment index of clean energy companies as doubts over the sustainability of its wood-burning power plant begin to mount within the financial sector.The FTSE 100 energy giant, which has received billions in renewable energy subsidies for its biomass electricity, was axed from the index of the world’s greenest energy companies after S&P Global Dow Jones changed its methodology. Continue reading...

Liberals and Nationals increasingly confident the Coalition is moving towards agreement on climate pivot

Funding comes as part of government’s heat and buildings strategy, but campaigners say plan lacks ambitionMinisters have unveiled plans for £5,000 grants to allow people to install home heat pumps and other low-carbon boiler replacements as part of a wider heat and buildings strategy that some campaigners warned lacked sufficient ambition and funding.Labour also condemned the plans as “more of Boris Johnson’s hot air”, without sufficient substance. Continue reading...

An analysis of coastal rubbish collected over a decade reveals almost half of it is local litter, but in some areas plastic is washing up from overseasPlastic makes up 84% of the rubbish found on Australian beaches, according to analysis of a decade of clean-up efforts by more than 150,000 citizen scientists.Since 2004, the Australian Marine Debris Initiative – launched by the non-profit Tangaroa Blue Foundation – has documented more than 20m items of rubbish collected from beach clean-ups around the country. Continue reading...

Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon appeals to Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to meet and find common groundUS president Joe Biden and the president of China, Xi Jinping, have been urged to meet before the UN Cop26 climate talks to search for common ground by the former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and other prominent global voices.“We are appealing to the leaders of the US and China to see their common interest and find a way to work together. We need an ambitious 2030 [carbon] target from China and the US to deliver what they have pledged,” said Ban, speaking on behalf of the Elders group of former world statespeople and prominent community and business leaders. Continue reading...

News comes day after the Guardian revealed data that lists 120,000 sites in US that may be, or may have been, handling the chemicalsThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday announced a “strategic roadmap” it said would help restrict a class of toxic chemicals from being released into the environment and accelerate the cleanup of existing contamination of “forever chemicals” that are associated with a range of human health dangers.The news comes a day after the Guardian revealed an EPA data set that lists roughly 120,000 industrial sites around the country that may be, or may have been, handling PFAS chemicals. The data set includes facility locations and operation details, and was compiled by EPA researchers to help state and local officials work with the federal government in addressing contamination concerns.“Aggressive” timelines to set enforceable drinking water limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act “to ensure water is safe to drink in every community”.Timelines for actions involved in the establishment of “effluent guideline limitations”, for nine industrial categories.Establishment of a hazardous substance designation under the federal Superfund law that enhances the government’s ability to hold PFAS polluters financially accountable.A review of past actions on PFAS taken under the Toxic Substances Control Act to address those that are insufficient.Increased monitoring, data collection and research so that the agency can identify what actions are needed and when to take them.A final toxicity assessment for a type of PFAS called GenX used in manufacturing nonstick coatings that has been found in drinking water, rainwater and air samples.Continued efforts to address PFAS emissions into the air. Continue reading...

Cancellation follows reports local estate owners were worried about predator’s impact on other birdsA pioneering project to return white-tailed eagles to Norfolk for the first time in 200 years has been cancelled at the last minute to the dismay of conservationists.The UK’s largest birds of prey were to be released at Wild Ken Hill, the estate that is home to the BBC’s Autumnwatch programme, from next year, with plans to set 60 birds loose over 10 years. Continue reading...

In a greenhouse in Worcestershire, Shockingly Fresh grows towers of leafy veg for supermarket shelvesThe largest naturally lit vertical farm in Britain has begun harvesting and the creators plan to build 40 more.It looks nothing like a traditional farm, with bright white towers of leafy green vegetables stacked as high as the eye can see. But Shockingly Fresh’s first giant greenhouse, in Offenham, Worcestershire, is harvesting thousands of bunches of pak choi and lettuce destined for supermarket shelves. The farm is suited to a variety of leafy greens, as well as strawberries and herbs. Continue reading...

The weather system could intensify the drought much of the region is already in, including higher wildfire risks and water shortagesThe wet winter the American south-west has hoped for as it battles extreme drought and heat is increasingly unlikely to materialize as scientists now predict that a phenomenon known as La Niña will develop for the second year in a row.The weather system could intensify the worst effects of the drought that much of the region already finds itself in, including higher wildfire risks and water shortages through 2022. Continue reading...

Failure to pass legislation to cut emissions before the UN summit in Glasgow could be catastrophic for efforts to curb global heatingWith furious environmental activists at the gates of the White House, and congressional Democrats fretting that a priceless opportunity to tackle catastrophic global heating may be slipping away, Joe Biden is facing mounting pressure over a climate agenda that appears to be hanging by a thread.Biden’s allies have warned that time is running perilously short, both politically and scientifically, for the US to enact sweeping measures to slash planet-heating emissions and spur other major countries to do the same. Failure to do so will escalate what scientists have said are “irreversible” climate impacts such as disastrous heatwaves, floods, wildfires and a mass upheaval of displaced people. Continue reading...

Many people suffered following power cuts in the aftermath of two hurricanes, but advocates say solar power will withstand future disastersRosalina Marrero spends the best part of each day ironing and watching telenovelas at her modest bungalow in Puerto Rico’s coastal Guayama province. When it gets too hot or her asthma plays up due to the toxic coal ash from the nearby power plant, the 78-year-old widow rests on an adjustable hospital bed, clicks on the fan and thanks God for the solar panels on her roof.Earlier this year, Marrero was among two dozen residents in a low-income, predominantly Black neighbourhood blighted by coal pollution, fitted with a rooftop solar and storage system. Campaigners say systems like hers should be rolled out more widely to tackle the island’s energy crisis and the global climate emergency – both of which are exacerbating racialized health inequalities. Continue reading...

Fumio Kishida said every effort would be made to reassure local people that disposing of the water in the Pacific was safeJapan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said that there can be no delay to plans to release contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, despite opposition from fishers and neighbouring countries.Kishida, who made his first trip to the plant at the weekend since becoming prime minister last month, said every effort would be made to reassure local people that disposing of the water in the Pacific Ocean was safe. Continue reading...

Exclusive: NatWest, Microsoft and GSK among firms to raise complaint over poor planning and breakdown in relationsCompanies that stumped up millions of pounds to sponsor the Cop26 climate summit have condemned it as “mismanaged” and “very last minute” in a volley of complaints as next month’s event in Glasgow draws near.The sponsors, which include some of Britain’s biggest companies, have raised formal complaints blaming “very inexperienced” civil servants for delayed decisions, poor communication and a breakdown in relations between the organisers and firms in the run-up to the landmark talks. Continue reading...

White House has said clean energy provisions likely to be dropped from bill to secure support of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten SinemaThe transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg delivered a blunt warning on Sunday to Joe Manchin and other Senate Democrats who are forcing Joe Biden to scale back his climate crisis agenda: your resistance is going to cost lives.Manchin, senator for the coal-dependent state of West Virginia, opposes elements of the president’s clean energy performance program (CEPP), a $150bn central plank of his Build Back Better plan and $3.5tn spending bill. Continue reading...