Environment | The Guardian

Discovery is ‘extremely concerning’ for water insects, and fish and birds that depend on themHighly toxic insecticides used on cats and dogs to kill fleas are poisoning rivers across England, a study has revealed. The discovery is “extremely concerning” for water insects, and the fish and birds that depend on them, the scientists said, who expect significant environmental damage is being done.The research found fipronil in 99% of samples from 20 rivers and the average level of one particularly toxic breakdown product of the pesticide was 38 times above the safety limit. Fipronil and another nerve agent called imidacloprid that was found in the rivers have been banned from use on farms for some years. Continue reading...

Recycling rates soar in Christchurch after council rewards the best households and confiscates bins of laggardsA recycling scheme in New Zealand modelled on rewards familiar to kindergarten children has seen tonnes of additional recycling head to the sorters every week, instead of landfill.Following the coronavirus lockdown in March and April, Christchurch city council saw recycling rates plummet, with material from only 48% of recycling trucks able to be processed in June due to frequent contamination issues, the result of poor sorting by residents. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak looking at how to recoup lost revenues after ban on new petrol and diesel cars potentially from 2030The government is exploring options for dealing with a £40bn black hole in the public finances, which would result from a proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars within a decade.Boris Johnson is expected to announce this week the cut-off date for the ban will be brought forward by five years to 2030, in a step designed to underscore the government’s commitment to a green economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

The truth is gas is both too expensive and too dirty. We’ve known this for nearly a decade

Proposal would create 62,000 jobs and help towards carbon neutrality, says commissionThe capacity of the EU’s offshore windfarms in the North Sea, the Baltic, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea will be increased by 250%, under a draft plan drawn up by the European commission.The move follows Boris Johnson’s announcement this year of his intention to generate enough electricity to power every home in the UK within a decade from the country’s offshore sites. Continue reading...

Scottish Power, National Grid and SSE project will support ‘hundreds of green jobs’

Academics call for urgent changes to Bank’s mandate to help UK hit carbon zero targetUrgent reforms of the Bank of England are needed to help decarbonise the financial system and boost green investment as Britain recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, a group of leading academics has said.The New Economics Foundation thinktank and Positive Money campaign group said landmark changes needed to be made by the government to give Threadneedle Street more powers to cut carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Calls for EU animal welfare rules to be enforced as country set to overtake Germany as Europe’s biggest pork producerFootage that appears to show newborn piglets lying in faeces, pigs with pus-covered wounds and pig carcasses in varying states of decomposition has been published by animal welfare campaigners in Spain.

Biden has said he will end construction of Trump’s wall, but activists say they hope for more than a return to the status quoAs Joe Biden prepares to take office, activists say the president-elect must not only take meaningful action to stabilize the US-Mexico border, but also reckon with his own history of militarizing the border landscape and communities.Biden has promised to end many of the Trump administration’s border policies, but has yet to unveil the kind of bold immigration plan that would suggest a true departure from Obama-era priorities. Cecilia Muñoz, Obama’s top immigration adviser who memorably defended the administration’s decision to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants, was recently added to Biden’s transition team. Continue reading...

The Sunrise Movement helped reach 3.5m voters in swing states and are determined to hold the president-elect to his promisesJoe Biden will have to navigate a path for the most ambitious climate agenda ever adopted by a US president through not only stubborn Republican obstruction but also an emergent youth climate movement that is already formulating plans to hold him to account. Continue reading...

The 250MW battery will provide power for four hours, supporting evening peak demand, and is not subsidised by state or federal governmentsThe announcement of a large, long-duration battery in Adelaide has been hailed as a milestone in the developing technology that is competing with fossil fuels to support wind and solar energy.The energy company AGL, which owns several coal plants and is Australia’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, announced on Monday it would build a large-scale battery on the site of the Torrens Island gas station, which is due to shut by 2022. Continue reading...

Exclusive: authors find ‘no clear social equity problem related to low-traffic neighbourhoods’ after studying slew of projects sparked by Covid restrictions

Expansion of energy-from-waste incineration could stop UK hitting its net zero carbon target, campaigners warnCarbon emissions from waste disposal are increasing because of the expansion of energy-from-waste incineration plants, a coalition of campaigners has warned.By 2030 the government’s push to increase incineration of waste will increase COemissions by 10m tonnes a year, mostly from the burning of plastics, the groups said. They argue that the growth in energy-from-waste incineration means the UK will not be able to meet its commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

The Indian city is home to 20 million people but is also a place rich in biodiversity, with flamingos, leopards and black kites among its flora and faunaAn Indian Ocean humpback dolphin swims beneath an Indo-Pacific octopus close to the coast, a gargantuan atlas moth flutters above Sanjay Gandhi national park, while an Asian palm civet shins up a tree near Vasai Creek and a black kite soars over a banyan tree. All are part of a vibrant new map of Mumbai that showcases the Indian city’s rich biodiversity.“Most people only think of Mumbai as a concrete jungle, with skyscrapers, slums and beach promenades, but scratch beneath the surface, and you will find a place of rich biodiversity,” says Rohan Chakravarty, an award-winning wildlife cartoonist from Nagpur famous for cartoons that deal with the environment, conservation and wildlife, and creator of the Mumbai map. Continue reading...

Consultation with firms in England on mandatory reporting deferred to 2021A government consultation that could force companies to publish details of how much food they waste has been delayed until next year, triggering criticism by campaigners that ministers are using the pandemic as an excuse to stall efforts to drive down the amount thrown away.The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had this month been due to consult on mandatory food waste reporting in England, but has put the exercise on hold because of the disruption caused to the food and drink industry by Covid-19. Continue reading...

More than two-thirds of UN member states have declared they are open to a new agreement to stem the rising tide of plastic wasteSupport is growing internationally for a new global treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, it has emerged, though so far without the two biggest per capita waste producers – the US and the UK – which have yet to signal their participation.A UN working group on marine litter and microplastics met at a virtual conference last week to discuss the issue. More than two-thirds of UN member states, including African, Baltic, Caribbean, Nordic and Pacific states, as well as the EU, have declared they are open to considering the option of a new agreement. Continue reading...

Focus shifts to compensation and environmental impact of huge fire that has been burning since June in the state of AssamA massive oil well fire that raged for more than five months in north-east India has been extinguished, officials have said.Oil India engineers have been battling the blaze in Assam since an explosion in June, weeks after the well blew out and began discharging huge quantities of natural gas. Continue reading...

Evidence is not so much in the number of tropical storms the Atlantic has seen, but in their strength, intensity and rainfallPaddling in a canoe through the flood waters left by Hurricane Eta in his rural village near the north coast of Honduras, Adán Herrera took stock of the damage.“Compared with Hurricane Mitch, this caused more damage because the water rose so fast,” said Herrera, 33, a subsistence farmer who is living on top of a nearby levee with his wife and child while they wait for the water to recede. “We’re afraid we might not have anything to eat.” Continue reading...

‘Good old days’ of low gas prices long gone making role as ‘transition fuel’ unfeasible, Grattan Institute reports

A Japanese tradition could replace sparkly paper this festive season as lockdown prompts a green rethinkChristmas wouldn’t be Christmas without mountains of glittery wrapping paper covering the floor on 25 December. Or would it?A rise in interest in crafting, coupled with a greater awareness of the environment under lockdown, has led to a surge in interest in furoshiki – the Japanese art of fabric wrapping – this year. Continue reading...

Farm to supply skins to make handbags and shoes would be one of the biggest in Australia under plan approved by Northern Territory governmentThe high-end French fashion brand Hermès wants to build one of Australia’s biggest crocodile farms in the Northern Territory that would hold up to 50,000 saltwater crocodiles to be turned into luxury goods such as handbags and shoes.But the proposal has come under fire from animal welfare groups, who say other fashion brands have moved away from using exotic animal skins on cruelty grounds. Advocates told Guardian Australia they had concerns about the welfare of the crocodiles, and that farming animals for luxury goods was “no longer fashionable.” Continue reading...

Storm forecast to hit the country on Sunday morning with winds of up to 150 kphVietnamese authorities have ordered 460,000 people in the country’s central region to be ready for evacuation ahead of Typhoon Vamco, after the storm killed at least 42 people and left 20 others missing in the Philippines, state television reported.The typhoon, which is forecast to hit Vietnam on Sunday morning, could pack winds of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour as it approaches the country’s already flood-battered central coast, according to the national weather agency. Continue reading...

PM to announce measure amid raft of new environmental policies, reports sayBoris Johnson is understood to be planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars within a decade, with reports that the ban will be brought forward by five years.It follows the prime minister moving the cut-off date from 2040 to 2035 in February. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson has promised that every home will be powered by offshore wind by 2030Offshore windfarms risk harming delicate landscapes and vulnerable wildlife habitats if the government fails to coordinate the planning system in its push for a big expansion of clean energy, green campaigners have warned.The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has promised that every home will be powered by offshore wind by 2030, which will require dozens of new sites for large turbines around the coast. Continue reading...

Accreditation process putting off builders and installers from plan to improve energy efficiency of homes in EnglandThe government’s plan to insulate England’s draughty homes is faltering because builders and installers are failing to sign up, leaving thousands of households unable to access the £3bn green home grants.Offering up to £5,000 – or £10,000 for those on low incomes – for energy efficiency measures such as insulation and heat pumps, the scheme is intended to help people save on gas and electricity bills and cut carbon emissions, as well as creating thousands of green jobs. It was unveiled in July as part of an economic rescue package for the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

Research reveals how ground-nesting birds frequently scared from nest by off-lead canines

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including Exmoor ponies and mongoose wars Continue reading...

People encouraged to stay at home for Hindu festival, with Delhi particularly affected

UK overseas territory Tristan da Cunha’s new marine protected area will be fourth largest sanctuary of its kindA community of 250 people on one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth has made a significant contribution to marine wildlife conservation by banning bottom-trawling fishing, deep-sea mining and other harmful activities from its waters.The government of Tristan da Cunha, a volcanic archipelago in the south Atlantic and part of the UK’s overseas territories, has announced that almost 700,000 sq km of its waters will become a marine protected area (MPA), the fourth largest such sanctuary in the world. Continue reading...

Hopes rise that the Flow Country, the world’s largest carbon store, could become first peatland to win the statusAndrew Coupar has crouched down by a small pool, its surface peppered with the small stalks of bogbean. In autumn its dark green oval leaves echo the muted browns, greens and ochres of the surrounding peatland.In spring, however, the bogbean’s pink-fringed white flowers put on a remarkable display, carpeting the cluster of pools that mirror the blue skies and light clouds above and, along the horizon to west, the mountains of Sutherland. Continue reading...

Couple finds areas that once required ice-breaking ship have become open waterWhen the Arctic researchers Jacqueline Grebmeier and Lee Cooper made their annual scientific pilgrimage to frigid seas off Alaska last month, what they found was startling.Areas that were previously accessible at that time of the year only with an ice-breaking ship had become open, wavy water. Continue reading...

Swingeing cuts and lack of support hinder meaningful action, says Green councillorThe woman behind the first climate emergency declaration by a UK council says swingeing cuts and a lack of support from central government have hampered local authority attempts to tackle the escalating problem.Bristol Green party councillor Carla Denyer proposed the UK’s first climate emergency motion two years ago, committing the city council to go carbon neutral by 2030. Since then three-quarters of local authorities across the UK – as well as universities, the UK parliament and scores of other organisations – have followed suit with their own climate emergency declarations. Continue reading...

Leading scientists and campaigners say cutting emissions alone is not enough

Morrison government will establish a national disaster recovery agency to oversee federal bushfire, flood and drought bureaucracyThe Morrison government says it has accepted the 80 recommendations of the bushfire royal commission and will bring legislation to parliament that would allow it to declare a national state of emergency during times of natural disaster.It will also establish a national disaster recovery agency that will bring federal bushfire, flood and drought bureaucracy into a single agency by July next year. Continue reading...

US dropped the environmental ball under Trump, but Biden victory means the two countries can work together for a green recovery, says campaignerMa Jun experienced a strange role reversal during Donald Trump’s presidency. Over more than two decades as one of China’s top environmental campaigners, American encouragement for Beijing to cut carbon emissions and temper the damage of rapid industrialisation had been part of the background music. Ma never imagined he would see the US renege on environmental commitments while China began to face up to the challenge.“It’s been frustrating,” says Ma of the past four years as we speak on the phone, the bustle of Beijing audible in the background. “When it comes to environmental collaboration between the governments, it has been hard to do anything.” Continue reading...

Farmers found to be breaching new biosecurity rules face unlimited fines or three month prison sentencePoultry keepers across England, Scotland and Wales are facing tough new lockdown-style measures on their farms to control the spread of bird flu.It follows outbreaks of a “highly pathogenic” H5N8 strain of bird flu in Cheshire, Devon, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire over the past two weeks. The outbreaks have been found in wild bird populations and two broiler chicken farms, where all the birds are being culled. Continue reading...

Clearwater Seafoods deal gives Mi’kmaq control of lucrative ocean stretch, as tensions remain high over First Nation fishing rightsFor generations, Indigenous peoples in Canada have watched, often in frustration, as commercial industries profit from the land and waters their ancestors once harvested. This week, however, excitement replaced irritation as a group of First Nations announced plans to scoop up one of the largest seafood companies in North America.Early this week, leaders of the Membertou and Miawpukek First Nations, both of which are Mi’kmaq communities, reached an agreement to buy Nova Scotia-based Clearwater Seafoods in a deal worth C$1bn (£580m). Heralded as the “single largest investment in the seafood industry by any Indigenous group in Canada”, the landmark deal comes at a critical moment for Indigenous communities in the region, as tensions remain high over their treatied fishing rights. Continue reading...

Key goals include powering city buildings on renewables and curbing urban sprawlIt was another scorching summer this year in Tucson, Arizona, the second hottest city in the United States, where even plants adapted to the desert’s harsh conditions wilted amid record-breaking temperatures and scant rainfall.This summer was the state’s hottest on record, and in August the city clocked four days that were 43C (110F) or hotter and 26 that were over 37C (99F). Tucson temperatures are on average 2.5C (4.5F) warmer now than in 1970, a greater increase than in most other American cities, according to analysis of weather data by Climate Central. Continue reading...

Report identifies 935 firms finance industry needs to blacklist to meet Paris goalsAlmost half the companies involved in the thermal coal industry are expected to defy global climate commitments by deepening their coal interests in the coming years, according to a report.The study, by the green campaign group Urgewald, revealed that almost 1,000 companies should be blacklisted by investors because they remain tied to the thermal coal value chain almost four years after the Paris climate agreement came into effect. Continue reading...

Cambridgeshire project trials plants that thrive in more extreme weather, including sphagnum moss and bulrushA road deeply rutted by tractors and trucks winds its way across the Fens in Cambridgeshire, a flat, expansive landscape where trees are the exception, not the rule, and ditches rather than hedges divide the fields. This is England’s breadbasket, a huge food-producing region where the rich, dark soil nurtures potatoes, carrots, sugar beet and wheat.In among these intensively farmed fields are a handful of bare, black strips of land which are part of a unique trial to introduce paludiculture, or wet farming, to the UK. The Water Works project is testing new crops that could suit a future UK climate, when weather events are expected to be more extreme and rain arrives in a deluge. Using plants that thrive in saturated soil, it is setting out to show the commercial benefits of re-wetting these peatlands, a process that will also lock carbon into the ground. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chris Stark says cost is surprisingly low but criticises government for absence of a planReaching net zero carbon emissions in the UK is likely to be much easier and cheaper than previously thought, and can be designed in such a way as to quickly improve the lives of millions of people, a senior adviser to the government has said.Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, the UK’s independent statutory adviser, said costs had come down rapidly in recent years, and past estimates that moving to a low-carbon economy would cut trillions from GDP were wrong. Continue reading...

Deputy leader Richard Marles backs Anthony Albanese and says it is not the place for party members to call on frontbenchers to resignLabor’s deputy leader, Richard Marles, has backed Anthony Albanese’s capacity to connect with blue-collar workers, and says Mark Butler should remain as the shadow climate change minister, after Joel Fitzgibbon escalated Labor’s internal warfare by demanding Butler be replaced in his portfolio.Fitzgibbon, who quit the frontbench this week after a protracted internal battle about climate change policy, is continuing to throw bombs as he moves to the backbench. Continue reading...

Climate finance goals declared but campaigners highlight omissions over fossil fuels and poor nations’ supportThe world’s publicly financed development banks have pledged to tie together their efforts to rescue the global economy from the Covid-19 crisis and the climate emergency, using their financial muscle to assist a green recovery for poor countries.But the banks stopped short of pledging an end to fossil fuel finance, and did not set out firm targets for how much funding they would devote to a green recovery in a declaration signed on Thursday by 450 development banks worldwide. Continue reading...

Roll-Royce gave an eye-catching pitch but the economics of nuclear power needs further inspection

Exclusive: The Dalai Lama warns of terrible consequences of climate inactionThe Dalai Lama has appealed to world leaders to take urgent action against climate change, warning of ecological destruction affecting the lives of billions and ruining the planet, including his birth country, Tibet.As a call to action he has brought out a new book declaring that if Buddha returned to this world, “Buddha would be green”. Continue reading...

Indian capital records highest single day rise in cases as monitor says pollution is at 14 times WHO safe level

Crucial fish stocks could disappear within five years without urgent action, so desperate fishers are using a new smartphone app to log alleged crimes

From Spain to South Korea, there are several global success stories in the drive to become carbon neutralWhile the world must wait to see whether US president-elect Joe Biden can fulfil his election promise of a $2tn Green New Deal, nations elsewhere in the world are setting carbon-neutral targets and pushing ahead with mega-programmes to cut emissions, create jobs and reduce energy prices. Here are some of the regional frontrunners. Continue reading...

Engineering firm is part of consortium pushing for government backingRolls-Royce says it can create 6,000 UK jobs within five years if the government backs its plans to build small nuclear reactors around the country.The engineering company is part of a consortium that is pushing for the government to commit billions of pounds to build 16 of the small modular reactors (SMRs) around the UK. Continue reading...