Environment | The Guardian

Sars-CoV-2 has jumped from humans, mutated and crossed back to cause new infections

Wolves were hunted and trapped to extinction in state in the 1940sColoradans have voted to reintroduce wolves, which were hunted and trapped to extinction in the 1940s, to the state by 2023. Continue reading...

Exclusive: public health and environment at risk as water companies overuse emergency overflows, says pressure groupWater companies discharged raw sewage into bathing water beaches almost 3,000 times in the past year, polluting the environment and risking public health, new analysis shows.Related: Face masks and gloves found on 30% of UK beaches in clean-up Continue reading...

Population of crustaceans at one national park has exploded amid drop in tourist numbers

CSU Long Beach shark lab has tagged a record amount of white sharks, signaling a healthy ecosystem – and warmer watersChris Lowe is no longer surprised when he sees drone footage of juvenile white sharks cruising near surfers and swimmers in southern California’s ocean waters.Lowe directs the shark lab at California State University, Long Beach, and for the past 12 years he’s been monitoring populations of juvenile white sharks off the southern California coast with tags, drones and planes. This year, Lowe has already tagged a record 38 sharks, triple the number that were tagged last year. “Normally they’d be leaving by now, but instead we are seeing more sharks than ever.” Continue reading...

Conservation volunteers find PPE items in nearly a third of areas targeted in annual drive

Study calls for more focus on farming and food waste, behind a third of greenhouse gas productionOur diets and agricultural production around the world are so carbon-intensive that emissions from the global food system alone would be enough to put the Paris climate goals out of reach, even if all the other major sources of emissions were closed down, research has shown.Farming and food account for about a third of global greenhouse gas production at present. The world’s food systems produced about 16bn tonnes a year of CO2 from 2012 to 2017. Continue reading...

Luxury car brand promises to shift business to become ‘end-to-end carbon neutral’Bentley, the luxury carmaker, will stop making fossil fuel cars by 2030 and aims to be completely carbon neutral at the same time, in one of the most ambitious plans of any UK car manufacturer in the transition towards electric vehicles.It will stop building cars with traditional internal combustion engines within six years, instead making hybrids and then its first battery electric cars in 2025. By 2030 it will sell only pure battery electric vehicles, with zero-carbon exhaust emissions. Continue reading...

Cylinder left in ice by 50 Years of Victory ship travelled 2,300 miles to county DonegalWhen the crew and passengers of the nuclear-powered icebreaker ship 50 Years of Victory reached the north pole in 2018, they placed a time capsule in the ice floe.The metal cylinder contained letters, poems, photographs, badges, beer mats, a menu, wine corks – ephemera from the early 21st century for whomever might discover it in the future. Continue reading...

Three separate species of banded langur have been identified after DNA analysis of their faeces, paving the way for targeted conservation strategiesAcross the world, conservationists, scientists and volunteers are racing to save thousands of endangered species. And for some, their efforts have not been wasted. A recent report found that conservation programmes have saved several bird and mammal species from extinction in recent decades.But the numbers of many data deficient species and sub-species continue to dwindle – and how do you save a species if it hasn’t even been recognised? Continue reading...

Latin experts say the miner’s new name is ‘sort of a Monty Python-Latin’ with most translations having negative connotationsMining company Adani has changed its name to a Latin word that means “crooked”, “deformed”, “mercenary or assassin”, after mistakenly thinking that it meant “brave”.The controversial mining group, which is responsible for the Carmichael coalmine in central Queensland, announced on Thursday it would change the name of its Australian operation to “Bravus”, a word identified by chief executive David Boshoff as the medieval Latin word for “courageous”. Continue reading...

Plan includes home insulation and replacing gas boilers to ensure country reaches its climate targetsA decade-long rollout of home insulation and heat pumps to replace gas boilers is urgently needed to enable the UK to meet its climate obligations and recover from the Covid-19 recession, campaigners say.A government scheme to insulate homes, requiring households to apply for green grants, began in September and is due to finish next March. That will leave tens of millions of homes still leaking energy and relying on fossil fuel heating, which must be phased out for the UK to meet its net zero carbon goal. Continue reading...

New battery near Geelong would be one of the biggest in the world, and is due to come on stream for next summerOne of the largest lithium-ion batteries in the world is planned for Victoria after the renewable energy company Neoen won a contract to build it near the regional city of Geelong.If constructed as promised, the battery will have a power capacity of 300 megawatts and a storage capacity of 450 megawatt-hours, making it more than twice the size of the battery at Hornsdale, South Australia, which was the biggest in the world when it began operating in 2017. Continue reading...

Mutated virus infects 12 humans, sparking concerns that effectiveness of future vaccine could be affected

Wind and solar displacing coal in the five states of the national energy marketWind and solar power pushing out fossil fuel generation has cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions more than the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis.Renewable energy’s share of electricity generation also hit a record 26.5% across the five states forming the national energy market in the 12 months to the end of September. Continue reading...

Government document reveals decline in seabed habitats with protected status due to the climate crisis and overfishingThe Scottish government has failed to meet its target for preventing damage to important marine life, according to a leaked report by scientists from Scotland’s nature agency that shows losses of vital underwater habitats.The draft report, seen by the Guardian, found that seabed habitats awarded “priority” status by the government to protect them have shrunk in five large areas in the period between 2011 and 2019. Continue reading...

Trump administration set US withdrawal in motion a year ago but it didn’t take effect until 4 November

Hamish leaves his mother in the Highlands to start new life with other males in reserveAs parts of northern England were covered in frost, Hamish – the first polar bear to be born in the UK in 25 years – embarked on a 400-mile journey to his new home.The cub, who has shared an enclosure with his mother, Victoria, in the Scottish Highlands for the past two and a half years, was transported to Yorkshire on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Food with heavy environmental impact should be taxed by 2025 unless food industry acts voluntarily, says allianceA powerful coalition of the UK’s health professions has called for a climate tax to be imposed on food with a heavy environmental impact by 2025, unless the industry takes voluntary action on the impact of their products.The group says the climate crisis cannot be solved without action to cut the consumption of food that causes high emissions, such as red meat and dairy products. But it says that more sustainable diets are also healthier and would reduce illness. Continue reading...

Honeybees, Indian jumping ants and pigeons are some of the species that have evolved ways of collective decision-makingAmericans are currently deciding who they think will best serve them as leader. While animals don’t emerge from polling places with the “I Voted” sticker, they make collective decisions about who’s going to take charge, too.Related: Bears, whales and wolverines: the species imperiled by Trump's war on the environment Continue reading...

Covid-19 crisis offers ‘unique opportunity to make transformational changes’Australia’s biosecurity needs a major overhaul within a decade to protect people, environments and industries from a wave of invasive pests, pathogens and future pandemics, a CSIRO report has found.Interceptions of materials that were a biosecurity risk – such as insects, soils and plants – rose by 50% between 2012 and 2017, the report says, and new invasive weeds are establishing themselves every few weeks. Continue reading...

We want to hear how you’ve been helping the animals and insects in your gardenGardens are important habitats for a range of species including small mammals, songbirds and insects. Although it might seem a small contribution, gardening in a wildlife-friendly way can make a massive difference in counteracting biodiversity loss. In the UK, for example, gardens take up more space than all nature reserves combined.We want to see photos of what you’ve been doing to help. Perhaps you’ve built a bug hotel? Or made holes in the fence so hedgehogs can get through? Or conjured up a designer bird box? Continue reading...

Oil giant accused of gaslighting after asking users: ‘What are you willing to change?’A climate poll on Twitter posted by Shell has backfired spectacularly, with the oil company accused of gaslighting the public.The survey, posted on Tuesday morning, asked: “What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions?” Continue reading...

Expectation creature will settle in country comes after sheep attacks just 40 miles away in GermanyAfter more than a century, Belgium recently witnessed the return of the wolf and the lynx due to a mix of nature and nurture reasons. Now, to the trepidation of local farmers, an entirely alien species to the country is on the verge of making an entrance: the jackal.The expectation that the wolf-like canine will be seen for the first time follows the discovery of attacks on sheep in Kranenburg, a German municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia, just 40 miles from the Belgian border. Continue reading...

The initiative had been part of the government’s aim to achieve a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030The Danish government has reversed its ban on state canteens serving meat for two days every week after a backlash from employees.

A rich range of native crops and seeds is being nurtured in an effort to halt the country’s rapidly vanishing food diversityA small army of botanical heritage enthusiasts is spearheading a movement in India for the revival and preservation of the country’s rapidly vanishing food biodiversity by bringing back the rich crop varieties that thrived in the past, but are now on the verge of extinction.Babita Bhatt, a 43-year-old former software professional, is just one of these crusaders, who are eschewing established careers and fat pay packets to become farmers, activists and entrepreneurs. Continue reading...

Organisers of global climate summit tell Australian PM ‘there will be no space for general statements’Britain and France are leading a group of countries calling on the Australian government to make ambitious new commitments to combat the climate crisis by next month if Scott Morrison is to speak at a global summit on the issue.A letter sent to Morrison and other national leaders on 22 October called on countries to rebuild economies after the coronavirus “in a way that charts a greener, more resilient, sustainable path” that puts the world on track to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Continue reading...

Study finds more than 1.1m people live without indoor plumbing, with largest number of homes in New York and Los AngelesPeople of color in some of America’s wealthiest cities are significantly more likely to live in houses without indoor plumbing essential for running water, new research reveals. Continue reading...

Competition and Markets Authority says rising demand may lead to ‘greenwashing’Companies that market their products or services as eco-friendly are to be scrutinised by the UK competition watchdog to make sure they live up to the claim and do not mislead consumers.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was concerned that a rise in demand for green goods could encourage some businesses to make misleading claims about the environmental impact of what they are selling. Continue reading...

Navy joins forces with rescuers and volunteers in effort to push pilot whales back into oceanRescuers and volunteers were racing to save about 100 pilot whales stranded on Sri Lanka’s western coast in the country’s biggest mass beaching.The short-finned pilot whales began beaching at Panadura, 15 miles (25km) south of Colombo, shortly before dusk. Within an hour their numbers swelled to about 100, a local police chief, Sanjaya Irasinghe, said. Continue reading...

Cloud measured 1,000km across, travelled 66,000km and was on par with ‘strongest volcanic eruptions in the past 25 years’, scientists saySmoke cloud pushed into the stratosphere by last summer’s bushfire crisis was three times larger than anything previously recorded globally, according to research by international scientists.Researchers from Canada’s University of Saskatchewan used Nasa satellite information to measure smoke in the upper atmosphere in the aftermath of pyrocumulonimbus storms (PyroCBs), which are fire-generated thunderstorms. Continue reading...

A sense of despair and outrage among young people over global heating is being met with indifference and dismissal among some older relativesThe climate crisis lingers in the back of Gemma Gutierrez’s mind, a gnawing anxiety that blossoms fully when she reads about wildfires, flooding or other climate-related disasters. It’s a nagging concern that clouds how the 16-year-old sees her future.“I have a sense of dread,” says Gutierrez, who lives with her parents in Milwaukee. “I dread that in my lifetime the clean water I have now or the parks I’m lucky enough to be able to go to won’t be there any more. It weighs on my mind.” Continue reading...

Legal settlement recognising risk that climate change poses to economy and society has ‘far-reaching’ implicationsA $57bn Australian superannuation fund has settled a court case with a 25-year-old member who accused it of failing to act in his best interests by not properly considering the risks the climate crisis poses to investments.The settlement between the Retail Employees Superannuation Trust and Mark McVeigh, reached as a trial was due to start on Monday, requires the fund to ensure its actions are consistent with “net zero carbon footprint” by 2050. Continue reading...

As temperatures rise, farmers are being forced to adapt, experimenting with new breeds and cooling methods

What started 15 years ago as a modest promotion to draw attention to native birds, many of which are endangered, has become a phenomenonNormally on a post test-match Monday in New Zealand, the talk is all about the national rugby team’s latest performance. But this week, while the All Blacks’ destruction of the Wallabies was on everyones’ lips, there was another topic of conversation: birds.Voting began on Monday in the hotly contested and brutal election of New Zealand’s Bird Of The Year. Continue reading...

Under container deposit scheme, Victorians will receive 10c for every empty can, small bottle and carton they drop off at a collection pointThe Victorian government has called for public comment on a proposed container deposit scheme, due to be rolled out in 2023, finally ending its status as the only state or territory in Australia without one.Under the proposal put forward by the state government, Victorians will receive 10c for every empty can, small bottle and carton they drop off at a collection point. Continue reading...

If policies promoting net zero emissions by 2050 are adopted 250,000 jobs would be created and $680bn added to the economyAustralia’s economy will be 6% smaller, there will be 880,000 fewer jobs and $3.4tn in economic opportunities will be lost if the climate crisis goes unchecked for the next 50 years, a report says.On the other hand, the analysis by consultancy Deloitte Access Economics found policies consistent with a target of net zero emissions by 2050 and keeping global warming to 1.5C could expand the economy by 2.6%, or $680bn to the economy, and create 250,000 jobs. Continue reading...

Energy minister says Moscow will also focus on clean-burning hydrogen and carbon captureRussia has no plans to rein in its production of fossil fuels in the coming decades despite the global efforts to shift towards low-carbon energy, according to its energy minister.Alexander Novak told the Guardian that Russia did “not see that we will achieve a peak in [gas] production anytime soon” because the world’s appetite for gas would continue to grow in the decades ahead despite its growing number of climate targets. Continue reading...

Germany’s RWE says outdated regulation is slowing investment in onshore electricity gridBritain’s bid to build enough offshore windfarms to power every home in the country by 2030 risks being derailed by outdated regulation which is slowing investment in the electricity grid, according to one of the industry’s biggest players.Germany’s RWE has warned that work to connect the growing number of windfarms off the UK coast to the onshore electricity grid will not keep pace with the government’s goals unless decades-old regulation allows for faster investments. Continue reading...

With demand and share prices dropping, Europe’s fossil fuel producers recognise that peak oil is probably now behind themA year ago, only the most ardent climate optimists believed that the world’s appetite for oil might reach its peak in the next decade. Today, a growing number of voices within the fossil fuel industry believe this milestone may have already been passed. While the global gaze has been on Covid-19 as it ripped through the world’s largest economies and most vulnerable people, the virus has quietly dealt a mortal blow to oil demand too.Energy economists claim with increasing certainty that the world may never require as much oil as it did last year. Even as economies slowly emerge from the financial fallout of the pandemic, the shift towards cleaner energy has gained pace. A sharp plunge in fossil fuel use will be followed in quick succession by a renewable energy revolution, which will occur at unprecedented pace. The tipping point for oil demand may have come and gone, and major oil companies are taking note. Continue reading...

Maricopa county is home to America’s hottest city, where deaths from the heat are weighing on voters’ mindsEven now, Ivan Moore can’t think why his father didn’t didn’t tell anyone that the air conditioning in their house was busted. “I honestly don’t know what was going through his mind,” he said. Continue reading...

Sales of medicinal plants such as echinacea have risen by almost 3,000% at some outlets

Samuel Gilbert visited four distinct wilderness areas near the new border wall, which is fragmenting protected habitats and threatening endangered speciesIn the 1980s, when Kevin Dahl first began visiting the Organ Pipe Cactus national monument in southern Arizona, the border was unmarked, save for a simple fence used to keep cattle from a ranch in the US from crossing into Mexico. In those days, park rangers would call in their lunch orders at a diner located just across the border.Since then, a 30ft steel bollard wall has replaced the old barbed wire fence at Organ Pipe. The towering steel barrier cuts through the Unesco reserve like a rust-colored suture. Continue reading...

Described as ‘gorgeous’ by the man who found it, the great fox-spider has not been seen since 1993One of Britain’s largest spiders has been discovered on a Ministry of Defence training ground in Surrey having not been seen in the country for 27 years.The great fox-spider is a night-time hunter, known for its speed and agility, as well as its eight black eyes which give it wraparound vision. The critically endangered spider was assumed extinct in Britain after last being spotted in 1993 on Hankley Common in Surrey. The two-inch-wide (5cm) arachnid had previously also been spotted at two sites in Morden Heath in Dorset. These are the only three areas in Britain, all in the comparatively warmer south, where it has been recorded. Continue reading...

Chris Looney helped dismantle the first nest of Asian giant hornets in the US. Now he’s preparing for the next stepThe eradication of the first nest of Asian giant hornets on US soil somewhat resembled a science fiction depiction of an alien landing site. A crew of government specialists in white, astronaut-like protective suits descended upon the hornet nexus to vanquish it with a futuristic-looking vacuum cleaner, to the relief of onlookers.The nest of the fearsome invasive insects, notoriously known as “murder hornets”, was found in a tree crevice near Blaine, in Washington state, via a tracking device attached to a previously captured worker hornet. The Washington state department of agriculture (WSDA) confirmed the nest had been successfully removed, with dozens of live captives taken back for inspection. Continue reading...

Campaigners urge more walking and cycling schemes despite opposition from ‘vocal minority’Many Britons will have to get used to driving less if the country is to avoid gridlock on the roads once coronavirus restrictions ease, and councils must provide better routes for cycling and walking, transport experts say.Government statistics show motor traffic is almost back at pre-lockdown levels, and only 59% of employees have returned to their workplaces. One study predicts that with health concerns reducing the use of public transport, up to 2.7 million more people could end up using cars for commuting trips alone. Continue reading...

The state has added 207,000 hectares to its national parks estate since announcing the target last yearThe New South Wales government will double its goal to expand the state’s national parks after reaching its 200,000 hectare target nearly a year early.The state’s environment minister, Matt Kean, gazetted 202,669 hectares of additional national park land on Friday, including 153,682 hectares for the new Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp national park in the state’s far north-west. Continue reading...

US population may also be third-largest producer of marine plastic pollutionThe US and UK produce more plastic waste per person than any other major countries, according to new research.The analysis also shows the US produces the most plastic waste in total and that its citizens may rank as high as third in the world in contributing to plastic pollution in the oceans. Previous work had suggested Asian countries dominated marine plastic pollution and placed the US in 20th place, but this did not account for US waste exports or illegal dumping within the country. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including an ant tug of war and red macaws’ return Continue reading...

Announcement follows record quarterly loss of $680m, its third quarterly deficit in a rowExxonMobil has warned it may write down the value of its US shale assets by up to $30bn (£23.2bn) following a steep drop in global energy prices that has led to the oil giant’s third consecutive quarterly loss.The US oil and gas producer told investors it plans to reassess its North America gas business over the coming months, which could lead to impairment charges as high as $25bn to $30bn if it changes its long-term strategy. Continue reading...