Government urged to speed up transition to green energy as Australia’s biggest market shifts away from LNG and coalA Japanese pledge to wind down gas and coal-fired electricity much faster than previously planned has sparked warnings Australia needs to speed up a transition away from fossil fuel exports.A draft revised energy mix released by Japanese officials on Wednesday said the country – Australia’s biggest market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and thermal coal – would cut gas-fired electricity generation nearly in half and reduce coal power by more than a third by 2030. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigners welcome announcement saying ‘the vast majority of the toys were either littered or dumped in landfill’Coles has announced it will no longer give away plastic toys as it looks to become more sustainable and reduce its contribution to plastic waste.The retailer has long been criticised for promotions such as its Stikeez and Little Shop ranges which were denounced for being environmentally damaging. Continue reading...

Chancellor says record on reducing carbon emissions ‘not sufficient’ as she reflects on 16-year leadershipAngela Merkel has conceded Germany’s record on reducing carbon emissions was “not sufficient” to meet the global warming targets of the Paris climate agreement, as the chancellor reflected on the achievements and missed opportunities of her 16-year leadership.Speaking at the last of her annual summer press conferences on Thursday before stepping down as leader of Europe’s largest economy after federal elections on 26 September, Merkel said Germany “has done a lot” to recalibrate its economy in the face of the climate crisis, increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix from 10% to 40%, and lowering carbon emission by 20% in the period from 1990 to 2010, and by another 20% in the 10 years since. Continue reading...

Climate Change Committee head says firms must invest in ‘scaleable’ offsets such as carbon captureThe aviation industry must pay for costly carbon removal technologies rather than rely on using the planting of trees to claim they are reducing emissions, the head of the Climate Change Committee has said.Chris Stark said aviation, unlike other transport sectors, was unlikely to meet targets for net zero by 2050. He said instead the industry had to use “scaleable” offsets that matched ongoing emissions into future decades, but that these should be used as a last resort after directly cutting emissions. Continue reading...

A removal project aims to reduce numbers of the unwelcome arrival that has quickly become prevalentNon-native lionfish have become increasingly common in parts of the Mediterranean in recent years, threatening local ecosystems and posing a hazard to humans through their venomous spines.Marine biologist Prof Jason Hall-Spencer first saw a lionfish off the coast of Cyprus in 2016. It was just an individual, but the species – which produce about 2 million eggs each year and lack natural predators in their new environment – have quickly become prevalent. “In some places, I’ve seen 40 on one dive,” said Hall-Spencer, from the University of Plymouth. Continue reading...

Ballywatticock was country’s hottest ever spot last week – but its reign had ended within daysIn the annals of climate change it will be remembered, if at all, as a diverting footnote: the brief reign of Ballywatticock.Few people in Northern Ireland had heard of this townland on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down until its weather station recorded the hottest temperature for the UK last Saturday: 31.2C (88.16F). Continue reading...

Researchers find ‘significant relationship’ between stony coral tissue loss disease and nearby shippingA virulent and fast-moving coral disease that has swept through the Caribbean could be linked to waste or ballast water from ships, according to research.The deadly infection, known as stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), was first identified in Florida in 2014, and has since moved through the region, causing great concern among scientists. Continue reading...

Residents of the region, known for its mild weather, are facing a shifting realityThe recent heatwave that broiled the US Pacific north-west not only obliterated temperature records in cities such as Seattle and Portland – it also put a torch to a comforting bromide that the region would be a mild, safe haven from the ravages of the climate crisis.Unprecedented temperatures baked the region three weeks ago, part of a procession of heatwaves that have hit the parched US west, from Montana to southern California, over the past month. A “heat dome” that settled over the area saw Seattle reach 108F (42.2C), smashing the previous record by 3F (1.7C), while Portland, Oregon, soared to its own record of 116F (46.7C). Some inland areas managed to get up to 118F (47.8C). Continue reading...

A new study shows carbon pollution on the same route can vary sharply but consumers currently cannot make informed choicesCommercial flying is a real carbon bomb as emissions from commercial aviation are growing rapidly and are on track to triple by 2050, when they could make up about a quarter of the global carbon budget.But now a new study shows how people could reduce their emissions while still flying on airplanes, if they were able to choose the most carbon-friendly routes. Continue reading...

Lead levels increased to 50 times above normal average at site near Camp fire in California, researchers foundSmoke from wildfires – particularly those that burn manmade structures – can significantly increase the amount of hazardous toxic metals present in the air, sending up plumes that can travel for miles, a new study from the California Air Resources Board (Carb) has suggested.The study compared air monitor readings from numerous California fires, such as the devastating Camp fire that decimated the California town of Paradise in 2018 and killed 85 people. Continue reading...

Hunter and Latrobe valleys considered particularly suitable sites as union says industry could offer oil and gas workers a career transitionAustralia has the potential to develop a substantial offshore wind energy industry from scratch, with abundant resources available near existing electricity substations across the continent, according to a new report.The Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre said Australia was yet to capitalise on significant offshore wind capacity despite the International Energy Agency nominating it as one of the “big three” likely sources of renewable energy globally alongside solar and onshore wind. Continue reading...

Agency must apply for retrospective planning permission after filling in railway arch in CumbriaThe government’s roads agency could be forced to remove hundreds of tonnes of concrete it used to fill in a Victorian railway arch in a project that was condemned as the first act of “cultural vandalism” in a nationwide plan.Eden district council told Highways England (HE) this week that it needs to apply for retrospective planning permission for a scheme that involved pouring an estimated 1,000 tonnes of concrete and aggregate under the bridge at Great Musgrave, Cumbria, at the start of nationwide programme to infill scores of historic structures. Continue reading...

Natural England biodiversity metric will let valuable wildlife habitat be logged as ‘degraded’ land and penalise rewilding, warn ecologistsThe government’s new metric for biodiversity will have to be urgently improved if it is going to be fit for purpose, academics and conservationists have warned.The biodiversity net gain (BNG) metric, published by Natural England in July, outlines how new roads, houses and other building projects must achieve no net loss of biodiversity, or achieve a 10% net gain elsewhere if nature is damaged on site. Continue reading...

Torrential rainfall and burst rivers swamp Henan cities, with commuters trapped on subway trainsDays of torrential rain and massive flooding have hit China’s Henan province, bursting the banks of rivers, overwhelming dams and the public transport system and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.At least 25 people have been killed and seven are missing in the provincial capital, Zhengzhou. The provincial authorities issued its highest level of weather warning. A year’s worth of rain – 640mm – fell in just three days. The city’s weather bureau said more than 552mm of rain had fallen between 7pm on Monday and 7pm on Tuesday, including 202mm between 4pm and 5pm on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Diana Six, an entomologist studying beetles near Glacier national park in Montana, says the crisis has fundamentally changed her professionDiana Six’s love of the outdoors began before she could form words, run, or collect the bugs and fungi that were precious to her as a child. A tough home life eventually led her to drop out of school and live on the streets. But biology classes in community college helped Six discover her calling in studying various forms of life. “They took me right back to how I was as a kid,” she says.Related: Activists fear Biden’s climate pledges are falling apart: ‘We aren’t seeing grit’ Continue reading...

Farming families are facing a choice: compete with high-production outfits, if they can, or abandon generations of dairy farming

Investor action group Market Forces says coal company is ‘building a financial house of cards’ by telling shareholders coal will remain ‘significant’ in energy mixShareholder activist group Market Forces has asked the corporate watchdog to investigate whether coal company New Hope misled investors by claiming that coal would “remain a significant part of the energy mix”.In letters sent to New Hope Corporation and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, lawyers for Market Forces have alleged that statements by the company’s chief executive, Reinhold Schmidt, may amount to “misleading and deceptive conduct” under the Corporations Act. Continue reading...

Australia’s prime minister is under pressure to act on climate change, but resolutions ahead of LNP convention show strong oppositionScott Morrison’s attempt to nudge his government in the direction of a net zero commitment by 2050 is expected to face resistance at this weekend’s annual convention of the Liberal National party in Brisbane.Policy resolutions circulated to LNP members ahead of the event include a proposal originating from George Christensen’s federal divisional council calling for the Morrison government to “oppose net zero emissions if job losses occur for little gain”. Continue reading...

Monitoring suggests toxic smoke in Yakutsk is one of world’s worst ever air pollution events

Locals fear for their health and property as smoke from raging forest fires shrouds an entire region of eastern Russia

Company hopes to get Dutch court ruling overturned which called for it to cut emissions fasterRoyal Dutch Shell has confirmed that it will appeal against the landmark Dutch court ruling calling for the oil giant to cut its carbon emissions faster.A court in The Hague reached the milestone verdict in May this year after Friends of the Earth and over 17,000 co-plaintiffs successfully argued that Shell had been aware of the dangerous consequences of CO2 emissions for decades, and that its climate targets did not go far enough. Continue reading...

Experts warn climate crisis fuelling hot conditions that can pose a ‘severe threat to public health’The heatwave health alert issued by Public Health England has been extended to Friday as much of the country continues to swelter under high temperatures.Experts said the heatwaves in the summer of 2020 caused more than 2,500 premature deaths and that the climate crisis is making heatwaves more intense and more frequent. Continue reading...

US envoy uses landmark speech in London to make impassioned plea for unified global effortThe world still has a chance of staving off the worst impacts of climate breakdown but only if governments step up in the next few months with stronger commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the US envoy for climate change has said.John Kerry, appointed by Joe Biden to spearhead the US’s international efforts to tackle the crisis, urged all large economies to come forward with new plans to cut emissions before the Cop26 UN climate talks in Glasgow this November. Continue reading...

Across the US restaurants are placing communities front and center, paying fair wages and going zero wasteWhether it’s a beautifully decorated bistro, neighborhood diner, fancy white tablecloth eatery, or fast-food joint, millions of people escape to restaurants every day for nourishment, leisure and enjoyment. In the US the industry accounts for 4% of the country’s total GDP, currently employs around 12.5 million people, and in 2020 – despite the pandemic – reported $659bn in sales.Still, restaurants do not serve all Americans equally. To name a few issues, according to the non-profit One Fair Wage seven of the 10 lowest-paying jobs in the country are restaurant industry positions. And along with grocery stores and foodservice companies, eateries account for 40% of the 40m tons of food supply wasted every year. Moreover, Feeding America reports that more than 42 million people could be facing food insecurity, including about 13 million children, a situation that has been badly exacerbated by the pandemic. Continue reading...

Seaside Aquarium says colorful fish, which weighs more than 100lb, has caused ‘quite the stir’An unusual sight has appeared on the usually mild northern Oregon coast: a large, washed-up, colorful opah fish, weighing about 100lb.Related: Opah, the world's first warm-blooded fish species, flaps fins to generate heat Continue reading...

Cleaning and transport can be less impactful than disposable clothing, argue sustainable fashion businesses and consultantsThe fashion rental industry has challenged the findings of a recent high-profile report that suggested renting clothes is “less green than throwing them away”, based on the environmental impacts of transportation and dry cleaning.The study, published by the Finnish scientific journal Environmental Research Letters, assessed the environmental impact of five different ways of owning and disposing of clothing, including renting, resale and recycling. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Stars, activists, conservationists and Prince Albert of Monaco unite in support of Unesco’s recommendation to world heritage committeeAn international line-up of actors, conservationists and scientists, including Joanna Lumley and Hollywood star Jason Momoa, has backed calls for the Great Barrier Reef to be placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger.“The scientific evidence is beyond doubt: the Great Barrier Reef is in danger and it is time to act,” the group said in a global statement released to Guardian Australia. Continue reading...

Worldwide energy body warns more must be done to help developing countries give up fossil fuelsGlobal greenhouse gas emissions are likely to rise to record levels in the next two years, as governments fail to “build back better” from the Covid-19 pandemic.Emissions will rise again this year and next year, after a fall last year, and 2023 is now on track to see the highest levels of carbon dioxide output in human history, equalling or surpassing the record set in 2018, according to forecasts released by the International Energy Agency on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Researchers estimate the invasive species releases 4.9m metric tonnes of greenhouse gas annually by uprooting soilThe climate impact of wild pigs around the world is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 1.1m cars annually, according to new research.Modelling by an international team of researchers estimates that feral pigs release 4.9m metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year globally by uprooting soil. Continue reading...

Questions raised over lack of warning as death toll passes 150 and villages are left without drinking water, power or gasGermany is asking itself how one of the world’s richest countries managed to be taken by surprise by last week’s extreme weather events, as more details emerge of how early warnings about record rainfall and expected floods did not make their way to the communities most at risk.In Erftstadt, south of Cologne, where a flooded gravel quarry swallowed up cars, houses and parts of a historic castle, residents who had installed the federal government’s weather warning app were advised on Wednesday to stay inside their house. Continue reading...

Lambeth authority to install extra CCTV and increase patrols to protect low-traffic neighbourhoodsA London council is to install extra CCTV cameras and step up security patrols following a spate of vandalism connected to low-traffic neighbourhood schemes (LTNs), after oil was poured over planters and on the street in the latest incident.Lambeth authority said it would seek to prosecute anyone targeting the infrastructure, after other incidents in which plants have been pulled up, signs sprayed over and enforcement cameras damaged. Continue reading...

The American Petroleum Institute receives millions from oil companies – and works behinds the scenes to stall or weaken legislationWhen Royal Dutch Shell published its annual environmental report in April, it boasted that it was investing heavily in renewable energy. The oil giant committed to installing hundreds of thousands of charging stations for electric vehicles around the world to help offset the harm caused by burning fossil fuels.On the same day, Shell issued a separate report revealing that its single largest donation to political lobby groups last year was made to the American Petroleum Institute, one of the US’s most powerful trade organizations, which drives the oil industry’s relationship with Congress. Continue reading...

Information should serve as ‘wake-up call’ that action on climate change is needed to protect people and their children• Download the free Guardian app; get our morning email briefingNew patient resources warning of the dangers of air pollution and bushfire smoke to pregnant people or those planning to conceive have been issued by the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), in what is thought to be a world-first.Patients are warned to avoid exposureto air pollution on heavily trafficked roads, bushfire smoke or indoor smoke from things such as cigarettes, unflued fireplaces or incense. Continue reading...

One rocket launch produces up to 300 tons of carbon dioxide into the upper atmosphere where it can remain for yearsLast week Virgin Galactic took Richard Branson past the edge of space, roughly 86 km up – part of a new space race with the Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who aims to make a similar journey on Tuesday.Both very wealthy businessmen hope to vastly expand the number of people in space. “We’re here to make space more accessible to all,” said Branson, shortly after his flight. “Welcome to the dawn of a new space age.” Continue reading...

Tian Xuejun rejects Australia’s ‘groundless accusations’ that China influenced the finding to score political pointsThe Chinese host of a United Nations world heritage committee has defended a proposal to label the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”, and rejected Australian government suspicion that China influenced the finding for political reasons.It came as the Morrison government sought to use a new report by Australia’s marine science agency to argue there had been widespread coral recovery on the reef. Continue reading...

New alliance urges governments to work together to deliver a just transition to a green economyPeople around the world need a “global green deal” that would tackle the climate crisis and restore the natural world as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, a group of politicians from the UK, Europe and developing countries has said.The Global Alliance for a Green New Deal is inviting politicians from legislatures in all countries to work together on policies that would deliver a just transition to a green economy ahead of Cop26 UN climate talks in Glasgow this November. Continue reading...

Former NSW premier says the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam wall is undermining environmental protections of regionThe former New South Wales premier and foreign minister Bob Carr has written to Unesco urging it to send a mission to the Blue Mountains to assess its world heritage status, warning it could be badly affected by the proposed heightening of the Warragamba Dam.Carr, who was premier when the greater Blue Mountains region was inscribed on the world heritage list 21 years ago, said the area had been badly affected by the 2019-20 bushfires – which he described as “by far the worst in Australia’s history” – and parts would be flooded if the dam wall was raised, as proposed by the Gladys Berejiklian government. Continue reading...

Chancellor surveys flood damage and meets survivors as German death toll passes 150 with dozens missingChancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany must up its pace in tackling the impact of the climate crisis, after more flash floods devastated towns in eastern Germany, Bavaria and Austria over the weekend.While one flood in itself was not an indicator of the climate crisis, Merkel said during a visit to one of the two regions in western Germany hardest hit by last week’s record rainfall, the number of such extreme weather events had increased in recent years. Continue reading...

Here are some key findings of the investigation the Guardian published this week into America’s monopolized food systemWhen you walk into a US grocery store the shelves seem to be teeming with choice, with countless brands appearing to offer every type of food and drink.But a joint investigation published this week by the Guardian and Food and Water Watch showed how this choice is largely an illusion. In fact, a handful of mega firms dominate every link of the food supply chain: from seeds and fertilizers to slaughterhouses and supermarkets to cereals and beers. Continue reading...

Most are built for affluent professionals rather than oligarchs, with trend raising flood concernsWith their underground swimming pools, cinemas and art galleries, London’s luxury basement developments have long provoked envy and disgust as depositories for the hidden wealth of the super-rich.But a study that has mapped all the 7,328 basements approved by 32 boroughs and the City of London between 2008 and 2019 has found that the majority of these developments were built for affluent professionals rather than oligarchs, with the researchers saying they have become as normal as loft conversions. Continue reading...

Walkers and cyclists defy closure of Ash Ranges they say is illegal under 1876 grant to armed forcesRod Johnson has walked around Ash Ranges all his life. On a few days each month, the ancient woodland is closed to the public so soldiers from Aldershot barracks can practise at the firing ranges.Related: Ministry of Defence under fire for ‘inventing rules’ to sell wildlife haven Continue reading...

Search for missing continues, with Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg also affectedThe death toll from catastrophic floods in western Germany and Belgium has risen to more than 180, as emergency services continued their search for hundreds still missing.The German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said he was “stunned” by the devastation caused by the flooding and pledged support to the families of those killed and to cities and towns facing significant damage. It is Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century. Continue reading...

Dominic Spooner’s startup Vaulta is working on a reusable battery casing to create less waste and a lighter productAs some of the world’s largest companies invest billions to advance battery technology, Dominic Spooner has been working at solving the next problem: the impact of unwieldy – and environmentally unfriendly – battery casings.Spooner runs his lightweight battery casing technology firm Vaulta from a shared garage in Brisbane’s north. “Batteries will change our lives in ways that we’re maybe not even totally aware of, but … we can create our own new group of problems if we’re not careful,” he says. Continue reading...

Animal Rebellion activists began blockade of Scunthorpe site on Thursday over fast food chain’s meat productsFour activists have been arrested at a protest that lasted almost three days at a McDonald’s burger factory in Scunthorpe.About 50 activists from Animal Rebellion claimed they had prevented millions of burgers from leaving the factory, and urged the fast food chain to move to a meat- and dairy-free menu by 2025 to help protect the future of the planet. Continue reading...

A mobile market is helping to get healthy food into neighborhoods otherwise full of ‘fringe’ food stores like liquor shops“I like the purple cabbage,” says Matinah Muhammad as she peruses all the colorful produce available at today’s mobile farmer’s market. “I used to have to go all the way to wherever just to get some cabbage.”She knows all this fresh food would be nowhere near her neighborhood if it was not for the bright green truck that brings this seasonal market here every two weeks, organized by a local non-profit, the Arcadia Center. Continue reading...

Dolphins, manatees and 800 tons of dead fish are piling up on the state’s shorelines in one of the worst algal blooms in yearsPiles of dead fish, dolphins, turtles and manatees are rotting on the shorelines of coastal Florida in a soup of reddish brown ocean water after a devastating so-called “red tide” algal bloom struck sea life in the region.The city council in St Petersburg, Florida, called for a state of emergency last week saying that crews need help getting the dead sea creatures cleaned up from the beaches. In the Pinellas county area, more than 800 tons of dead fish and sea life have washed ashore – and the smell is already hitting the cities. Continue reading...

Former Bank chief says governments must act as free markets will not reduce emissions aloneGovernments must step up their regulation of businesses to tackle the climate crisis, the former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has urged, because the financial free markets will not reduce greenhouse gas emissions alone.Carney, who left the Bank of England last year before the first Covid-19 lockdown, is now one of the most influential figures working on Cop26, the vital UN climate talks to be held in Glasgow in November. He is a UN envoy on climate change and Boris Johnson’s finance adviser on the climate. Continue reading...

As more and more countries grant natural features or ecosystems legal personhood, the UK’s fight to pass nature rights laws is quietly gaining paceThe River Frome murmurs and babbles through the woods and fields of north Somerset. It is popular with anglers and wild swimmers but is often polluted with a cocktail of agricultural runoff, leading to frequent complaints from the public.In 2018, Frome Town Council tried to pass a bylaw giving part of the river and the adjacent Rodden meadow the status of a person in law. This would establish their right to exist, flourish and thrive, and for the river to flow freely and have a natural water cycle, as well as ensuring timely and effective restoration if they were damaged. The council and a local charity, Friends of the River Frome, were to be made joint guardians of the river and meadow, tasked with balancing their interests with the health and safety of local people. Continue reading...

Rule changes aimed at making room for more household solar systems and batteries on the grid would be unfair to current owners, some say

Kenyan president condemns killing of Joannah Stutchbury, who protested against building in Kiambu forestA prominent environment activist has been shot dead near her home in Kenya, after receiving multiple death threats following her campaign against the development of wetlands in a national park.Joannah Stutchbury, 67, was killed at 10pm local time on Thursday as she returned to her home on the outskirts of Nairobi. Friends said she had stopped her car to clear branches blocking her driveway when she was shot several times. Neighbours found her body in the car with the engine still running and valuables still in the vehicle, suggesting the attack was not a robbery. Continue reading...