The challenges of re-engineering the global economy by 2050 were already immense, even before the advent of Covid-19In terms of energy, we are living in an “after-Paris” world. For, in the half-decade since the Paris climate agreement, its impact has only continued to grow. The idea of an energy transition to what is called “net zero carbon” by 2050, which is at the heart of the agreement, is becoming embedded in the strategies of investors and companies and in the policies of governments. There are widespread calls for large green stimuli while interest rates are low. If elected, Joe Biden’s wide-ranging climate plan would put the US on the same path as Britain and European governments.Yet no one at that Paris conference in 2015 could have imagined that a pandemic would sweep the world in 2020 and impose an economic dark age on people across the globe. What does that mean for mapping the path towards the energy transition? Continue reading...

EPA says it has started five prosecutions against agency in land and environment courtThe Forestry Corporation of New South Wales could face more than $1m in fines for the alleged illegal logging of trees in protected areas, including koala habitat, in the state’s north.The NSW Environment Protection Authority said on Thursday it had started five prosecutions against the state-owned forestry agency in the land and environment court for alleged breaches of its licence in a forest near Coffs Harbour. Continue reading...

Poll shows majority of people do not realise the flesh of a carved pumpkin is edibleMore than half of the 24m pumpkins carved for Halloween in Britain this year will not be eaten, according to new research.The findings suggest that one in seven people who celebrate Halloween do not regard the gourds as food while only 42% realise the fleshy innards of a carving pumpkin are edible. Continue reading...

Energy experts say record rise in new gas boilers installed shows UK going in wrong direction

The ads included calling climate change a hoax and were paid for by conservative US groupsAdverts on Facebook denying the reality of the climate crisis or the need for action were viewed by at least 8 million people in the US in the first half of 2020, a thinktank has found.The 51 climate disinformation ads identified included ones stating that climate change is a hoax and that fossil fuels are not an existential threat. The ads were paid for by conservative groups whose sources of funding are opaque, according to a report by InfluenceMap. Continue reading...

747, one of more than 2,200 brown bears roaming Alaska’s Katmai national park and preserve, won after a week of online votingIn Alaska’s annual battle of furry heavyweights, a salmon-chomping bruin nicknamed 747 – like the jumbo jet - has emerged as the people’s choice as the most fabulously fat.The bear, one of more than 2,200 brown bears roaming Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, was victorious late on Tuesday after a week of frenzied online voting (by humans) in what has become an international sensation: Fat Bear Week. Continue reading...

Study calls for more rights for indigenous reserves as rising gold price attracts more minersA new report has exposed the scale and impact of mining on indigenous reserves in Amazon countries as gold prices soared during the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 20% of indigenous lands are overlapped by mining concessions and illegal mining, it found, covering 450,000 sq km (174,000 sq miles) – and 31% of Amazon indigenous reserves are affected.The report, released on Wednesday by the World Resources Institute, said indigenous people should be given more legal rights to manage and use their lands, and called for better environmental safeguards. As pressure mounts over the issue, a leading Brazilian thinktank has called for regulations tracing gold sold by financial institutions. Continue reading...

Across most forest types and ages, thinning had little impact on the severity of Black Saturday fires in Victoria, ANU study suggestsRemoving trees to thin out forests is unlikely to cut the risk of severe bushfires despite the claims of forest industry groups, according to the authors of a new study.Analysis of forests that burned in Victoria’s Black Saturday fires in 2009 found in most cases areas that had been thinned did not see less severe burning and, depending on the type of trees, such intervention sometimes made fires more intense. Continue reading...

Covid-19, climate crisis and war combine to reverse decades of progress on raising living standards

We do not know how many species live on Earth. Barcoding could change that – and open the way for incredible discoveries

While some say CO2 capture is part of the problem, big projects are being invested in as a part solution to the climate crisis

In the past, although windfarms were located just off the coast of Scotland, manufacturing work was outsourced to IndonesiaYesterday’s speech to the virtual Conservative party conference was classic Boris: amusing metaphors, whimsical slogans and grand rhetoric. The prime minister has pledged to usher in a “green industrial revolution” that will help us “bounce back greener” from Covid-19.One of the most significant announcements was the scaling up of the offshore wind sector. The government intends to quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030, with a promise to power all our kettles, lights and electric cars from clean, “guilt-free” electricity. Continue reading...

Wild-caught sea bass in French and Spanish waters threatens dolphin populations, warns Marine Conversation SocietyConsumers are being urged to steer clear of wild-caught sea bass fished from French and Spanish waters, but to eat farmed king and queen scallops to alleviate pressure on threatened fish stocks.Sea bass caught in the southern Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Iberian waters have been rated red in the Marine Conservation Society’s updated 2020 Good Fish Guide – joining its “fish to avoid” list – because of serious risk to local dolphin and porpoise populations. Continue reading...

Proposal to ‘empower’ landowners to clear without environmental approval labelled ‘anti-science’The New South Wales government will allow rural landholders to clear up to 25m of land from their property’s fence line without an environmental approval, a move it says will “empower” property owners to reduce bushfire risk.But the proposal, which was not one of the 76 recommendations from the NSW bushfire inquiry, has been labelled “anti-science” and prompted alarm it will lead to broad-scale clearing of endangered forest and habitat for grazing and other purposes unrelated to hazard reduction. Continue reading...

Charging for plastic bags has led to some customers concealing goods in their reusable bags, supermarket chains sayJapan’s consumers have embraced a campaign to address their addiction to plastic bags, but new measures to combat marine pollution have created an unforeseen problem: a rise in shoplifting.All of Japan’s stores were required to introduce a fee for plastic shopping bags in July with the aim of encouraging shoppers to use their own, reusable bags rather than pay for carrier bags. Continue reading...

Mining giant and energy compny say they object to advertising targeting individual parties and had asked for campaign to be haltedAustralia’s largest miner, BHP, and the largest energy company, Origin Energy, have suspended their membership of the Queensland Resources Council over state election advertisements urging people to “vote the Greens last”.Several other major resource companies are understood to have raised concerns about advertisements, which the mining industry peak body says were approved by its board. Continue reading...

The document, which cost about $200,000, fails to mention either the realities of climate crisis or the downsides of the energy industryThe Trump administration’s energy department is rolling out a lengthy report touting oil and gas as “providing energy security and supporting our quality of life”, without acknowledging that fossil fuels are the main cause of the climate crisis.Released a month before the election, the report is strikingly at odds with the realities of climate change that the American public has been coping with over the past few months, from huge wildfires to destructive derecho storms and a series of intense hurricanes. Continue reading...

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Aurora Energy Research calculates investment would have to quadruple capacity

August complex fire expanded beyond 1m acres, elevating it from a mere ‘megafire’ to a new classification: ‘gigafire’California’s extraordinary year of wildfires has spawned another new milestone – the first “gigafire”, a blaze spanning 1m acres, in modern history.Related: California fires set bleak record as 4m acres destroyed Continue reading...

Government backs plan by London-based Entocycle to build facility outside capital

PM pledges to transform country in keynote address to Conservative party conference

Gruesome find comes as 12 people are reported killed with a further 20 still missing

Inquiry into encounters off coasts of Spain and Portugal says speed could be a factor

The Guapinol community, on the country’s north coast, has become militarized in an effort to defend the river that supplies itGabriela Sorto has not seen or spoken to her father in six months, since the Honduran government’s draconian Covid-19 measures banned most travel and prison visits.Porfirio Sorto Cedillo, a 48-year-old builder and farm worker, is one of eight protesters held in pre-trial detention since 2019 for alleged crimes linked to their opposition to an iron oxide mine which threatens to contaminate their water supply. Five more water defenders from Guapinol, a small low-income community on the country’s north coast, could also soon be sent to jail. Continue reading...

Grazer, a 15-year-old sow, will maul, swat or bite any bear that even thinks about getting too close to her cubsMore than 2,000 bears live within Katmai national park in Alaska, where they spend the precious few warm-weather months fishing for salmon, swimming and strolling over the park’s nearly 4.1m acres. But in recent years, one bear has cultivated an internet following for demonstrating uncommonly aggressive behavior with others.Related: Fat bear week: America's most body positive contest nears climax Continue reading...

Author Chris Goodall says tackling the climate crisis is neither difficult nor expensive and can help boost the economy

Those hoping to future-proof their careers are turning to green industries such as windfarms

In a special two-part takeover by colleagues from the age of extinction project, Patrick Greenfield and Phoebe Weston investigate whether national parks actually benefit the environment and biodiversity, or if there might be a better way of doing things Continue reading...

Scientists say hotter and longer summers make such an unusually fierce fire more likelyA bushfire that destroyed most of a village in New Zealand’s South Island has sparked a fierce debate between high-country farmers and conservationists, as those affected struggle to understand the unusually fierce nature of the blaze.Lake Ōhau village is located at the foothills of the Ben Ohau mountain range, and is home to just 15 permanent residents but its numbers swell significantly during the holiday season. On Sunday morning, a fire tore through the foothills and into the village, forcing 90 people to evacuate. Continue reading...

New law to boost investment is a ‘tragic miscalculation’, campaigners say, as unions plan strike action in protestIndonesia has passed a wide-ranging bill that will weaken environmental protections and workers’ rights in an attempt to boost investment, a move condemned as a “tragic miscalculation” that could lead to “uncontrolled deforestation”.Groups representing millions of workers said they would strike on Tuesday in response to protest against the bill, which will amend about 1,200 provisions in 79 existing laws after it was pushed through parliament with unprecedented speed. Police said that a permit for the protest had not been approved, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...

National Trust encourages people to get out into nature to enjoy spectacular displaysA spectacular and prolonged autumn display of colour is predicted for the UK’s parks and gardens thanks to good sunny spells in the spring and September and some nurturing dampness in the summer.The golds, reds, purples, russets and oranges that provide a burst of joy before the winter months are likely to be particularly vivid this year, the National Trust said. Continue reading...

PM vows to make Britain world leader in low-cost clean power with ‘Build Back Greener’ driveBoris Johnson will promise to power every home in the UK with offshore wind energy within a decade, pledging to make the coronavirus pandemic a catalyst for green growth.In a speech to the virtual Conservative party conference on Tuesday, he will say that the government will invest in a clean energy future to create “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs” in the next decade. Continue reading...

Injured surfers and large number of dead sea creatures reported in Kamchatka regionWater pollution in Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula that caused sea creatures to wash up dead on beaches has prompted fears that rocket fuel stored in the region’s military testing grounds may have leaked.The pollution came to light late last month after surfers reported stinging eyes and said the water had changed colour and developed an odour. Officials later confirmed the surfers had sustained mild burns to their corneas. Continue reading...

Higher public spending urged as way of boosting employment and GDP at relatively low costThe International Monetary Fund has told its member governments they can create millions of jobs and boost recovery prospects if they use higher public investment to respond to the severe economic challenge posed by Covid-19.Before its annual meeting this month, the Washington-based fund said historically low interest rates meant it was a good time to borrow for long-term infrastructure projects and said the spending would help tackle rising unemployment. Continue reading...

Frantic search under way in the state before Asian hornets embark on a murderous rampage among honeybeesOfficials in Washington state are conducting a frantic search for a nest containing Asian giant hornets, also known as murder hornets, before the creatures enter what is known as their “slaughter phase”.Related: ‘Murder hornets’: race to protect North America's honeybees from giant invader Continue reading...

Fiona Banner artwork is part of group’s direct action campaign against illegal North Sea fishingSecurity had been told to expect an artwork for the secretary of state at 9am. Perhaps they were not expecting it to be an enormous chunk of granite painted with squid ink and so heavy it will need a crane to remove.The artist Fiona Banner and a team from Greenpeace deposited the 1.5-ton artwork outside the Westminster offices of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Monday. Continue reading...

Climate crisis and logging is leading to shift from canopy rainforest to open grassland

With a piece of environmental journalism published every three hours, the Guardian is a leading voice in the fight to save the planet

Last year, we vowed to prioritise climate journalism and cutting our own emissions. So much for promises: how are we actually doing this?

As the climate crisis intensifies, we publish a regularly updating dashboard of key indicators measuring the health of the planet Continue reading...

The Guardian is prioritising the environment both in editorial and commercial decisions. We know the situation is dire but that the worst can yet be averted

Since we launched our climate pledge last year, we have been working hard to make it a reality

Global heating is the emergency of our times. So we are taking action to confront it

Once one of Europe’s ‘most wanted’ wild animals, the now incarcerated bear has become symbolic of the conflict over the reintroduction of large predatorsThe prisoner is in a cage measuring two by six metres, surrounded by three 7,000-volt electric fences, a four-metre-high barrier, CCTV and a number of rangers. From afar, the structure resembles a maximum-security prison or even the T rex enclosure in Jurassic Park. The inmate is not, however, an oversized reptile or a Sicilian mafia boss, but a bear. His code name is M49, AKA Papillon, and until his capture last month, he was Europe’s most wanted wild animal, accused of having slaughtered dozens of cows and sheep in the mountains of northern Italy.Papillon, weighing 149kg (23st), is considered by the authorities to be an “escape genius”. He was recaptured by Italian rangers on 7 September having fled six weeks earlier from his enclosure at the Casteller wildlife centre, south of the city of Trento. The enclosure had previously been reinforced after Papillon escaped. Another escape would be a public embarrassment for the authorities, which means that since 7 September, Papillon has been locked up, an official source told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Firm says it wants to help Britain become ‘best place to invest in clean energy’Octopus Energy plans to create 1,000 new technology jobs across sites in London, Brighton, Warwick and Leicester, and a new tech hub in Manchester, as part of its vision to make the UK the “Silicon Valley of energy”.The supplier will employ graduates at the new sites to help develop the proprietary green energy technology platform which has helped to make Octopus one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK. Continue reading...

UK alone spends €5.7bn and Germany €12bn but analysis finds subsidies often go towards most polluting fleet vehiclesUK and European governments give companies subsidies worth €32bn (£29bn) a year towards buying cars, the vast majority of which are polluting diesel and petrol models, new analysis has found.The UK subsidies were worth €5.7bn (£5.2bn) to company car owners in 2019, according to the study by analysts Dataforce on behalf of Transport & Environment, a campaign group. Germany, the EU’s largest car market, provided subsidies worth €12bn. Continue reading...

If the 30 animals thrive in the predator-free area in the Barrington Tops, it could be a step towards reintroduction on Australia’s mainlandConservationists working with disease-free Tasmanian devils have taken the next step in what they hope will be a “rewilding” project that could eventually see the species reintroduced to the Australian mainland.About 30 devils, free of devil facial tumour disease, have been released into a 500ha, predator-free sanctuary in the Barrington Tops national park, north of Sydney. Continue reading...

Torrential rains sweep away houses and roads, and 21 people are reported missingSeven bodies have been found in a region straddling the French-Italian border near Nice after torrential rains swept houses and roads away, officials in both countries said.Five of the bodies were discovered on Sunday in northwestern Italy, including four washed up on the shore between the towns of Ventimiglia and Santo Stefano al Mare, near the French frontier. Some of the corpses might have been swept down the coast from France. Continue reading...