Environment | The Guardian

Adopting insect protein in pig and poultry feed could reduce UK soya consumption by a fifth by 2050, says WWF study

The apex predators show preferences for certain individuals and avoid others, according to new research on sharks in FijiThey reach 3.5 metres long, weigh more than 200kg and are an apex predator. But even apex predators need friends. And, according to new research, bull sharks may be capable of making them.A recently published study from Fiji shows that bull sharks develop companionships – with some sharks showing preferences for certain individuals and avoiding others. Continue reading...

Chief coroner says more than 300 deaths could be attributed to the extreme temperaturesAt least 486 sudden deaths were reported over five days during British Columbia’s unprecedented heatwave, suggesting the extreme weather that affected western Canada in recent days was far deadlier than initially believed.Typically, 165 sudden deaths would occur in the province over that period, the province’s chief coroner said, suggesting more than 300 deaths could be attributed to the heat. The new tally, announced on Wednesday, marks a 195% increase over normal years. Continue reading...

Chancellor to launch green savings bond for UK consumers to help fund green jobsRishi Sunak will announce plans to transform the City of London into a hub for green finance on Thursday as the government pushes to boost its competitiveness on the global stage after Brexit.The chancellor is expected to use his first speech to City financiers at the annual Mansion House address to announce details of a £15bn UK programme of government bond issuance, with the proceeds being spent on environmentally friendly projects. Continue reading...

Undercover reporter hears company worked to undermine Biden efforts and funded shadow groups to deny global heatingLobbyists for ExxonMobil have described the oil giant’s backing for a carbon tax as a public relations ploy intended to stall more serious measures to combat the climate crisis.Two senior lobbyists based in Washington told an undercover reporter for Unearthed, the investigative journalism branch of Greenpeace, that they worked to undermine Joe Biden’s plans to limit greenhouse emissions and other environmental measures in his infrastructure bill. Continue reading...

Chip Wilson, the former yoga apparel magnate, donated the tiny islands containing coastal Douglas fir forests to charityThe Lululemon founder, Chip Wilson, has purchased one Canadian island, and helped buy another, in order to donate them to a charity.Related: Ropeless fishing tech could help save rare whale, say scientists Continue reading...

Campaigners criticise appointment of Michael Gill as ICAO’s director of legal affairs and external relationsEnvironmental groups have criticised the UN body tasked with cutting global aircraft emissions for hiring a former senior airline industry lobbyist to a senior role.Campaigners say the recruitment of Michael Gill to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reflects its flaws and bias toward the industry. Continue reading...

Campaigners say prohibitions in environment bill will shroud new body’s work in unnecessary secrecyThe body created to regulate, monitor and enforce environmental standards in the UK post-Brexit will be shielded from scrutiny as a result of prohibitions on access to information, campaigners say.The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which is being set up under the environment bill, should offer independent scrutiny of government and public bodies, and investigate public complaints about environmental matters. Continue reading...

The unprecedented heatwave in the Pacific north-west risks becoming the new normal if we don’t act nowOn Sunday, the small mountain town of Lytton, British Columbia, became one of the hottest places in the world. Then, on Monday, Lytton got even hotter – 47.9C (118F) – hotter than it’s ever been in Las Vegas, 1,300 miles to the south. And by Tuesday, 49.6C (121F).Lytton is at 50 deg N latitude – about the same as London. This part of the world should never get this hot. Seattle’s new all-time record of 108F, also set Monday, is hotter than it’s ever been in Miami. In Portland, the new record of 116F would beat the warmest day ever recorded in Houston by nearly 10 degrees. Continue reading...

Officials say record temperatures, drought and at-home pyrotechnics could lead to disasterSome cities across the American west are banning fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July weekend amid fears that pyrotechnics could spark catastrophic wildfires during a historic heatwave.Authorities warn that the combination of record-high temperatures, extreme drought conditions, and at-home fireworks creates a tinderbox-like situation that could quickly turn devastating. Continue reading...

Alberto Curamil, an award-winning environmental activist, was seriously injured during a protest against the burning of a Mapuche homeFormer recipients of a prestigious environmental award, together with Amnesty International and the lawyer of indigenous land rights defender Alberto Curamil, have launched an appeal for Curamil’s safety after he was seriously injured in a shooting by police.Curamil, an indigenous Mapuche leader who in 2019 won the Goldman Environmental Prize (GEP), also known as the “green Nobel”, was left with 18 riot shotgun pellets embedded in his body after police chased his truck and opened fire after a protest against an arson attack on a Mapuche home on contested land in southern Chile. Continue reading...

These lawsuits may force fossil fuel companies to reveal what they have lied about Continue reading...

A new Guardian series examines attempts to hold the fossil-fuel industry accountable for the havoc they have createdAs the impacts of the climate crisis multiply across the US, from intensified drought and wildfires in the west to stronger hurricanes in the east, a question is echoing ever louder: who should be held responsible?According to an unprecedented number of lawsuits filed by US cities and states that are currently making their way through the court system, the answer is fossil fuel companies. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel companies lied for decades about climate change, and humanity is paying the price. Shouldn’t those lies be central to the public narrative?

We would like to talk to people with knowledge of fossil fuel companies and their role in the climate crisisAmerica’s petroleum giants are facing a wave of lawsuits seeking to hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis. The lawsuits argue, as has already been well-documented, that the companies knew the harmful impacts of their products but did not acknowledge them to the public, and even lied about them.We want to hear from fossil fuel insiders who can help us tell the story of what the industry knew about climate change and when, how the industry operates, and what it’s like to work there. We’re also interested in hearing from people who work in adjacent industries, such as the marketing, legal and insurance firms engaged by oil and gas companies. Continue reading...

Via an unprecedented wave of lawsuits, America’s petroleum giants face a reckoning for the devastation caused by fossil fuels

Fossil fuel levy can be avoided by buying carbon offsets that may have no benefit for climateForest protection carbon offsets that may have no benefit to the climate have been used by polluters to avoid paying carbon taxes in Colombia, according to a report.In 2016, a levy of about $5 (£3.60) was introduced in the South American country to cover the use of some fossil fuels. However, companies that emit carbon dioxide can avoid paying the tax by buying carbon offsets from Colombian emission reduction projects, including those that conserve threatened natural carbon banks such as peatlands, forests and mangrove swamps. Continue reading...

The demise of the freshly emerged swallowtail makes me ponder all butterflies’ chances of survivalLast week, I witnessed a wondrous and slightly horrifying spectacle of nature.I was admiring a swallowtail, Britain’s largest native butterfly, as it jinked over a waterway on the Norfolk Broads. Suddenly, an emperor dragonfly cruised in and grabbed the butterfly. There was a mid-air tussle for five seconds, before the iridescent blue dragonfly dropped into the reed bed with its prize. Continue reading...

Investigating how the fossil fuel industry contributed to the climate crisis and lied to the American publicThis content is supported in part through philanthropic funding from theguardian.org, a US-based, independent nonprofit with the mission to advance and inform public discourse and citizen participation around the most pressing issues of our time through the support of independent journalism and journalistic projects at the Guardian, and Rockefeller Family Fund, a US-based, family-led public charity that initiates, cultivates, and funds strategic efforts to promote a sustainable, just, free and participatory society. All content is editorially independent and overseen by Guardian editors.All our journalism follows GNM’s published editorial code. The Guardian is committed to open journalism, recognizing that the best understanding of the world is achieved when we collaborate, share knowledge, encourage debate, welcome challenge, and harness the expertise of specialists and their communities. You can read more about content funding at the Guardian here. Continue reading...

China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam plan to build more than 600 coal power unitsFive Asian countries are jeopardising global climate ambitions by investing in 80% of the world’s planned new coal plants, according to a report.Carbon Tracker, a financial thinktank, has found that China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam plan to build more than 600 coal power units, even though renewable energy is cheaper than most new coal plants. Continue reading...

More money is being spent destroying the environment than protecting it, MPs’ report findsThe government’s underfunded green ambitions and “toothless” policies are failing to halt catastrophic loss of wildlife, a committee of MPs has said in a new report that finds the biodiversity crisis is still not being treated with the urgency of the climate crisis.The UK is the most wildlife-depleted country out of the G7 nations and, despite pledges to improve the environment within a generation, properly funded policies are not in place to make this happen, according to the report from the environmental audit committee (EAC). Continue reading...

The imperiled desert species is being considered for protection under the state’s endangered species actA couple has been fined $18,000 after uprooting 36 Joshua trees to make space for a home and then burying them in a hole. Authorities hope the fine discourages others from mowing down the crooked-limbed plant, which is an imperiled species being considered for protection under California’s endangered species act.“Most California citizens who reside in Joshua tree habitat revere these iconic desert species, more so now than ever because of its degraded population status,” Nathaniel Arnold, the deputy chief of the California department of fish and wildlife’s law enforcement division, said in a press release. “We hope it serves as a deterrent to others who may think it is acceptable to unlawfully remove Joshua trees to make way for development.” Continue reading...

SMMT says government must increase support for electric car production to German and US levelsUp to 90,000 jobs could be lost in UK car manufacturing unless the government increases support for electric car production to German and US levels, the industry body has said.Industry leaders accused the government of being long on words but short on action to help the UK build capacity for electric vehicles, to support the industry and reach climate emergency targets. Continue reading...

Majority of land at risk from a 1-metre sea level rise is in the tropics, research findsUp to 410 million people will be living in areas less than 2 metres above sea level, and at risk from sea level rises, unless global emissions are reduced, according to a new study.The paper, published in Nature Communications, finds that currently 267 million people worldwide live on land less than 2 metres above sea level. Using a remote sensing method called Lidar, which pulsates laser light across coastal areas to measure elevation on the Earth’s surface, the researchers predicted that by 2100, with a 1 metre sea level rise and zero population growth, that number could increase to 410 million people. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister also blasts banks for managing carbon risk and supports coal exports in Sky News interviewThe newly returned Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce says Australia needs high-efficiency, low-emission coal power stations, as well as revenue from continuing exports of thermal coal, to bankroll social services.While metropolitan Liberals have made it clear they will not support new coal-fired power, and the International Energy Agency has advised wealthy countries to phase out coal power plants by the end of the decade, Joyce used an interview on Sky News to champion modern coal plants, and declare he was in favour of nuclear reactors. Continue reading...

Experts suggest vulnerability of south Florida to rising seas could lead to destabilization of further buildingsThe shocking collapse of a 12-storey building in the Miami area last week has raised questions as to the role played by the climate crisis, and whether the severe vulnerability of south Florida to the rising seas may lead to the destabilization of further buildings in the future.Related: Miami condo collapse: death toll rises to 10 as search enters fifth day Continue reading...

Count aims to provide crucial conservation data on animals including pangolins, turtles and antelopePlanes, helicopters, boats and 4x4s are being deployed, hundreds of camera traps and satellite collars monitored, and an array of dung studied across Kenya, as the country embarks on its first national census of wildlife.The census, covering the country’s 58 national parks and reserves, private and community conservancies, is due to be completed by the end of July. It will cost 250m Kenyan shillings (£1.6m) and includes a count of terrestrial and marine mammals, key birds such as ostriches and kori bustards, and endangered primates. The results are expected in August. Continue reading...

Exclusive – Study says 2m in Clyde area – due to host Cop26 – face severe disruption without urgent investmentNearly 2 million people living in the greater Glasgow area face severe disruption from climate heating unless billions of pounds are invested in protecting homes, businesses and transport links, a report says.A study on the impacts of climate change on the Clyde area estimates about 140,000 of its poorest residents will be the worst affected by increased heatwaves, flash floods and droughts, as they are the least equipped to cope. Continue reading...

First ever nationwide tally of trees reveals how communities of color and poorer neighborhoods lack canopyWith vast swathes of the American west baking under a record-setting heatwave, a new study has revealed how unevenly trees are spread throughout cities in the United States and how much it disadvantages communities of color and the poor.In order to address the balance, America needs to plant more than 30 million trees in major urban environments across the country, according to a major new report. Continue reading...

Portland and Seattle are among cities grappling with 100F-plus days in a typically moderate climateThe Pacific north-west, known for its moderate climate, is experiencing a record heatwave. The temperatures have driven crowds to the region’s beaches, pools and air-conditioned hotels, as residents in a region with few air-conditioned households try desperately to get some relief.Here’s what you need to know: Continue reading...

Norwegian oil company’s facility will be biggest in world with carbon capture and storage technologyNorway’s state oil company Equinor will triple its UK hydrogen output, after setting out plans to build the world’s biggest hydrogen production plant with carbon capture and storage technology near Hull.Equinor plans to produce clean-burning “blue hydrogen” to supply the Keadby gas power plant in Lincolnshire, owned by energy company SSE, making it the world’s first full-scale power plant to burn pure hydrogen to generate electricity. Continue reading...

Researchers say exposure to fine particle matter in smoke could lead to lung damage equivalent to four years of ageingExposure to hazardous air pollution from the Hazelwood coalmine fire in Victoria has been linked to reduced lung function in people years after the 2014 fire, according to a new study.Research conducted four years after the mine fire found that adults who had been exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) had decreased respiratory reactance, a measure of the stretchiness of the lungs. Continue reading...

Rich Houston teems with greenery and public parks. But unfair zoning laws mean its poorer communities of color bake in the hot sunEvery weekday at 6am, 68-year-old Ana Adelea-Lopez walks through her Houston neighborhood to the bus stop.On the way, she passes a series of apartment complexes, telephone poles and metal fences on a long stretch of sidewalk. For the entirety of her walk, there’s not a single tree in sight. Continue reading...

Applications on sites in Herts, Cambridgeshire and Essex climb to 840 megawatts in last five monthsThe number of new solar farms planned for the east of England has more than doubled in recent months as farmers decide to swap crops for clean energy.New solar farm applications for sites across Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex in the last five months have climbed to 840 megawatts, or the same as 2m household solar panels. Continue reading...

Small-scale fishers say mostly EU fleet is devastating catches with method that nets entire shoals of fishThe UK has been accused of allowing a fleet of mainly EU “fly-shooting” fishing boats “unfettered access” to the Channel, without a proper assessment of the impact on fish populations, the seabed or the livelihoods of small-scale fishers.Organisations representing small-scale fishers on both sides of the Channel have warned that the fleet is having a “devastating” effect on their catches. They are calling for a review of the vessels’ UK licences until an impact assessment has been carried out. Continue reading...

Police fined two men $1,000 each after helicopter and rescue crew sent to help the pair who became lost in bushland after wildlife encounter

Ban on plastics including cotton buds, packaging, cutlery, straws and fruit labels to be phased in from next yearNew Zealanders will be farewelling their plastics – bags, ear buds, spoons and straws – as the government attempts to match the country’s reality to its “clean green” reputation.Currently one of the top 10 per-capita producers of landfill waste in the world, New Zealand has announced it will ban a swathe of single-use plastics, including cotton buds, bags, cutlery, plates and bowls, straws and fruit labels. Continue reading...

Authorities investigated after defanged and declawed animal was seen in TikTok videos in Phnom PenhCambodian authorities have confiscated a defanged and declawed pet lion that appeared in TikTok videos taken at a Phnom Penh villa.The 18-month-old male, weighing 70kg (154lbs), had been imported from overseas by the owner, a Chinese national, to be raised in his home, environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said. Continue reading...

Renewable energy will rely heavily on an industry already berated for human rights violationsInterest in Dogger Bank was once restricted to insomniac enthusiasts for the BBC’s Shipping Forecast. Not any more. Today, the shallow sandbank, located 120 miles off the UK’s north-eastern shoreline, is home to the world’s largest windpower project. When fully operational, giant turbines will transmit 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power 5m homes, into the National Grid at prices well below current levels.Welcome to the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era. Around the world, solar and wind now represent the cheapest source of new electricity generation – and prices are tumbling. Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are driving oil towards obsolescence. Stripped of government subsidies and corporate lobbying carbon-based fuels are a busted flush. The future of energy is green – and the future can’t come soon enough to tackle the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Conservationist aims to replace old bridge with bison preserve, benefiting environment and spotlighting Indigenous historyBetween Iowa and Illinois, spanning the only stretch of the Mississippi River that flows from east to west, sits an exhausted 55-year-old concrete bridge. Each day 42,000 cars drive across the ageing structure, which is slated to be torn down and replaced.But when Chad Pregracke looks at the bridge, he has a different vision entirely – not an old overpass to be demolished, but a home for the buffalo to roam. Continue reading...

Experts say they have found the ultimate version of the fruit. It’s called Ace, but now we just need enough foreign pickersIt would be easy to dismiss it as a marketing gimmick. A strawberry called Ace, announced on the eve of Wimbledon – surely, you cannot be serious? But the academics and strawberry breeders of the East Malling research institute are not given to cheap slogans. Malling Ace is a super strawberry that is creating more excitement in the world of horticulture than even the possibility of another Andy Murray title.“The Ace name sort of indicates what we felt about it – it really, really does excel,” said Adam Whitehouse, who led the Malling Ace project. “It’s a new variety that has been fast-tracked through our system because it really did stand out and it caused a lot of excitement at such an early stage.” Continue reading...

Projects that could produce more than 1.7bn barrels will not have to go through the government’s ‘checkpoint’, data revealsProspective oil projects in the North Sea with the capacity to produce more than a billion barrels will avoid a new test designed to assess their impact on the climate crisis, the Observer has learned.In a development that has angered environmental campaigners, it has emerged that proposed new developments representing some 1.7bn barrels of oil will not have to undergo the forthcoming “climate compatibility checkpoint”, designed to determine whether they are consistent with the government’s climate commitments. Continue reading...

Police seize equipment from three premises before what officers expect will be busy weekend of protestsPolice in London have raided a warehouse used by Extinction Rebellion, as well as an arts centre that was exhibiting some of the structures used in the demonstrations that blockaded newspaper printing plants last year.The Met is under increased scrutiny as the group plans further protests against the owners of the UK’s press outlets this weekend, alongside supporters of the Black Lives Matter campaign against racial injustice. Continue reading...

Citizen zookeepers release endangered large marsh grasshopper in former strongholdsBritain’s largest grasshopper is being bred in captivity by citizen zookeepers and returned to marshes across East Anglia in a move to revive the endangered species.The large marsh grasshopper, an elusive green insect that can appear in a striking pink-and-yellow form, is too isolated in fragments of wetland to hop back to its former strongholds. Continue reading...

Ecology experts say failure to hit five-year goals concerning although feral cat progress promisingA Coalition government strategy to save Australia’s endangered wildlife has failed to meet targets to stem the decline of many birds, mammals and plants.The final-year report of the five-year threatened species strategy, which was introduced under the former environment minister Greg Hunt, has found five out of the strategy’s 13 targets were met, three were partially met and five were not met. Continue reading...

The company’s Australian chief executive has described the Carmichael mine’s water plans as ‘legal’ but ‘commercial in confidence’The Queensland government will not make any inquiries about Adani’s water plans for the Carmichael coalmine, despite the company’s public claims it has an undisclosed new source of water that is “commercial in confidence”.Guardian Australia reported on Friday Adani had obscured details about its plans to source large volumes of water for the controversial coal project, raising concern among environmental groups and water experts about how the miner intends to cover an 8bn-litre annual shortfall. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a newborn fallow deer fawn and an elephant in the room Continue reading...

Flagship scheme dismisses claims herd is left to go hungry, saying animals have enough food to surviveExmoor ponies have become hot property for rewilding projects across Europe, which use them as selective grazers to tend meadows and promote biodiversity. The scientists and conservationists behind the trials prefer to use animals as similar as possible to those which roamed the land before humans arrived.However, pony groups in Britain claim that in one project in Denmark the animals are being left alone in fenced fields without sufficient grazing in the winter. They also claim there has been some evidence of ponies left with untreated wounds. Continue reading...

A water quality crisis has been hiding in the ritzy Hamptons, but the pandemic pushed it over the edge. Will clean-up efforts be too little too late?