Environment | The Guardian

Scientists fear heat domes in North America and Siberia indicate a new dimension to the global crisisIf you were drawing up a list of possible locations for hell on Earth before this week, the small mountain village of Lytton in Canada would probably not have entered your mind.Few people outside British Columbia had heard of this community of 250 people. Those who had were more likely to think of it as bucolic. Nestled by a confluence of rivers in the forested foothills of the Lillooet and Botanie mountain ranges, the municipal website boasts: “Lytton is the ideal location for nature lovers to connect with incredible natural beauty and fresh air freedom.” Continue reading...

Revelations come as Europe wrestles over renewal question for Bayer’s Roundup herbicidesA new analysis of more than 50 previously secret, corporate-backed scientific studies is raising troubling questions about a history of regulatory reliance on such research in assessing the safety of the widely used weedkilling chemical known as glyphosate, the key ingredient in the popular Roundup herbicide.In a 187-page report released on Friday, researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria said a thorough review of 53 safety studies submitted to regulators by large chemical companies showed that most do not comply with modern international standards for scientific rigor, and lack the types of tests most able to detect cancer risks. Continue reading...

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a newborn baby gorilla, a rare giant muntjac and a harpy eagle Continue reading...

Adders and slow worms also among species possibly affected by changes that could help property developersLegal protections for wildlife and plants in the UK are set for a review that could result in some important species losing their entitlement to sp ecial status, ecology experts have told the Guardian.Adders, slow worms, water voles, mountain hares, pine martens and red squirrels are among the species experts have warned could be affected, after unexpected changes to the government’s review process that will raise the bar on how rare and under threat an animal needs to be to gain legal safeguards. Continue reading...

Citizen Zoo plans to reintroduce animals in Tottenham as part of effort to ‘beaver up’ the capitalBeavers are set to be released in London in the UK’s most significant urban reintroduction, the Guardian can reveal.It is hoped the rodents, which went extinct in the UK 400 years ago after being hunted for their fur and an oil they produce, will be brought to a site in Tottenham. Continue reading...

A four-day loop around the King Alfred’s Way gave ample time to test the claims of faster speeds and greater off-road easeThe world of leisure cycling is nothing if not inventive when it comes to ways to sell bikes and associated bits of kit, and two of the most popular new – or theoretically new – concepts are bikepacking and gravel bikes.As with all such ideas there is the inevitable marketing guff, but both are nonetheless interesting, if sometimes misunderstood. Earlier this week, on trend as ever, I managed both, with a four-day ride around the King Alfred’s Way, a 218-mile primarily off-road loop through the lanes, tracks, woods and ridges of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Continue reading...

If temperatures rise 10F by the century’s end as projected, Old Faithful could stop erupting, and the snowpack that feeds rivers throughout the west may disappearWhen a band of geological surveyors and US army scouts mapped out what would become Yellowstone in 1870, the geysers and springs seemed endless – a land so unbound that Congress moved to name it the world’s first national park.Nearly 150 years later, about 4 million people visit the park annually to see its most famous geyser: Old Faithful. It is a sight to behold, shooting tens of thousands of litres of boiling water hundreds of feet into the air about 17 times a day. Continue reading...

Environmental experts say the case is the country’s worst man-made environmental disasterHundreds of turtles have washed ashore after a ship caught fire and sank off the west coast of Sri Lanka in June in the country’s worst-ever marine disaster, a court in the capital Colombo has heard.A fire erupted on the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl on 20 May, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid along with other chemicals and cosmetics. It sank on 2 June as a salvage crew tried to tow the vessel away from the coast. Continue reading...

Group of reef and climate scientists say world heritage warning merited and Australia has not ‘pulled its weight on emissions’Five of the world’s leading reef and climate scientists have thanked Unesco for recommending the Great Barrier Reef be listed as world heritage “in danger”, saying it was the right decision in part because Australia had not “pulled its weight” in reducing emissions.The group of scientists, including the Australian professors Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Terry Hughes, wrote to the UN body on Thursday saying the recommendation to downgrade the 2,300-km reef system’s world heritage status was “the right decision”. Continue reading...

Firefighters battle blazes on multiple fronts in scenes reminiscent of last year’s record seasonHundreds of firefighters are battling in high heat against several wildfires in the forests of far northern California, where the flames have already forced many communities to evacuate.Mount Shasta, the volcano that towers over the region, was shrouded on Thursday in a haze of smoke plumes so huge they could easily be seen in images from weather satellites in space. Continue reading...

Scientists say agreement must cover extraction of raw materials and pollution that blights seas and landA binding global treaty is needed to phase out the production of “virgin” or new plastic by 2040, scientists have said.The solution to the blight of plastic pollution in the oceans and on land would be a worldwide agreement on limits and controls, they say in a special report in the journal Science. Continue reading...

Council of State says it will assess state’s actions after 31 March 2022, and could issue substantial finesFrance’s top administrative court has ordered the government to take “all necessary additional steps” within the next nine months to enable it to reach its climate crisis targets or face possible sanctions, including substantial fines.The Council of State said in a final ruling published on Thursday, with no possibility for appeal by the government, that France was not on track to meet its goal of achieving a 40% cut in emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. Continue reading...

‘Occasionally a big male would wake the echoes of the mountains with his tremendous voice’It is difficult to take yourself seriously in the presence of a baboon, but I have tried. The university I attended is at the foot of Cape Town’s Table Mountain and every now and then a chacma baboon or several would clamber down to our world.There they were: on the avenue that bisected the campus, where a highly evolved professor parked his vintage sports car. Where film students arranged themselves on windowsills. There were people trying to take themselves seriously all over the place. It was like every university. Only here, we had baboons. Continue reading...

Governments urged to ramp up efforts to tackle climate emergency as temperature records smashedClimate scientists have said nowhere is safe from the kind of extreme heat events that have hit the western US and Canada in recent days and urged governments to dramatically ramp up their efforts to tackle the escalating climate emergency.The devastating “heat dome” has caused temperatures to rise to almost 50C in Canada and has been linked to hundreds of deaths, melted power lines, buckled roads and wildfires. Continue reading...

Environmental awareness and Jewish traditions are the focus of Sadeh Farmhouse, a family-friendly retreat near OrpingtonIt seems an unlikely place to find in Kent’s greenbelt, but Europe’s first kosher ecohotel is putting itself on the map with a mix of kibbutz-like vibe, Jewish values and environmental evangelism.Sadeh Farmhouse (sadeh means field in Hebrew), in a 17th-century manor house just inside the M25 near Orpington, opened recently after major refurbishment transformed it from a residential activity centre for city schoolchildren to a rural ecoretreat for families. Continue reading...

Neighborhood streets have become ghost towns. Stepping outside feels like stepping into a sauna. A 10-minute stroll feels like a 20-minute runThe city with the best summers in the nation just hit 108F (42.2C) degrees.As a lifelong Seattle-area resident and so-called geriatric millennial, I can attest to the fact that, until recently, Seattle summers truly were second to none in the comfortability department. Highs in the 70s? Check. Bluebird skies after morning clouds? Check. Pleasant sea breezes in the evening to take the edge off the day’s warmth? Check. Continue reading...

Baltimore is suing major oil and gas companies for spurring the climate crisis and the rising temperatures that have an outsized impact on low-income, urban areasFor years, an elderly man stood as a regular fixture around his East Baltimore neighborhood for the way he would wander the streets in the summer, trying to stay outside his sweltering home until nightfall.Related: Climate crimes: a new series investigating big oil’s role in the climate crisis Continue reading...

Nation scores just 10 out of 100 on tackling fossil fuel emissions in new report on sustainable development goalsAustralia has been ranked last for climate action out of nearly 200 countries in a report assessing progress towards global sustainable development goals.The Sustainable Development Report 2021, first reported by Renew Economy, scored Australia last out of 193 United Nations member countries for action taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...

Paul Crawford’s crops are dying. Salmon sacred to Frankie Myers’ Native American tribe are slipping away. Along the California-Oregon border, the climate crisis is worsening a water crisis decades in the making – leaving farmers and indigenous communities scrambling to keep their traditions alive. Continue reading...

For farmers and Native tribes near the California-Oregon border, water scarcity is happening nowExcept for a brief stint in the military, Paul Crawford has spent his entire life farming in southern Oregon. First, as a boy, chasing his dad through hayfields and now, growing alfalfa on his own farm with his wife and two kids, who want to grow up to be farmers.“I wouldn’t trade a day of farming with my wife and my kids for anything. It’s an amazing life,” Crawford said. “It just may end if we don’t figure something out on this water issue.” Continue reading...

Conservationists say Pembroke Resources mine will increase carbon emissions and wouldn’t need public money if financially viable

Commonwealth research says UVI is better measure of small island states’ aid needs, especially on climateSmall island nations on the climate crisis frontlines have been overlooked in overseas aid, according to a new index.Urging a move away from the current benchmark of using gross domestic product (GDP) to measure aid allocation, researchers from the Commonwealth secretariat and the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (Ferdi), a French thinktank, have developed the universal vulnerability index (UVI) as an alternative. GDP, they claim, fails to reflect the realities nations face, particularly on climate. Continue reading...

Team behind project at United Downs site near Redruth say power plant will be producing electricity and heat by next yearIt has taken a decade of hard graft – and some bold, imaginative thinking – but a plume of steam finally exploded into the clear Cornish air, a signal of what is being heralded as a breakthrough for an energy project that taps into the hot rocks of the far south-west of Britain.The blast of steam at the United Downs site near Redruth, once a global mining capital, is being billed as proof that deep geothermal power can be part of the solution to the UK’s search for alternative sources of energy. Continue reading...

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...