Scheme would collect funds from power companies to pay communities affected by new transmission lines

Riot police use teargas to disperse demonstrators at site of A-69 near Puylaurens in southern FrancePolice and masked activists clashed at a protest over a motorway project in southern France on Saturday, leaving five people hurt, local officials said.Thousands of demonstrators ignored a ban on the gathering to turn out for the protest at the site of the A-69 motorway between Castres and Toulouse in the south-west. Continue reading...

Extreme temperatures and flammable grass fed by a wet winter are among this year's biggest risks, experts sayThis week's broiling heatwave in the US south-west is just the start of what experts warn will be a brutally hot summer, setting the stage for an active wildfire season - even in places that don't burn often.Thanks to a wet winter, the dangers could be delayed in many fire-prone regions across the west, including in California forests where the threats from catastrophic blazes are often high. But the extra rainfall also helped seed invasive grasses that spread across sparse arid landscapes, and rapidly dried as temperatures rose. Continue reading...

Imogen May has withheld payments since 2019 and is thought to be one of thousands boycotting water chargesSouth West Water has taken a legal stake in a customer's home after she withheld her bill payments in a protest over sewage dumping in rivers and the sea.Thousands of water company customers are thought to be withholding payments but this is the first known case of a company enforcing a claim against a customer's home. Continue reading...

Mt Buller had the country's only ski-on chairlift operating on season's opening day on Saturday - but snow is forecast for the week ahead

Opposition leader reportedly told News Corp he would oppose the legislated 2030 emissions target - a 43% cut compared with 2005 levels - at the next election

Biden's rule for 2% fuel-economy increase a year met with disappointment by some environmental groupsNew vehicles sold in the US will have to average about 38 miles per gallon (mpg) of gasoline in 2031 in real-world driving, up from about 29mpg this year, under new federal rules unveiled on Friday by the Biden administration.The final rule will increase fuel economy by 2% a year for model years 2027 to 2031 for passenger cars, while SUVs and other light trucks will increase by 2% a year for model years 2029 to 2031, according to requirements released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading...

The hoodwinker sunfish, or Mola tecta, is a different species from the more common ocean sunfish, Mola molaAn enormous rare fish thought to live only in temperate waters in the southern hemisphere has washed up on Oregon's northern coast, drawing crowds of curious onlookers intrigued by the unusual sight.The 7.3-ft (2.2-metre) hoodwinker sunfish first appeared on the beach in Gearhart on Monday, the Seaside Aquarium said in a media release. It was still on the beach on Friday and may remain there for weeks, the aquarium said, as it is difficult for scavengers to puncture its tough skin. Continue reading...

John Browne appears to back Labour energy policy as he underlines need for green transitionThe former boss of BP John Browne has appeared to back a key Labour energy policy by calling for an end to new North Sea oil and gas drilling licences.The oil industry veteran, who was known as the Sun King when he ran the oil company between 1995 and 2007, said an important test for the UK's political parties before next month's general election was whether they have serious plans for the country's green energy transition". Continue reading...

Professional body says outbreaks of foodborne illnesses will increase unless urgent action takenOutbreaks of foodborne illnesses, such as E coli, will increase in the UK unless urgent action is taken to tackle severe shortages of environmental health officers, a body representing the profession has said.The warning comes after more than 100 E coli cases were reported in a fortnight, having spread via food distributed across Britain. Continue reading...

A new, cleaner ship points way as US ports in the region are spending millions on upgrades in pursuit of net zeroIt's just after 9.30pm on a Thursday night in late May when a conveyor belt begins dumping 21,000 tons of road salt into the cavernous hull of the MV Mark M Barker at a dock in Cleveland.As the first US-flagged freighter to be built on the Great Lakes in nearly 40 years, the 639ft (195-meter)-long ship - launched in 2022 - is the only vessel of its kind in the region powered by cleaner, tier four" marine engines that meet the federal Environmental Protection Agency rules governing hydrocarbons and particle matter emissions. Continue reading...

The Guardian contacted 11 major organizations that run fossil-fuel ads after Wednesday's speech by Antonio GuterresMajor news and tech media that have run fossil-fuel ads were largely staying quiet after the UN's secretary general called for governments and companies to place bans on advertisements for coal, oil and gas.Stop taking fossil-fuel advertising," Antonio Guterres implored in a major speech on Wednesday after railing against energy companies for distorting the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubt" about the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

NT government's environmental management plan approval of Tamboran gas development spurs calls for federal minister to step in

Some flash flooding causing road closures and inundating homes but rainy weather forecast to ease later on Friday, BoM says

Exclusive: Party wants to appeal to voters' patriotism by improving access to nature and green spacesLocal communities would be given the right to buy up derelict eyesores and turn them into parks under a Labour government, while walkers and swimmers would gain access to hundreds of miles of river pathways, the party has pledged.Labour will make a direct appeal to voters' patriotism, presenting the restoration of nature as a matter of national identity and status. Continue reading...

Patrice Miller was found dead in her home in what authorities confirm is first known attack of its kindA 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by a black bear in a Sierra Nevada community in 2023 in what is believed to be California's first fatal black bear attack, the state department of fish and wildlife confirmed this week.Patrice Miller was found dead in her Downieville home in November by a Sierra county sheriff's deputy who was called to the residence to check on the senior after she had not been seen for several days, KCRA3 reported. Continue reading...

Climate advocates say Hochul missed crucial opportunity to follow cities around the world in reducing gas emissionsAn 11th-hour decision to halt a plan to charge a fee for cars entering the heart of New York City has provoked outrage from environmental advocates and Democratic lawmakers, potentially scuppering hopes of congestion pricing taking hold in any US city in the near future.New York City was, on 30 June, primed to be the first American city to toll drivers in its traffic-clogged centre, with cars entering Manhattan south of 60th Street set to be charged $15 a day in a plan heralded as a landmark moment in tackling air pollution, helping curb carbon emissions and providing a funding boost for New York's sprawling yet beleaguered public transit system. Continue reading...

NYC Bird Alliance dropped name of 19th-century conservationist and abolition opponent John James AudubonOne of the nation's largest birding and conservation groups is changing its name to distance itself from a 19th-century enslaver.New York City Audubon announced on Thursday that it would become the NYC Bird Alliance in an effort to broaden our reach and deepen our impact across the diverse communities of New York City" after an overwhelming majority" of members voted in favor of the change. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data shows implementing policy that closes 92% of English countryside cost 69m over five yearsEngland's model for countryside access cost six times more to implement than Scotland's right to roam policy, new figures reveal.In England, only 8% of the countryside is open for walking, picnicking and other outdoor activities. This includes footpaths, the coastal path, mountains, moors, heaths and downs. In Scotland, all of the countryside is open for access as long as guidelines are followed such as leaving no trace and not harming farmland. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Network sources say headlines replaced by sponsored segments from gas lobbyists but made to look exactly the same' as news

The hubs seek to produce, store and distribute food to the one-quarter of Native Americans experiencing food insecurityOn the Hopi reservation in the high desert of northern Arizona, construction is underway.A dilapidated auto garage is being converted into a fully-equipped kitchen, food storage areas, dining room and an attached greenhouse. The new facilities will become the first-ever Hopi-region food hub, used to increase Indigenous access to fresh, healthy and affordable food through farm shares, farmer's markets, agricultural workshops, seed sharing, cooking lessons and other programs. Continue reading...

Child killed and mother critically injured in Michigan when twister uprooted a tree and sent it crashing into their homeA two-year-old boy was killed and his mother critically injured after a fast-developing tornado struck and caused a tree to fall on their home in the suburban Detroit city of Livonia on Wednesday.Meanwhile, tornadoes also struck in Maryland on the east coast and a brutal heatwave affected the south-west and California as extreme weather continued to mark the start of summer in the US. Continue reading...

Oceans are critical to life but have never been so vulnerable. In her new book, marine biologist Helen Scales outlines how to halt the declineSome ocean species and habitats struggle to recover on their own and need help. Take sea otters, which were virtually eliminated by the end of the 19th century by commercial hunting for their super-dense pelts. Continue reading...

Reconstructing buildings destroyed in first four months of Israeli assault will generate nearly 60m tonnes of CO2 equivalent - studyThe carbon cost of rebuilding Gaza will be greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 135 countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the unprecedented death toll, new research reveals.Reconstructing the estimated 200,000 apartment buildings, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, bakeries, water and sewage plants damaged and destroyed by Israel in the first four months of the war on Gaza will generate as much as 60m tonnes of CO equivalent (tCOe), according to new analysis by researchers in the UK and US. This is on a par with the total 2022 emissions generated by countries such as Portugal and Sweden - and more than twice the annual emissions of Afghanistan.The planet-warming emissions generated by aerial and ground attacks during the first 120 days of the war on Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of 26 of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations including Vanuatu and Greenland, according to the research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed.More than 99% of the estimated 652,552 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO equivalent/COe) estimated to have been generated in the first four months after the Hamas attack on 7 October are linked to Israel's aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza.Almost 30% of the total COe emissions were generated by the 244 American cargo planes known to have flown bombs, munitions and other military supplies to Israel in the first 120 days.According to the calculation, which is almost certainly a significant underestimate due to missing military emissions data, the carbon cost of the first 120 days of Israel's assault on Gaza was equivalent to the combined annual energy use of 77,200 American households.Hamas rockets fired into Israel between October 2023 and February 2024 generated an estimated 1,140 tCOe. Another 2,700 tCOe were attributed to the fuel stored by the group prior to 7 October. Combined, the Hamas carbon footprint over the first 120 days was equivalent to the annual energy use of 454 American homes. Continue reading...

Addiction, anxiety and sex reversal have been reported in species by researchers as a range of substances contaminates ecosystemsFrom brown trout becoming addicted" to methamphetamine to European perch losing their fear of predators due to depression medication, scientists warn that modern pharmaceutical and illegal drug pollution is becoming a growing threat to wildlife.Drug exposure is causing significant, unexpected changes to some animals' behaviour and anatomy. Female starlings dosed with antidepressants such as Prozac at concentrations found in sewage waterways become less attractive to potential mates, with male birds behaving more aggressively and singing less to entice them than undosed counterparts. Continue reading...

Low-carbon electricity investment driven by solar projects but oil and gas spending still too high to meet climate goalsGlobal investment in low-carbon electricity will rise to 10 times as much as fossil fuel power this year due to an increase in spending on solar projects, according to the International Energy Agency.The global energy watchdog has predicted that investment in clean energy including renewables and nuclear power as well as electric vehicles, power grids, energy storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps will reach $2tn this year. Continue reading...

Equipment being trialled in Scotland extracts warmth from nearby water sources to provide homes with heatingScientists in Edinburgh have developed a home heating system that draws its energy from the world's most abundant resource: water.The equipment can use sea water, rivers, ponds and even mine water to heat radiators and water for baths and showers, using the same technology as in air source heat pumps. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel firms are biggest beneficiaries of investor-state dispute settlement courts which have awarded $114bn of public moneyMore than $100bn of public money has been awarded to private investors in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet.The controversial arbitration system which allows corporations to sue governments for compensation over decisions they argue affect their profits is largely carried out behind closed doors, with some judgments kept secret. But, according to a global ISDS tracker which launches today, $114bn has so far been paid out of the public purse to investors - about as much as rich nations provided in climate aid in 2022.A $15bn compensation suit by TC Energy against the US government for cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried 830,000 barrels of highly polluting tar sands oil to the US coast every day. The permit was withdrawn by Joe Biden on his first day in office after a long campaign by Indigenous Americans, farmers and climate activists. The pipeline had been championed by ex-president Donald Trump and became a touchstone culture war issue.Ruby River Capital's claim for no less than $20bn" after the Quebec government cancelled a natural gas liquefaction plant on the St Lawrence River. An environmental impact assessment had found that the plant would increase greenhouse gas emissions, hurt Indigenous Canadian communities and destroy biodiversity. RRC's claim was the largest ever under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).The most lucrative ISDS claim currently being heard is Zeph Investment's $200bn case against Australia over a huge planned mine in Western Australia which, Zeph Investment claims, the Australian government had effectively destroyed", in breach of the Asean free trade agreement.Avima Iron Ore is seeking $27bn from the Republic of the Congo, after it revoked iron ore mining licenses for three Australian-owned firms, handing them instead to a small Chinese investment group. The sum is almost twice as much as the country's GDP last year. Continue reading...

In the West Bank and Gaza, a growing number of birdwatchers are pursuing their hobby despite the violence surrounding themSitting in the shade of an olive tree in the valley of Ein Qiniya, north-west of Ramallah, the wildlife photographer and birdwatcher Mohamad Shuaibi starts to enumerate the birds he can spot. Swifts and swallows flit and swoop, a short-toed eagle hovers in the distance, a jay perches on an olive branch and a kestrel returns to its nest in the limestone cliffs.He also starts counting the times he has been stopped by Israeli soldiers or police out in the field with his camera. I was detained four times already since October, and each time was worse," he says. He now avoids going out at certain times: To watch birds we need to go out very early in the morning. But most of the military operations are in the early hours, so you can be shot if you're out around this time." Continue reading...

Automative industry findings show Australians have purchased double the number of hybrid vehicles this year compared to the same period last year

The contributor to Sky News accuses climate change zealots' of not having read the research. But his own reading is less than comprehensive

Technique known as cold-water immersion adopted by Phoenix hospitals after county saw 645 heat-related deaths last yearThe season's first heatwave is already baking the south-west with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix - America's hottest big city - employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year.Starting this season, the Phoenix fire department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The medical technique, known as cold-water immersion, is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol, according to fire captain John Prato. Continue reading...

Kathy Hochul pushes back plan that was due to start this month and would charge tolls for cars and trucks to enter Manhattan below 60th StKathy Hochul, the governor of New York, abruptly postponed indefinitely" New York City's controversial, first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan on Wednesday, with sources citing concerns about the cost of living and economic recovery as well as implications for vulnerable Democrats in competitive US House races later this year.Under the politically unpopular plan, which would have come in to effect later this month, passenger cars would have have been charged $15, small trucks $24, and large trucks $36 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, and would have contributed as much as $15bn for New York's public transport system and infrastructure improvements. Continue reading...

Mammal was likely swimming between Queensland islands when it just got unlucky and got snapped' - spikes and all - in apparent world-first

Antonio Guterres says world faces climate crunch time' and announces dire new scientific warnings of global heatingFossil-fuel companies are the godfathers of climate chaos" and should be banned in every country from advertising akin to restrictions on big tobacco, the secretary general of the United Nations has said while delivering dire new scientific warnings of global heating.In a major speech in New York on Wednesday, Antonio Guterres called on news and tech media to stop enabling planetary destruction" by taking fossil-fuel advertising money while warning the world faces climate crunch time" in its faltering attempts to stem the crisis. Continue reading...

The venomous spiders native to east Asia look frightening, but are reportedly shy creaturesThe US north-east is bracing for yet another pest invasion - this time, giant venomous spiders - as scientists warn that the gag-inducing arachnids are set to advance this summer.The joro spider, an invasive species from east Asia, will be making a larger appearance in New York, New Jersey and other eastern US states as the summer season heats up. Continue reading...

Groundbreaking new research also reports that 11% of surveyed have faced physical violence in their reportingAlmost four out of every 10 journalists covering the climate crisis and environment issues have been threatened as a result of their work, with 11% subjected to physical violence, according to groundbreaking new research.A global survey of more than 740 reporters and editors from 102 countries found that 39% of those threatened sometimes" or frequently" were targeted by people engaged in illegal activities such as logging and mining. Some 30%, meanwhile, were threatened with legal action - reflecting a growing trend towards corporations and governments deploying the judicial system to muzzle free speech.This article was amended on 5 June 2024 to clarify that 39% of those threatened sometimes" or frequently" were targeted by people engaged in illegal activities. A previous version incorrectly said 49%. Continue reading...

Investment management firm's links to Israel and fossil fuel sector put sponsorship deals under pressureCheltenham literature festival and the Borders book festival have become the latest to announce that they will no longer be working with the investment management firm Baillie Gifford.The company had previously sponsored eight literary festivals and the UK's most prestigious nonfiction prize. However, after boycotts of the Hay festival because of Baillie Gifford's links to Israel and fossil fuel companies, the Powys-based event pulled out of the sponsorship deal. Continue reading...

Forests across Europe, the US and Canada have been hard hit by drought, fires and bark beetles. Now scientists fear the northern hemisphere's greatest carbon sink is nearing a tipping pointThe giant sequoia is so enormous that it was once believed to be indestructible. High in California's southern Sierra Nevada mountains, the oldest trees - known as monarchs - have stood for more than 2,000 years.Today, however, in Sequoia national park, huge trunks lie sprawled on the forest floor, like blue whale carcasses stranded on a beach. Many of these trees were felled by a combination of drought and fire. But among the factors responsible for the rising toll is a tiny new suspect: the bark beetle. Continue reading...

Named due to its resemblance to JRR Tolkien's sentient tree-like Ents, the 32m tall rt was the clear winner in the annual pollA lone rt that appears to be striding across the landscape has taken gold in New Zealand's tree of the year competition.The New Zealand Arboricultural Association - which runs the competition to celebrate New Zealand's trees - said the extraordinary" northern rt had earned the name The Walking Tree" because of its resemblance to one of JRR Tolkien's sentient tree-like Ents. Continue reading...

Los Angeles has long owned large swaths of the Owens valley. Officials in the region say the city has been stonewalling' their attempts to make critical infrastructure repairsThis article is reported by AfroLA and co-published by AfroLA, Guardian US and Inyo county's the Sheet. It's the second of several stories examining the impact of Los Angeles's extensive landownership in the Owens valley. You can read the first one here.Two rural California airports that are crucial to local air ambulance services, firefighting efforts and search and rescue operations are unable to perform critical repairs, blocked by an agency 300 miles away: the city of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Third of world's ocean surface particularly vulnerable to threats driven by burning fossil fuel and deforestation, new research findsThe world's oceans are facing a triple threat" of extreme heating, a loss of oxygen and acidification, with extreme conditions becoming far more intense in recent decades and placing enormous stress upon the planet's panoply of marine life, new research has found.About a fifth of the world's ocean surface is particularly vulnerable to the three threats hitting at once, spurred by human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, the study found. In the top 300 meters of affected ocean, these compound events now last three times longer and are six times more intense than they were in the early 1960s, the research states. Continue reading...

The webcams do not lie,' says Annalisa Koeman, whose family has been operating a mountain lodge for decades

Exclusive: Defra issues new cull licences despite government adviser saying there is no justification'Badger cull licences have been issued by the government despite its own scientific adviser saying there is no justification" for doing so.Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this month issued 17 new licences to continue culling badgers, overruling Dr Peter Brotherton, the director of science at Natural England, the government's adviser for the natural environment in England. Continue reading...

One way to reduce the cost of your next grocery store or restaurant visit is to consider making some foods from scratch at home - here are five recipesIf you have felt startled by your total at the grocery store checkout line, you're not alone. Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, US grocery prices have risen faster than the rate of inflation. People are now paying 25% more for their groceries than they were pre-pandemic, and for the past three years, grocery prices have increased more and grown faster than other prices, according to a recent report.And since almost every household regardless of income buys groceries on a regular basis, it's no surprise that higher prices are a top concern for American families. Restaurants have also gotten more expensive due to higher food and labor costs. Continue reading...

Scientists are tagging sharks to map Pacific migration routes in a bid to expand marine reserves before more of these endangered species fall prey to illegal industrial fishingIt's a three-person job to land a 2-metre shark: two to wrap ropes around its thrashing tail and midriff, a third to clamp shut its powerful jaws. Hanging over the side of the Sea Quest fishing skiff, the crew work quickly to minimise any distress to the animal, a female silky shark. Once onboard, a hose attached to a saltwater pump is placed in her mouth, to irrigate her gills.Catching and tagging sharks is contentious among some researchers, who say it is harmful. But for Alex Hearn, a professor of biology at Quito's Universidad de San Francisco in Ecuador, who has studied sharks for two decades, it is critical to understanding behaviour that could better protect one of the most endangered group of vertebrates on the planet. Continue reading...

Analysis of policies of nearly 150 countries shows shortfall to hit target viewed as vital for transition from fossil fuelsThe world is off track to meet the goal of tripling renewable electricity generation by 2030, a target viewed as vital to enable a swift global transition away from fossil fuels, but there are promising signs that the pace of progress may be picking up.Countries agreed last December on a tripling of renewable power by the end of this decade. But few have yet taken concrete steps to meet this requirement and on current policies and trends global renewable generation capacity would only roughly double in developed countries, and slightly more than double globally by 2030, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency. Continue reading...

Figures show breaches have rarely led to prosecution by Drinking Water Inspectorate since 2021The drinking water regulator for England and Wales has brought only three prosecutions against water companies for providing poor quality water since 2021, despite 362 instances in which water was flagged as being unfit for human consumption.Periodically, members of the public or companies have informed the Drinking Water Inspectorate about water that has not been not safe for human consumption. In those instances, the DWI can issue legal instruments that require companies to put in place a package of measures. Continue reading...

Band announces their carbon footprint after two years of touring is 59% lower than what was generated on their previous tour, thanks to some creative solutionsColdplay has announced that they have reduced their touring carbon footprint by 59% compared with their previous world tour - via some creative methods that include kinetic dancefloors that allow dancing fans to generate electricity, recyclable LED wristbands and the band travelling by train.On Monday the British band announced that they were happy to report that direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour (2016-17), on a show-by-show comparison". Continue reading...