Environment | The Guardian

A major £30m project will test trees, peat, rock chips, and charcoal as ways of removing climate-heating emissionsClimate-heating carbon dioxide will be sucked from the air using trees, peat, rock chips, and charcoal in major new trials across the UK.Scientists said the past failure to rapidly cut emissions means some CO will need to be removed from the atmosphere to reach net zero by 2050 and halt the climate crisis. The £30m project funded by UK Research and Innovation will test ways to do this effectively and affordably on over 100 hectares (247 acres) of land, making it one of the biggest trials in the world. Continue reading...

Call for environment bill returning to parliament to be strengthened to tackle global plastic waste crisisCampaigners are urging the UK government to ban the export of plastic waste to all countries, invest in a domestic recycling industry, and set a binding target for plastic reduction.Activists are pushing for the environment bill – which is returning to parliament on Wednesday – to be strengthened to tackle more effectively the global plastic waste crisis. Continue reading...

Legal & General Investment Management, Britain’s biggest fund manager, piles pressure on oil firmBritain’s biggest fund manager has piled pressure on Shell after joining a shareholder rebellion over the oil company’s carbon-cutting plans, saying that they lack credibility and the ambition required to combat global heating.It has emerged that Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of the oldest fund managers in the City of London, was among investors behind a significant shareholder vote against Shell’s climate transition targets at the company’s annual meeting on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Lobby group publishes ‘vision’ for decarbonising economy and creating 240,000 jobs

Fossil fuel and other emissions not linked to the land and agriculture increased by 7% over the past 15 years, analysis finds

Turkey is the latest country to reject the role of world’s dustbin. With their environment bill, ministers have a chance to end this vandalismThe international plastics recycling market is broken. It is doubtful whether it ever worked. For most of the last decade, China was the world’s largest importer of recyclable materials, some of which were used in manufacturing. But it banned these imports as part of a “beautiful China” policy aimed at improving the environment.Malaysia was the next country to fight back against being treated as the “dumping ground of the world” – as its environment minister, Yeo Bee Yin, put it in 2019. More than 200 facilities were closed, and thousands of tonnes of waste returned, amid growing evidence of the involvement of organised crime in the global waste business. Now Turkey has rejected the role of international rubbish bin: after a Greenpeace investigation found plastics dumped in rivers, on beaches and in illegal waste mountains, it announced that most plastic waste imports (which included 209,642 tonnes from the UK in 2020) will be banned in six weeks’ time. Continue reading...

Rob Higgs alleges plainclothes officers turned up unannounced at his premises

More than 283,000 back call to rid Spain’s coastline of smoke and discarded cigarette buttsA petition signed by more than 283,000 people calling on Spain to ban smoking at all its beaches has been delivered to the country’s environment minister.For more than two years the organisation No Fumadores (No Smokers) has been gathering signatures aimed at transforming Spain’s 3,084 miles (4,964km) of coastline into areas free of cigarette smoke and discarded cigarette butts. Continue reading...

Scottish National party says tariff-free imports of hormone-treated beef ‘would represent a bitter betrayal of rural communities’The UK government was facing a backlash on Saturday over its plans for a trade deal with Australia, which have led to anger from farmers and environmentalists and calls for the Scottish secretary to resign.Farming unions said that proposals for a zero-tariff and zero-quota trade deal would drive farmers out of business, while green groups said allowing Australian hormone-treated beef would breach the Conservatives’ manifesto commitments. Continue reading...

Ford unveiled its new F-150 Lightning pickup this week – but the success of EVs in this car-loving nation is far from certainIn Detroit, auto plants have for decades churned out trucks built with Motor City steel and fueled by gasoline. But this week’s rollout of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck offered a vision of the future in America’s automotive heartland: aluminum-clad pickups running off of electric powertrains with lithium batteries.Related: Ford launching electric F-150 truck in ‘huge’ shift for low-emission vehicles Continue reading...

Skinks and geckos saved from disaster on Mauritian islets have successfully bred in zooEndangered reptiles rescued from Mauritian islands that were contaminated by a devastating oil spill have bred successfully in captivity for the first time, raising hopes that populations can be restored to the wild.Bojer’s skink – a small, shiny reptile only found on tiny islets off Mauritius – has been bred by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust scientists at Jersey zoo. Two other imperilled species, the lesser night gecko and Bouton’s skink, have also been brought to the zoo, with the geckos breeding successfully as well. Continue reading...

Nationals candidate Dave Layzell is ahead with 31.22% of first-preference votes

A demonstration also took place at the Science Museum in London where Shell is a sponsorDozens of protesters, dressed in orange and green flowing costumes to represent the burning environment, gathered at the British Museum on Saturday while youth activists staged a separate demonstration at the Science Museum. Both events aimed to pressure the institutions to sever ties with oil corporations.The theatrical activist group BP or not BP staged a protest at the British Museum in response to the oil company’s sponsorship of Nero: The Man Behind the Myth, the museum’s next big exhibition, due to open on 27 May. Continue reading...

In the Tradition: Memento Exstingui, a project by the photographer Michele Turriani, draws attention to the plight of endangered animals that appear on the IUCN red list. It is inspired by the ‘memento mori’ and ‘vanitas’ art genres, which remind us of the transience of life and the inevitability of death. The skulls come from the Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent

Activists plan 24-hour protest in attempt to get company to turn fully plant-based by 2025Animal rights protesters have set up blockades at four McDonald’s distribution centres across Britain, which they say will affect about 1,300 restaurants.Activists from Animal Rebellion used trucks and bamboo structures to blockade distribution sites at Hemel Hempstead, Basingstoke, Coventry and Heywood in Greater Manchester from about 4.30am on Saturday, the group said. Continue reading...

The Morrison government seized on a recent electricity shortage as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for life without Liddell, but market experts insist there’s more than enough powerEnergy experts have rejected Morrison government claims an electricity shortage forced a major aluminium smelter to shut down three times in a week and that building a publicly-owned gas-fired power plant will fix the problem.The energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, this week confirmed taxpayers would pay up to $600m for Snowy Hydro Ltd to build a new 660MW fossil fuel plant at Kurri Kurri, in the Hunter Valley, saying it was needed to help replace the Liddell coal plant when it shuts in 2023. Continue reading...

G7 countries reaffirm commitment to limit global heating to 1.5C after nearly two days of wranglingThe world’s richest nations have agreed to end their financial support for coal development overseas, in a major step towards phasing out the dirtiest fossil fuel.After nearly two days of wrangling at a meeting of the G7 environment and energy ministers, hosted virtually by the UK on Thursday and Friday, all reaffirmed their commitment to limiting global heating to 1.5C, and committed to phasing out coal and fully decarbonising their energy sectors in the 2030s. Continue reading...

In early hours of Friday, windfarm turbines provided nearly two-thirds of Britain’s electricityPowerful gusts of wind sweeping across Britain have helped the country reach a new all-time high for electricity generated from wind turbines.A new record was set in the early hours of Friday for the share of wind power in the generation mix, with wind providing nearly two-thirds of Britain’s electricity, according to provisional data from National Grid. Continue reading...

Gradual tariff-free deal will be victory for free-trade Brexiters but is likely to alarm UK farmersUK ministers are expected to offer Australia a trade deal that will gradually eliminate all tariffs and quotas, one seen as a victory for free-trade Brexiters in the cabinet but is likely to prompt alarm among UK farmers.Downing Street did not deny reports on Friday that the likely offer to Australia would be a transition to zero quotas and tariffs over 15 years, although it insisted discussions were still taking place. Continue reading...

Developing foetuses ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to harm from tiny particles, scientists sayInfants whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of tiny air pollution particles during pregnancy are much more likely to develop asthma, according to research.The study analysed the impact of ultra-fine particles (UFPs), which are not regulated by governments. These are thought to be even more toxic than the larger particles that are routinely monitored and have also been linked to asthma. Continue reading...

Students marched at 47 sites around the nation to call for action to halt global heatingThousands of students across Australia walked out of classrooms to take part in the School Strike 4 Climate on Friday, calling for greater action on global heating.Defying pouring rain in Sydney, strikers chanted for climate justice, condemning the gas, coal and fossil fuel industries, and the Morrison government’s recent decision to fund a $600m gas-fired power plant. Continue reading...

Animal park that featured in 2020 Netflix series investigated in possible violation of Endangered Species Act

A ‘just add water’ approach is unlikely to be successful, with better monitoring of species needed to target environmental wateringTrillions of litres of water released into the Murray-Darling Basin to benefit the environment have had “no overall beneficial effect” on the populations of threatened species, according to new research.In a damning assessment of the monitoring of eight threatened species, the research from Australian National University scientists says the public reporting of the benefits of environmental watering was fragmentary and not backed by evidence. Continue reading...

Ofgem data points to consumer shift as ban on sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles approachesOne in four UK households intend to buy an electric car in the next five years, as a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030 approaches, according to research.More than 6.5m households plan to buy an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid, research by the energy watchdog Ofgem has found. This equates to 24%, or nearly one in four, of all energy households. Continue reading...

Conservation watchdog given boost after decade of funding cuts that left it at ‘crisis point’Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog, is to receive a 47% increase in government funding this year as its role expands to support a “green recovery” and provide environmental scrutiny of the government’s controversial “Project Speed”.The dramatic funding increase is a boost for wildlife protection and monitoring after a decade of deep cuts which left the agency at “crisis point” and its chairman, Tony Juniper, admitting that it would struggle to reverse declines in biodiversity. Continue reading...

Scientists predict migration of the megabats, mostly found in eastern and northern Australia, could have significant effects on Tasmania’s ecosystemsFruit bats may migrate as far south as Tasmania in the future as a result of extreme weather events linked to the climate crisis, new modelling suggests.University of Tasmania scientists predicted the grey-headed flying fox could take “climate refuge” in the southernmost state in coming decades if greenhouse gas emissions continued on their current trajectory. Continue reading...

Major banks say Australia’s international trading partners require the sector to identify and disclose climate risk on their balance sheetsAustralia’s big banks have declared they need to actively manage climate risk because governments and regulators require it, and because the investor community is “increasingly transitioning its focus towards a net-zero emissions economy”.The banks and their lobbying arm, the Australian Banking Association (ABA), have used new submissions to a parliamentary inquiry to implicitly rebut claims from senior Nationals that their actions amount to moral posturing or virtue signalling. Continue reading...

Head of Australian agricultural firm predicts sales surge as UK farmers warn they will struggle to competeAustralia’s biggest cattle farmer has predicted that the nation’s beef exports to the UK could rise as much as tenfold if the two countries strike a free-trade deal.Boris Johnson is determined to push through a free-trade deal with Australia, despite warnings from the National Farmers’ Union over the “irreversible damage” such a deal would do to UK agriculture. It was discussed by ministers at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Continue reading...

Initiative just one of several after Overton parish council declared a climate emergency in 2019

Native shorebirds and caribou among species at risk as survival strategies are upendedA drastic drop in caribou and shorebird populations is a reflection of the dire changes unfolding on the Arctic tundra, according to a new report from the Arctic Council.The terrestrial Arctic spans approximately 2.7m sq miles (7m sq km), marked by extreme cold, drought, strong winds and seasonal darkness. Species living in this environment have adapted to thrive in the harsh conditions. But the climate crisis has upended such survival strategies, according to the State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity report, published by the council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (Caff) working group. Continue reading...

Legislation will propose low-interest loans program for providers, allowing them to recoup money without using fines and shutoffsLegislation to cancel utility debts for millions of low-income households and bail out struggling utility companies is to be introduced in the US Senate on Thursday.Jeff Merkley, a Democratic senator from Oregon, will propose a $30bn low-interest loans program for electric, water and sewage and broadband providers as part of the Maintaining Access to Essential Services During the Covid Emergency Act of 2021. Continue reading...

When Dr Nanette Pierson moved to Hilton Head in 2009, she noticed hungry children at an apartment complex. Why are people lining up to eat in such a prosperous place?It’s a Tuesday morning in late April. I drive under a green canopy of live oaks on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Hilton Head is the picture of prosperity, awash in artificial green golf courses, pollen and Disney resorts – but I’m searching for a food pantry.A small private plane flies overhead. More than 70% of Hilton Head’s current homeowners live in gated communities, which are often named after cotton plantations that enslaved thousands of people. Early developer Charles Fraser built the island’s iconic red-and-white striped lighthouse; the structure hosts weddings and overlooks not just the harbor, but the final hole of a golf course. Continue reading...

The harmful chemical has a unique quality: it can build up in our river systems over time

Arizona’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit framing the climate crisis as a nativist issue as the evident impacts of global heating make denial less viableJoe Biden has sought to spur an expansion in renewable energy and electric vehicles since entering the White House but his climate agenda has also stirred something wholly unintended – a surge in blame foisted upon migrants for environmental degradation.An unusual lawsuit filed last month by Mark Brnovich, Arizona’s attorney general, is indicative of a growing nativist framing of the climate crisis, according to academics. In the lawsuit, Brnovich, a Republican, demands the reinstatement of Donald Trump’s immigration policies to help remedy the “pollution and stress on natural resources” caused by migrants who move to the US. Continue reading...

Follow This leads investor rebellions demanding reduced carbon emissions to tackle global heatingThe climate activist shareholder group that has led investor rebellions at Shell and BP will next week target the US oil major Chevron, with demands to set carbon emissions reduction targets.The vote will be the final stage in a flurry of shareholder rebellions coordinated by Follow This, a Dutch organisation that has rallied investor support for calls for the world’s biggest publicly owned oil companies to cut back production. Continue reading...

Refugee organisation says 30m new displacements last year were due to floods, storms or wildfiresIntense storms and flooding triggered three times more displacements than violent conflicts did last year, as the number of people internally displaced worldwide hit the highest level on record.There were at least 55 million internally displaced people (IDPs) by the end of last year, according to figures published by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Continue reading...

The 4,320 square kilometre slab of ice dubbed A-76 broke off Ronne shelf and is floating in Weddell seaA giant slab of ice almost four times the size of New York City has sheared off from the frozen edge of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg afloat in the world, according to the European Space Agency.Related: Global heating pace risks ‘unstoppable’ sea level rise as Antarctic ice sheet melts Continue reading...

The locals are divided as energy companies eye the gas resources buried kilometres below the sensitive Queensland floodplain region

Some disappeared from Dania Chimpanzee Farm in 1948 into mangrove swamp where descendants live todayA colony of monkeys has lived for about 70 years in urban south Florida, near jets taking off from a nearby airport and fuel storage tanks.No one was quite sure where they came from. Until now. Continue reading...

Cabinet said to be split over impact on British farmers with warnings about environmental implicationsLiz Truss has defended plans for a post-Brexit trade deal with Australia amid reports of a cabinet split over the impact on British farmers of granting tariff-free access to the UK market.The trade secretary said a deal with Australia would benefit farmers across the UK by opening up a key market while also paving the way for growth in exports across Asia. She promised that the government would protect British farmers from overseas importers using “unfair practices” to undercut them in the domestic market. Continue reading...

Residents urged to help keep persecuted raptors safe after two males disappear from Geltsdale nature reserve, CumbriaPeople in Cumbria are being urged to watch over a pair of hen harriers who have begun nesting on a nature reserve as police investigate the disappearance of two other of the endangered raptors.Two male hen harriers vanished from RSPB Geltsdale last week in what the police described as “suspicious circumstances”, just when both were providing nesting females with food. As a result both nests failed. Continue reading...

Massospora cicadina, laced with the same chemical as psychedelic mushrooms, infects a small number of cicadas

Greenpeace investigation revealed British recycling left to burn on beaches and roadsidesTurkey is banning the import of most plastic waste after an investigation revealed British recycling was left to burn or be dumped on beaches and roadsides.Greenpeace visited 10 sites in the southern city of Adana in March. Investigators found waste including British supermarket packaging in waterways, on beaches and in illegal waste mountains. Continue reading...

Activists celebrate early morning operation that also targeted the home of minister Ricardo SallesFederal police have raided the ministry supposedly tasked with protecting the Brazilian environment and the environment minister’s home as part of an investigation into the illegal export of Amazon timber.The early morning operation – for which the most prominent targets were the environment minister, Ricardo Salles, and his environmental chief, Eduardo Bim – was celebrated by activists who accuse Jair Bolsonaro’s rightwing government of systematically dismantling environmental protections. Continue reading...

UN report warns that quantity not matched by quality, with many conserved areas poorly protected, as Germany backs new landscapes fund for developing countriesAn area greater than the land mass of Russia has been added to the world’s network of national parks and conservation areas since 2010, amid growing pressure to protect nature.As of today, about 17% of land and inland water ecosystems and 8% of marine areas are within formal protected areas, with the total coverage increasing by 42% since the beginning of the last decade, according to the Protected Planet report by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Continue reading...

Drier summers mean the ground in vulnerable areas will be more prone to shrink and crack, scientists sayThe climate crisis is very likely to put millions of homes at increased risk of subsidence, according to new data from the British Geological Survey (BGS). The hotter and drier summers being driven by global heating mean the ground under houses will shrink and crack, scientists said.The key areas affected are London, Essex, Kent, and a swathe of land from Oxford up to the Wash. This is because the clay formations underlying these areas are most vulnerable to losing moisture. Continue reading...

Cargill, Bunge and Cofco sourced beans from companies allegedly supplied by a farmer fined for destroying swathes of rainforestThree of the world’s biggest food businesses have been accused of buying soya from a farmer linked to illegal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.Cargill, Bunge and Cofco sourced soya beans from the Chinese-owned Fiagril and the multinational Aliança Agrícola do Cerrado, both of which have allegedly been supplied by a farmer fined and sanctioned multiple times after destroying swathes of rainforest, according to a new investigation. Continue reading...

Supermarkets and multinational manufacturers have unveiled a plastics pact across Australia, New Zealand and Pacific IslandsAustralia will miss its 2025 targets to cut plastic pollution from packaging unless it shifts from voluntary programs to enforcement, an alliance of conservation groups and the Greens have said.On Tuesday major supermarkets and multinational food and consumer goods manufacturers launched a new voluntary program across Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands with a goal that plastic “never becomes waste or pollution”. Continue reading...

International Energy Agency report says countries like Australia need a no-emissions electricity grid within 14 years to reach net zero by 2050Australian politicians and companies are being urged to abandon plans for new coal power, gas and oil investments after a major report by the world’s leading energy agency found fossil fuel expansion must end now if the planet is to address the climate crisis.The International Energy Agency (IEA) found a “narrow and extremely challenging” pathway to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – a target set by more than 100 countries, and which the Morrison government says it would “preferably” like to achieve – would require advanced economies such as Australia to have a zero-emissions electricity grid by 2035. Continue reading...

Shareholder resolution calling for carbon emissions reduction targets receives 30% of votesShell has faced a significant shareholder rebellion on a vote calling for the oil company to set firm targets to wind down fossil fuel production.A shareholder resolution calling for the Anglo-Dutch company to set binding carbon emissions reduction targets received 30% of votes at the oil company’s annual meeting on Tuesday. Continue reading...