Environment | The Guardian

Everyone within 5km of the plant in Andhra Pradesh told to leave over fear of repeat of accident that has left at least 11 deadIndian officials have evacuated more people from the area around a chemical plant in the south of the country that leaked toxic gas, killing at least 11 people and sickening hundreds more. There was confusion about whether the wider evacuation orders were sparked by a renewed leak at the LG Chem factory in Andhra Pradesh, or by the fear that rising temperatures at the plant could lead to another leak. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents show department has stopped recommending assessment of ‘key threatening processes’ affecting native wildlifeThe federal government has stopped listing major threats to species under national environment laws, and plans to address listed threats are often years out of date or have not been done at all.Environment department documents released under freedom of information laws show the government has stopped assessing what are known as “key threatening processes”, which are major threats to the survival of native wildlife. Continue reading...

Adam Bandt says Labor and the crossbench should oppose the change and instead pursue renewables for the power gridThe Greens say a move by the Morrison government to overhaul the legislation underpinning the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to allow new investments in power grid reliability must be opposed, because it is a “Trojan horse for coal and gas”.Federal parliament is set to resume next week. The government proposes to amend the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act to enable the CEFC to establish and administer a $1bn grid reliability fund, and to create a special account for the initiative. The current legislation rules out investments by the CEFC in coal and gas. Continue reading...

Nuclear Regulatory Commission keen to allow material to be disposed of by ‘land burial’ – with potentially damaging effectsThe federal agency providing oversight of the commercial nuclear sector is attempting to push through a rule change critics say could allow dangerous amounts of radioactive material to be disposed of in places like municipal landfills, with potentially serious consequences to human health and the environment.Related: Coca-Cola and Pepsi falling short on pledges over plastic – report Continue reading...

The filmmaker’s latest venture is an excruciating mishmash of environment falsehoods and plays into the hands of those he once opposedDenial never dies; it just goes quiet and waits. Today, after years of irrelevance, the climate science deniers are triumphant. Long after their last, desperate claims had collapsed, when they had traction only on “alt-right” conspiracy sites, a hero of the left turns up and gives them more than they could have dreamed of.Planet of the Humans, whose executive producer and chief promoter is Michael Moore, now has more than 6 million views on YouTube. The film does not deny climate science. But it promotes the discredited myths that deniers have used for years to justify their position. It claims that environmentalism is a self-seeking scam, doing immense harm to the living world while enriching a group of con artists. This has long been the most effective means by which denial – most of which has been funded by the fossil fuel industry – has been spread. Everyone hates a scammer. Continue reading...

City leaders publish ‘statement of principles’ putting climate action at centre of recovery plans

Habitat destruction forces wildlife into human environments, where new diseases flourish

Mayor and agency planning fast-track new cycle routes and wider pavements

Fears Jair Bolsonaro’s ‘land grabbers decree’ may be pushed forwards after new rule allows land-grabbing on indigenous reservesAs the coronavirus pandemic eats its way into the Amazon, raising fears of a genocide of its vulnerable indigenous tribes, the government of the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and its supporters are dismantling rules shielding protected reserves. Key environment officials have been sacked, and environmentalists and indigenous leaders fear the pandemic is being used as a smokescreen for a new assault on the rainforest.They say a presidential decree awaiting congressional approval and new rules at the indigenous agency Funai effectively legalise land grabbing in protected forests and indigenous reserves. Continue reading...

Climate advisers call for work and training in low-carbon heating, water efficiency and flood-protection

Crowds are coming to see the light show as beaches begin to reopen after an almost month-long closure due to coronavirusMother nature has provided a radical gift to nighttime beach-goers in southern California, in the form of bioluminescent waves that crash and froth with an otherworldly light.Related: California surf shimmers with bioluminescence – in pictures Continue reading...

Brazil, France and Germany say UN can’t hear complaint against five countries of flouting child rights to clean airGreta Thunberg and a group of other children have pushed forward their legal complaint at the UN against countries they accuse of endangering children’s wellbeing through the climate crisis, despite attempts to have it thrown out.The 16 children, including the Swedish environmental activist, lodged a legal case with the UN committee on the rights of the child against Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey last September. Continue reading...

As logging of fire-affected areas is set to resume, Australian scientists say a clearer conversation is needed about fire risk

The pandemic reminds me of a different invisible enemy. Once again, coordinated action is the only effective response

Gas cookers making people sick and exposing tens of millions to air pollution levels that would be illegal if they were outsideGas stoves are making people sick, contributing pollution that makes indoor air up to two to five times dirtier than outdoor air, according to a new report.Related: Microplastics found in greater quantities than ever before on seabed Continue reading...

Human cost of climate crisis will hit harder and sooner than previously believed, research revealsThe human cost of the climate crisis will hit harder, wider and sooner than previously believed, according to a study that shows a billion people will either be displaced or forced to endure insufferable heat for every additional 1C rise in the global temperature.In a worst-case scenario of accelerating emissions, areas currently home to a third of the world’s population will be as hot as the hottest parts of the Sahara within 50 years, the paper warns. Even in the most optimistic outlook, 1.2 billion people will fall outside the comfortable “climate niche” in which humans have thrived for at least 6,000 years. Continue reading...

Once a step away from extinction, their survival was a rare success story. But groundbreaking gorilla conservation is now in peril

From Kenya to the Seychelles, coronavirus has dealt a devastating blow to efforts to protect endangered wildlife

Projects will deliver higher returns amid Covid-19 crisis than conventional spending, researchers claimGreen economy recovery packages for the coronavirus crisis will repair the global economy and put the world on track to tackle climate breakdown, but time is running out to implement the changes needed, new analysis has shown.Projects which cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as stimulating economic growth deliver higher returns on government spending, in the short term and in the longer term, than conventional stimulus spending, the study from Oxford University found. Continue reading...

Residents of the Shoalhaven are fighting to stop a housing development on one of the few unburnt areas in the districtResidents of a tiny community on the New South Wales south coast gathered at dawn on Tuesday as part of a last-ditch effort to prevent a small pocket of bushland that escaped the summer bushfires being bulldozed for a 20-hectare housing development.Between 70% and 80% of bushland in the Shoalhaven council area was affected during the January fires. Now the local community at Manyana wants the state government to intervene to at least postpone the destruction of one of the few unburnt areas, with the chainsaws expected to start as early as Thursday. Continue reading...

Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australia Industry Group, says Covid-19 and climate are ‘urgent’ challenges that overlapA leading Australian business group is calling for the two biggest economic challenges in memory – recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and cutting greenhouse gas emissions – to be addressed together, saying it would boost growth and put the country on a firm long-term footing.Innes Willox, chief executive of the Australian Industry Group, representing more than 60,000 businesses, says economic recovery from the virus and the transition required to meet net-zero emissions by 2050 are overlapping issues that should be taken on together. Continue reading...

El confinamiento y la caída del precio del petróleo ponen en juego el futuro de un enorme yacimiento petrolífero argentino

Workers at ‘most toxic place in America’ are terrified to return to a site where there has been very little protection from the outbreak

Measures taken in response to court ruling have yet to face much dissent, partly owing to coronavirusLast month the Dutch government announced a bold set of climate policies designed to reduce annual carbon emissions by nearly 10 megatons, comparable to the yearly output of Latvia.Several new coal power plants are to be closed or run at minimum capacity, a €3bn spending package will subsidise renewable energy projects and home refits, and there are a slew of smaller policy tweaks, for example on livestock numbers, reforestation and lowering the national speed limit. Continue reading...

Bank says climate change is a financial risk and addressing use of fossil fuels will create opportunities

Investment mandate of the Clean Energy Financing Corporation will be changed, but no guarantee hydrogen will be produced from renewablesThe Morrison government will change the investment mandate of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, directing it to make up to $300m available for a new Advancing Hydrogen Fund as part of the national hydrogen strategy.The Coalition’s move to create a dedicated hydrogen financing fund will be confirmed on Monday, and comes ahead of other changes the government intends to make to the CEFC’s investment program, including requiring it to support new investments in grid reliability. Continue reading...

Coalmining and coal-fired power use about 383bn litres a year, roughly equivalent to needs of 5.2 million peopleThe coal industry in New South Wales and Queensland is using as much water as all of Sydney’s households, according to new research.A new report by University of Adelaide water resources academic Ian Overton, commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, used public data to examine the impact of coalmining and coal-fired power on water resources. Continue reading...

Images captured on cameras being used for film shoot in thinly populated area of GaliciaA brown bear has been spotted traversing a rugged and sparsely populated area of north-west Spain for the first time in 150 years thanks to a set of camera traps and a bit of luck.Images of the animal were captured on cameras set up by a crew shooting the film Montaña ou Morte (Mountain or Death) in the Invernadeiro national park in Galicia’s Ourense province. Continue reading...

Asian giant hornet, which became more active in the state in April, is the world’s largest and can kill humans with multiple stings

Planet of the Humans film has had 5m views on YouTube and has enraged renewable energy experts who are demanding an apologyPlanet of the Humans is an environmental documentary that has enraged renewable energy experts and environmentalists, with some calling for its high-profile executive producer, Michael Moore, to apologise.It was released for free less than two weeks ago, and at the time of writing had had close to 5m views on YouTube. Continue reading...

Cities are home to a huge array of birdlife, but do you know your curlew from your godwit?

Lockdown has allowed us a glimpse of how different our cities could be in a carbon-neutral world

Workers interviewed by the Guardian describe pattern of alleged negligence at plants run by some of America’s largest food manufacturers

There are all sorts of ways the home cook can help conserve precious energy, this recipe for vegan coconutty ‘cheesecake’ being a case in pointReducing waste in the kitchen isn’t just about saving food: the time and energy it takes to cook food are also important resources that are easily squandered.The best way to save energy, besides loving your leftovers, is by cooking less: swap out a cooked element of your meal for a nutritious vegetable salad or raw dish (such as today’s coconut and lemon “cheesecake”); or make one-pot wonders that don’t use multiple cooker rings. And when you do need to cook more, make extra portions for the freezer. Continue reading...

Angus Taylor’s office and the false City of Sydney document, Obama White House v Tony Abbott, Eden-Monaro byelectionAs Australia’s coronavirus outbreak continues, a lot of important news has slipped under the radar.From Angus Taylor v Clover Moore, to a looming byelection, and back to the Taylor family’s Grasslands saga, here are the stories you may have missed over the past week. Continue reading...

Economic reconstruction is a chance to speed up decarbonisation, and the pandemic has shown a different kind of politics is possibleWe’re already being swamped with ideas about “reforms” needed to recover from the pandemic crisis. But the word reform is like gift wrap – a handy cover for any offering, thought-through or otherwise.Perhaps we should ditch the word entirely, and with it the forest of feelpinions about what governments “must” do to advance an author’s previously-held ideological positioning in the post-corona world. Continue reading...

Cross-party group of MPs ask for funds to encourage better agriculture, halt deforestation and avoid another pandemic

A few hundred seasonal pickers fly in on Friday, a far cry from the 49,000 passengers a day before pandemic

Third of workers at factory in Tipperary test positive, while McDonald’s supplier forced to temporarily halt productionAn outbreak of Covid-19 among workers in a meat factory in Tipperary has raised fears that the virus is spreading through abattoirs and meat-processing plants in Ireland.Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on agriculture, Brian Stanley, told the Irish parliament last night that 120 workers at the Rosderra Meats plant in Roscrea had tested positive for the virus. He also said that of 350 workers at the plant, up to 140 were off sick last week. Rosderra is the largest pork-processing company in Ireland. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including an African penguin and a dolphin in the Bosphorus Continue reading...

Pavement chalking to draw attention to wild flowers and plants in urban areas has gone viral across Europe – but UK chalkers could face legal action

Mayors coordinating efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable path out of lockdownsCities around the world are already planning for life after Covid-19, with a series of environmental initiatives being rolled out from Bogotá to Barcelona to ensure public safety and bolster the fight against climate breakdown.Mayors from cities in Europe, the US and Africa held talks this week to coordinate their efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable recovery from the crisis as national governments begin to implement huge economic stimulus packages. Continue reading...

Revealed: Oil and mining firms – some with ties to Trump officials – taking advantage of funding, review showsUS fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses by the investigative research group Documented and the Guardian.A total of $28m is going to three coal mining companies, all with ties to Trump officials, bolstering a dying American industry and a fuel that scientists insist world leaders must shift away from to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

If you’re gardening more than usual, try not to disturb the legless lizard, which can mate for up to 10 hours at a time in May

Researchers study whether new strain of chronic bee paralysis virus is responsibleA viral disease that causes honey bees to suffer severe trembling, flightlessness and death within a week is spreading exponentially in Britain.Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) was only recorded in Lincolnshire in 2007. A decade later, it was found in 39 of 47 English counties and six of eight Welsh counties, according to data collected from visits to more than 24,000 beekeepers. Continue reading...

As the pandemic leaves millions without work, taps are turned off even as the CDC calls for frequent hand-washingJoshua Haynes was raised to work hard and take care of his family without asking for outside help. But when the utility bills arrived last month, he knew there would be trouble.Haynes, 34, a construction worker from Newbern, Tennessee, was left without income after the governor issued a stay-at-home order in early April. As a cash-in-hand builder, he is not eligible to claim unemployment insurance, and the stimulus cheque still had not arrived. Continue reading...

Green groups fear coronavirus lockdown has weakened environmental protectionsAn “armada” of more than 100 fishing vessels are illegally plundering south Atlantic waters close to Argentina, environmental groups say, raising concerns that the coronavirus lockdown has weakened already fragile marine protections.The incursion of the ships, mostly from east Asia, appears to have been carried out by stealth. The vessels waited until nightfall, shut down satellite tracking systems in coordination and then moved into the squid-rich waters of Argentina’s exclusive economic zone, Greenpeace said. Continue reading...

Study argued such schemes are like ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul, while half of irrigators said program was ‘wasteful’A new study has found that the government’s $4bn Murray-Darling irrigation efficiency program, designed to make farms more efficient while returning some of the saved water to the environment has actually led to irrigators who received subsidies extracting more water than those who did not.The study by academics from University of Adelaide, University of NSW, the Australian National University and the Environmental Defenders office found up to 28% more water was extracted by those who received subsidies. Continue reading...

Currents act as conveyor belts that concentrate microplastics in hotspots, study suggestsScientists have discovered microplastics in greater quantities than ever before on the seabed, and gathered clues as to how ocean currents and deep-sea circulation have carried them there.Microplastics – tiny pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size – are likely to accumulate most densely on the ocean floor in areas that are also biodiversity hotspots, intensifying the damage they may do to marine ecosystems, according to the research. Continue reading...

More than half of Woodside’s investors support shareholder motion to set targets in line with Paris climate agreementActivists have heralded a “breakthrough moment” in the push for the Australian gas industry to do more on the climate crisis after more than 50% of shareholders called on Woodside Petroleum to set science-based greenhouse gas targets.Slightly more than half of the company’s investors who gave a view supported a motion that it set targets in line with the goals of the Paris climate agreement to cut both its own emissions and the “scope 3” emissions released by consumers of its products, many of them in Asia. Continue reading...