Environment | The Guardian

Plants, birds, moths and bugs are all waiting to be noticed and appreciated – and photographed

From frogs to baboons, Guardian readers from around the world have sent us their best shots of urban wildlife taken from their homes

Planned sale of land to fossil fuel, mining and and timber concerns mirrors rollback of Obama-era pollution regulationsThe Trump administration has ratcheted up its efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic to overhaul and overturn Obama-era environmental regulations and increase industry access to public lands.The secretary of the interior, David Bernhardt, has sped efforts to drill, mine and cut timber on fragile western landscapes. Meanwhile, the EPA, headed by the former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, has weakened critical environmental laws and announced in March that it would cease oversight of the nation’s polluters during the Covid-19 crisis. Continue reading...

Airline given £600m coronavirus bailout with no strings attached

Environment department’s three-year inquiry found Jam Land illegally used herbicide on critically endangered grasslands in 2016

Study into effects of coronavirus curbs also finds less asthma and preterm births

Renewable electricity may be only source to withstand biggest shock in 70 years

Keith Pitt says review of environmental laws must look at how to ‘streamline’ assessment processes for major projectsThe federal minister for resources, water and northern Australia, Keith Pitt, says “cashed-up activists” should not be able to hold up developments that have been approved by a government agency “simply because they can afford to”.In an interview with Guardian Australia, Pitt said Australia had “some of the strongest environmental protections in the world” and the government had “no intention to change how strongly we protect the environment”. But he said a review of Australia’s environmental laws needed to consider how assessment processes could be “streamlined” for companies developing major projects. Continue reading...

Getting the regulations right will allow the secure expansion of wind and solar power, study findsAustralia already has the technical capacity to safely run a power grid in which 75% of the electricity comes from wind and solar and, if it gets regulations right, should occasionally reach this level within five years.A study by the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) looking at how to incorporate more renewable energy into the system while maintaining grid security found wind and solar capacity was increasing rapidly, but the operation of the electricity market could hold it back unless settings were changed. Continue reading...

Former Obama adviser says Australian PM was ‘very sure of himself without knowing what he was talking about’

A suburb of the country’s capital is showing how urban planning can be harnessed to benefit both humans and wildlife

As the coronavirus lockdown makes wildlife more visible in our cities, biodiversity reporter Patrick Greenfield speaks to ecologist Dr Rana El-Sabaawi and evolutionary biologist Prof Menno Schilthuizen about what this means for the future of cities and how urban dwellers can become more involved with nature Continue reading...

Exclusive: Queensland government blocked report’s public release after granting gas companies new exploration rightsAn independent scientific panel commissioned by the Queensland government recommended a ban on fracking in the environmentally sensitive Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre basin, but the experts’ findings were made secret by the state and ultimately ignored.Guardian Australia has obtained a leaked copy of the panel’s report, which was blocked from public release and ruled subject to cabinet confidentiality by the Palaszczuk government last year. Continue reading...

Lockdown and oil price slump leave future of vast Argentinian shale project hanging in balanceWhether the post-pandemic world moves back to fossil fuels or forward to a clean economy will become clearer in the coming weeks as the International Monetary Fund and Argentina decide whether to continue support for the vast Vaca Muerta oil and gas fields in Patagonia.The development aims to tap the second biggest shale deposits on the planet (after the Permian basin in Texas), but its future has been thrown in doubt by the coronavirus lockdown, which has induced the steepest fall of the oil price in 30 years. Continue reading...

Analysis suggests current federal policies will lead to a price rise after 2030 but a more ambitious target would keep bills lowerAustralia could get 90% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2040 without an increase in power prices, according to an analysis by the energy and carbon consultancy RepuTex.Under current government policies, the country is on track to have 75% of its electricity generated by renewables within 20 years, but the analysis suggests a weak federal policy framework would lead to wholesale prices rising for a period after 2030. Continue reading...

Event’s 50th anniversary sees digital activism replace demos, due to coronavirus

While some species have declined by more than a third overall, where conservation measures are in place they have increased by 46%Populations of some Australian mammals declined by more than a third over two decades, but sites with clear conservation management saw improvements in their populations of 46%, according to new research.The figures are the first tranche of data in Australia’s Threatened Species Index for mammals, which combines data from monitoring programs across the country to track trends in threatened species populations. Continue reading...

Instead of bailing out big oil, let’s bail out ordinary people insteadOn the inaugural Earth Day, Americans flooded streets and college campuses to channel their fears, desire, hopes and longings into their vision for a better future. All these years later, we have failed to heed their call.This Monday, two days before Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, oil futures went negative for the first time in history. Buyers were so eager to offload oil commitments that they were willing to give their crude away at cost. This crash only emphasizes the inherent instability of the carbon economy and the need to create a more stable future. We need to disentangle our society from fossil fuels and let the industry die. Continue reading...

Research on events in Hawaii suggests climate crisis could increase eruptions around worldThe spectacular eruptions of the KÄ«lauea volcano in Hawaii in 2018 were triggered by extreme rainfall in the preceding months, research suggests.Scientists say the finding raises the possibility that climate breakdown, which is causing more extreme weather, could lead to an increase in eruptions around the world. Continue reading...

European carriers including Easy Jet and TUI secure loans free of binding environmental conditions, analysis reveals

We’ve learned that there is a bigger power than humanity. Now coronavirus has shown that to communities across the world

I worked for the EPA for 33 years. We can’t let this administration obliterate half a century of environmental progressOn the first Earth Day in 1970, millions of Americans took to the streets to demand clean air, water and land, and advocate for a healthier and more sustainable environment. By the end of the year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded.Related: EPA faces court over backing of Monsanto's controversial crop system Continue reading...

Taking down the fossil fuel industry requires taking on the institutions that finance it. Even during a pandemic, this movement is gaining steam1970 was a simpler time. (February was a simpler time too, but for a moment let’s think outside the pandemic bubble.)Simpler because our environmental troubles could be easily seen. The air above our cities was filthy, and the water in our lakes and streams was gross. There was nothing subtle about it. In New York City, the environmental lawyer Albert Butzel described a permanently yellow horizon: “I not only saw the pollution, I wiped it off my windowsills.” Or consider the testimony of a city medical examiner: “The person who spent his life in the Adirondacks has nice pink lungs. The city dweller’s are black as coal.” You’ve probably heard of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River catching fire, but here’s how the former New York governor Nelson Rockefeller described the Hudson south of Albany: “One great septic tank that has been rendered nearly useless for water supply, for swimming, or to support the rich fish life that once abounded there.” Everything that people say about the air and water in China and India right now was said of America’s cities then. Continue reading...

More than 11,000 cases of dead and sick birds reported in past fortnightThousands of blue tits have been found sick or dead in Germany, prompting an investigation by conservation groups and scientists.

Findings confirm 11 of the 12 warmest years in Europe occurred in past two decadesEurope had its hottest year on record last year, new data has confirmed, with periods of exceptional heat last February, June and July, and one of the wettest Novembers on record.Previous records were broken by only a small margin, but the findings confirmed that 11 out of the 12 warmest years in Europe have occurred in the past two decades, according to the European State of the Climate 2019 report, published on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Public invited to stare at series of dots for 10 seconds and consider each afterimage

Jeff Gibbs’ film, produced by Michael Moore, takes a pop at green, liberal A-listers such as Al Gore – but doesn’t dare criticise Greta ThunbergRecently, petrolhead pundit Jeremy Clarkson was thought to have disgraced himself by pointing out that the hi-tech sea yacht used by Greta Thunberg for her transatlantic crossing, for all its solar panels and underwater turbines, had an old-fashioned diesel engine aboard for emergencies. I thought about Clarkson’s jibe while watching this refreshingly contrarian eco-documentary from environmentalist Jeff Gibbs, which has been uploaded for free online viewing by its executive producer, Michael Moore.Gibbs has a cheeky habit of going backstage at music festivals that solemnly declare themselves to be using 100% renewable energy, only to find that the fancy array of solar panels behind the tent is enough to power a single bass guitar. The rest of the energy is provided by just plugging into the shameful old electricity grid, provided by fossil fuels. He sees it as symptomatic of the mainstream environmental movement, running on delusional piety. Continue reading...

Activists hold mass video calls and share hashtags, and three-day livestream planned for Earth DayThe large crowds and brightly coloured placards of the school climate strikes became some of the defining images of 2019.“There would be lots of chanting and the energy was always amazing,” says Dominique Palmer, a 20-year-old climate activist from London who has been involved with the strikes for more than a year. “Being there with everyone in that moment is truly an electrifying feeling. It’s very different now.” Continue reading...

Amphibians are at the forefront of a battle against extinction – but they’re not the only ones benefiting from ‘frozen zoos’Olaf grasps Diane Barber’s gloved hands with his sticky, four-fingered legs. His skin is bumpy and moist, the colour of pebbles at the bottom of a river when dappled sun hits them. Olaf’s eyes are deep amber. His body lifts and falls with each breath. “The males get really pretty,” says Barber, ectotherms curator at Fort Worth zoo in Texas. “Sometimes they’ll turn a solid yellow when they’re in breeding form.”In some ways, this toad shouldn’t exist at all. He is the progeny of an egg from a captive mother and sperm from a wild father – a hybrid from parents who were both dead. Olaf is not the first amphibian to be born via IVF – that has been happening for years – but he is the first to be born from sperm that was frozen and thawed. Continue reading...

The 50th annual call for environmental reform falls at a time when the health of people and nature has never been more urgentFifty years ago today, the first Earth Day was marked in the United States as a peaceful call for environmental reform, following a massive oil spill off the coast of California. Half a century later, this annual day unites millions across the globe, drawing attention to the huge challenges facing our planet.Now more than ever, Earth Day offers an opportunity for us all to reflect upon our relationship with the planet, amid the most powerful possible message that nature can surprise us at any moment, with devastating consequences for pretty much every individual. It is a time when the health of the planet and its people has never been so important. Continue reading...

Tearfund NGO says drinks makers not doing enough to tackle their plastic pollutionCoca-Cola and Pepsi are not doing enough to reduce their plastic waste footprint globally, according to a report.The charity Tearfund has compiled a league table of how the companies, and Unilever and Nestlé, are faring in their commitments set against a three-point plan. Continue reading...

Governments must act now to stop 265 million starving, warns World Food Programme boss

Efforts to protect the European eel, under threat from pollution and the damming of rivers, are having some successThis is the peak season for the arrival of what is hoped will be millions of glass eels swimming up Britain’s estuaries to reach fresh waters where they can grow into adults. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a curious creature with a complex lifestyle that is still barely understood.Eels are thought to begin life as eggs in the Sargasso Sea; drifting as larvae for about a year 4,000 miles north-east in the Gulf Stream before turning into tiny transparent eels. Their goal is to find a home in rivers, lakes and ponds while growing darker and larger for up to 10 years. When nearly a metre long they set off back across the Atlantic to breed. Continue reading...

Some councils confirm halt to recycling as lockdown puts pressure on disposal servicesCouncils are burning household recycling after being hit by a massive surge in domestic waste and coronavirus-related staff absences during the pandemic, the Guardian has learned.Councils in Cardiff, St Helens and Inverclyde confirmed they were temporarily incinerating recycling, while those in Oldham, Redbridge and West Dunbartonshire also said they had stepped down their recycling services for the time being. A further six authorities have stopped collecting glass or cardboard. Continue reading...

Lawyers argue that ministers have failed to account for UK’s climate crisis obligations

Scientists surprised by latest results but say carbon cuts remain vital to prevent ice loss becoming permanentThe loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic is now very likely before 2050, new research shows, even if the carbon emissions driving the climate crisis are cut rapidly.The result has alarmed scientists but they said slashing greenhouse gases remained vital as this would determine whether Arctic summer ice vanished permanently or could recover over time. If emissions remain very high, there is a risk the Arctic could be ice-free even in the dark, cold winter months, a possibility described as “catastrophic”. Continue reading...

From sea level rise to habitat loss, the effects of the climate crisis are on the verge of making south Florida uninhabitableFew places on the planet are more at risk from the climate crisis than south Florida, where more than 8 million residents are affected by the convergence of almost every modern environmental challenge – from rising seas to contaminated drinking water, more frequent and powerful hurricanes, coastal erosion, flooding and vanishing wildlife and habitat.If scientists are right, the lower third of the state will be underwater by the end of the century. Yet despite this grim outlook, scientists, politicians, environment groups and others are tackling the challenges head on. Continue reading...

Report from UN World Food Programme and others warns 265m people are facing acute risk

Coronavirus-hit Lombardy city will turn 35km of streets over to cyclists and pedestrians

Devastating 2019-20 fires estimated to have released 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than all bar five countries in the worldAustralia’s devastating bushfire season is likely to have released 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide, far more than the country’s annual greenhouse gas pollution, according to a government estimate.If compared with international emissions, it suggests the Australian temperate forest bushfires between September and February would rank sixth on a list of polluting nations, behind only China, the US, India, Russia and Japan. Continue reading...

National Trust hopes there were more survivors from Marsden fire than was fearedShort-eared owls, curlews and mountain hares have returned to Yorkshire moorland that was devastated by fire a year ago, the National Trust has said.Rangers feared whole populations of rare animals were wiped out when about 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of peatland habitat on Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire were scorched in April 2019 in a blaze that was started by a disposable barbecue and took fire crews four days to put out. Continue reading...

C&A, Adidas/Reebok, Esprit and M&S round out top five as average scores increase year on year, but Max Mara, Pepe Jeans and Tom Ford fall flatThe H&M Group, C&A, Adidas/Reebok, Esprit, Marks & Spencer and Patagonia are the world’s most transparent major fashion brands, according to the 2020 fashion transparency index from the campaign group Fashion Revolution.The annual report, now in its fifth year, ranks the amount of information companies disclose about social and environmental policies, processes and effects within their operations and supply chains. Continue reading...

The danger of deepwater oil operations, combined with the loosening of Obama-era rules, mean the risk of a repeat disaster is highA massive deepwater oil spill is nearly as likely today as it was in 2010, experts warn, 10 years after the disastrous explosion of BP’s rig in the Gulf of Mexico that caused an environmental catastrophe.The blowout killed 11 workers and spewed 4m barrels of petroleum into the ocean for 87 days before it could be capped, devastating marine life and polluting 1,300 miles of shoreline. Thousands were put out of work in oil, fisheries and tourism. Continue reading...

Research shows almost 80% of deaths across four countries were in most polluted regions

Major pork plant closed after hundreds of workers contract coronavirus, while speeding up of poultry production lines raises concerns over standards

Speeding up investment could deliver huge gains to global GDP by 2050 while tackling climate emergency, says report

Developers are creating waterfront homes in Boston with innovative seawall defences but is this a model for other cities? Or a sign of climate gentrification?Boston has endured several tumultuous eras, from being the birthplace of the American revolution to its seesawing fortunes as power and influence was wrested away by other US cities.Now Boston faces its most existential threat yet – the rising seas. Continue reading...

Largest number of nests of leatherbacks found in two decades as beaches emptied

The ninth circuit court of appeals is being asked to overturn the EPA’s approval of a Monsanto herbicide that is allegedly a threat to farm crops across the USThe US Environmental Protection Agency is due in federal court on Tuesday to answer allegations that it broke the law to support a Monsanto system that has triggered “widespread” crop damage over the last few summers and continues to threaten farms across the country.As farmers prepare to plant a new season of key American food crops, farmer and consumer groups are asking the ninth circuit court of appeals in San Francisco to review and overturn the EPA’s approval of a Monsanto herbicide made with a chemical called dicamba. Continue reading...