by Helen Sullivan and Michael Standaert on (#5FX5J)
Thick dust carrying extremely high levels of hazardous particles blows in from drought-hit MongoliaThe second sandstorm to hit China in less than a fortnight has reversed the colours of the sky, turning the sun blue and the heavens yellow.Beijing woke on Sunday morning shrouded in thick dust carrying extremely high levels of hazardous particles. Continue reading...
As soon as you’re sure you imagined them, on they go again“Thou aeronautical boll weevil / Illuminate yon woods primeval,” the Mills Brothers sang in 1952, imploring glow-worms to “Light the path below, above / And lead us on to love”. John Keats, comparing the fairness of goddess Psyche with the bright white moon and the evening star (spoiler: she is fairer than both), refers to the star as an “amorous glow-worm of the sky”. Seamus Heaney poked a glow-worm with a blunt stick and “a tiny brightening den lit the eye” – turning the stick into a wand.Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. I’m in Mozambique, it is dark, and there is a wedding tomorrow. I have just had my first – and I don’t know it yet, but only – drink in a coconut. I chose Fanta Grape. Outside at the restaurant, I see my first glow-worms. It is possible that they are fireflies, but they’re still: on the branches of what I hope are hibiscus trees, but then again, I would happily plant a hibiscus in every memory I have. Continue reading...
Australia Institute calls for rule change to allow renewables to replace fossil fuels in underpinning grid reliabilityRenewable energy and batteries can secure Australia’s electricity grid as effectively as coal and gas, new research suggests.The research, commissioned by the Australia Institute thinktank and released on Monday, found clean technologies provided the fast frequency response service and voltage control needed to secure the energy grid and reduce cost. But the report says regulatory barriers currently limit the ability of renewable energy and batteries to provide system security. Continue reading...
Steven Donziger has been detained at home since August 2019, the result of a Kafkaesque legal battle stemming from his crusade on behalf of Indigenous AmazoniansMany of us will have felt the grip of claustrophobic isolation over the past year, but the lawyer Steven Donziger has experienced an extreme, very personal confinement as a pandemic arrived and then raged around him in New York City.On Sunday, Donziger reached his 600th day of an unprecedented house arrest that has resulted from a sprawling, Kafkaesque legal battle with the oil giant Chevron. Donziger spearheaded a lengthy crusade against the company on behalf of tens of thousands of Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest whose homes and health were devastated by oil pollution, only to himself become, as he describes it, the victim of a “planned targeting by a corporation to destroy my life”. Continue reading...
Lifesaving research on fighting drought and climate change at risk after snap decision to halt crucial fundingFor two years, the Rwandan-born scientist Anita Etale has been leading efforts to develop cheap methods to clean contaminated water supplies, a widespread problem in Africa.Based at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa, Etale had a £300,000 grant from Britain’s Royal Society in 2019 to build a team of researchers, who went on to develop cleaning filters using maize and sugarcane stubble. “Finding cheap source materials is crucial to make affordable filters,” Etale said Continue reading...
Outlawing the sale of the controversial delicacy will now be easier because of Brexit but could still be challenged by the WTOFoie gras has been served in one form or another at the banquets of the pharaohs and the court of Louis XIV.But present-day fans are losing the battle to keep foie gras on the menu in Britain, after years of campaigning by opponents appalled at its production by force-feeding ducks and geese. Continue reading...
Summit is designed to revive a US-convened forum of the world’s major economies that previous administrations had allowed to lapseJoe Biden is doubling down on his reset of his predecessor’s environmental policies by inviting the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping of China to the first big climate talks of his administration next month aimed at increasing cooperation to fight global heating.The Leaders Summit on Climate talks, scheduled to be held virtually on 22 and 23 April, are an opportunity for the US to shape, hasten and deepen global efforts to cut climate-wrecking fossil fuel pollution, administration officials told the Associated Press. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5FW60)
£1.5bn scheme at heart of Boris Johnson’s ‘build back better’ promise has struggled since launchThe government has scrapped its flagship green homes grant scheme, the centrepiece of Boris Johnson’s promise to “build back greener” from the Covid-19 pandemic, just over six months after its launch.The abandonment of the £1.5bn programme, which offered households grants of up to £5,000 or £10,000 to put in insulation or low-carbon heating, leaves the UK without a plan for tackling one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...
Relentless student pressure and the cold facts of the bottom line forced an institution with close ties to the car industry to reverse course in just six yearsIf you want proof of how decisively the climate zeitgeist has begun to shift, you could look to Washington and the transition between the Trump and Biden eras.But you could also look further west, to Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, which routinely tops the rankings of America’s best public universities. It’s a massive institution whose faculty and graduates have collected scores of Nobel, Pulitzer and MacArthur prizes; somewhere on the surface of the moon there’s a plaque marking its first extraterrestrial alumni chapter, because all the astronauts on Apollo 15 had studied there. It couldn’t be more middle-American, with deep ties to, among other things, the state’s world-leading automotive industry. Continue reading...
Conservationists build 400-tonne structure to tempt migrating birds back to nature reserve after 25 yearsA giant “sandcastle” has been constructed to encourage sand martins to nest at a nature reserve for the first time in 25 years, Surrey Wildlife Trust has said.The 400-tonne sand installation at Spynes Mere, near Merstham, Surrey, was built by professional sand sculptors who used a “giant bucket mould” made from wooden boards, as well as the help of diggers and dumper trucks. Continue reading...
Yurok Tribe will create a captive breeding facility in Redwood national park for birds that could be released as early as this fallAfter a century of absence, the endangered California condor is set to return to the skies of the Pacific north-west.The condor once soared from British Columbia to Mexico, but habitat loss, overhunting and, most significantly, poisoning from hunting ammunition drove the birds to near extinction. Continue reading...
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin among invitees as US heralds return to forefront of climate fightJoe Biden has invited 40 world leaders to a virtual summit on the climate crisis, the White House said in a statement on Friday.Heads of state, including Xi Jinping of China and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, have been asked to attend the two-day meeting meant to mark Washington’s return to the front lines of the fight against human-caused climate change, after Donald Trump disengaged from the process. Continue reading...
Cairns event sees 120 traditional owners and scientists share insights on tackling heatwaves, rising seas and species deathsMore than 100 traditional owners and leading scientists from across Australia met this week to build a national First Nations voice on climate change.From marine heatwaves and rising seas to bushfires and mass species deaths, climate change is having a major impact on First Peoples, their country, health and culture. Continue reading...
Many believe the South Island kōkako to be extinct – but the recovery of its North Island relative has given conservationists hopeThere are few good news stories in conservation, but one group of committed volunteers in New Zealand is hoping for something better – a miracle.Spurred on by the successful recovery of the North Island kōkako – a large, long-legged songbird with a blue wattle and haunting call – they are searching the South Island for its close relative, though many already believe it to be lost. Continue reading...
Sighting in Primorye region said to show success of fight against poachers and steps to boost species populationRussian conservationists have hailed a rare sighting of an Amur leopard mother with three cubs in the far-eastern region of Primorye as proof of the efficiency of the country’s efforts to boost the population of the endangered species.Scientists in a Russian national park in Primorye on the border with China obtained the images using a remote camera trap. The video footage shows the feline family standing on top of a hill in the Land of the Leopard national park. Continue reading...
Researchers say half a million infections might have been stopped if more states had suspended disconnections during pandemicA national moratorium on water shutoffs could have prevented almost half a million Covid infections and saved at least 9,000 lives, according to new research.Related: Make it rain: US states embrace 'cloud seeding' to conquer drought Continue reading...
Officials warn residents to be on the watch for flood water runoff containing sewage, chemicals and debrisSome New South Wales beaches will close and towns put on tight water restrictions after this week’s wild weather saw flood water runoff containing sewage, chemicals and debris dumped into major waterways.Guardian Australia understands that all Central Coast beaches will be closed over the weekend. There will also be widespread closures on the mid- and lower-north coast, with water quality and debris posing safety concerns for beachgoers and surf lifesavers. Continue reading...
The UK’s cycling infrastructure is hostile to women – and smart new measures in Paris and Lisbon show that change is overdueIt was enraging and exhausting to read comments on social media in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder from men suggesting she had made a “poor decision” to walk home alone in the dark. Every day, women and gender non-conforming people reflexively make calculations about their safety in a way that most men do not have to – and yet sometimes, tragically, it still is not enough.We have normalised a society in which men can move around as they please while the rest of us fear for our lives for the simple act of travelling home. Continue reading...
As world shifts to green energy, Iraq and Nigeria among those vulnerable to ‘wave of instability’Oil-dependent countries that are not preparing to adapt to the global shift away from fossil fuels risk their own stability, warns a new report.Algeria, Iraq and Nigeria are the most vulnerable to “a slow-motion wave of political instability”, according to the risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft. Continue reading...
Plan to create 50 million customers after takeover of Octopus Renewables hands UK supplier 300 projects in six countriesThe UK’s fastest growing energy supplier will soon become one of Europe’s biggest renewable energy investors in a deal worth more than £3bn, which could bring green energy to 50 million homes in six years.Octopus Energy will snap up its sister company Octopus Renewables in a move that will hand the startup a portfolio of about 300 renewable energy projects, across six different countries, enough to power more than 1.2 million homes. Continue reading...
Much of net-zero target could be met if JBS ended deforestation by Amazon suppliers, say campaignersThe Brazilian company JBS, the world’s biggest meat processor, has announced record profits a day after it pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – the first global meat and poultry company to do so.Surging exports to China and Hong Kong fed its record profit of 4bn Brazilian reais (£516m) for the last quarter of 2020 – up a staggering 65% on the previous year – the company said on Wednesday night. Sales to China and Hong Kong from Brazil grew by about 60%, it said. Continue reading...
Species has more than quadrupled since 2009 thanks to the Endangered Species Act, according to a recent reportThe number of American bald eagles has more than quadrupled since 2009, according to a recent report by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.The species, once on the brink of extinction, has grown to 316,700 birds and 71,400 nesting pairs in the 2019 breeding season. US officials say the “strong return” of American bald eagles is a reminder of the importance of federal conservation efforts and protections, such as banning the pesticide DDT. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5FSA6)
All options to fight climate crisis must be explored, says national academy, but critics fear side-effectsThe US should establish a multimillion-dollar research programme on solar geoengineering, according to the country’s national science academy.In a report it recommends funding of $100m (£73m) to $200m over five years to better understand the feasibility of interventions to dim the sun, the risk of harmful unintended consequences and how such technology could be governed in an ethical way. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5FS7K)
Preserving Latin America’s forests is vital to fight the climate crisis and deforestation is lower in indigenous territoriesThe embattled indigenous peoples of Latin America are by far the best guardians of the regions’ forests, according to a UN report, with deforestation rates up to 50% lower in their territories than elsewhere.Protecting the vast forests is vital to tackling the climate crisis and plummeting populations of wildlife, and the report found that recognising the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples to their land is one of the most cost-effective actions. The report also calls for the peoples to be paid for the environmental benefits their stewardship provides, and for funding for the revitalisation of their ancestral knowledge of living in harmony with nature. Continue reading...
This critically endangered ‘gardener’ of the forest has been ‘red listed’ independent of its famous savanna relative for the first time. It’s time to take its plight seriously
Government is not testing drinking water for PFAS, which studies have linked to numerous health issuesThe UK government is not testing drinking water for a group of toxic manmade chemicals linked to a range of diseases including cancers, while across the world people are falling sick and suing for hundreds of millions of dollars at a time after finding the substances in their tap water.Known collectively as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), or “forever chemicals” because they are designed never to break down in the environment, the substances are used for their water- and grease-repellent properties in everything from cookware and clothing to furniture, carpets, packaging, coatings and firefighting foams. Continue reading...
The Department of Defense has ordered the burning of 20m pounds of AFFF – despite risks to human healthOne of the most enduring, indestructible toxic chemicals known to man – Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), which is a PFAS “forever chemical” – is being secretly incinerated next to disadvantaged communities in the United States. The people behind this crackpot operation? It’s none other than the US military.As new data published by Bennington College this week documents, the US military ordered the clandestine burning of over 20m pounds of AFFF and AFFF waste between 2016-2020. That’s despite the fact that there is no evidence that incineration actually destroys these synthetic chemicals. In fact, there is good reason to believe that burning AFFF simply emits these toxins into the air and onto nearby communities, farms, and waterways. The Pentagon is effectively conducting a toxic experiment and has enrolled the health of millions of Americans as unwitting test subjects. Continue reading...
Experts say new interior secretary will renew focus on climate emergency and public lands after years of cuts under TrumpAfter four years under an administration that denied the climate crisis, opened public lands to oil and gas drilling and stripped protections from national monuments, the US interior department will look radically different with Deb Haaland at its helm.Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary in US history and a member of the Laguna Pueblo, was sworn in to her post last week and has vowed to be a “fierce advocate” for public lands. Wildlife, parks and climate advocacy groups have hailed her confirmation as a major win for public lands and say that under Haaland’s leadership the interior department will renew its focus on fighting the climate emergency. Continue reading...
Foreign minister Marise Payne makes the claim when asked about the ex-finance minister’s OECD campaign, despite Australia’s much vaunted gas-led recoveryMarise Payne insists the Morrison government shares “the same ambitions” as the incoming OECD chief, Mathias Cormann, for a green recovery from the pandemic.The foreign minister made the claim despite the government’s promotion of a gas-fired recovery and despite research showing Australia was the worst performer among the world’s 50 largest economies for “green recovery” spending to kickstart economic growth. Continue reading...
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates have an estimated wealth of $466bn – and are emblematic of a Davos-centric worldview that sees free markets and tech as the answerThe latest must-have for America’s ultra-rich isn’t another mega yacht or space program – it’s a plan to save the world from the climate crisis.Related: The race to zero: can America reach net-zero emissions by 2050? Continue reading...
Almost a decade ago 3 million shearwaters arrived on Australian beaches and died. Now researchers know whyScientists finally know why millions of seabirds wound up dead on Australian beaches after unravelling a complex tale involving floating rocks, an underwater volcano and possibly something called the Blob.Back in 2013, the carcasses of short-tailed shearwaters, commonly known as muttonbirds, were found en masse along Australia’s east coast. Continue reading...
Some 60,000 people told to be ready to evacuate, while others are allowed to return homeResidents in one part of the mid New South Wales north coast have been allowed to return home as emergency services warn some of the state’s rivers will remain swollen into the weekend and flooding still poses a risk.Areas of continued concern include Moree in the NSW north-west, the Upper Hunter around Singleton, Grafton, parts of the Central Coast and the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment north-west of Sydney. Continue reading...
Proposed changes to the national energy market rules aims to prevent ‘traffic jams’ of electricity on sunny daysAustralian households with rooftop solar panels could be charged for exporting electricity into the power grid at times when it is not needed under proposed changes to the national electricity market.The recommendation is included in a draft deliberation by the Australian Energy Market Commission that is designed to prevent “traffic jams” of electricity at sunny times that could destabilise the network. Continue reading...
Toxicologist Jon Heylings speaks of his long-held concerns over paraquat, which is linked to thousands of deaths globally‘A sip can kill’: did a chemical company misrepresent data to avoid making a safer product?A scientist with one of the world’s largest chemical firms took the difficult decision to speak out publicly when “a new generation” of managers rejected concerns about a mass produced weedkiller that he had been expressing for decades.Going public has been a “relief”, says toxicologist Jon Heylings. He worked for 28 years for Syngenta, formerly ICI, where his efforts focused on developing safer formulations of the herbicide paraquat. But in 1990 he began consistently raising internal concerns about the handling of what was one of the company’s bestselling products. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#5FRAQ)
Government of Scotland in line for windfall after lifting cap on maximum bidsThe Scottish government is in line for a windfall of up to £860m from a forthcoming auction of Scottish seabed plots for windfarms, after lifting a cap on maximum bids following a runaway auction in England and Wales.Crown Estate Scotland had planned to cap the amount developers could offer for a seabed lease at £10,000 per square kilometre, but under new rules the bidding will be allowed to swell to a maximum £100,000 per sq km. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#5FRAR)
Scheme will not come into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until at least six years after it was announcedA promised deposit return scheme for plastic bottles to cut marine pollution will not be in place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until late 2024 at the earliest – six years after it was announced by the government as a key environmental policy.Critics said the delay was “embarrassing” and not the sign of a government committed to tackling plastic pollution. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5FR3E)
The potential of soils to slow climate change by soaking up carbon may be less than previously thoughtThe storage potential of one of the Earth’s biggest carbon sinks – soils – may have been overestimated, research shows. This could mean ecosystems on land soaking up less of humanity’s emissions than expected, and more rapid global heating.Soils and the plants that grow in them absorb about a third of the carbon emissions that drive the climate crisis, partly limiting the impact of fossil-fuel burning. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can increase plant growth and, until now, it was assumed carbon storage in soils would increase too. Continue reading...
Twitter video serves as reminder that once polluted body of water is cleaner than it has been in more than a centuryA video of a pair of dolphins swimming in New York’s once famously polluted and dirty East River has served as a reminder that the body of water is cleaner than it has been in more than a century.Related: Dolphins have similar personality traits to humans, study finds Continue reading...
Republican governor received warning after failing to take required certification course before killing animalThe Republican governor of Montana has been slapped with a written warning and directed to take an online education course after trapping and killing a black wolf in violation of state regulations.The governor, Greg Gianforte, was elected in November and was formerly a member of US Congress representing the state. The news was first reported by Nate Hegyi in the Mountain West News Bureau of Boise State public radio in Idaho. Continue reading...
Thinktank reports that northern UK cities are lagging behind on development of clean air zonesThe delayed introduction of measures to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis will exacerbate the glaring health inequalities and entrench the north-south divide, according to a report.Several local authorities in the north have scrapped or deferred plans to introduce clean air zones, regarded as the best way to tackle toxic air, while cities in other parts of the UK are pressing ahead with the schemes to limit dirty vehicles. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian