Environment | The Guardian

Deadly heatwaves, floods and rising hunger far greater threat to world than coronavirus, scientists sayThe world is “way off track” in dealing with the climate emergency and time is fast running out, the UN secretary general has said.António Guterres sounded the alarm at the launch of the UN’s assessment of the global climate in 2019. The report concludes it was a record-breaking year for heat, and there was rising hunger, displacement and loss of life owing to extreme temperatures and floods around the world. Continue reading...

Villagers are downing their weapons and protecting swathes of ancient forest and its wildlife in Nagaland state

Exclusive: carbon from most harvested wood soon ends up back in atmosphere, says studyCommercial tree plantations in Britain do not store carbon to help the climate crisis because more than half of the harvested timber is used for less than 15 years and a quarter is burned, according to a new report.While fast-growing non-native conifers can sequester carbon more quickly than slow-growing broadleaved trees, that carbon is released again if the trees are harvested and the wood is burned or used in products with short lifespans, such as packaging, pallets and fencing. Continue reading...

Traditional owners say deal will provide job security and support families in remote and regional AustraliaThe federal government has committed $102m over the next seven years to support Indigenous rangers, who are playing a “critical role” in protecting our environment, the environment minister, Sussan Ley, says.Indigenous protected areas (IPAs) make up about 45%, or 67m hectares, of Australia’s network of national parks and reserves, and hold some of the most culturally significant and biodiverse lands on the continent. Continue reading...

Riding is way of thumbing the nose at occupation and connecting with the landAre you annoyed by the anti-motorcycle barriers or speed bumps on your local bike path? Spare a thought for Palestinian bicycle advocates. According to the UN, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank imposes 705 obstacles to the free movement of Palestinians.These obstacles include military checkpoints where only those with permits can pass, a 440-mile separation barrier, and roving patrols that can turn a joyous bike ride into humiliating roadside detention. Continue reading...

First seagrass restoration in Britain will capture carbon rapidly and offer habitat for lost marine life“We think this whole bay was once carpeted with seagrass,” says Evie Furness, waving across the sparkling, sunlit waters of Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales.The underwater meadow is long gone though, a victim of past pollution and shipping. So from a boat half a mile from shore, Furness is feeding a long rope into the water, which carries a little hessian bag of seagrass seeds every metre. “We’ve passed the 800,000 seed mark now,” she says. Continue reading...

Corporation is not renewing its deals with the two leading arts institutions amid climate crisisShell is to end its relationship with two of the UK’s leading arts institutions amid growing concern about big oil’s role in the escalating climate crisis.The fossil fuel corporation has confirmed it is not renewing its corporate membership deals with the Southbank Centre and the British Film Institute (BFI) when they come up for renewal later this year. Continue reading...

Researchers believe the Indian Ocean Dipole is more clearly influenced by climate change than previously thoughtIndian Ocean surface temperatures that helped drive hot and dry conditions in eastern Australia last year were more clearly influenced by climate change than previously thought and are likely to worsen in future, researchers have found.Scientists studying a phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole say their observations suggest Australia could experience future conditions even more extreme than those that elevated the bushfire risk during the 2019-20 fire season. Continue reading...

Global emissions down by 2% amid mild winter and reduced use of coal-fired power plantsCarbon emissions from the global electricity system fell by 2% last year, the biggest drop in almost 30 years, as countries began to turn their backs on coal-fired power plants.A new report on the world’s electricity generation revealed the steepest cut in carbon emissions since 1990 as the US and the EU turned to cleaner energy sources. Continue reading...

Members of the public vent frustration that it has taken more than three weeks for PM to tour affected areasBoris Johnson has been met with cries of “traitor” after arriving in flood-hit Worcestershire more than three weeks after the crisis began.The prime minister arrived on the banks of the River Severn in Bewdley on Sunday afternoon, and was taken to view flood defences by Environment Agency staff. Continue reading...

Washington DC-based bank grants funds to redraft south American state’s oil laws by lawyers linked to oil giantThe World Bank is to pay for Guyana’s oil laws to be rewritten by a legal firm that has regularly worked for ExxonMobil, just as the US producer prepares to extract as much as 8bn barrels of oil off the country’s coast.The World Bank has pledged not to fund fossil fuel extraction directly, but it is giving Guyana millions of dollars to develop governance in its burgeoning oil sector, as the south American country prepares for an oil rush led by ExxonMobil and its partners. Continue reading...

By using public money to protect California homes from the climate crisis, the state is transferring wealth from working-class people of color to white property owners

With a fuel duty rise expected in this week’s budget, a survey by Centrica finds businesses on course to move to cleaner cars and vansBritish companies are expected to spend more than £12bn switching their fossil fuel vehicles for clean electric versions over the next two years.A survey found that nearly half of UK businesses are planning to invest in chargeable cars and vans in advance of the government’s ban on sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. Continue reading...

President of preservation society says councils are failing in duty to protect heritage as craze for exploring derelict buildings growsGriff Rhys Jones, the president of the Victorian Society, has urged councils to protect derelict buildings that are of huge importance to Britain’s industrial heritage. His intervention followed a surge in vandalism at such sites, triggered in part by the new-found popularity of exploring abandoned buildings.Last month it emerged that Shotton steelworks in north Wales – one of the society’s 10 most endangered buildings in 2018 – had been badly damaged. According to reports, vandals had knocked down partition walls, destroyed ornate panelling, and kicked in walls. Several fires had been lit and tiles thrown off the roof. Continue reading...

Changes in rodents’ DNA means they are now prone to similar health threats to humans, scientists discoverHumans are not alone in suffering from the stresses of modern city life. Researchers have found the brown rats of New York are struggling just as hard to adapt to urban existence.Indeed it is possible, they say, that both humans and rats have undergone parallel shifts in their genetic make-up in response to city life, leaving them prone to similar health threats, such as the effects of pollutants and the consumption of highly sugared foods. Continue reading...

Chancellor Rishi Sunak will announce an increase in spending from £2.6bn to £5.2bn this weekThe government is to double spending on flood defences in this week’s budget after recent storms caused havoc across the country and drove thousands from their homes.The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will announce an increase from £2.6bn to £5.2bn in spending on flood defences between 2015 and 2021. He will tell MPs that the money will give protection to 336,000 homes in England and allow 2,000 new flood and coastal defence schemes to be built. Continue reading...

Report challenges justification for government underwriting of up to five new gas-fired generatorsAustralia’s existing gas power plants are running well below capacity, challenging the justification for a Morrison government program that may support up to five new gas-fired generators, according to a new report.Energy analyst Hugh Saddler, from Australian National University’s Crawford school of public policy, found the combined-cycle gas plants in the national grid – those expected to be available near constantly, sometimes described as “baseload” – ran at just 30% capacity across the past 18 months. Continue reading...

FCA’s proposals would call on companies to fall in line with tough new climate standardsThe City watchdog may soon demand Britain’s top-tier companies come clean on their effect on the environment and disclose the financial risks they face due to the climate crisis.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) set out proposals which would call on all companies listed on the UK’s premium stock markets – including most companies listed on the FTSE – to fall in line with tough new climate standards. Continue reading...

Campaigners press chancellor for clear signal UK government is taking Cop26 seriouslyClimate campaigners are urging the government to set out a clear plan for a low-carbon future in next week’s budget, despite the chancellor’s decision to pull a major plank of climate policy at the last minute.The budget will determine much of the government’s work this year, and campaigners fear that a failure to send clear signals on meeting the 2050 net zero emissions target would play badly with other countries looking to the UK for leadership as host of the vital UN climate talks, called Cop26, later this year. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including swimming cheetahs and an albino orangutan Continue reading...

Freshwater predatory cod species to make comeback after 50-year absenceForget dreams of wolves, bears or lynx – the next animal to be restored to the British countryside could be a river bottom-dwelling fish that resembles a giant tadpole.The burbot, much-maligned for its unprepossessing appearance with a fleshy appendage dangling from its chin, was last sighted in British rivers in 1969. Continue reading...

Accidental ingestion of strychnine believed to be cause of nearly 1,000 deaths in Guinea-BissauNearly 1,000 hooded vultures have died in a mass poisoning in Guinea-Bissau, pushing the endangered species towards the brink of extinction in Africa, according to conservationists.Vultures were seen apparently searching for water and “bubbling from their beaks”, and hundreds were found dead on the outskirts of two towns, Bafatá and Gabú, which are 30 miles apart, over the past two weeks. Continue reading...

Climate lobbying watchdog claims US oil giant met EC officials in run-up to policyThe US oil firm ExxonMobil met key European commission officials in an attempt to water down the European Green Deal in the weeks before it was agreed, according to a climate lobbying watchdog.Documents unearthed by InfluenceMap revealed that Exxon lobbyists met Brussels officials in November to urge the EU to extend its carbon-pricing scheme to “stationary” sources, such as power plants, to include tailpipe emissions from vehicles using petrol or diesel. Continue reading...

Warming springs can cause plants to bloom earlier, alter hibernation times and locations for migrating animals, and increase insect populationsAcross the south-eastern US, trees are unfurling their clouds of leaves after winter. Yet this picturesque and usually welcome development is this year cause for consternation.New data from the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) shows that in parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and northern Florida, spring has arrived more than three weeks earlier than average, and earlier than at any point in the last 39 years it has been tracked. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak to delay unveiling strategy for better transport links and net-zero emissionsThe national infrastructure strategy to invest £100bn in boosting the economy and tackling the climate crisis is expected to be delayed until after the budget.The plan to improve transport connectivity and work towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 had been set to be published “alongside” the budget, which is due on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: The five-year Australian-German initiative to transition to new energy and low emissions was due to end in 2022The Morrison government has told researchers at two of Australia’s leading universities it will break a commitment to fund an international collaboration into what is required to shift to a zero emissions future.The Australian-German Energy Transition Hub was announced in 2017 by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and German chancellor Angela Merkel as a collaboration that would “help the technical, economic and social transition to new energy systems and a low emissions economy”. Continue reading...

A proposed waterway linking the Black Sea and the Baltic has sparked fears of catastrophic biodiversity loss – and raised the spectre of ChernobylAll photographs by Vincent MundyOn the banks of the Pripyat River lies a forest. On a crisp winter afternoon with an expansive blue sky above and hardened snow underfoot, the area is criss-crossed with the tracks of hares, deer and wolves. This is the south-eastern tip of Belarus, home to sleepy villages steeped in tradition, where people hang their Christmas trees upside-down from the ceiling and eat raw pig fat as an afternoon snack.It is also part of Polesia, Europe’s largest wilderness. More than two-thirds the size of the UK (18m hectares) and spread across Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, in spring this brittle landscape blooms into a labyrinth of gigantic bogs and swamps that supports large populations of wolves, bison, lynx and 1.5 million migratory birds. It has been called “the Amazon of Europe” for its extraordinary biodiversity. Continue reading...

Queensland government’s moratorium comes after dozens of bores supplying drinking water to Tamborine Mountain ran dryThe Queensland government has placed a year-long moratorium on new water mines in parts of the Gold Coast hinterland, where drought-hit residents have been campaigning against the impact of the bottled water industry.Late last year, dozens of bores that supply drinking water to Tamborine Mountain schools, businesses and residents ran dry, with many residents having to wait six weeks for deliveries by truck. The area has three commercial water mines with deep bores that send about 100m litres a year for bottling. Continue reading...

Sc’ianew First Nation says climate activist group entered their lands without permission: ‘You have insulted our community’A First Nation in Canada has demanded climate activists at Extinction Rebellion apologize for trespassing on Indigenous territory during a protest last month, calling the group’s actions “disturbing” and in violation of traditional protocol.While Extinction Rebellion has often drawn criticism for its disruptive protests, the letter marks a rare public rebuke of the group from Indigenous leadership. Continue reading...

In first local referendum of its kind, district council proposes being carbon-neutral by 2025A local authority is asking its residents to back an unprecedented 34% increase in its share of council tax bills – equivalent to £52 for a typical household – to fund a radical climate emergency action plan, in what is set to be the first local referendum of its kind.Warwick district council’s proposed green levy would raise £30m over 10 years to invest in making council-owned buildings and vehicles energy efficient, reducing traffic congestion, and improving air quality. The authority aims to be carbon-neutral by 2025. Continue reading...

Vaccination and movement controls will be used instead to tackle bovine TB in EnglandThe controversial cull of badgers across England will begin to be phased out in the next few years, the government has announced, with vaccination of the animals being ramped up instead.The cull is intended to cut tuberculosis in cattle and has killed at least 100,000 badgers since 2013. TB in cattle is a severe problem for farmers and taxpayers, leading to the compulsory slaughter of 30,000 cattle and a cost of £150m every year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: study shows a 75% fall in 18 years in England, with climate a clear factorGlow-worm numbers have plunged by three-quarters since 2001, research in England has revealed, with the climate crisis a clear factor.The larvae feed on damp-loving snails, and increasingly hot and dry summers mean fewer prey and a greater risk of glow-worms becoming desiccated. Continue reading...

Heavy rainfall across New South Wales and Queensland boosts rivers and allow farmers to plant crops for the first time in several seasonsHeavy and widespread rain across three states is bringing joy to parched towns with some farming regions receiving “drought-breaking” rains.Further rainfall from ex-Tropical Cyclone Esther was delivering water into regional water storages and rivers, with farmers able to plant crops for the first time in several seasons. Continue reading...

Funding is intended to help countries protect their people from the climate breakdownPeople in some of the world’s poorest countries are receiving as little as $1 each a year to help them cope with the impacts of the climate crisis, despite rich countries’ promises to provide assistance.Climate finance is intended to help developing countries cut greenhouse gases and protect their people from the consequences of climate breakdown, and forms a core part of the Paris agreement. Rich countries pledged more than 10 years ago to provide £100bn a year to the poor by 2020, but it is not certain that these commitments are being met. Continue reading...

Investment Association gives UK companies three years to explain how they will adaptAn influential group of investors is for the first time demanding that all UK-listed companies disclose how the climate emergency will impact their business.The Investment Association, which represents 250 members with £7.7tn under management, has set a three-year deadline for companies to explain in their annual reports how they plan to measure and manage the threat of global heating. Continue reading...

Engineers to install fastest home car-charger available in exclusive one-stop packageBritish Gas has teamed up with Volkswagen to accelerate the rollout of its electric vehicles (EV) across UK roads by helping drivers to charge up at home at a lower price.The UK’s biggest energy company has agreed a three-year deal with the carmaker to offer owners of new electric VW vehicles a one-stop package to help plug into home charging. Continue reading...

UK water firm will power pumps with renewable energy in attempt to slash emissionsOne of the UK’s biggest water companies plans to spend £1.2bn to help repair the environment and end its contribution to the climate crisis by 2030.Severn Trent plans to cut its emissions to virtually zero within the next decade by using 100% renewable energy to power its water pumps and an all-electric fleet of vehicles. Continue reading...

Leadership contender sets out climate principles she wants to add to party’s constitutionRebecca Long-Bailey would make protecting the environment a core Labour principle by writing it into the party’s constitution, she has said.The shadow business secretary has argued that Labour’s green industrial revolution, which she authored, was not prominent enough in the party’s election campaign last year. Continue reading...

Amazon could turn into source of COin atmosphere by next decade, research suggests

Futaba to reopen for start of Olympic torch relay after being deserted for nine yearsJapan has lifted an evacuation order for parts of a town in the shadow of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, weeks before the area is to host the start of the Olympic torch relay.Futaba, 2.4 miles (4km) west of the plant, has been almost deserted since the nuclear meltdown nine years ago, while other areas in the region have mounted a partial recovery after the government declared them safe for residents. Continue reading...

Researchers use supercomputer to predict potential breeding areas as food security fears growScientists monitoring the movements of the worst locust outbreak in Kenya in 70 years are hopeful that a new tracking programme they will be able to prevent a second surge of the crop-ravaging insects.The UN has described the locust outbreak in the Horn of Africa, and the widespread breeding of the insects in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia that has followed, as “extremely alarming”. Continue reading...

Parliament House event represents an effort to undermine climate action, environmental group 350 Australia saysEnvironmental campaigners say a cocktail night involving the fossil fuel industry and federal politicians represents an “insidious” lobbying effort to undermine climate action.The pro-coal Liberal MP Craig Kelly and Labor’s Joel Fitzgibbon will host a cocktail event at Parliament House to discuss carbon capture and storage with industry leaders on Wednesday night. Continue reading...

Report claims Rishi Sunak has unique opportunity to invest in zero-carbon infrastructureThe author of a groundbreaking report on the economic impact of climate change has called on Rishi Sunak to spend more than £8bn in his first budget next week to kickstart a “massive and long-term” boost to “zero-carbon infrastructure, new skills and sustainable innovation”.Lord Stern said the new chancellor had a unique opportunity to address regional inequalities and invest to meet the government’s target for net-zero emissions with measures already highlighted in the Conservative party manifesto. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel firms are making good use of the many revolving doors available to them in BrusselsPicture the scene: a dinner for MEPs organised by leading fossil fuel firms to explain the lengths to which their industries have gone to combat climate emergency. On the guest list, the environment minister of Croatia, current holders of the EU’s rotating presidency, and Guido Bortoni, an adviser in the European commission’s energy directorate. Nobody at all from civil society or the NGO sector. In other words a perfect Brussels lobbying event.Billed as “Oil and Gas and the Green Deal” this dinner took place on 17 February, just a fortnight before the unveiling of the EU’s first ever climate law. The meal was sponsored by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), which represents 29 of Europe’s main fossil fuel operators, including Total, Shell, BP and ExxonMobil. Continue reading...

Last week’s Heathrow judgment was a watershed. Now we must target other projects that put profit before life on EarthNo longer should our survival be an afterthought. If we are to withstand the climate crisis, every decision should begin with the question of what the planet can endure. This means that any discussion about new infrastructure should begin with ecological constraints. The figures are stark. A paper published in Nature last year showed that existing energy infrastructure, if it is allowed to run to the end of its natural life, will produce around 660 gigatonnes of CO2. Yet, to stand a reasonable chance of preventing more than 1.5°C of global heating, we can afford to release, in total, no more than 580 gigatonnes.Related: Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate change Continue reading...

Exclusive: Marsh chief has defended company’s involvement in coal but says executives are meeting to ‘formulate a position’Senior executives at the world’s largest insurance broker, Marsh, will meet in the US this week to decide a new global position on coal projects, including whether to continue support for the Adani Carmichael coalmine.Marsh has come under pressure, in Australia and overseas, due to its work as a broker for the controversial Adani coal and rail project in north Queensland. Continue reading...

As EU sets out its first ever climate law, critics fear UK may delay or water down green measuresBoris Johnson should publicly declare climate deniers as wrong in order to secure the UK’s standing in vital UN climate talks this year, campaigners have urged, as climate deniers with links to the Tory party prepare for a new battle.As the UK leaves the EU, and its emphatic environmental commitments including the European green deal, those who want to see less action on the climate crisis are hoping Johnson’s government will be more amenable to delaying and watering down green measures. Continue reading...

Odey Asset Management understood to have sizeable stake in Brazilian firm SLC AgricolaCrispin Odey, one of the biggest donors to Boris Johnson’s Conservative party, has invested in a Brazilian company linked to deforestation in the Amazon, the Guardian can reveal.SLC Agricola has been accused of clearing land for soy cultivation, mostly from the Cerrado ecosystem in Brazil, which is rich in wildlife and plant species and is an important carbon sink. It has requested licences to clear thousands of hectares of Cerrado land, on top of at least 30,000 hectares that it cleared between 2011 and 2017, which resulted in the Norwegian government pension fund divesting from the group. Continue reading...

Onshore wind companies can now compete for clean energy contracts. Despite onerous planning barriers, this is a big stepOn Monday, the government did something remarkable. In the windiest country in Europe, it finally ended a five-year block on new onshore wind turbines. It’s a victory for campaigners, and anyone who wants action on the climate crisis and cares about lower energy bills in future.Related: UK government lifts block on new onshore windfarm subsidies Continue reading...

Exclusive: Bushfires likely to have killed about 5,000 koalas in NSW, report findsAbout 5,000 koalas in New South Wales are likely to have died in the bushfires, and their numbers may have dropped by as much as two-thirds in less than 20 years, a new report has found.Conservation groups want the state government to make an emergency endangered species declaration for the koalas. Continue reading...