Communities secretary cited climate change and controversy for ‘calling in’ deep coalmine decisionA public inquiry is to be held into plans for the UK’s first new deep coalmine in decades after the communities secretary “called in” the decision on the project, taking it out of the hands of local government.
More trees near the home was associated with a reduced risk in antidepressant use, information that can help urban plannersIn 2005, when Celena Owens purchased an investment property in the up-and-coming East Baltimore neighborhood of Oliver, it was supposed to make her life better. But three years later, the housing market crashed, neighborhood renewal stalled, and the home that was going to be a rental became her full-time residence. Owens fell into what she describes as a “major depressive episode” that would last for the better part of a decade.Related: The life-altering effects heat is having on American children Continue reading...
Kern county has approved the drilling of thousands of new wells despite opposition from farmers and activistsKern county, which sprawls more than 8,000 square miles, connecting the Sierra Nevada slopes and the Mojave Desert to the counties on the Central Coast, is the oil capital of California. The county produces about 70% of the state’s oil and more than 90% of its natural gas – and it has plans to ramp up production.This week the county approved an ordinance that would allow thousands of new wells to be drilled over the next 15 years. The decision comes despite deep opposition from local farmers and environmental groups, and it puts the county directly at odds with a state that has branded itself as a trailblazer on climate and set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5F89K)
Exclusive: Roads make up 1% of the country but the pollution produced may harm wildlife everywherePollution from roads affects virtually every part of Britain, with 94% of land having some pollution above background levels, according to research.Roads, which occupy less than 1% of the country, “form vast, pervasive and growing networks, causing negative environmental impacts”, the scientists said. Continue reading...
Success of schemes during pandemic has led many cities to plan vastly expanded bike networksWhen the coronavirus pandemic led to lockdowns a year ago, hundreds of cities reconfigured their streets to make walking and cycling easier to aid social distancing and reduce air pollution. Now, with an end to the lockdowns in sight, the measures have proved so successful that cities across Europe are betting on the bicycle to lead the recovery.According to the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), the continent’s cities spent €1bn on Covid-related cycling measures in 2020, creating at least 600 miles (1,000km) of cycle lanes, traffic-calming measures and car-free streets. Continue reading...
Paper says machine learning could prove crucial tool in efforts to improve quality of country’s riversNearly 1,000 “dark discharges” of untreated sewage from two water company treatment plants in England have been detected by scientists using artificial intelligence to map spills.The use of machine learning to shine a light on the scale of pollution from untreated effluent being spilled into rivers could be a crucial tool in efforts to improve the quality of rivers, a paper says. Continue reading...
Dust that swept Europe in February affects weather systems but also contains many allergensSaharan dust high in the skies over Europe caused some spectacular sunsets in February. Many of us found dust on our cars, and Alpine snow has been stained orange, but finding out how much Saharan dust we are breathing has always been difficult. For decades we have been measuring the amount of particle pollution in the air, but not what it is made of. However, university-run air observatories in London, Birmingham and Manchester are now making real-time chemical analysis. They showed that silicon, aluminium, calcium and iron particles from Saharan dust were the main particle pollutants in all three cities on Saturday 20 February and that the dust was breathed by Londoners for the next two days.Saharan dust events are common in Mediterranean countries. It is also carried west on Atlantic trade winds. Dust from north Africa fertilises the Amazon, but it also causes air pollution problems in Caribbean islands and the southern US. Continue reading...
Gastropods back as No 1 while honey fungus is worst disease in year when lockdowns fuel gardening crazeSlugs and snails are back at the top of the pests chart, after a year in which people spent more time tending their gardens, said the Royal Horticultural Society.The charity’s 25th annual pest and disease ranking – based on enquiries from gardeners – reveals that slugs and snails, a mainstay of the rankings over the years, topped the 2020 list for the first time since 2017, with gardeners reporting damage to crops such as potatoes and beans. Continue reading...
‘Natural process’ of decomposing blubber can be smelled up to 6km away on Phillip IslandA dead whale carcass beached at Phillip Island, south of Melbourne, is quickly decomposing, leaving locals retching over the putrid smell and rotting blubber.The sperm whale, measuring more than 16 metres, washed up on Forrest Caves beach last Saturday. Continue reading...
Vertical turbine by developer Alpha 311 can spin from gentle air movementThe O2 Arena will soon use a new breed of “vertical wind turbine” to generate its own clean electricity, after signing a deal with a startup firm that says its turbines will generate power even when the wind is not blowing.The London landmark once known as the Millennium Dome will begin by installing 10 of the 68cm (27in) vertical turbines. The breezy conditions at the site on the River Thames will help generate enough clean electricity to power 23 homes. Continue reading...
Move by local government secretary to call in planning application puts controversial scheme on holdA controversial new coalmine planned for Cumbria appears to have been put on hold.The local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, had previously refused to intervene but on Thursday night he said he would take responsibility for the scheme away from the local authority. Continue reading...
Cold weather, a decline in seagrass due to development, and contaminated waterways have contributed to 432 deaths this yearA combination of cold weather, a decline in seagrass due to development and contaminated waterways have put Florida on pace for its highest number of manatee deaths in a decade.The number of deaths, 432 so far this year, is nearly three times the five-year average of 146 deaths between 1 January and 5 March, the South Florida SunSentinel reported, citing figures from the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission. Last year, the state recorded 637 manatee deaths, and in 2019, 607. Continue reading...
Choked Up group demands action from mayoral candidates to tackle traffic pollutionA group of teenagers who live in some of London’s most polluted neighbourhoods are putting “hacked” road signs up across the capital to highlight the disproportionate impact that toxic air has on people of colour.Choked Up, a group who describe themselves as “black and brown teenagers from south London”, have set up the campaign, which is being backed by more than 100 doctors. Continue reading...
With wingspans of up to one-metre, protected grey-headed flying foxes are causing multiple blackouts a weekAustralia’s largest bat is making life difficult for Adelaide residents with a heaving colony of more than 25,000 plunging households into darkness 40 times so far this year.The protected grey-headed flying fox – a member of the megabat family – first moved into Botanic Park in the heart of the city in 2010. Continue reading...
Appeal court clears wife to sue company in London over husband’s death while helping to scrap tanker in ChittagongBritish shipping companies that sell old vessels to be scrapped cheaply in dangerous, low-paid conditions in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan may now be sued in London for workers’ deaths or injuries.In the first ruling of its kind by any higher court anywhere in the world, the court of appeal of England and Wales has held that a shipping company in London selling a vessel in south Asia could owe a legal “duty of care” to shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh even where there are multiple third parties involved in the transaction. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5F700)
Joe Biden needs ‘visionary target’ of cutting US emissions by 60% over 2005 levelsThe US should ensure almost all new cars and light vehicles sold are electric by the end of this decade, and stop using fossil fuels for power generation by 2035, to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement, a new analysis has found.Joe Biden, the US president, should aim for a national target of cutting emissions by about 60% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, for the world to have a good chance of holding global temperature rises within 1.5C of pre-industrial levels, according to Climate Action Tracker (CAT). Continue reading...
Klimaliste is on the ballot for local elections in the state of Baden-WürttembergA party founded by school climate strikers is standing in the German local elections, hoping to entice Green party supporters and first-time voters.Two of Klimaliste’s (Climate List) founders were leaders of the student climate strikes sparked by Greta Thunberg in 2019. The party was set up less than six months ago with policies aimed at ensuring the Paris agreement climate pledges are not breached. Continue reading...
From Oregon to Massachusetts, fishermen’s wives associations are the backbone of their communities, acting as agents, support networks and agitatorsIn spring 2020, the fishing community of Newport, Oregon, shuttered along with the rest of the country. A coronavirus outbreak at a local Pacific Seafood processing plant left fishermen sitting on docks with no buyers for their Dungeness crabs, while restaurants closed and families found themselves housebound.That’s when Taunette Dixon and her organization, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, stepped in. This group quickly mobilized to provide food, supplies, infant formula, pet food, fuel cards, masks, gloves and money for past-due utility payments to fishing families who had been hit by the pandemic. Continue reading...
Report comes shortly after proposal of new laws granting more powers to officers and the home secretaryCivil liberties campaigners have warned of a “staggering assault” on the right to protest, as police detailed how they would enforce controversial government proposals to restrict demonstrations.On Thursday, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published its plans for the future of policing protests, two days after the government announced proposed new laws granting more powers to officers and the home secretary. Continue reading...
Monitors on Queensland’s Lady Elliot Island have only seen a handful of albino hatchlings but never an adultJessica Buckman is used to finding stragglers when she heads out to check recently hatched green turtle nests on Queensland’s Lady Elliot Island.But the tiny pink creature she found in the neck of one nest on Monday was far from a usual find – a rare albino hatchling that was having a little trouble digging itself out. Continue reading...
Bank’s vote, binding if approved by 75% of shareholders, follows investor pressure to cut clients’ loansHSBC has bowed to investor pressure by ramping up its climate commitments and tabling a shareholder vote on plans to phase out coal financing by 2040.Fifteen pension and investment funds, led by the campaign group ShareAction, have agreed to withdraw their own environment resolution ahead of HSBC’s annual general meeting on 28 May. Continue reading...
Environmentalists hail ‘fantastic news’ for the state’s turtles, whales and seabirdsQueensland has become the second Australian state to pass laws banning single-use plastics including straws and cutlery that are blighting the state’s waterways and beaches and endangering wildlife.Environmental groups congratulated the Queensland government after it passed legislation on Wednesday night that will ban single-use plastic items, including polystyrene food containers and cups, from 1 September. Continue reading...
by Steph Harmon explains it to Lucy Clark on (#5F6BR)
One of the main characters on Twitter today is the pink-necked green-pigeon, a photo of which went viral overnight. Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s stunningSteph, there is an incredibly beautiful pigeon all over my Twitter and it doesn’t look real. Is it real?Lucy, yes, it is real and also extremely attractive. People are calling it “hot pigeon”. Continue reading...
Thinktank calls for more support for local initiatives ranging from heating to flood schemesCommunities across the UK are tackling the climate crisis with hundreds of local schemes ranging from neighbourhood heating to food co-ops, community land ownership projects and flood defences, according to a report.A study from the IPPR thinktank found that community projects, often set up with the primary aim of reducing poverty and improving people’s day-to-day lives, were also reducing emissions and restoring nature. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#5F5WX)
Proposed levy, backed by nine governments, would raise funds for developing zero-carbon shipsShipping industry representatives, backed by several countries, have submitted a proposal to the UN to charge a climate-related levy on fossil fuels used by international shipping for the first time.However, climate campaigners are concerned that the levy is too small, and will distract from more effective ways of reducing carbon dioxide from shipping, which is a growing problem. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#5F5T1)
Developers built windfarms with a total capacity of almost 100GW in 2020, a rise of nearly 60% on previous yearChina built more new windfarm capacity in 2020 than the whole world combined in the year before, leading to an annual record for windfarm installations despite the Covid-19 pandemic.A study has revealed that China led the world’s biggest ever increase in wind power capacity as developers built almost 100GW worth of windfarms last year – enough to power almost three times the number of homes in the UK and a rise of nearly 60% on the previous year. Continue reading...
Activity fell sharply in Britain and China in 2020 but increased in US, Japan and South Korea, study findsThe UK suffered the largest contraction among top fishing nations during the coronavirus pandemic, according to tracking data analysed by the conservation group Global Fishing Watch.Related: EU accused of ‘neocolonial’ plundering of tuna in Indian Ocean Continue reading...
Once a US conservation success story, numbers in the wild have plummeted. Now a court has given hope for their survivalThere are perhaps no more than 10 red wolves left in the wild, and they are all in just one place: North Carolina.It is an astonishing statistic for a species once hailed as undergoing the most successful reintroduction programme in the US, providing the blueprint for Yellowstone national park’s much-lauded grey wolf rewilding project. Continue reading...
Trees lost to drought and wildfires are not returning. Climate change is taking a toll on the world’s forests - and radically changing the environment before our eyesCamille Stevens-Rumann never used to worry about seeing dead trees. As a wildland firefighter in the American west, she encountered untold numbers killed in blazes she helped to extinguish. She knew fires are integral to forests in this part of the world; they prune out smaller trees, giving room to the rest and even help the seeds of some species to germinate.“We have largely operated under the assumption that forests are going to come back after fires,” Stevens-Rumann said. Continue reading...
Church of England, Lloyds and the National Grid among those pledging to meet 2050 targetMajor pension funds that own assets worth £870bn, including those of the Church of England, Lloyds Banking Group and the National Grid, have committed to cutting the carbon emissions of their portfolios to net zero by 2050 or earlier, in another sign of big investors’ increasing focus on the climate crisis.Pension providers Scottish Widows, Royal London and Nest and a clutch of public sector pension funds from the UK to Scandinavia and New York were also among the investors that have pledged to align their portfolios to the Paris climate goals of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5C. Continue reading...
Power station produces 13% of Victoria’s and 3% of national emissions and employs 500 peopleOne of Australia’s dirtiest coal-fired power stations, Yallourn in Victoria’s Latrobe valley, will close four years earlier than scheduled and be replaced, in part, by a grid-scale battery.EnergyAustralia announced on Wednesday it would shut the 1970s-built, 1,480-megawatt brown coal plant in mid-2028. Continue reading...
Green groups say move ‘beggars belief’ but cut will offer some relief to troubled aviation industryAir passenger duty is set to be cut on domestic flights after the prime minister signalled his support for reform to bolster air links around the UK.Lower rates for UK internal flights or an exemption for return legs will be considered. Continue reading...
Nine-tonne timber harvester clears trees as part of 50-year project to restore Border Mires dating from ice ageTo the uninitiated a vertical mulcher might sound like the creation of a feverish nightmare, but the tree-chipping machine might be the saviour of one of the UK’s most important peat habitants.The mulching is a continuation of a 50-year project to restore the Border Mires, a network of bogs in and around Kielder Forest in Northumberland that dates from the ice age. Forestry England will use the nine-tonne timber harvester to munch through 23 hectares (57 acres) of trees in order to speed up restoration of the mires. Continue reading...
Rob Stokes letter opposed carving out rural zones, which government has effectively adopted as policyA senior New South Wales government minister last year warned rules intended to protect koalas in the state would be “ineffective” if rural areas were excluded as it would mean about 80% of land was exempt.The advice was given in a letter sent in August last year by the planning minister, Rob Stokes, to the deputy premier, John Barilaro. Continue reading...
‘Fish aggregating devices’ have been linked to depletion of yellowfin populations and increased bycatch in the Indian OceanGlobal condemnation is growing at the increasingly widespread use of harmful “fish aggregating devices” (FADs) in the fishing industry, as retailers including Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and the German chain Edeka joined calls for restrictions.A letter signed by more than 100 NGOs, retailers and artisanal fisheries urges this week’s meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to consider proposals by Kenya and Sri Lanka to monitor, manage and restrict FADs. The signatories warn of an “urgent need” to improve management of FADs in order to reduce overfishing and rebuild populations of yellowfin tuna. Continue reading...
Biden administration is set to unveil a new greenhouse gas reduction target at a climate meeting on 22 April, Earth DayThe US needs to commit to slashing its planet-heating emissions by at least half by the end of the decade to address the climate crisis and spur other countries to greater action, a coalition of American environmental groups has urged.Joe Biden’s administration is set to unveil a new national emissions reduction target at a climate meeting it has convened with other major economic powers on Earth Day, 22 April, which it hopes will galvanize countries that are currently dangerously lagging in efforts to stave off disastrous climate change. Continue reading...
Twice before, humanity has mitigated severe global environmental threats. In both cases we did this not with ‘cap and trade’ systems, taxes, or offsets, but with bansTime is running out to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and avoid catastrophic climate change. The 2018 special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “suggests a remaining budget of about 420 Gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 for a two-thirds chance of limiting warming to 1.5°C.” The clock on this so-called remaining carbon budget started ticking at the beginning of 2018. Despite this stark warning, the world keeps emitting over 40 Gt of CO2 per year. In other words, the policy instruments that are currently being used across the globe to reduce CO2 emissions aren’t working. It is therefore time to ban fossil fuels.Since we have already drawn down over 120 Gt of CO2 from this carbon budget, we have now less than 300 Gt left. Combining the proved fossil fuel reserves reported in British Petroleum’s Statistical Review of World Energy with CO2 emission factors from the IPCC yields 3,600 Gt of CO2 emissions. This means that we can only afford to burn one twelfth of the fossil fuels we have already found. And this does not account for any greenhouse gas emissions from the ongoing melting of permafrost. The Arctic region alone is estimated to have 1,500 Gt of carbon stored in its soils, some of which is already being converted to CO2 by microbes and released into the atmosphere. Continue reading...
by Emily Holden for Floodlight and Cooper McKim for W on (#5F3N7)
Wyoming representative Liz Cheney says the study proves Biden’s policies would destroy state economies. But it has the oil and gas industry’s fingerprints all over itWyoming’s US representative, Liz Cheney, envisions a dark future for her home state under Joe Biden. Continue reading...
Humane Society International, which won legal action against Queensland government last year, says 80% of sharks caught are still dyingAlmost 80% of sharks caught on drum lines in the Great Barrier Reef marine park last year died despite the Queensland government being told to try harder to eliminate deaths under its shark control program.The Humane Society International (HSI) has analysed the latest drum-line data and says the government is not even close to achieving the non-lethal program the administrative appeals tribunal ordered two years ago. Continue reading...
Support for Australian ex-minister with poor record on climate crisis would send ‘terrible message’The UK has been warned not to send a dreadful message to the rest of the world by backing a controversial Australian former minister with a much-criticised climate change record to run the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The race to be the next secretary-general of the OECD – the Paris-based economic thinktank that advises governments across the world – has narrowed to Mathias Cormann, the former Australian finance minister, and Cecilia Malmström, the former EU trade commissioner and Swedish centrist politician. The result is due by 15 March. Continue reading...
Australian Conservation Foundation to file test case to access documents on approvals fast-tracked by federal environment ministerThe Morrison government’s claim that national cabinet deliberations are exempt from freedom of information laws will be challenged in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, setting up a test over the new body’s immunity from scrutiny.The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) will file a case with the tribunal as it seeks to access information on at least 15 environmental approvals “fast-tracked” by the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, a task so far stymied by the government’s insistence the documents fall under traditional cabinet rules. Continue reading...
Nature-rich sites such as woods and wetlands more valuable because of the ‘ecosystem services’ they provideThe economic benefits of protecting nature-rich sites such as wetlands and woodlands outweigh the profit that could be made from using the land for resource extraction, according to the largest study yet to look at the value of protecting nature at specific locations.Scientists analysed 24 sites in six continents and found the asset returns of “ecosystem services” such as carbon storage and flood prevention created by conservation work was, pound for pound, greater than manmade capital created by using the land for activities such as forestry or farming cereals, sugar, tea or cocoa. Continue reading...
Rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, study findsThe climate crisis is pushing the planet’s tropical regions towards the limits of human livability, with rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, new research has found.Related: 'It is the question of the century': will tech solve the climate crisis – or make it worse? Continue reading...
We asked you to tell us about women who have made a difference and how they inspired you‘She was a breath of fresh air on inauguration day’ Continue reading...
Conservation groups argue ‘excising farming and forestry zones is a catastrophic setback for the species’The NSW Coalition has agreed to new rules to protect koala habitat but will effectively exempt most rural land from more stringent rules administered through the planning process.Instead, koala habitat on rural land will be covered by yet-to-be-announced protections under land-clearing laws administered by NSW Local Land Services through the primary industries portfolio. Continue reading...