Activists say $900bn stimulus package will help the Biden administration ‘build back better’ at home and abroadJoe Biden’s pledge to make the climate emergency a top priority of his administration from day one has received a major boost from the $900bn Covid-19 relief bill that cleared Congress this week and now awaits Donald Trump’s signature.Related: America braced for final month of madness as Trump show nears its end Continue reading...

Traditional owners acknowledge mining company’s efforts in rebuilding relationship but say more needs to be done

State’s planning minister says commonwealth proposal has ‘significant economic potential’ but energy analysts say focus should stay on renewablesThe NSW government has granted critical infrastructure status to a proposed new gas-fired power station in the Hunter Valley in a move energy analysts say is “pandering” to the federal government.The state’s planning minister, Rob Stokes, said he made the declaration because the commonwealth proposal to build the power station on the site of a former aluminium smelter in Kurri Kurri had “significant economic potential”. Continue reading...

Tongass national forest, which plays a key role in fighting climate crisis, poised for logging after US ruling

British startup in joint venture with Tokyo Gas, which buys 9.7% stake for $200mThe one-time owner of a London coffee shop now has a paper fortune worth an estimated $155m (£115m) after a deal with a Japanese utility firm valued Octopus Energy, the sustainable energy business he founded little more than five years ago, at $2 billion.Greg Jackson, a serial entrepreneur, owns a 7.4% stake in Octopus, the UK’s fastest growing energy supplier. Octopus only attained ‘unicorn status’ – a term used to describe young start-up companies worth $1bn – earlier this year. A new investment agreed on Wednesday has doubled that value in the last eight months as it begins its global expansion. Continue reading...

Maxwell mine in Hunter region is fourth fossil fuel project to get the green light in five monthsEnvironmentalists say they have lost faith in the ability of New South Wales authorities to assess controversial mining projects after the Independent Planning Commission approved another coalmine – the fourth fossil fuel project in the state to get the green light in five months.The Maxwell underground coalmine, being developed by a subsidiary of Malabar Resources, is the latest to receive development consent after the commission determined on Tuesday that the “risks of adverse impacts on the environment are low”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Surveys indicate 2021 political contest likely to be focused on post-pandemic economic recovery

Lancet report finds that toxic air caused rise in lung cancer, stroke and other diseasesPollution accounted for nearly 1.7m premature deaths in India in 2019, or 18% of all deaths, according to a study that lays bare the human cost of the country’s toxic urban air.A report published by the Lancet says pollution in India has led to an increase in diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, neonatal disorders and respiratory diseases, resulting in millions more deaths. Continue reading...

There is no way to mine fossil fuels without driving the planet past 1.5C of warming and putting Indigenous communities at risk

Analysis also found the lowest impact meat was still far more damaging than the worst plant foodsThe cost of the climate damage caused by organic meat production is just as high as that of conventionally farmed meat, according to research.The analysis estimated the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from different foods and calculated how much their prices would need to rise to cover the harm they cause by fuelling the climate emergency. Continue reading...

Scientists warn of threat of nuclear contamination from work on giant E40 waterway linking Baltic to the Black Sea

Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham urge Trump to submit Iran nuclear deal and Paris climate agreement to Senate to undercut future attempts to revive themTwo prominent Trump loyalists in the US Senate, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, are reportedly pressing the president to submit the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement to the chamber for ratification, in a last-minute attempt to scupper Democratic plans to take America back into the accords.Related: Senior Republican says party’s final election challenge will ‘go down like a shot dog’ Continue reading...

Health impact is unknown but scientists say particles may cause long-term damage to foetusesMicroplastic particles have been revealed in the placentas of unborn babies for the first time, which the researchers said was “a matter of great concern”.The health impact of microplastics in the body is as yet unknown. But the scientists said they could carry chemicals that could cause long-term damage or upset the foetus’s developing immune system. The particles are likely to have been consumed or breathed in by the mothers. Continue reading...

Whichever state you are in, there could be harmful PFAS chemicals in water near you

The Guardian’s biodiversity editor looks back on a year that put the state of the planet on the agenda in ways no one could have foreseen

Artists and campaigners work to ensure the life and death of the lone sea wolf known as Takaya was not wasted

Campaigners in Ilkley hope River Wharfe designation will ‘trigger a clean-up’ of local sewage systemA stretch of river in Yorkshire will become the first in the UK to be given bathing water status in a major success for campaigners trying to stop releases of untreated sewage into inland waters.Part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, which is a popular swimming and paddling spot, is to be added to the list of bathing waters next year, after months of campaigning. Continue reading...

Manufacturers and shops remove millions of pieces of single-use plastic from their rangesUK retailers and supermarkets have stepped up efforts to take plastic out of packaging for the festive season, boasting of a flurry of eco-friendly wrapping for Christmas puddings, desserts, party foods and chocolates, and with many greetings cards and crackers now free of glitter.Tesco alone has removed more than 20m pieces of single-use plastic from its Christmas range this year – including crackers, lights, cards and the packaging for puddings – as part of a national drive to reduce pollution from single use plastics. Continue reading...

Federal court finds operators contravened national electricity rules by operating with inadequate settings to cope with disruptions to the power networkThe operators of a windfarm in South Australia’s mid-north have been hit with a $1m fine by the federal court for failing to properly comply with mandated performance standards in the lead-up to a statewide blackout in September 2016.In a judgment on Tuesday, the court also ordered the operators of the Snowtown Wind Farm Stage 2 – Tilt Renewables Limited – to engage a compliance expert to review its operations and provide a report on any gaps. Continue reading...

Westland petrel fledglings have been hitting the roads, possibly mistaking the lights for bioluminescent fish they feed onIn an attempt to save a rare bird species, a New Zealand village is trialling an innovative strategy: it is switching off all its street lights to stop baby birds becoming confused and crash landing on to the road.Westland petrels, which are blackish-brown with ivory beaks, breed only along an 8km stretch of coastal forest in the foothills near Punakaiki, a South Island town of fewer than 100 people and popular with tourists for its pancake rock formations and gushing ocean blowholes. Continue reading...

World faces huge wildlife losses by 2050 unless what and how food is produced changesThe global food system is on course to drive rapid and widespread ecological damage with almost 90% of land animals likely to lose some of their habitat by 2050, research has found.A study published in the journal Nature Sustainability shows that unless the food industry is rapidly transformed, changing what people eat and how it is produced, the world faces widespread biodiversity loss in the coming decades. Continue reading...

Environmentalist groups say the pipeline, intended to funnel gas from Pennsylvania to north Brooklyn, is an example of environmental racismPati Rodriguez grew up in Bushwick, a historically industrial, predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. She has worked as a community organizer for years, and at 38, she knows the neighborhood inside and out. So she was surprised last year to learn about a natural gas pipeline being built a block away from her daughter’s school, more than two years after its construction had begun.Rodriguez says she learned about the Metropolitan Reliability Infrastructure (MRI) project – more often referred to as the North Brooklyn pipeline by local activists – from the anti-fracking advocacy group Sane Energy Project, which for the last year has held neighborhood meetings to raise awareness of the construction. Continue reading...

Environment group says plan led by Woodside is ‘most polluting fossil fuel project ever to be proposed in Australia’Environmentalists have launched a court challenge against approvals for a mega gas project in Western Australia that could lead to the release of billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases.Lawyers for the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) want a judicial review of decisions made by the state’s environment agency which they say allowed for unlimited amounts of gas to be processed at two plants that are part of the Burrup Hub proposal. Continue reading...

Australian Energy Market Commission says households could expect to pay $120 lessElectricity for consumers will be cheaper in 2023 as new generation capacity enters the power grid, including 1,667 megawatts of solar and 2,580 megawatts of wind, the Australian Energy Market Commission said.The AEMC’s annual price assessment projected that power prices would decrease until 2021-22 and then potentially increase during 2022-23. But prices in 2023 were expected to be lower than they are now. Continue reading...

Packagers step up production of ‘frugal’ containers as consumers embrace sustainable alternativeThe world’s first gin in a paper-based bottle is set to go on sale in the UK early next year as packaging specialists jostle to step up production of eco-friendly alternatives to the traditional glass container.The UK manufacturer of the so-called “frugal” bottle – made from predominantly recycled paperboard with a food-grade liner inside – has received orders from around the world to make containers for sake and spirits in Japan, whiskey in the US and wine in Spain, Australia, Italy and France. Continue reading...

Paul McCartney and Chris Packham among stars urging people to ditch meat and dairy in 2021 to fight climate change and avoid another pandemicA host of musicians, actors and sports stars have joined up with businesses and environmental groups in what they hope will be a successful push to get more people to ditch meat, fish and dairy in the new year.Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Sir Paul McCartney, Ricky Gervais, Lily Cole and Alan Cumming have all signed a letter calling for people to change their diet for “Veganuary” next month. “We cannot tackle climate change while we farm and eat animals on an industrial scale”, the open letter written by the Veganuary association says. Continue reading...

President-elect announces racially diverse team to face ‘existential threat of our time’President-elect Joe Biden announced a racially diverse slate of environmental advisers on Saturday, to help his administration confront what he called “the existential threat of our time, climate change”.Related: US to hold world climate summit early next year and seek to rejoin Paris accord Continue reading...

Forty per cent of Friday’s electricity was generated in windfarms thanks to blustery winter weatherBlustery winter weather helped Great Britain’s windfarms set a record for clean power generation, which made up more than 40% of its electricity on Friday.Wind turbines generated 17.3GW on Friday afternoon, according to figures from the electricity system operator, narrowly beating the previous record set in early January this year. Continue reading...

Critics say plan for third runway runs counter to UK’s legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050The government faces a legal challenge over its plan to expand Heathrow airport, with lawyers and environmentalists demanding it review its policy in line with its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.The Good Law Project, a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on public interest cases including environmentalism and tackling poverty, argues that the government must update its plan for a third runway to take into account the emissions pledge it made following the approval for the airport expansion in June 2018. Continue reading...

Kepco had appealed against decision to refuse development proposal to extract 120m tonnes of coal over 25 years

Researchers fear iceberg may disrupt underwater ecosystems and block penguins looking for foodStrong currents have taken hold of a massive Antarctic iceberg that is on a collision course with South Georgia island, causing it to shift direction and lose a major chunk of mass, a scientist tracking its journey said on Friday.As the iceberg, dubbed A68A, approached the western shelf edge of the south Atlantic island this week, it encountered strong currents, causing it to pivot nearly 180 degrees, according to Geraint Tarling, a biological oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey. Continue reading...

The best of the week’s wildlife pictures from around the world, including devil-eyed frogs, bats and pangolins Continue reading...

Coalition funding for gas exploration in Northern Territory labelled a costly plan ‘for a climate catastrophe’The Morrison government has been accused of embarking on an “expensive plan for a climate catastrophe” after it announced it would pay the gas industry up to $50m to speed up exploration in the Northern Territory.The commitment, revealed on Thursday, also prompted warnings that taxpayers’ money could flow offshore to companies linked to tax havens and a Russian oligarch. Continue reading...

Friends of the Earth calls for end to such excavation in England after unanimous decision on Dewley Hill site

Exclusive: Burners should be sold with health warnings, say scientists who found tiny particles flooding into roomsWood burners triple the level of harmful pollution particles inside homes and should be sold with a health warning, says scientists, who also advise that they should not be used around elderly people or children.The tiny particles flood into the room when the burner doors are opened for refuelling, a study found. Furthermore, people who load in wood twice or more in an evening are exposed to pollution spikes two to four times higher than those who refuel once or not at all. Continue reading...

Pandemic cuts funding and volunteer numbers but rising awareness means more people are rescuing injured animalsWildlife hospitals across the UK are reporting their busiest year ever, with hedgehogs, pigeons, bats and birds of prey among a growing number of animals brought into centres for treatment.The rise in admissions is part of a wider trend of increasing awareness of habitat loss and the threats to the natural world, but experts also point to the Covid-19 lockdown as a significant factor in this year’s increase. The number of people venturing out to nature spots has surged during the pandemic, with almost half of the population spending more time outside than before coronavirus. A third of people reported noticing nature and wildlife more. Continue reading...

After protests last year over the festival’s principal sponsor, fossil fuel giant Woodside, it has introduced new rules for performers and producersAustralia’s first fringe festival for 2021 has become mired in controversy over a clause in performer and promoter contracts to deter criticism of the event’s sponsors.Perth’s Fringe World, which opens on 15 January, attracted criticism and protests earlier this year over its longstanding sponsorship by fossil fuel giant Woodside. Continue reading...

Wildlife photographer Lee-Anne Carver is trying to share Carrot’s plight in hopes of saving injured deerThe Canadian winter can be tough for deer, as temperatures plummet and food becomes scarce. But Carrot, a whitetail buck living in northern Ontario, faces an additional challenge: he has an arrow sticking out of his head.“It’s been really tough to see,” said Lee-Anne Carver, a wildlife photographer in the city of Kenora, who named the young animal. “I’ve been photographing animals for years and there’s something special about Carrot. He’s unlike any deer I’ve ever met.” Continue reading...

President-elect will also nominate regulator Michael Regan to head Environmental Protection AgencyJoe Biden has chosen the US lawmaker Deb Haaland as interior secretary and will nominate the North Carolina official Michael Regan to head the Environmental Protection Agency, in two diverse and influential picks to handle crucial issues such as public lands, pollution and the climate crisis.Haaland, a progressive Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico since 2019, would be the first Native American cabinet secretary and one of the first Native Americans ever to serve in a US cabinet. The department’s jurisdiction covers tribal lands and vast tracts of protected American wilderness, including jewels such as Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks. Continue reading...

Danish company plans to fit ships with small nuclear reactors to send energy to developing countriesFloating barges fitted with advanced nuclear reactors could begin powering developing nations by the mid-2020s, according to a Danish startup company.Seaborg Technologies believes it can make cheap nuclear electricity a viable alternative to fossil fuels across the developing world as soon as 2025. Continue reading...

Tesla, Origin Energy and Atlassian among hundreds that have made parliamentary submissions backing proposalA major business lobby group and corporations including Tesla, Atlassian and Origin Energy have used parliamentary submissions to back Zali Steggall’s climate change legislation that includes a target of net zero by 2050 that can be ratcheted up in line with changing scientific evidence.Steggall’s private members proposal is now before federal parliament’s multi-partisan environment committee for an inquiry. Hundreds of groups have made submissions endorsing the proposal either in full or with qualifications. Continue reading...

Campaigners urge action after a coroner rules air pollution contributed to her daughter’s deathThe mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah called for her legacy to be the passing of a new clean air act to force the government in the UK to clean up the environment for future generations of children.Rosamund Kissi-Debrah spoke after a coroner ruled that illegal levels of air pollution, predominantly from traffic, had caused the death of her nine year old daughter in south London in February 2013. Continue reading...

In this second episode of our Age of Extinction takeover, Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield explore how human noise is affecting birds, and what listening to birdsong can tell us about biodiversity Continue reading...

Poisoning birds among allegations after discovery during search of property at Violet TownA Victorian woman is facing almost 300 animal cruelty charges after wildlife officers allegedly found the carcasses of 140 protected native birds, including 128 wedge-tailed eagles, at her property.The office of the conservation regulator said police, wildlife officers, and officials from the agriculture department searched the woman’s property in Violet Town in August after a number of dead wedge-tailed eagles were found in the area. Continue reading...

World’s biggest insurance market to end new investments in coal, oil sands and Arctic energy by 2022Lloyd’s, the world’s biggest insurance market, has bowed to pressure from environmental campaigners and set a market-wide policy to stop new insurance cover for coal, oil sands and Arctic energy projects by January 2022, and to pull out of the business altogether by 2030.In its first environmental, social and governance report, Lloyd’s, which has been criticised for being slow to exit fossil fuel underwriting and investment, said the 90 insurance syndicates that make up the market would phase out all existing insurance policies for fossil fuel projects in 10 years’ time. Less than 5% of the market’s £35bn annual premiums comes from insurance policies in this area. Continue reading...

Walk at dusk reveals murmurations bouncing networks’ electricity cables and switching off the lightsThe mystery surrounding a string of unexplained power cuts across a small town in Scotland has been solved after video footage revealed the culprits – starlings dancing on power lines.The birds’ murmurations are thought to be behind the baffling spate of evening blackouts in Airth, their combined mass bouncing the overhead electricity lines and causing the power to trip. Continue reading...

More flood warnings issued for NSW north coast but some evacuation orders have been lifted

Legal hurdle has gone, but from emissions targets to passenger projections, list of problems is longCleared for takeoff? Of course not. The supreme court has ruled that Heathrow’s third runway can proceed, but the chances of the thing being built still look remote. The obstacle of legality – admittedly, a large obstruction – has been removed, but the list of problems remains long.One is whether demand still exists for an extra 700 flights a day. Even when the pandemic passes, who can really estimate the long-term impact of Zoom on the critical business traveller market? Heathrow handled 80 million passengers in 2018 and has seen only 20 million so far this year. Achieving 130 million in 2030, which is what the airport needs to support its enormous scheme, looks a stretch. Continue reading...

Analysis: death of Ella Kissi-Debrah means MPs can no longer ignore dangers of dirty air

Earlier ruling said expansion plan was illegal as government had not considered its climate commitmentsThe supreme court has overturned a February judgment that a third runway at Heathrow airport was illegal. It means the project can now seek planning permission, but the ultimate completion of the runway remains uncertain.The supreme court ruling marks the latest twist in years of legal and political wrangling over the climate impact and economic benefits of expanding the airport. The decision in February was seen as historic by environmental campaigners, as it was the first significant ruling in the world to be based on the Paris climate agreement, and related cases were subsequently brought against plans to build more roads and gas-fired power plants in the UK. Continue reading...