Keith Pitt argues coal sector not in decline as David Littleproud says Australians ‘sick of platitudes’ and should avoid ‘self-loathing’ over climate recordSenior National party ministers have poured cold water on the growing push for Australia to adopt a concrete commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, cautioning against “platitudes” and arguing the coal sector is not in decline.While Scott Morrison has attempted to perform a rhetorical pivot – expressing a preference for achieving net zero by 2050 or even sooner – the prime minister is yet to make a firm commitment to the goal that has been adopted by many of Australia’s trading partners. Continue reading...

Mining firm reports $650m January intake from rough stones, marking strongest sales in three yearsDe Beers has revealed its strongest diamond sales in three years following a Christmas surge in jewellery purchases, with sales 10% above the group’s 20-year average.The world’s biggest diamond miner made $650m from its rough stones last month, well above sales of $551m in early 2020, amounting to the highest sales since January 2018. Continue reading...

Engineers at RMIT say the road-making material could help tackle the vast amount of waste generated from Covid protective equipmentDisposable face masks used to prevent the spread of Covid-19 could be recycled to make roads, a new study suggests.Researchers at RMIT said they had developed a road-making material by combining shredded single-use masks and processed building rubble. Continue reading...

State found guilty of ‘non-respect of its engagements’ aimed at fighting global warmingA Paris court has convicted the French state of failing to address the climate crisis and not keeping its promises to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.In what has been hailed as a historic ruling, the court found the state guilty of “non-respect of its engagements” aimed at combating global warming. Continue reading...

Vicious circle of cheap but damaging food is biggest destroyer of nature, says UN-backed reportThe global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to a report.Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, the report by the Chatham House thinktank said. Without change, the loss of biodiversity will continue to accelerate and threaten the world’s ability to sustain humanity, it said. Continue reading...

Lawmakers and residents hope name change could spotlight social justice – and encourage donationsFor years, Sandy Galef has received complaints and questions from many of her constituents over the Donald J Trump state park in suburban New York.And since Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol earlier this year, lawmakers, advocates and residents are once again pushing to rename the underdeveloped 436-acre park in hopes of sparking a dialogue on social justice and spurring much-needed private contributions to improve the space. Continue reading...

Antarctic bergs travelling north spark changes in ocean circulations and affect composition of our atmosphereHow does an ice age start? We know that changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun alter the amount of solar energy reaching our planet, but it has long been a mystery as to how this triggers such a dramatic change in the climate. A study shows that Antarctic icebergs may be responsible for tipping the balance.Aidan Starr, from Cardiff University, and his team analysed sediments recovered by the International Ocean Discovery Program from the ocean floor south of South Africa. Within those sediments were tiny fragments of rock dropped by melting Antarctic icebergs. By studying the chemistry of the tiny deep-sea fossils found throughout the sediment core, the scientists were able to show that when climate conditions enabled icebergs to travel this far north they made the North Atlantic fresher and the Southern Ocean saltier. Continue reading...

The Oakey Coal Action Alliance, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office, wins long-running legal caseActivists have had a victory in the high court, which has upheld an appeal to have the expansion of the New Acland coalmine in Queensland’s Darling Downs reassessed by the state’s land court.The Oakey Coal Action Alliance, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office, won its long-running legal case in a judgment handed down on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Federal court loss a major blow to the Bob Brown Foundation, which had described it as ‘the great forest case’Former Greens leader Bob Brown’s eponymous environment group has lost a legal challenge to native forest logging in Tasmania that claimed the industry’s logging was at odds with federal conservation laws.The case by the Bob Brown Foundation, lodged in the federal court in August and billed by the group as “the great forest case”, argued an effective exemption from environment laws granted to logging meant a regional forestry agreement between the federal and Tasmanian governments was not legally valid. Continue reading...

African wild dog pups are a dim black and look ancient, like old bronze, like the Capitoline WolfThe African painted dog – also known as a wild dog or painted wolf – has ears that look as though they have been stitched together by a mad old toymaker. They are huge, bristly black disks – stretched upwards slightly and delicately pinned so that they form shallow bowls. At their bases are tufts of white bristles, for luck.As a child in South Africa, I was forced more than once to watch – on a large pull-down projector screen in the school hall while it rained outside – Paljas, a uniquely, skin-crawlingly kitsch film set in a dusty railroad town that is visited by a travelling circus. Continue reading...

Coalition tensions in evidence as growing chorus of Nationals call for new coal plants after PM sends zero emissions signalThe Nationals are continuing to agitate for new investments in coal, cutting across Scott Morrison’s ongoing efforts to telegraph a significant pivot on climate policy.After the prime minister used a scene-setting speech at the National Press Club on Monday to declare he wanted Australia to get to net zero emissions “as soon as possible” and “preferably by 2050” – Morrison’s strongest formulation to date – Nationals in the Senate issued a joint statement declaring Australia needed to build “modern coal-fired power stations” to generate affordable, reliable energy. Continue reading...

Collapse of wall at Mogden treatment works on Friday led to wastewater entering Duke of Northumberland’s River in IsleworthAn MP is calling for Thames Water to compensate residents in west London after part of a wall in one of the largest sewage works in the UK collapsed, and homes and gardens were flooded with untreated sewage.Residents living along the Duke of Northumberland’s River in Isleworth had gardens and homes flooded as foul-smelling water poured down the waterway on Friday. Continue reading...

Waste policy, climate adaptation and reform of conservation laws top government agenda, letter reveals

Scott Daines secures public apology from Indian mining giant for ‘extremely hurtful’ allegationThe mining company Adani has paid $2,000 to an anti-coal activist and issued a public apology after it wrongly accused him and his protest group of throwing rocks and kicking work vehicles.Scott Daines, 53, secured the apology and payment after sending legal letters to the company when it named him in a Facebook post on 8 October 2020. Continue reading...

The new president is focusing on seven key areas to reverse a legacy of environmental destruction and climate denialismFaced with an unfolding climate crisis that is fueling more powerful storms, enormous wildfires and scorching heatwaves in the US, Donald Trump unapologetically set about dismantling policies to cut planet-heating emissions, mocked or ignored climate science, and threw open vast tracts of American land and water to fossil fuel development.The systematic reversals in environmental protections pose a challenge to Joe Biden, Trump’s successor as US president, who has called climate change the “existential threat of our time”. Biden has set about the task of undoing Trump’s legacy with hyperactive zeal, through a flurry of executive actions. In all, about 100 Trump-era environmental policies are being targeted, although some may take several years to reverse. Here’s how Biden is doing it. Continue reading...

Protesters told to immediately stop tunnelling under London station and give details of people down thereAn emergency application to the high court by environmental protesters to halt HS2’s eviction of them from a tunnel close to Euston station because of safety concerns has been rejected by a judge.Mr Justice Knowles ordered that Larch Maxey, a protester who lodged the application on Monday night, should immediately stop tunnelling and give details about the layouts of the tunnels and how many people are down there. Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome fishing restrictions to help restore habitats including Dogger Bank, but say government must go furtherGovernment proposals to ban destructive bottom trawling fishing in the Dogger Bank, announced on Monday, marked a “really big day” for Britain’s seas, conservationists said.Under proposed bylaws put out for consultation by Britain’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO), bottom trawling, which involves weighted nets being dragged over the sea bed, would be prohibited in the Dogger Bank special conservation area, alongside three other English marine protected areas (MPAs). There are 40 MPAs in England and 76 in the UK. Continue reading...

Every single American has a right to live and work in a safe environment. President Biden can help ensure we canIn his first 100 days, President Biden is racing to secure comprehensive reforms that both address the immediate challenges of today’s concurrent crises and make our economy and society more resilient for the future. Next month, he’ll unveil the second part of his recovery plan which is expected to focus on infrastructure investment and job creation. It is crucial that this plan includes an emphasis on protecting the health and safety of communities that are consistently failed – and often seriously harmed – by ageing infrastructure. Biden has already put equity and justice at the center of his climate plans, but he’ll need to do the same for any infrastructure plan he puts forward.Related: Flint review – a humanitarian disaster doc for toxic times Continue reading...

They store carbon and are havens for wildlife – it’s no wonder experts are calling for Britain’s hedge network to be extended

Nine-year-old spends a day in intensive care after being bitten in her Alice Springs bedroomA nine-year-old girl is in hospital in the Northern Territory after a highly venomous snake bit her on both feet while she was in bed.The Alice Springs girl was in her bedroom on Monday evening when the king brown snake bit her on both feet. Continue reading...

New measures of success needed to avoid catastrophic breakdown, landmark review finds

Australian biologist astounded by discovery: ‘I would have bet the house it wouldn’t have been there’A critically endangered species of moth has been discovered in an urban area next to a rubbish tip in Wangaratta in Victoria’s north-east.A resident, Will Ford, was walking his dogs one evening in December when he spotted a moth he didn’t recognise. Continue reading...

Report warns if $56bn worth of developments go ahead, it could threaten the goals of the Paris climate deal and lead to billions of dollars in stranded assetsAustralia has $56bn worth of gas pipelines in development that, if all built, would be expected to allow pumping of greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 coal-fired power stations, an analysis has found.The report by the Global Energy Monitor, an anti-fossil fuel research group based in San Francisco, said there are more than US$1tn ($1.3tn) in oil and gas pipeline projects on the books globally. Continue reading...

Hopes the above-water unit on King Island can be expanded across Australia’s vast southern coastlineTechnology that harnesses wave energy through a “blowhole” is being tested at a remote Tasmanian island in a project backed by federal grants and investors.When the mostly above-water unit is connected in about a month, King Island in Bass Strait will be powered by three renewables – wave, wind and solar. Continue reading...

Scientists say animals with higher levels of DDT, PCBs and others in their blubber are more prone to cancer triggered by herpesSea lions in California had been dying of a mysterious cancer for decades. Now, scientists say they have finally uncovered the likely cause: toxic chemicals from industrial trash, pesticides and oil refinery waste.A team of mammal pathologists, virologists, chemists and geneticists have concluded that sea lions with higher concentrations of DDT, PCBs and other chemicals in their blubber are more prone to cancer triggered by a herpes virus. Continue reading...

One year ago Jessica Hamilton divested from fossil fuels. Here’s what she has learned sinceThis time last year I changed my banking and superannuation, and I did it out of climate anxiety. Was it a smart financial decision? At the time, I had no idea. But as I sat inside in a city clouded by bushfire smoke, I decided that even if only $1 of my money was invested in coal, oil or gas – the leading drivers of the climate crisis – that was still $1 too much.That same climate anxiety drove my friend Ash and I to find an answer to the question that plagues so many of us: what the heck can everyday people like us do in the face of the climate crisis that will actually make a difference? Continue reading...

Political parties have to tell us what they are doing to keep within our carbon budgetWe need to change how we talk about climate change policy. No longer can we hand out pass marks for irrelevant targets that sound good but actually fail to prevent climate change.Back in 2018, the IPCC announced that we had 12 years to limit temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Continue reading...

Hunting and recreation found to have greater impact than urbanisation and loggingHuman activity is fundamentally altering the distances the world’s animals need to move to live, hunt and forage, according to a study that examined the impact on more than 160 species across six continents.All activities changed the behaviour of animals, but the study found destructive activities such as urbanisation and logging affected the movement of animals less than sporadic endeavours such as using aircraft, hunting and recreation. Continue reading...

Rigs burn off enough unwanted gas to heat 1m homes, UK regulator said last yearThe UK’s North Sea oil rigs release as much carbon dioxide as a coal-fired power plant every year by deliberately burning unwanted gas into the atmosphere as giant flares, according to research.A report has revealed that almost 20m tonnes of CO was released into the atmosphere in the five years to the end of 2019 by “flaring and venting” the extra gas released from oil wells. Continue reading...

Energy watchdog’s Fatih Birol says shift away from coal in key regions needs to be made a global priority

Endangered giants face potentially fatal encounters with the 1,000 daily fishing vessels moving through main feeding area off Chile, scientists warnThe largest mammal ever to live on the Earth, the blue whale, is under threat from boat collisions as one of its main feeding grounds in Chilean Patagonia is overrun with vessels, a new study has revealed.The endangered whales must contend with up to 1,000 boats moving daily through an important feeding area in the eastern South Pacific, according to research published in the scientific journal Nature. Continue reading...

For too long we have been failed by every layer of government, from the president, to congressional representation, from our state governor, to our state environment agencyFor five years I have fought against the polluters who have poisoned our community in Louisiana’s “cancer alley”, or as we call it now, “death alley”. And for decades our fight has been ignored by the US government.This makes President Joe Biden’s decision to reference “cancer alley” earlier last week, as he signed new climate and environmental justice orders, a meaningful and great moment. But for me the distance between seeing Mr Biden address our problems directly, and anything actually coming to fruition, is a long gap. And I will have to wait to see some direct results. Continue reading...

The Biden-Harris administration can restart fundamental environmental policies and programs, and restore the federal commitment to environmental protectionNow that the Trump administration’s four-year assault on environmental protection and conservation has crested, the work of restoration must begin. As professionals in the field of conservation, we watched with dread and dismay as the laws, policies, science and stewardship of waters, air, wildlife and public lands were systematically dismantled.While the damage is profound, the Biden-Harris administration can reverse these harms, restart fundamental environmental policies and programs, and restore the federal commitment to environmental protection and lands and waters stewardship. What is needed is a tactical plan for restoration. Continue reading...

River Chess Association say untreated sewage is causing untold harm to infant trout and other habitats

Kaja Kallas, 43, took power on Tuesday after the previous coalition collapsed due to a corruption scandalEstonia’s first female prime minister has promised to implement changes in both style and substance in the governance of the Baltic nation, as she takes charge after two years in which a far-right party was in the ruling coalition.Kaja Kallas, a 43-year-old lawyer and head of Estonia’s Reform party, was sworn into office on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Three-year-old boy among those missing in floodwaters in the country’s northern and western islandsOne person has died, and five, including a three-year-old boy, are still missing after Cyclone Ana pummelled Fiji on Sunday, just over a month after category 5 Cyclone Yasa tore through the country’s northern islands.Two more cyclones are already forming off Fiji’s coastline, and cyclone season still has three months left to run. Continue reading...

Preliminary meetings could have created world’s second biggest oil company amid crude price crisis during pandemicThe chief executives of American oil companies ExxonMobil and Chevron held preliminary talks in early 2020 to explore combining the two largest US oil producers in what would have been the biggest merger of all time, according to people familiar with the matter.The discussions, which are no longer ongoing, are being seen as having tested the waters for the huge corporate marriage after the coronavirus pandemic shook the world last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Continue reading...

Ministers consulting about changes, which could include payments for making homes better protectedHomeowners in flood-hit areas could be entitled to discounted insurance premiums if they install protections against the elements under government proposals.Ministers on Monday launched a consultation into plans for insured householders to be able to claim money to cover the damage caused and receive funds to make their homes more resilient. Continue reading...

The spring lockdown brought butterflies and biodiversity to the Spanish city, and inspired a reimagining of its relationship with natureWhen Barcelona’s inhabitants emerged from a six-week lockdown at the end of April last year, they found that while the city had lain dormant, nature had been busy transforming the streets and parks into a bucolic wilderness.“The parks were shut, so there was no pressure on them from humans or dogs and no gardening was carried out,” says Margarita Parés, who heads the city’s biodiversity programme. Continue reading...

Sunday deadline for HSE to inform activists at Euston of steps being taken to ensure their safetyThe environmental activists in the network of tunnels in front of Euston station in central London have launched an emergency legal action against safety regulators.It has been confirmed that there are nine protesters in the tunnel constructed as a protest against the high speed rail link HS2, which is due to terminate at Euston when it is completed. Continue reading...

More electric vehicles, renewable energy and forests are among the steps recommended to help meet Paris accordsNew Zealand needs to urgently increase its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if it is to meet its obligations under the Paris climate accords.The country’s climate change commission – an independent body – has delivered its draft advice to the prime minister, on the vital steps that must be taken if it wants to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change. Continue reading...

Senator says government still hasn’t addressed concerns crossbenchers raised last year, while conservationists call for action on review’s recommendationsA key independent senator says he will not support a government plan to shift environmental approval powers to the states before the Coalition responds to a “scathing” review of conservation laws.Rex Patrick said the final report of the review into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act was damning about the state of systems meant to protect Australia’s wildlife. Continue reading...

Committee on Climate Change says new mine in Cumbria gives ‘negative impression of UK’s climate priorities’Approved plans for a new coalmine in Cumbria will produce more emissions than any of the others open in the UK, a climate group has warned.The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) made the claim in a letter to communities secretary Robert Jenrick after he decided not to call in the plans for an inquiry earlier this month. Continue reading...

Analysis: The new president has framed the challenge of global heating as an opportunity for US jobs, saying: ‘We have to be bold’For a landmark moment in the global effort to stave off catastrophic climate change, Joe Biden’s “climate day” at the White House was rather low-key. The US president bumped elbows with his newly appointed climate tsar, John Kerry, who he called his “best buddy”, then gave a short speech before perfunctorily signing a small stack of executive orders, donning his mask and striding out without taking any questions. Continue reading...

Inquiry hears from business, conservationists, scientists and health professionals who urge the government to legislate a net zero targetThe Morrison government was urged by major industry groups and investors to give popular draft climate change legislation from the independent MP Zali Steggall a chance at becoming law during a parliamentary inquiry.Major business representatives gave evidence alongside conservationists, scientists and health professionals that broadly backed the proposed laws, which would legislate a 2050 net zero emissions target for Australia. Continue reading...

The best of the week’s wildlife pictures from around the world, including a Eurasian lynx and rescued caymans Continue reading...

Activists tell of oxygen shortage, five internal collapses and an influx of liquid mud at London siteEnvironmental protesters inside the tunnel close to Euston station in London say conditions are deteriorating with a shortage of oxygen, five internal tunnel collapses and an influx of liquid mud.One activist issued an urgent appeal for help just after 4pm on Friday from inside the tunnel, saying things were getting worse very quickly. Continue reading...

Rules will prevent some burning and could help UK reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050Regulations are to be brought in to prevent the burning of heather and other vegetation in a move to better protect England’s peatlands.The protection for blanket bog habitats has been welcomed as vital for globally important land, but criticised by some environmental groups. Continue reading...

Incidents such as killing of 50 pregnant ewes caused by owners unaware of threat posed by pets

Indigenous groups, businesses and activists condemn company’s effort to drill for gold at source of Skagit RiverAn international coalition of over 200 Indigenous groups, businesses and environmentalists have announced opposition to a Canadian mining plan that could have far-reaching impacts in the US.Imperial Metals has applied to the British Columbia government for a five-year exploratory permit to drill for gold around the source waters of the Skagit River, near the US border. Continue reading...