Report finds the offshore industry could create 900,000 jobs globally over next decadeThe world’s offshore windfarm capacity could grow eightfold by the end of the decade powered by a clean energy surge led by China, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).A new industry report has revealed stronger than expected growth for the offshore wind industry, which could reach 234GW by 2030, from a global tally of just over 29GW at the end of last year. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says ‘helplessness’ is no answer and warns against increasing nationalism during coronavirus pandemicJulia Gillard has warned against a feeling of “received helplessness” that policies to reduce greenhouse gases are “all too hard”, citing the carbon price legislated by her government as proof climate policy “can get done”.Gillard, the former Australian prime minister and current Beyond Blue chair, made the comments on Wednesday in an Australia Institute webinar about the mental health impact of Covid-19 and the need to “build back better” with more early intervention on the other side of the pandemic. Continue reading...

Three New Zealanders among dead after avalanche hits Gapyeong holiday cottagesFourteen people have been killed and more than 1,000 forced from their homes as 42 consecutive days of rain, South Korea’s longest monsoon in seven years, triggered floods and landslides.Heavy rain, which has also battered China, Thailand, Myanmar and India, inundated farmland and flooded parts of major highways and bridges in the capital, Seoul. Continue reading...

Satellite images reveal guano patches, boosting known emperor penguin colonies by 20%Satellite images have revealed 11 previously unknown emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, boosting the number of known colonies of the imperilled birds by 20%.The discoveries were made by spotting the distinctive red-brown guano patches the birds leave on the ice. The finds were made possible by higher-resolution images from a new satellite, as previous scans were unable to pick up smaller colonies. Continue reading...

Lockdown has hammered oil prices but it also offers a chance to refocus on clean energyBP has set itself the target of shrinking its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050. To do that will require big investment in a whole range of green energy alternatives. It will be happening at a time when the economic disruption caused by Covid-19 has sent the oil price tumbling and threatens to leave the company with more stranded assets on its hands.Something has to give in those circumstances, and that something is BP’s dividend, which was cut for the first time since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill a decade ago. In truth, the decision was a no-brainer, with perhaps the only surprise being that the payout to shareholders was reduced by half rather than by the two-thirds announced by Shell in April. Continue reading...

Human-caused sea level rise likely caused eight out of 10 floods in the region between 1970 and 2015, a study findsFlooding in localised areas around Sydney will happen almost every week by the middle of this century because of human-caused sea level rise, according to a study by scientists at the Bureau of Meteorology.The frequency of flooding around parks, gardens and footpaths had already gone up from less than two days per year in 1914 to a present day rate of about eight days per year, the study found. Continue reading...

Despite reporting one of its worst quarterly results on record BP shares closed up 6.5%

Former pirate’s haunt is a refuge for rare species, but coronavirus has kept away day trippers it relies on for funds

Ten-track record samples recordings of endangered, vulnerable or near threatened birds by artists from same countryThe song of the black catbird – with its flute-like chirps and screeching single-note squalls – was once heard across Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico until large-scale farms began to destroy its habitat.Now, thanks to a collective of musicians, producers and DJs, the tiny bird’s song – and that of nine other endangered species from the region – could be heard on dancefloors around the world, with proceeds going to conserving the endangered birds. Continue reading...

Poorer, hotter parts of the world will struggle to adapt to unbearable conditions, research findsThe growing but largely unrecognized death toll from rising global temperatures will come close to eclipsing the current number of deaths from all the infectious diseases combined if planet-heating emissions are not constrained, a major new study has found.Related: Killer heat: US racial injustices will worsen as climate crisis escalates Continue reading...

A new research programme in Gabon is identifying the ‘isotopic fingerprint’ of the world’s most-trafficked mammal in the fight to beat smugglersAfter a two-week chase through Lopé-Okanda national park, a mosaic of rainforest and savannah in central Gabon, David Lehmann and his Wildlife Capture Unit were celebrating – they had caught a giant pangolin nicknamed Ghost, the biggest on record.The team – consisting of eco-guards, an indigenous tracker, a field biologist and a wildlife vet – hope that Ghost, who weighs 38kg and measures 1.72m from nose to tail, will give valuable insights in their fight against poaching. Continue reading...

Mounted seats, cargo bikes and trailers offer families different options to give cycling a goThose lockdown days of blissfully quiet roads may be behind us but, with local authorities across the UK investing in cycle infrastructure, now is still an excellent time to give cycling a go. That is especially true for young city-dwelling families who would formerly have relied on public transport to get around but are now reluctant to risk a bus, tram or train journey.Fortunately, cycling with small children is not merely convenient and healthy but also great fun too. Here is how to do it. Continue reading...

Church of England and Duchy of Cornwall come last in ranking of major landowners by forest coverMany of England’s biggest landowners are not doing enough to plant trees to tackle the climate crisis, according to new data.Government departments, companies such as United Utilities and Network Rail, the royal family and organisations such as the Church of England and the National Trust are among the biggest owners of land in the country, but most have forest cover on their land that is only slightly above the national average, despite having pledged to reduce their carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Some places in NSW and Queensland had record rainfalls, while Tasmania had its second-driest July on record

At least four people who were unaware of government warnings planted seeds that arrived in mailAmericans have been planting mystery seeds which appeared to be sent from China, unaware of government warnings to dispose of the suspicious shipments.Related: Sowing doubt: people around world receive mystery seed parcels Continue reading...

Animals including leopards have almost disappeared in protected habitatsEfforts to protect the giant panda have failed to safeguard large mammals sharing its habitats, according to research showing dramatic declines in leopards and other predators.In its effort to save the giant panda, China has cracked down on poachers, outlawed the trade in panda hides and mapped out dozens of protected habitats. Continue reading...

New research has found extreme melting of the country’s glaciers in 2018 was at least ten times more likely due to human-caused global heatingTwice a year, glaciologist Lauren Vargo and her colleagues set up camp beside two small lakes close to New Zealand’s Brewster glacier. Each time the trek to carry the measuring stakes takes a little bit longer as the glacier’s terminus gets further away.Dr Vargo, a native of Ohio now working at the Antarctic Research Centre at the Victoria University of Wellington, is studying New Zealand’s glaciers from the air and on the ice. Continue reading...

Stories have emerged of mass killings of chickens and pigs, a tiny fraction of daily abuses heaped on farmed animalsMore than any event in recent history, the coronavirus pandemic has made plain the consequences of our abuse of animals. From the Chinese wet market where the virus likely emerged to the American slaughterhouses which have become key vectors of transmission, our ravenous demand for cheap meat has been implicated in enormous human suffering. But the suffering is not ours alone. The pandemic has also focused our attention on how American agribusiness – which has benefited from deregulation under the Trump administration – abuses animals on an industrial scale.Related: US nears 150,000 Covid-19 deaths as Republicans and Democrats pitch opposing plans – live Continue reading...

Phone banks, social media and friend-to-friend campaigning are the new focus ahead of this year’s US elections

Hannah Duston, subject of the first publicly funded US monument to a woman, is implicated in the deaths of 10 Native AmericansThe statue is the earliest publicly funded monument to a woman in the US.It stands in the out-of-the-way town of Boscawen, New Hampshire. It shows a woman holding a hatchet in one hand and a fistful of scalps in the other. Her name is Hannah Duston. Continue reading...

Charges were brought against Peter Harris after revelations on ABC’s Four Corners in 2017One of the most prominent irrigators in north-west New South Wales, Peter Harris, has been acquitted of taking water from the Barwon-Darling while his meters were not working after the land and environment court found prosecutors had failed to establish all elements of the offence.The charges were brought after revelations on Four Corners in 2017 alleging illegal taking of water from the Barwon-Darling by cotton growers. Continue reading...

High-polluting cars are threat to public health, says New Weather Institute thinktankAdvertising of sports utility vehicles, which emit more greenhouse gases than other cars, should be banned so the UK can meet its climate goals, a report has said.The large increase in numbers of SUVs in the UK and around the world is the second-largest contributor to the increase in global emissions since 2010, according to the International Energy Agency. Continue reading...

Images show dozens of surfers about 10 metres from whales, which migrate up and down the Australian coastA whale calf, closely followed by its mother, came within metres of surfers and swimmers at Manly beach, in Sydney’s north, on Sunday afternoon.The pair were initially identified as humpbacks by onlookers, but marine wildlife experts later said they were most likely southern rights, which also migrate north to calve, then return to colder waters for the southern summer. Continue reading...

China continues to increase its coal power, but in India new construction has ground to a near halt

Exclusive: Hanwha follows Samsung in vowing to cease support, saying it had ‘no knowledge’ of environmental issues related to Carmichael mine

CEO wants limit on 2021 auction scrapped to help power green economic recoveryOne of Britain’s biggest wind power developers has called on the government to scrap the limit on its next offshore wind subsidy auction to help power a green economic recovery, claiming it will not lead to a rise in energy bills.Scottish Power has urged government officials to open up next year’s offshore wind subsidy auction to as many new projects as possible in order to deliver a “huge wave” of investment and jobs following the pandemic. Continue reading...

Proposals to install low-energy devices in seven coastal beacons in the north and the republic have angered campaigners, who say the enchanting ‘loom’ of the beams will be lostThe “loom of the light” is a phenomenon that lets you see the glow of a lighthouse from over the horizon. Particles of water vapour in the atmosphere scatter the light upwards so it can be glimpsed further than the line of sight. It is an optical wonder that has delighted – and guided – mariners for centuries.But now some fear an environmental push towards low energy will extinguish a loom that stretches across the Irish Sea, draining beauty from the nocturnal landscape. Continue reading...

Meet the business owners teaching Syrian and Malian refugees, prison inmates and those with learning disabilities to create successful and sustainable ranges of clothes and homeware – some of which are ending up in high-end fashion housesAt the Love Welcomes workshop, in a refugee camp outside Athens, Syrian women learn to weave on a simple loom. The recycled yarn and thread they use comes from life vests and blankets discarded by exhausted refugees as they disembark from boats. The throws, cushions and doormats they produce are sold online. “We support women who are waiting to have their papers and visas processed; it can be a hopeless, desperate time,” says Love Welcomes co-founder Abi Hewitt. “Our aim is to give people a reason to wake up in the morning and feel they’re contributing to society.” Continue reading...

Super-rich join naturalists in fight to halt building of luxury resort on biodiverse headland

In summer, 20,000 vehicles a day pass through Chideock village in Dorset, flooding the air with toxic nitrogen dioxideWith the title of England’s worst road pollution hotspot this week being placed on a small village on the Jurassic Coast, the problem of toxic NOfumes is in the spotlight – not just as a public hazard for big cities but for countryside residents too.And it’s expected to get worse. While Friends of the Earth this week revealed the latest figures showing 1,360 sites across England were breaching the air quality objective levels for NO, road traffic forecasts from the Department of Transport show traffic volumes are expected to increase in England and Wales each year until 2050, potentially by up to 51% in total. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos including a sheep’s wagtail and a stranded whale Continue reading...

As Eid al-Adha begins, a campaign for painless killing is starting to win favour with slaughterhouses and religious leadersAs Turkey gears up for Eid al-Adha, or Qurban Bayram, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, animal rights campaigners are celebrating progress in their efforts to convince religious leaders, butchers and slaughterhouses of the merits of stunning animals before ritual slaughter.Livestock warehouses across the country were busy on Thursday before the festival began at sunset, with families inspecting sheep and cows to slaughter in honour of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael. Continue reading...

Club des Internationaux Français pulls its 2,000 birds from event citing safety fears

Six-year sentence following death of one of country’s best-known silverback mountain gorillas is first of its kindIn the first conviction of its kind, a court in Uganda has jailed a poacher for six years after he admitted killing one of the country’s best-known silverback mountain gorillas in a national park.Felix Byamukama, from Murole in the south-west district of Kisoro, pleaded guilty to illegal entry into a protected area and killing the gorilla named Rakifi and a duiker antelope. Byamukama had said earlier that he killed the animal in self-defence after he was attacked. It is the first time Uganda, home to 50% of the world’s mountain gorillas, has jailed someone for such an offence and the sentence has been widely welcomed by wildlife groups. Continue reading...

From the South Side of Chicago to tiny Carolina farms, a growing number of Black women are reclaiming the land – and their wellbeingThe car made its way along a tree-lined gravel road. The sky was clear, and as the car drove by, the trees swayed from side to side, almost like a sign of welcome. The road opened up into a large pasture. In the middle of the pasture was a wooden pergola with grapes growing on it and a circular garden surrounding it. Tiny houses dotted the pasture, as brown children played merrily in the mud. In the center of all of this, planting in the circular garden like she was Mother Earth herself, was a Black woman. Continue reading...

The waste incinerator sits in one of the poorest areas of the country, where air pollution already breaches legal limits

Greenpeace data raises concern over air quality and health of vulnerable people

We now know that we can have an affordable, reliable and low emissions power system – and it needs a lot less coal and fossil gas“Good, fast, cheap. Pick only two” is a maxim that applies to almost any endeavour. An equally pithy idea dominated energy discussions a few short years ago. The “energy trilemma” dictated that affordable, reliable and low emissions power was practically unobtainable.The release on Thursday of the Integrated System Plan (ISP) by the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) has put paid to the trilemma, at least for Australia, a vast country blessed with an embarrassment of renewable energy resources. Continue reading...

Non-native predators and pests, forestry and farming mean our recovery is faltering. Here’s what we need to do

Shark and prey populations such as seals are increasing in New England waters, and sharks follow their food, experts sayA fatal shark attack in Maine may be linked to rebounding shark populations after they faced near decimation 40 years ago along the New England coast, according to experts.Related: Maine tells swimmers to stay in shallow water after fatal shark attack Continue reading...

Most polluted census tracts in 1981 remained the most polluted in 2016 despite nationwide reductions in pollution, study saysWealthy white Americans are still getting to breathe cleaner air than lower-income communities of color, despite significant nationwide reductions in pollution since the 1980s, according to a new study.Fine particle pollution – which is 2.5 micrometers or smaller – has fallen an average of about 70% since 1981. But air pollution is not equally distributed around America. Continue reading...

Human-caused sea level rise, storm surges and high tides will put trillions of dollars of assets at risk around the world by the end of the centuryThe combined impacts of human-caused sea level rise, storm surges and high tides could expose an extra 23 million people to coastal flooding within the next 30 years, even with relatively ambitious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, a new global study has found.In a worst-case scenario where emissions continue to rise and no efforts are made to adapt to the rising sea levels, coastal assets worth US$14.2tn – about 20% of global GDP – could be at risk by the end of the century. Continue reading...

After last summer’s deadly bushfires, Guardian readers have found tentative signs of renewal in the charred landscape

The pandemic upended the practices that typically keep Quail Hill Farm running smoothly. It’s emblematic of an industry-wide struggleOn the same day the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, Quail Hill Farm’s new director faced a problem.A group of AmeriCorps volunteers had just arrived on the Long Island farm, ready to get to work learning all the key facets of organic agriculture – but unlike most years, the farm could no longer safely house them. Layton Guenther was fresh on the job, and before they could devise a solution, the volunteers were ordered back home. Continue reading...

Global voices in the crisis say a US exit from the Paris agreement is damaging, but the fact no other country is leaving shows it can survive this ‘ultimate stress test’The origins of the world’s historic agreement to tackle climate change, in Paris in 2015, have some familiar themes. Back in 2007, there was a Republican president in the White House who had long been hostile to any action on climate change.George W Bush had refused to give US backing to a new global roadmap on the climate. Continue reading...

Fast food giant praised for owning up to extent of footpad dermatitis, which can prevent birds from walkingFast food giant KFC has laid bare the realities of chicken production after admitting to poor welfare conditions among its suppliers.More than a third of the birds on its supplier farms in the UK and Ireland suffer from a painful inflammation known as footpad dermatitis that in severe cases can prevent birds from walking normally.

First official endangered list includes wildcat, red squirrel, water vole and hedgehogA quarter of Britain’s native mammals are “at imminent risk of extinction”, according to the scientists who have compiled the nation’s first official Red List of endangered species.The 11 mammals include creatures of the mountains, woodlands and rivers, such as the wildcat, red squirrel, water vole, hazel dormouse and hedgehog. Continue reading...

About 800 million children, mostly in developing countries, ‘will have had risky exposure’One in three children around the world have concentrations of lead in their blood at levels likely to cause significant long-term health damage, new research has found.About 800 million children and young people under the age of 19 are likely to have blood levels of lead at or above 5 micrograms per decilitre (5μg/dl), according to the report. Continue reading...

Kangaroo Island’s glossies were flourishing until the fires. Now the tale of one family’s survival has offered fresh hope