Environment | The Guardian

Celebrated naturalist’s most vivid impression of human impact on the planet is Great Barrier Reef bleachingDavid Attenborough has highlighted Australia as an “extraordinary” example of a country where people in power remained climate change deniers despite the country facing some of the worst effects of global heating.Appearing before the UK parliament’s business, energy and industrial strategy committee on how to tackle the climate emergency, the celebrated broadcaster and natural historian was asked about claims people were overreacting to the threat of a climate emergency. Continue reading...

Overall rating ‘unacceptable’ with Southern and Yorkshire Water criticised for pollutionWater companies in England have been warned to clean up their act after the environment watchdog described their performance last year as “simply unacceptable”.Southern Water and Yorkshire Water were singled out for high levels of serious pollution incidents, where sewage is discharged into bathing water. Continue reading...

More than 4,000 sign petition to overturn decision, which aimed to appease neighboursA national debate has been sparked in the Netherlands after a council ordered a primary school playground to be shut for being too noisy.Questions have been raised in the Dutch parliament and a campaign has been launched to save the playground in the wake of the decision by Nijmegen council. Continue reading...

Tourists warned not to feed the animals after plastic waste found in stomachs of several dead deerAuthorities in Japan’s ancient capital Nara are warning visitors not to feed the city’s wild deer – a major tourist attraction – after several of the animals died after swallowing plastic bags.Large amounts of plastic waste were found in the stomachs of nine of 14 deer to have died since March, according to a local wildlife conservation group. Continue reading...

Grantham Research Institute found half do not factor climate crisis in decision-makingAbout a quarter of the world’s highest-emitting publicly listed companies fail to report their greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half do not properly consider the risks from the climate crisis in their decision-making, new research has found.The findings show the distance even the world’s biggest companies still have to cover to meet the goals of the Paris agreement on climate change, according to the group of investors coordinating the report. Continue reading...

Union worries about ‘reporting culture’ at Queensland mines, where most workers are now employed as casualsContract and casual mineworkers in Queensland are fearful of “retribution” if they complain about questionable safety practices, their union says, as the sector grapples with a sixth workplace death in the past year.The recent cluster of accidents and deaths, the worst on record in Queensland for 22 years, has prompted the state government to commission two independent reviews into mine safety. Continue reading...

Researchers say ‘eye-opening’ findings that 20% of silver gulls nationwide carry pathogenic bacteria should be a wake-up callAustralian gulls are carrying superbugs resistant to antibiotics, raising fears that disease-causing bacteria may spread from the birds to humans, livestock and pets.A team of scientists led by researchers at Perth’s Murdoch University found more than 20% of silver gulls nationwide were carrying pathogenic bacteria, such as E coli, that are resistant to drugs. E coli can cause urinary tract infections, life-threatening sepsis and meningitis. Continue reading...

Mayor of German capital considering €365 annual ticket to reduce traffic and pollutionBerliners could pay as little as €1 a day to use public transport for a year under plans to wean the German capital off its cars and reduce air pollution, its mayor has announced.“Step by step I want to follow the goal of introducing an annual public transport ticket for €365,” Michael Müller told Neue Zürcher Zeitung. An annual ticket normally costs €761. Continue reading...

The Green party MEP for the south-west on why social justice is key to making the transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050Molly Scott Cato can hardly contain herself. Having spent more than 30 years as an activist in the ecology and the sustainability movement, the Green MEP for the south-west region feels the UK is finally starting to appreciate the scale of the climate emergency. “People are suddenly waking up to it, which is very exciting for someone like me who’s been banging on about this for years,” she says.Take aviation. “We’re really getting a grip on that now. That was something where I was really out of line with other people. But in the last year, people have stopped thinking that I’m a loony not flying anywhere. They start by being admiring and then they start thinking ‘Oh God, I’m going to have to start doing that’. We’ve reached that point, it’s really encouraging.” Continue reading...

Judge says there is no evidence that decision not to retest for bovine TB was unlawfulAn alpaca farmer has lost a high court battle to prevent one of her prized animals from being killed.Helen Macdonald took legal action against the government in a last-ditch attempt to save her stud alpaca, Geronimo, who was earmarked for slaughter after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Continue reading...

Naturalist tells MPs radical action needed to tackle crisis but attitude of young people gives him hopeThe attitude of young people towards tackling the environmental crisis is “a source of great hope”, David Attenborough has told MPs, as he predicted that polluting the planet would soon provoke as much abhorrence as slavery.Giving evidence to the business, energy and industrial strategy committee on how to tackle the climate emergency, the naturalist and TV presenter said radical action was required. Continue reading...

Indonesian officials say containers of paper contaminated by electronic waste, used cans and plastic bottlesIndonesia says it will immediately send eight containers of household rubbish back to Australia after inspectors declared the material too contaminated to be recycled.It is the latest in a series of announcements by south-east Asian nations that they will not be dumping grounds for overseas waste. Continue reading...

MPs must stop prioritising cars over people if we are to stand a chance of meeting climate goalsThe UK is among the worst countries in Europe for cycling participation, and the government is predicted to achieve just a third of the 800m extra cycling trips by 2025 it had aimed for. What’s more, much of the growth so far has been restricted to London.This is why Tuesday’s debate among MPs on government support for cycling and walking – or rather, the lack thereof – is so important. Continue reading...

After toxins in the water killed animals and left humans scared to swim, the state’s future governor made cleanup a campaign issueIt was a sweltering late summer day in southern Florida when Becky Harris took her dogs to run along the bank of the St Lucie River. Her white Pomeranian, Pandora, was off leash while Kylie, her Rottweiler mix, trotted alongside her. Suddenly, Pandora took off down the grassy hill toward the beach and was soon tearing into a dead fish. Harris tried to yank it out of her mouth, but Pandora bolted under the sea grapes to polish it off.Within hours, the normally bouncy Pandora was so lethargic that her head fell into her water bowl. Harris took Pandora to the closest veterinary ER. By the next day, Pandora’s liver was failing. Harris already suspected the cause: the toxic algal bloom. Gunk full of blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria had spewed from Lake Okeechobee into the river near her home in Stuart, a short drive north of West Palm Beach. Continue reading...

Huge sums of money are being wasted with no guarantee more water is reaching the environment, former commissioner warnsThere are renewed calls for an independent commission of inquiry into the management of water flows in the Murray-Darling Basin with scientists warning billions have been spent without any guarantee more water is reaching the environment.Richard Beasley SC, who was the counsel assisting the South Australian Murray-Darling royal commission, says there needs to be a national commission of inquiry established with a remit to conduct a “full independent audit” of water-saving schemes. Continue reading...

One of Britain’s biggest green energy switches to date will come at no extra costMore than 3m homes are to automatically receive renewable energy from E.ON UK at no extra cost in one of the UK’s biggest green energy switches to date.The big six supplier says it will respond to rising public concern over the climate crisis by supplying its 3.3 million customers with 100% renewable electricity as standard. Continue reading...

In a White House speech, the president claimed clean air and water has been a priority but voters disapprove of his climate crisis handlingDonald Trump is arguing he has made America an environmental leader, despite moving to gut dozens of rules meant to safeguard clean air and water and rescinding every major US effort to stem the climate crisis.Related: Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez move to declare climate crisis official emergency Continue reading...

Global heating is threatening supplies of water needed in large volumes to cool reactors

Exclusive: Democrats to introduce resolution in House on Tuesday in recognition of extreme threat from global heatingA group of US lawmakers including the 2020 Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders are proposing to declare the climate crisis an official emergency – a significant recognition of the threat taken after considerable pressure from environment groups.Related: Donald Trump's five most dangerous attacks on the environment Continue reading...

Fugitive emissions from LNG are also fuelling rising national emissions, Ndevr Environmental figures showAustralia’s emissions are again the highest on record, driven this time by an increase in emissions from the electricity sector, which rose to their highest levels in two years, according to new figures.Fugitive emissions from Australia’s LNG industry also continue to fuel rising national emissions. Continue reading...

Trump’s administration has pursued cuts in environmental protections that are critical to the health of all AmericansDonald Trump is set to hail his administration’s “environmental leadership” on Monday in a speech in which he is expected to declare the US a world leader on the issue.But since taking office two and a half years ago, the US president has been at the helm of an administration that has pursued numerous cuts in environmental protections and last year saw a rise in greenhouse gases of 3.4% – the biggest rise in emissions since 2010. Continue reading...

Lightsource BP hopes ‘bi-facial’ panels will boost renewable energy at its solar farmsBP’s solar subsidiary is on the hunt for Britain’s shiniest grass to help make the most of new double-sided solar panels that can harness light reflected off the ground.Lightsource BP hopes the “bi-facial” solar panels will boost the amount of renewable energy generated at its solar farms and could make them more economic in gloomier parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. Continue reading...

UK aid projects ‘actively undermine’ efforts to tackle climate crisis, MPs and campaign groups warnA cross-party group of MPs, backed by campaign groups, has called for an immediate ban on all investment in fossil fuels and for all UK aid to be “nature positive”.The 28 MPs, led by Tory Zac Goldsmith and Labour’s Kerry McCarthy, with support from Amnesty International, WWF and other organisations, criticised the UK for “actively undermining” its own investment in tackling the climate emergency by continuing to fund fossil fuels through aid and export finance. Continue reading...

New rightwing council fails to reverse policy of former mayor Manuela CarmenaBarely a week after Madrid’s rightwing council began rolling back the city’s low emissions zone, a judge has ruled that the traffic restrictions must be maintained.As of Monday, drivers of non-exempt vehicles will once again be fined €90 if they enter the 1.8 sq mile zone in the centre of the Spanish capital. Continue reading...

Conservative lawmakers have put forward laws criminalizing protests in at least 18 states since 2017 that civil liberties advocates say are unconstitutionalFrom the Standing Rock camps in North Dakota to tree-sits in Texas, activists have attempted to stop pipeline construction with massive shows of civil disobedience. Now they could be forced to change those tactics, or face heavy penalties under a wave of new anti-protest laws that civil liberties advocates say violate the first amendment.Conservative lawmakers have put forward laws criminalizing protests that disrupt the construction and operation of pipelines in at least 18 states since 2017. Continue reading...

We could use a global carbon tax to give developing countries incentives to phase out coalAlthough much derided by climate-change deniers, not least Donald Trump, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal hits the nail on the head with its urgent call for the US to lead by example on global warming. But the sad truth is that, for all the needless waste produced by Americans’ gluttonous culture, emerging Asia is by far the main driver of the world’s growing carbon dioxide emissions. No amount of handwringing will solve the problem. The way to do that is to establish the right incentives for countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh.It is hard to see how to do this within the framework of existing multilateral aid institutions, which have limited expertise on climate issues and are pulled in different directions by their various constituencies. For example, to the dismay of many energy experts, the World Bank recently rather capriciously decided to stop funding virtually all new fossil-fuel plants, including natural gas. But replacing dirty coal plants with relatively clean natural gas is how the US has managed to reduce emissions growth dramatically over the past decade (despite Trump’s best efforts), and is a centrepiece of the famous “Princeton wedges” pragmatic options for minimising climate risk. One cannot let the perfect become the enemy of good in the transition to a carbon-neutral future. Continue reading...

Cyclists: Scourge of the Roads? isn’t just as bad as the title indicates – it’s irresponsible

City one of five required by government to set up a clean air zone to tackle nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5sPrimary school children who grow up in Birmingham could lose half a year of their lives due to illegal levels of air pollution in the city, a new report warns.The study examines levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution (PM2.5) in the city and calculates that an eight-year-old child could die up to seven months early if exposed over their lifetimes to toxic air. The loss of life expectancy is worse in Birmingham than some other major cities in the UK including Manchester, researchers found. Continue reading...

Two of big six energy companies sign up to pledge organised by the Climate GroupTwo of Britain’s biggest energy suppliers are accelerating the drive towards greener vehicles by pledging to replace their existing fleet of vans with all-electric models by 2030.British Gas owner Centrica and SSE have committed to switch to electric cars and vans a decade ahead of the government’s ban on the sale of new combustion engine vehicles. Continue reading...

Australia looking to become an emissions superpower, the Australian Conservation Foundation saysAustralia is responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and could be contributing as much as 17% by 2030 if the pollution from its fossil fuel exports is factored in, research says.Under climate accounting rules that record carbon dioxide released within a country, Australia is responsible for about 1.4% of global emissions. The analysis by science and policy institute Climate Analytics found more than twice that, another 3.6%, are a result of Australia’s coal, oil and gas exports. Continue reading...

Jaguar Land Rover boss says UK needs batteries made in Britain - or carmakers will leaveThe feeling of relief in the British car industry was almost palpable on Friday, when Jaguar Land Rover said it would invest billions in producing new electric vehicles in the UK. After the recent closure of two other UK automotive factories in five months – Honda in Swindon and Ford in Bridgend – JLR boss Ralf Speth was clearly pleased to have good news for the 2,500 workers at the Castle Bromwich plant.Yet amid the congratulations, Speth also struck a note of warning. Not on Brexit this time, but on the future of the car sector in the absence of a British battery industry. “One thing is clear: if batteries go out of the UK, then also the automotive production will go out of the UK,” he said. Continue reading...

The scale of the climate emergency requires nothing less than full government engagementWith just 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage caused by the climate emergency, there are still options to wean the world’s economy off its reliance on fossil fuels. However, anything less than putting Britain on a war footing will not be enough.The government response so far has been timid. Theresa May introduced a net-zero carbon emissions target for 2050, but there are reasons why the Conservatives haven’t gone further: her party is hard-wired to fail. Clinging to a belief in the power of free markets, it neglects the fact that to decarbonise the economy greater investment from the state is required. Continue reading...

Campaigners escalate health protest over brownfield development in SouthallResidents are preparing a legal challenge to the redevelopment of a former gasworks in Southall, west London. The move follows two years of complaints to Ealing council, developers the Berkeley Group and environmental regulators that a petrol-like odour from the site is making them ill and putting children’s lives at risk.“The campaign group has become increasingly frustrated by the abject failure of Berkeley adequately to respond to legitimate grievances,” said Jo Sidhu QC. “We now have no choice but to instigate legal action to hold them accountable for the damage they have done to the health of local residents. People are suffering serious and chronic illnesses relating to the toxic pollution released by the land being used by the developers.” Continue reading...

Energise Africa offers a 5% return and allows you to help support low-income familiesFight the climate crisis and earn a return of 5% at the same time, plus enjoy a guarantee on your investment.That’s the offer from an ethical investment scheme that allows people to put money into companies providing African families with access to clean, affordable solar energy. Continue reading...

Supermarket to create olive crostini and bread pudding from baguettes to reduce waste

Former environment minister says Angus Taylor made inquiries on behalf of farmers in his electorateJosh Frydenberg has defended a decision when he was environment minister to query whether he had the power to water down federal protections for critically endangered grasslands, and establish if any change had to be published, saying he was just investigating the process.The Senate this week passed a Greens motion forcing the government to explain the conduct of two of its senior ministers – Angus Taylor and Frydenberg – in relation to critically endangered grasslands at the centre of an investigation involving companies part-owned by Taylor. Continue reading...

People suffer rashes and breathing difficulties as warm weather brings infestationMarauding caterpillars with toxic hairs have brought parts of Germany to a standstill, leading to closures of swimming pools, restaurants, public parks and sections of the motorway.Oak processionary moth caterpillars, named after the nose-to-tail processions they form to travel between the oak trees they devour, have fine, long hairs with an irritating toxin that can cause blistering rashes, feverish dizzy spells and asthma attacks. Continue reading...

UN also names national park in Iceland among sites protected for their value to humanity

Ada Colau will also oppose airport expansion to curb tourism and pollutionBarcelona’s mayor, Ada Colau, has pledged to restrict the number of cruise ships allowed to dock in the city and to oppose the expansion of the city’s airport, saying: “We don’t have infinite capacity.”Colau said the limits would reduce pollution in the city, where air quality regularly exceeds World Health Organization limits for nitrogen oxide and PM10 particulates. Continue reading...

Activists say comments by Opec head prove world opinion is turning against fossil fuelsGreta Thunberg and other climate activists have said it is a badge of honour that the head of the world’s most powerful oil cartel believes their campaign may be the “greatest threat” to the fossil fuel industry.The criticism of striking students by the trillion-dollar Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) highlights the growing reputational concerns of oil companies as public protests intensify along with extreme weather. Continue reading...

This week: a seal is released back into the wild and sparrows enjoy tarte flambée leftovers Continue reading...

Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread among nearly 80 artists stepping up campaignFive winners of the Turner prize are demanding an end to BP’s sponsorship of the National Portrait Gallery, stepping up the campaign against big oil’s involvement in the arts.Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread, Anish Kapoor, Gillian Wearing and Mark Wallinger are among a group of almost 80 leading artists, including winners of the BP portrait award, who have written to the gallery’s director, Nicholas Cullinan, highlighting the company’s role as one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers and calling on him to cut ties. The group say it is necessary to ensure the gallery remains a “forward-looking institution that’s on the right side of history”. Continue reading...

Major brands are using less recycled paper, meaning more trees cut down unnecessarilyToilet paper – the one product that the majority of us use just once and flush away – is becoming less sustainable, according to research.Analysis from Ethical Consumer magazine found that major brands were using less recycled paper than in 2011, while only five of the nine major supermarkets (the Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) offered an own-brand recycled toilet paper. The large-scale use of virgin paper contributes to unnecessary deforestation. Continue reading...

An estimated 5,000 tonnes of bauxite has spilled into Kangava Bay, where a tanker ran aground in FebruaryA second major spill has hit the pristine Solomon Islands bay where a bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef and leaked oil earlier this year.On Monday, an estimated 5,000 tonnes of bauxite, the ore used in aluminium smelting, slipped into the water at Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, while it was being loaded on to a barge. Continue reading...

Footage shows Australian parrot breaching building’s defences with delightFootage capturing a rebellious sulphur-crested cockatoo’s triumph over bird guard spikes has gone viral on Facebook. Continue reading...

The 9ft snake, missing since Sunday, was spotted up a tree near its home by a neighbourA 9ft reticulated python that was on the loose for more than four days has been found. The missing snake, called Turin, has been reunited with its owner, Cambridgeshire constabulary said.The BBC said the animal was spotted up a tree on Thursday evening by one of its owner’s neighbours about 50m away from its home on Lovell Road on the northern edge of Cambridge. Continue reading...

Less well-off areas have least to lose and most to gain from clean-air zones, study findsThose who object to low emission or clean-air zones often say restricting old vehicles and diesel cars in city centres will hit the poorest most. A study challenges this.Researchers from the University of the West of England combined UK census and air pollution data with information from annual vehicle safety (MOT) inspections. Continue reading...

Research shows a trillion trees could be planted to capture huge amount of carbon dioxidePlanting billions of trees across the world is by far the biggest and cheapest way to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists, who have made the first calculation of how many more trees could be planted without encroaching on crop land or urban areas.As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating. New research estimates that a worldwide planting programme could remove two-thirds of all the emissions that have been pumped into the atmosphere by human activities, a figure the scientists describe as “mind-blowing”. Continue reading...

Industry accuses government of undermining sector after first decline since April 2017The British car industry has accused the government of undermining the sector after sales of electrified vehicles fell for the first time in more than two years.Sales of cars with alternative fuels – including battery electric vehicles and hybrids – were down 11.8% in June compared with the same month last year, the first annual decline since April 2017, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Continue reading...

The living walls employ state-of-the-art technology, which means they are automatically irrigatedPlaying on Wimbledon’s hallowed courts can be an intense experience, causing many a player to hurl a racket or mutter a profanity in exasperation. But some are managing to find tranquility in the All England Tennis Club’s new living walls, part of its commitment to biodiversity.The two walls, spanning 245 sq m and created with 14,344 plants stand on the redeveloped No 1 court, either side of the big screen on Henman Hill. Continue reading...