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Residents of Australia’s capital are told to stay indoors and brace for more smog in the coming daysCanberra has experienced its worst air quality on record, as bushfire smoke became trapped by atmospheric conditions and residents were told to stay indoors and brace for more smog in the coming days.The ACT’s acting chief health officer, Dr Paul Dugdale, said the smoke was the worst since the 2003 bushfires and was “certainly the worst” since air quality monitoring started in the city 15 years ago. Continue reading...

Rise in renewables and decline in coal-fired power leads to cleanest energy year on recordZero-carbon energy became Britain’s largest electricity source in 2019, delivering nearly half the country’s power and outstripping fossil fuels for the first time.Following a dramatic decline in coal-fired power and a rise in renewable and low-carbon energy, 2019 was the cleanest energy year on record for Britain, according to National Grid, which owns and operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, and also runs the Scottish networks. Continue reading...

New rules introduced by International Maritime Organisation expected to reduce certain forms of air pollutionSulphur will be cut drastically from global shipping transport fuels in 2020, in a move that should reduce some forms of air pollution, and may help towards tackling the climate emergency – but which could also lead to a rise in the price of flights.From 1 January 2020, ships will only be allowed to use fuel oil with a very low sulphur content, under rules brought in by the International Maritime Organisation. This cut in sulphur content has been more than a decade in the planning, and almost all shipping around the world is expected to comply, or face penalties. Continue reading...

Once confined to the western states, the wolf’s adaptable smaller cousin has been carving out a niche in urban areasDonald Trump has a $269m golf course in New York City that is regularly prowled by feared, largely nocturnal individuals that instinctively prey upon those they deem smaller and weaker.We are, of course, talking about coyotes. Continue reading...

Move is hailed by Sir David Attenborough as ‘the most prestigious environment prize in history’Prince William has announced what was described as “the most prestigious environment prize in history” to encourage new solutions to tackling the climate crisis.The “Earthshot prize” will be awarded to five people every year over the next decade, the Prince said on Tuesday, and aims to provide at least 50 answers to some of the greatest problems facing the planet by 2030. Continue reading...

What scientists can see and measure, in the garbage patches and on beaches, accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total plastic entering the waterEvery year, 8m tons of plastic enters the ocean. Images of common household waste swirling in vast garbage patches in the open sea, or tangled up with whales and seabirds, have turned plastic pollution into one of the most popular environmental issues in the world.But for at least a decade, the biggest question among scientists who study marine plastic hasn’t been why plastic in the ocean is so abundant, but why it isn’t. What scientists can see and measure, in the garbage patches and on beaches, accounts for only a tiny fraction of the total plastic entering the water. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology says two climate patterns behind the dangerous fire conditions have shifted towards neutral

City bans most polluting vehicles from area 20 times the size of Madrid’s zoneThe largest low-emissions zone in southern Europe opens in Barcelona on New Year’s Day, banning the most polluting vehicles from entering an urban area including the city and some satellite towns.Petrol-driven cars bought before 2000 and diesels older than 2006 will be banned and face a fine of €100-€500 (£85-£425) each time they enter the zone. A moratorium will be in place for the first three months, during which time offenders will receive notification of the infraction but will not be fined. Continue reading...

City councillors unveil ‘unashamedly ambitious’ goal to cut carbon emissionsThe medieval city of York has announced plans to ban private car journeys from the city centre within three years in an effort to cut carbon emissions.Councillors spelled out the “unashamedly ambitious” goal that would follow the lead of Bristol, which is due to become the first UK city to ban diesel cars by 2021. Continue reading...

As we enter the fourth year of the Trump presidency, here are some of the ways the president has left a deep, and often dangerous, mark on American life

Some of the world’s leading voices on the environment discuss concerns and areas of optimismAt the end of a tumultuous decade for biodiversity, in which a report based on the most comprehensive study of life on Earth warned that “nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history”, we spoke to some of the world’s leading voices on the environment about their greatest fears for the next decade – and also their hopes. As the IPBES report’s authors noted: “It is not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level from local to global.”We asked three questions: Continue reading...

From the first Ebola-free baby to advances in women’s rights, we take our pick of the breakthroughsThere was a glimmer of hope amid the rising death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s largest Ebola outbreak when a baby called Sylvana tested negative for the virus. Continue reading...

New woodlands and wild places are needed to fight climate crisis and improve people’s healthHalf of the nation’s farmland needs to be transformed into woodlands and natural habitat to fight the climate crisis and restore wildlife, according to a former chief scientific adviser to the UK government.Prof Sir Ian Boyd said such a change could mean the amount of cattle and sheep would fall by 90%, with farmers instead being paid for storing carbon dioxide, helping prevent floods and providing beautiful landscapes where people could boost their health and wellbeing. Continue reading...

Rhesus macaques were introduced to Silver Springs state park in the 30s but, now 400 strong, they harbor a disease fatal to humansVisitors to Florida’s picturesque Silver Springs state park have been warned that they may encounter an unusual threat: hundreds of wild, herpes-infected monkeys.The monkeys, rhesus macaques, originate from two small groups released into the Silver Springs state park almost 100 years ago by an eccentric boat captain. Their numbers have soared since then, and experts predict there could be 400 roaming the park by 2022. Continue reading...

UK Wildlife Trusts report says 2019 saw sea change in public attitudes to marine conservationSeals, dolphins and seabirds in British coastal waters are increasingly being disturbed by people using drones, kayaks and jetskis, according to a new report.Plastics, ocean waste and discarded fishing equipment have continued to devastate marine species in the UK’s coastal waters, while warming seas driven by the climate crisis have caused a boom in the non-native Pacific oyster, according to the Wildlife Trusts. Continue reading...

Water shortages and extreme weather contribute to tension in Middle East and IndiaViolence associated with water has surged in the past decade driven by attacks on civilian water systems in Syria’s civil war and increasing disputes over supplies in India, according to a comprehensive database of conflicts linked to the vital resource.Recorded incidents of water-related violence have more than doubled in the past 10 years compared with previous decades, the statistics maintained by the California-based Pacific Institute thinktank show. Continue reading...

On a day of extraordinary bushfires the energy minister argued that the country has ‘strong targets, clear plans and an enviable track record’ on reducing emissions. Is he right?Australians should be proud of the country’s achievements on climate change, energy minister Angus Taylor has argued in a newspaper column that claims “quiet Australians” don’t accept the “shrill cries” of the government’s climate critics.The column, published in The Australian, makes a series of claims about Australia’s emissions and how they compare to other countries, as well as highlighting exports such as LNG that are “dramatically reducing emissions” in other countries. Continue reading...

Svante Thunberg says he was concerned about his daughter’s school strike but that her campaigning had helped her beat depressionGreta Thunberg’s father has opened up about how activism helped his daughter out of depression but still worries about how she will deal with the impact of her international fame.Speaking to the BBC to mark his daughter’s guest-editing slot on the Today programme, Svante Thunberg revealed he thought it was a “bad idea” for Greta to stage the school strike that catapulted her into the public eye. Continue reading...

Outgoing Bank of England governor says financial sector cutting back too slowly on investing in oil

Environment minister Sussan Ley says consultation with states and industry will look at ‘innovative’ ways for dealing with the issueEnvironment minister Sussan Ley has announced the nation’s first plastics summit to be held next year in an attempt to address the problem with Australia’s growing rubbish problem.With Australia no longer able to send its mixed plastic waste overseas from 2021, and plastic use predicted to double once again in the next two decades, Ley said the summit will bring together retailers, researchers, school children, and governments to work out how to tackle the crisis. Continue reading...

Martin Forwood’s obituary takes Bridget Gubbins back to the campaigns across the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in Druridge Bay, NorthumberlandThe death of Martin Forwood, the Cumbrian anti-nuclear campaigner (Obituary, 26 December), has brought back many memories about the threat to Druridge Bay in Northumberland and all the campaigns across the UK in the 80s and 90s. A whole generation has grown up since those days, when the nuclear industry was backed by the government, which planned a new family of nuclear power stations on coastal sites around the UK.In Northumberland, the state-owned Central Electricity Generating Board spent six months drilling the land and drew up the plans that still shelter in some forgotten drawer. The whole period coincided with government actions to shut down the coal mines, resulting in the miners’ strikes with their associated misery. Electricity generation was to be a battle between coal and nuclear. Continue reading...

The spoon-billed sandpiper has been brought back from the brink after a conservation programme in GloucestershireAfter eight years, conservationists have succeeded in helping spoon-billed sandpipers hatch chicks at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust headquarters in Gloucestershire.The birds belong to the world’s only captive flock of spoon-billed sandpipers, considered to be among the rarest of waders, and highly threatened. About 200 or so birds are thought to be left in the wild. Continue reading...

Survival of four types of fish and four other species in doubt as government skirts conservation laws to build barrier in ArizonaThe survival of eight endangered and threatened species, including four kinds of endemic fish, is in doubt in Arizona, as massive quantities of groundwater are extracted to construct Donald Trump’s border wall.The 30ft-high barrier is under construction on the edge of the San Bernardino national wildlife refuge in south-eastern Arizona, where rare desert springs and crystalline streams provide the only US habitat for the endangered freshwater Río Yaqui fish. Continue reading...

Trees for Life, one of four charities chosen for our climate appeal, runs projects that offer ‘eco-therapy’ to its volunteers

Sarah Sands, editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, admits it ‘felt awkward’Putting a presenter on a flight to Sweden to meet climate activist Greta Thunberg “felt awkward”, the editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme has admitted.The 16-year-old campaigner, who was a guest editor on a special edition of the show, avoids air travel because of its environmental impact. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison bows to pressure from Labor and his own minister over those who lose income while fighting firesThe Morrison government has announced that rural New South Wales fire service volunteers will be compensated for loss of income, after weeks of mounting pressure from the community, political rivals and within its own party.Just days after the minister Darren Chester broke ranks and joined Labor calls for volunteer firefighters to be paid, the prime minister announced eligible volunteers would receive $300 a day up to $6,000 if called out for more than 10 days this fire season. Continue reading...

In a country that aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, returning land to peat bog could save 1.4m tonnes of carbon emissions each yearGill Andersen is, as far as she knows, the only British woman farming the lowlands of central Jutland. And after 32 years, she doesn’t think much of Denmark’s plans to meet new emissions targets by returning much of her land to peat bog.“I don’t think there are any farmers who want to ruin the climate,” she says. “But the answer is not to flood our land and kill all the trees.” Continue reading...

Less than £1 per person a year is spent on planting English trees, but past mistakes loom largeIn 2018, about 1,400 hectares of trees were planted in England, against a government target of 5,000 hectares. Less than £1 per person per year is spent on planting English trees, and less than £2 across the UK, according to estimates by Friends of the Earth, compared with £90 per person per year on roads and £150 on fossil fuel subsidies. Scotland has succeeded in planting more trees, but the UK is still one of the least wooded countries in Europe, with only 13% tree cover, compared with about 32% in Germany and 31% of France. Those trees are also unevenly distributed: tree cover is about 10% in England, 15% in Wales, 19% in Scotland, and only 8% in Northern Ireland.The reasons for the lack of woodland across the UK stretch back centuries, from the timber needed for ships to bolster the empire’s navy and the industrial revolution, to the first world war, when the countryside was so denuded that the government set up the Forestry Commission in 1919 to reforest emptied land and provide a national resource to meet future needs. Continue reading...

Christian Aid report highlights costs of floods, fires and storms around the worldClimate breakdown played a key role in at least 15 events in 2019 that cost more than $1bn (£760m) in damage, with more than half of those costing more than $10bn each.Extreme weather including floods, storms, droughts and wildfires struck every inhabited continent in the past year, causing devastation and loss of life. Christian Aid, which tracked climate-related destruction in 2019, said the costs in human terms and insured losses were likely to have been underestimated. Continue reading...

Exclusive: London has highest level yet recorded but health impacts of breathing particles are unknownMicroplastic pollution is raining down on city dwellers, with research revealing that London has the highest levels yet recorded.The health impacts of breathing or consuming the tiny plastic particles are unknown, and experts say urgent research is needed to assess the risks. Continue reading...

It was the decade of austerity, fracking, populism and internet lies. But not everything about the 2010s was terrible Continue reading...

In the Danube delta, removing dams and bringing back native species have restored ecosystemsA battered old military truck and rusting Belarusian tractor are perched on the edge of degraded wetland in the heart of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. They have been hastily deployed in a desperate attempt to save an excavator from being swallowed by the squelching earth beside the obsolete Soviet dam it is trying to demolish.In the 1970s, 11 earth dams were built on the Sarata and Kogilnik rivers as a crude alternative to footbridges to access the area’s aquifers. Continue reading...

Drop comes as usage in Europe and the US declines and China tightens use of imported coalAustralian coal exporters have experienced the biggest annual drop in thermal coal prices in more than a decade during 2019, raising doubts about industry projections that demand will continue to grow.The spot price of thermal coal, which is burned to generate electricity, was US$66.20 ($95) last week, down more than a third from US$100.73 ($145) a year earlier. Continue reading...

Pejo 3000 in Trentino cuts use after discovering nearby glacier contained microplasticsAn Italian ski resort is endeavouring to become the first in Europe to ban plastic after discovering that a nearby glacier contained a significant amount of microplastics.The use of plastic bottles, bags, cutlery, plates, straws, cups and condiment sachets was banned when the slopes opened at Pejo 3000, a small resort in Val di Sole, Trentino, in early December, and other measures will be enacted over the season. Continue reading...

Area of water in the Pacific Ocean off NZ is 6C hotter than normal, possibly due to a lack of wind in the regionA spike in water temperature of up to 6C above average across a massive patch of ocean east of New Zealand is likely to have been caused by an “anti-cyclone” weather system, a leading scientist says.Appearing on heat maps as a deep red blob, the patch spans at least a million square kilometres – an area nearly 1.5 times the size of Texas, or four times larger than New Zealand – in the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...

Environment secretary seeks another review, as flood victims promised further £1mMinisters have ordered yet another review into why some flood-hit homes cannot get insurance and promised another £1m to help those affected after around 100 homes were hit over Christmas.Theresa Villiers, the environment secretary, said she was commissioning an inquiry into why some flooded communities were unable to get sufficient insurance, despite an agreement between insurers and the government in 2015 that was supposed to mean everyone would have access to affordable cover. Continue reading...

National Trust reports influx of species in 2019 but says climate is putting native wildlife at riskVolatile weather led to an influx of exciting migrant species in 2019 but is putting pressure on some homegrown flora and fauna, according to an annual audit of the UK’s environment.Many unusual birds and butterflies ended up on UK soil over the past 12 months, whisked in by high winds or attracted by unseasonably hot spells, and there was good news for native grey seals, dragonflies and wildflowers, the survey from the National Trust reveals. Continue reading...

Needing no soil or sun, an underground farm in Liverpool challenges traditional methodsBeautifully arranged rows of bok choi, parsley, tarragon and basil alongside dozens of variety of lettuce grow together in harmony under the pink glow of an LED light in a former sugar factory.Water infused with nutrients trickles on to the green towers, keeping the rosettes hydrated and fed. This is a technically advanced indoor vertical farm buried deep in a basement at a former Tate & Lyle warehouse and now the Liverpool Life Sciences UTC. Continue reading...

Event may need to be played at night or in shoulder season as climate crisis exposes players and fans to unprecedented levels of extreme heatThe Melbourne Boxing Day Test may have to be played at night or moved away from Christmas to November or March as the number of extreme heat days rises over coming decades, a new report says.The analysis by the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub says the climate crisis is already disrupting Australian cricket, citing the cancellation of club matches on hot days and the abandonment of a Big Bash game in Canberra after bushfire smoke reduced air quality and visibility. Continue reading...

Period between Christmas and New Year is utilised for activities from ice-cold swimming to birdwatchingWhen Christmas is over and you are getting ready for the dawn of the new year, it can be tempting to hibernate indoors, watching Home Alone on repeat and eating endless boxes of chocolates. But an increasing number are shunning the sofa and instead taking part in the many activities planned between Christmas and New Year.For providers of a stream of unusual activities over the limbo period sometimes dubbed “Twixtmas”, the period is characterised by getting out and about. On Christmas Day itself options included a walking tour, icy cold swims, and even a trip to the cinema. In Birmingham, brave souls gathered on Christmas morning to jump into Blackroot pool in Sutton Park. Other activities from Boxing Day on include a tree maze in Edinburgh and the Bibury duck race, one of Gloucestershire’s more unusual traditions. Continue reading...

With stocks rebounding, regulators have reopened a groundfish habitat off the west coast – with environmentalists’ supportA rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the US west coast.After years of fear and uncertainty, bottom trawler fishermen – those who use nets to catch rockfish, bocaccio, sole, Pacific Ocean perch and other deep-dwelling fish – are making a comeback here, reinventing themselves as a sustainable industry less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean because of the species’ depletion. Continue reading...

New poll shows climate and environment the top priority for 14% of voters, raising prospect of large turnout for green issuesA growing share of voters list climate and the environment as their top priority, according to a new poll from the Environmental Voter Project.Of the registered voters surveyed, 14% named “addressing climate change and protecting the environment” their No 1 priority over all other issues, compared with 2% to 6% before the 2016 presidential election. Continue reading...

Amid signs of ‘frenzied consumerism’ fatigue and eco concerns, here are pieces that will lastThe sale is dead, long live the sale. Thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it seems post–Christmas sales no longer hold the sense of anticipation they once did with many shoppers choosing to eschew them altogether.When it comes to fashion many are turning to buying secondhand – where lower prices come with the added benefit of reduced impact on the environment. Continue reading...

Mini, Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat 5oo will join rapidly expanding European EV marketEurope’s carmakers are gearing up to make 2020 the year of the electric car, according to automotive analysts, with a wave of new models launching as the world’s biggest manufacturers scramble to lower the carbon dioxide emissions of their products.Previous electric models have mostly been targeted at niche markets, but 2020 will see the launch of flagship electric models with familiar names, such as the Mini, the Vauxhall Corsa and the Fiat 500. Continue reading...

A conservation program has successfully reared 100 sparrows and released them back into their natural environmentAmerica’s bird populations may be facing an existential crisis but there is a glimmer of hope for one endangered species at least, with a breeding program helping dramatically boost the population of the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow.Around 50 of the birds, found in the prairies of south-central Florida, were estimated to be in the wild in 2018, down from 1,000 in little more than decade. But a conservation program has, for the first time, now successfully reared 100 Florida grasshopper sparrows and released them back into their natural environment. Continue reading...

Amid mounting frustration with political leaders, a number of community activists are running for office on climate and environmental justice platforms in local and state electionsThe climate crisis is hurting communities across the United States. Hurricanes, heatwaves and torrential downpours are on the rise, and have already exacerbated devastating floods, droughts and wildfires in communities from South Dakota to California, Florida and North Carolina in recent years.The threat of environmental hazards is also increasing as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolls back regulations on clean water, toxic coal ash, fossil fuels, air pollutants, pesticides, smog and vehicle emissions. Continue reading...

Two hundred people gather in Wytaliba, where rain has brought relief, but also more concern for the long-term effects of the firesIn the northern New South Wales town of Wytaliba, one of the areas hardest hit by bushfires that have killed nine people, destroyed a thousand homes and burned 5m hectares of Australia in the past three months, a small team has cooked Christmas lunch for 200 people.Everyone is invited, from the dozens who lost their homes, to the volunteer firefighters, to the Canadian firefighting contingent who have been working to relieve local crews. Continue reading...

Former National party leader posts video feeding his cattle, as he argues that ‘new taxes’ won’t fix climate changeBarnaby Joyce says he is “sick of the government being in my life” as he urged Australians to respect God, otherwise “we’re going to get nailed”.In a short video posted on social media late on Christmas Eve, the former National party leader is seen feeding cattle and reflecting on climate change, declaring that “new taxes” are not the way to address it. Continue reading...