Gunmen opened fire on a group from the Guajajara tribe on a highway in Maranhão state, killing two and wounding othersTwo indigenous leaders have been shot dead and two others wounded in Brazil’s Maranhão state, in an attack not far from where a prominent tribesman who defended the Amazon rainforest was killed last month, authorities said.The attack on the members of the Guajajara tribe, which is known for the forest guardians who protect their territory against illegal deforestation, occurred on the margins of a federal highway near El-Betel village in the country’s north-east on Saturday. Continue reading...
Practice Architecture’s house is built from the plant growing in the fields around it. The project addresses a vital issue – the energy consumed and carbon emitted during constructionHere’s today’s fun fact: the word “canvas†is derived from “cannabisâ€. (And imagine if the two words had still been identical this past century or so: literature would speak of cannabis-covered deck shoes, of boy scouts enjoying their life under cannabis, of going cannabissing for your parliamentary candidate.) There is a simple reason for this etymology. Among the many uses of hemp, the plant from which the drug comes – uses that include ropes, clothes, food and medicine – was the fabric for the sails of ships.Once commonplace and useful, and hailed in the 1930s as a “billion-dollar cropâ€, hemp’s modern promise was cut short by its association with narcotics, which led its production to be taxed and outlawed across the western world. Call it paranoia, call it realism, but there’s a theory that billionaires with interests in plastics and paper pulp successfully lobbied the US government to have their rival product suppressed. A war on drugs, in this account, was whipped up in order to deepen the public’s dependency on petrochemicals. Continue reading...
Save the Children urges people taking part in its charity event to source sweaters through clothes swaps and vintage shopsSave the Children is calling on people to hold clothes swaps and scour vintage shops rather than buy new Christmas jumpers, after research found that 95% of the novelty items for sale contained plastic.The appeal for consumer “sustainability†comes ahead of the charity’s annual Christmas jumper day on Friday, when it encourages supporters to buy and wear festive pullovers. Research by the environmental charity Hubbub estimates that 12m jumpers will be bought this year, triggering huge amounts of plastic waste. Continue reading...
App equips players with skills to identify misinformation in real world and onlineA new game promises to act as a “vaccination†against climate crisis denial and fake news by teaching users about misinformation tactics.The Cranky Uncle app explains common science denial techniques, such as the use of fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations and cherry-picking data, equipping users with the skills needed to spot inaccuracies in the real world and online. Continue reading...
The state – which leads the way as US output of oil and gas is forecast to rise 25% in the next decade – is intensifying its production pipeline by pipelineIn the same month that Greta Thunberg addressed a UN summit and millions of people took part in a global climate strike, lawmakers in America’s leading oil- and gas-producing state of Texas made a statement of their own.Texas’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Act went into effect on 1 September, stiffening civil and criminal penalties specifically for protesters who interrupt operations or damage oil and gas pipelines and other energy facilities. Continue reading...
A judge has said the US-Mexico barrier, partially funded by an anti-migrant group, could damage a sanctuary and ecosystemThe construction of a private border wall partially funded by rightwing allies of Donald Trump continued with vigor in south Texas this week, seemingly in blatant violation of a court injunction ordering work to be suspended.On Thursday and Friday, within three days of a temporary restraining order being issued, the Guardian found construction crews with at least 10 heavy machinery vehicles moving soil, digging trenches and positioning tall metal posts along the US bank of the Rio Grande in Hidalgo county, which forms the border with Mexico. A 3.5-mile, privately-funded concrete barrier is planned on the site, near Mission, Texas. Continue reading...
One of southern Africa’s biggest tourist attractions has seen an unprecedented decline this dry season, fuelling climate change fearsFor decades Victoria Falls, where southern Africa’s Zambezi river cascades down 100 metres into a gash in the earth, have drawn millions of holidaymakers to Zimbabwe and Zambia for their stunning views.But the worst drought in a century has slowed the waterfalls to a trickle, fuelling fears that climate change could kill one of the region’s biggest tourist attractions. Continue reading...
The president announced he had issued an order to review water-saving regulations for bathroom facilitiesAmericans are in the midst of a toilet-flushing epidemic, according to the president.Speaking to the press on Friday, with the hammer of impeachment poised to fall and countless domestic and international crises to consider, Donald Trump took on a pressing enemy: poor water pressure caused by conservation laws. Continue reading...
Emissions expected to be 13% lower than 2005 by 2030 but government plans to use ‘carryover credits’ from Kyoto protocolThe federal government has released new data that suggests the Morrison government is on track to meet the emissions reduction target it set at the Paris climate conference, but only by including an accounting loophole.The emissions projections report suggests Australia will better its 2030 emissions target, a 26%-28% cut below 2005 levels, by 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Department of Environment and Science and Adani have attempted to block report’s releaseThe Queensland information commissioner has ordered the state government to publicly release an independent report it commissioned – then largely ignored – into Adani’s black-throated finch conservation efforts.Both the state Department of Environment and Science and Adani had attempted to block the release of the report, which was compiled by an independent panel of experts “to obtain the best scientific adviceâ€, arguing it should remain secret. Continue reading...
Climate experts ‘bewildered’ by government ‘burying their heads in the sand’, and say bushfires on Australia’s east coast should be a ‘wake-up call’Leading scientists have expressed concern about the lack of focus on the climate crisis as bushfires rage across New South Wales and Queensland, saying it should be a “wake-up call†for the government.Climate experts who spoke to Guardian Australia said they were “bewildered†the emergency had grabbed little attention during the final parliamentary sitting week for the year, which was instead taken up by the repeal of medevac laws, a restructure of the public service, and energy minister Angus Taylor’s run-in with the American author Naomi Wolf. Continue reading...
Activist says 4% greenhouse gas emissions rise since 2015 shows action is insufficientThe global wave of school strikes for the climate over the past year has “achieved nothing†because greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, Greta Thunberg has told activists at UN climate talks in Madrid.Thousands of young people were expected to gather at the UN climate conference and in the streets of the Spanish capital on Friday to protest against the lack of progress in tackling the climate emergency, as officials from more than 190 countries wrangled over the niceties of wording in documents related to the Paris accord. Continue reading...
Veteran actor and activist has been arrested four times after being inspired by Greta Thunberg and disgusted by TrumpJane Fonda has unusual plans for her 82nd birthday: she wants to spend the night in jail.The American actor and political activist – who has been protesting about inaction over the climate crisis at the US Capitol every Friday – has been arrested four times and kept overnight once. Her lawyers have helped her avoid serious charges. But she says the acts of civil disobedience have pulled her out of a depression she sunk into after Donald Trump took office. Continue reading...
Key architect of party’s plan for a green industrial revolution says there is no time to wasteLooking up from his cup of tea in a central London cafe, Tom Bailey stops mid-sentence, exasperated. One of the key architects behind Labour’s plan for a green industrial revolution, Bailey wants to make clear that the work to which he and a team of academics, engineers and economists have dedicated their spare time over the past 18 months is “a no-brainerâ€.“Most of this stuff was already out there,†says the 35-year-old. “If we had written this 10 or 15 years ago it would have looked very similar. The curves on the graphs would be slightly less steep because at that stage we had not wasted a decade or more. Now we just need to get on with it.†Continue reading...
by Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent on (#4W5RM)
Report finds a third of young adults buy new festive sweater every yearBritons’ love of novelty Christmas jumpers is helping to fuel the world’s plastic pollution crisis, a report has warned.Whether emblazoned with flashing lights or alpine motifs, 12m jumpers are set to be snapped up this year, despite 65m already languishing in UK wardrobes. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#4W5MB)
Asthma and heart attacks fall rapidly and babies born healthier, review findsCutting air pollution can prevent deaths within weeks, according to scientists. They found the health benefits of clean air were “almost immediate and substantial†and stretched into the long term, saving billions of dollars.The review examined the evidence for the reduction of illness after levels of toxic air were reduced. It showed dramatic reductions in asthma and children missing school, heart attacks and the number of small and premature babies. Continue reading...
Alert comes as Indigenous group issues plea for states to stick with basin plan or risk marginalising vulnerable communities and endangering river healthThe Murray-Darling Basin Authority has warned of more mass fish deaths and blue-green algae events throughout the Murray-Darling River system as the peak group representing First Nations issued a plea for the states to stick with the plan.The MDBA issued a communique on Friday saying the summer outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology was “direâ€, and there was a greater than average chance of drier, warmer conditions and an elevated fire danger across the basin. Continue reading...
Miniature schnauzer was killed and its owner suffered a minor cut in attack in Simi ValleyA southern California woman punched a mountain lion and tried to pry its jaws open to save her dog from an attack in her backyard, but the pet was killed, officials said.The woman suffered a minor cut after the mountain lion attacked her miniature schnauzer on Thursday in the city of Simi Valley, the police Sgt Keith Eisenhour told KNBC-TV. Continue reading...
Heavy rain has led to rivers bursting their banks, forcing the closure of shops and restaurantsStreets in the South Island tourist towns of Wanaka and Queenstown were slowly going under water on Friday, after Lake Wanaka and Lake Wakatipu burst their banks earlier in the week, flooding businesses and sewerage systems.Water and large debris closed the main street of Wanaka, a popular spot with Instagrammers thanks to its famous tree that appears to have grown out of the lake. On Friday businesses were sandbagging as heavy rain continued to fall. Continue reading...
Oil and gas firm will buy new shares from startup Lighthouse BP for undisclosed priceBP has increased its stake in the British solar venture Lightsource BP as it prepares to strike a deal to power its offices with renewable energy from next year.The companies announced plans to set up a 50:50 joint venture almost two years after BP made its return to the solar market by snapping up a 43% stake in Lightsource for £200m. Continue reading...
Report also recommends protections for front gardens and rewilding hospital groundsAn hour a day of outdoor learning for primary school children and tighter restrictions on paving over front gardens are two of 80 nature policies proposed in a report commissioned by the Green party.The recommendations set out in A New Deal for Nature are designed to protect wildlife and put biodiversity at the centre of government policy. Other suggestions include turning 20% of Britain into national parks and helping farmers devote 15% of their land to nature. Continue reading...
Cartel may cut up to 800,000 barrels a day from market as global economy faltersThe Opec oil cartel is considering deeper cuts to production next year to avert a price slump in the market as the global economy falters.Ministers from some of the world’s biggest “petro-nations†are expected to cut an extra 400,000 barrels of oil a day from the global market and may consider even deeper cuts of up to 800,000 barrels, according to reports. Continue reading...
Scientists and conservation professionals predict mosquito-killing fungi and a kelp crisis could be among the trends affecting living things next yearWhat are the biggest emerging opportunities and threats the coming year holds for efforts to conserve biodiversity? Nearly two dozen scientists, conservation professionals and future scanners recently came together to answer that question as part of an annual “horizon scan†led by Cambridge University conservation biologist William Sutherland.The group narrowed a list of 89 issues to 15 emerging or anticipated trends that have a strong potential to benefit or harm living things but are not yet on the radar for most conservationists. Here are their top picks, published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Continue reading...
Port Neches issued voluntary order after elevated levels of chemical butadiene were detected following pair of blastsAuthorities in the Texas city of Port Neches have issued an order encouraging its 50,000 residents to evacuate due to concerns over air quality after a pair of chemical plant explosions occurred last week.Port Neches issued the voluntary evacuation order late on Wednesday after elevated levels of the chemical butadiene were detected. Jefferson county emergency management officials said the elevated levels did not pose a serious health risk, but could cause dizziness, nausea, headaches or irritation to the eyes and throat. Continue reading...
Hybrid and electric models reach 10% market share, while diesel cars account for 23.6%Sales of new cars in the UK continued to fall last month as demand for diesel vehicles declined sharply, while hybrid and electric vehicles reached a new record market share.Weak business and consumer confidence, economic uncertainty and confusion over diesel and clean air zones dragged down demand for new cars, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the industry body. Continue reading...
Six emergency warnings issued in NSW, while many parts of the state and Queensland remain blanketed in smokeSix emergency warnings have been issued for fires in New South Wales on Thursday, including the 230,000-hectare Gospers Mountain blaze on Sydney’s north-western outskirts, as firefighters battle through a “long and challenging dayâ€.Queensland fire crews are also still battling a large bushfire on the Darling Downs with fears some properties have been lost, as Sydney and large parts of New South Wales continue to struggle with “the longest and the most widespread†period on record of poor air quality and hazardous levels of pollution. Continue reading...
Australia Climate Roundtable says climate goals require ‘deep global emissions reductions’Groups representing business, unions, farmers, investors, the environment and social policy advocates say Australia should adopt climate change policies that can put it on a stable path to net zero national greenhouse gas emissions if it is to play its part in the Paris agreement.Launched to coincide with UN climate talks in Madrid, a joint statement by 10 groups under the Australian Climate Roundtable banner warns that unconstrained climate change would have serious economic, environmental and social impacts in Australia, and avoiding it would bring benefits and opportunities. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#4W2Y6)
Firm ‘squeezing maximum potential’ from clean energy sources to help UK hit net zeroScottish Power plans to squeeze more renewable electricity from its onshore windfarms by covering the ground beside the turbines with photovoltaic panels and batteries.The wind power firm has applied for permission to build its first solar power projects beneath the blades of its existing windfarms in Cornwall, Lancashire and Coldham. Continue reading...
Findings confirm reliability of projections of temperature changes over last 50 yearsClimate models have accurately predicted global heating for the past 50 years, a study has found.The findings confirm that since as early as 1970, climate scientists have had a solid fundamental understanding of the Earth’s climate system and the ability to project how it will respond to continued increases in the greenhouse effect. Since climate models have accurately anticipated global temperature changes so far, we can expect projections of future warming to be reliable as well. Continue reading...
Former Greens leader and four other life members express ‘profound concern’ for 43-year-old organisation after staff sackedA group of Wilderness Society life members led by the former Greens leader Bob Brown are calling for an independent review into the conservation group after it recorded a $1.7m deficit last financial year, forcing it to sack campaign and other staff.In a letter to the organisation’s directors, Brown and four other life members expressed “profound concern†for the 43-year-old organisation, which they say is “one of the world’s most important defenders of wild and natural countryâ€. Continue reading...
Scotland court ruling comes after climate protesters boarded two oil rigs in OctoberGreenpeace has been banned from carrying out climate protests on North Sea oil rigs after the oil giant Shell won a Scottish court order.A judge in Edinburgh granted Shell an interim interdict, similar to an injunction, banning Greenpeace from occupying four of its rigs in the Brent field 85 miles north-east of Shetland, after its activists boarded two decommissioned rigs in October. Continue reading...
Greenpeace calls for fresh monitoring of region where nuclear disaster occurredGreenpeace has said it detected radiation hotspots near the starting point of the upcoming Olympic torch relay in Fukushima.Japan’s environment ministry said the area was generally safe but it was in talks with local communities to survey the region before the 2020 Games, which open on 24 July. Continue reading...
Activist dressed as insect targets battlebus as XR tries to push environment up agendaAn Extinction Rebellion protester dressed as a bee has glued himself to the Liberal Democrats’ battlebus, as the environmental group intervenes in the general election.The group said it was “buzzing around†political parties’ campaign battlebuses on Wednesday “demanding the climate and ecological emergency is top of the agenda this electionâ€. Continue reading...
Cleveland magistrates court decision described as ‘a Queensland first’ and out of step with other similar casesThree Extinction Rebellion members will remain in custody for more than two weeks, after they were denied bail by a Queensland magistrate.Members of the activist group said they believed the decision in the Cleveland magistrates court to refuse bail was “a Queensland first†and out of step with other similar cases. Continue reading...
Members of WeShutDown stand trial for blockading the Weisweiler plant. Some call it ‘ecoterrorism’, while others label it a masterstroke in the art of protestA group of climate activists who shut down a lignite coal power plant in Germany said they had no regrets and were prepared to repeat the action, as they awaited the conclusion of their trial.The activists from the group WeShutDown blockaded the Weisweiler power plant near Aachen for several hours on 15 November 2017, by halting its coal-carrying conveyor belts and diggers. The energy company RWE, which owns the plant, claims the shutdown cost it €2m. Continue reading...
Europe’s environmental watchdog gives warning as climate crisis continuesPursuing economic growth at the expense of the environment is no longer an option as Europe faces “unprecedented†challenges from climate chaos, pollution, biodiversity loss and the overconsumption of natural resources, according to a report from Europe’s environmental watchdog.Europe was reaching the limits of what could be achieved by gradual means, by making efficiencies and small cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, with “transformational†change now necessary to stave off the impacts of global heating and environmental collapse, warned Hans Bruyninckx, executive director of the European Environment Agency. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#4W1PF)
Funds are needed to prevent Tidal Lagoon Power’s development consent expiring in JuneThe developers of a pioneering tidal power project in Swansea Bay have launched an 11th hour bid to raise over £1m to keep the project afloat.The company has just over three months to raise enough cash to pay for the development costs of the £1.3bn project before its funds risk running dry in March. Continue reading...
by Sarah Martin Chief political correspondent on (#4W143)
Wet Tropics Management Authority offers grim assessment of impacts on region’s biodiversity and economyClimate change is escalating as “the most significant threat†to Australia’s wet tropics world heritage area, with an update to parliament reporting the outlook for the bioregion is a cause of “great concernâ€.The grim assessment of the critical north Queensland rainforest region is outlined in an annual snapshot of the protected area prepared by the Wet Tropics Management Authority, which urges greater national and international effort to address the causes of climate change. Continue reading...
John McDonnell rejects claim, saying thinktank is taking ‘nakedly ideological stance’Labour’s plan to renationalise large chunks of the economy risks years of disruption that could delay Britain’s transition to a low-carbon economy, a thinktank has said.The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that taking water, energy companies, the Royal Mail and railways under state control would be costly, complex and risky and said Labour might do better to tighten regulation instead. Continue reading...
Climate activist heading to COP25 in Madrid after crossing Atlantic on family’s yachtThe climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in Lisbon after a three-week catamaran voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from the US.The Swedish teenager now plans to head to Spain to attend the UN climate conference in Madrid. Continue reading...