Environment | The Guardian

Major infrastructure projects highlight varying approaches to the coronavirus outbreak

Queensland snake catcher says 80kg albino Burmese python found in Oxenford is the largest he has come across in 27 yearsAs a seasoned snake catcher, Tony Harrison is used to the people the claiming there is a five-metre snake on their doorstep. But for the first time on Monday, the caller wasn’t exaggerating.“This was the largest snake I have come across in 27 years,” Harrison said. “The poor old lady who opened the front door to see it there got the fright of her life” Continue reading...

Plant part-owned by Trevor St Baker was registered with emissions reduction fund but review said it should not qualifyA push by power baron Trevor St Baker to access a Morrison government climate policy initiative to pay for an upgrade at a 42-year-old coal power plant has been rejected after a review found it should not qualify.As reported by Guardian Australia, the Vales Point coal plant in New South Wales was registered with the $2.55bn emissions reduction fund, the “direct action” policy introduced by Tony Abbott and extended by Scott Morrison, in August 2018. Continue reading...

Finding will come as boost to governments seeking to move to net zero carbon emissions

Possible slaughterhouse shutdowns and staffing issues put pressure on ‘vulnerable’ supply chains, as campaigners call for restriction of live exports

Anglo-Dutch oil giant to cut operating costs by $4bn and capital spend by up to $20bn

Once branded ‘rogue animals’, the elusive creatures were on the brink of extinction, but hope is rising for their survivalIt is a blistering day in the Senegalese coastal town of Joal and a group of biologists are standing in a motorised dugout canoe, scanning the cyan waters for floating manatee dung.Suddenly, a bobbing brown mass appears in the distance. Continue reading...

Abundant food thanks to mix of sunshine and rain helps species confound fears of declinesThe record temperatures of summer 2019 helped make it the best season for butterflies in 22 years, with more than half of Britain’s species increasing in number.Last summer delivered a winning combination of warmth, sunshine and rain which ensured that caterpillars fed up on lush plants before emerging as adult butterflies. Continue reading...

Slowdown in large-scale clean energy projects started before coronavirus crisis due to lack of state supportEurope’s energy storage boom stalled last year due to a slowdown in large-scale schemes designed to store clean electricity from major renewable energy projects, according to the European Association for Storage of Energy (Ease).A new study by consultants Delta-EE for Ease found that the European market grew by a total of 1 gigawatt-hours in 2019, a significant slowdown compared with 2018, when the energy storage market exceeded expectations to grow by 1.47GWh. Continue reading...

Planes will this week cover areas in the southern half of the reef that escaped earlier bleaching but may have undergone high levels of heat stressThe full impact of coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef will become clearer this week as aerial surveys of hundreds of reefs are completed in the bottom two thirds of the world’s biggest reef system.An aerial survey carried out last week over almost 500 individual reefs between the Torres Strait and Cairns revealed some severe bleaching of corals closer to shore, but almost none on outer reefs. Continue reading...

Indigenous species do not grow fast enough, so imports will have to be planted in their millions to offset emissions, expert warnsLast century the Forestry Commission sparked anger with a mass planting of conifer trees designed to provide a national reserve of timber because the shortages of the first world war had highlighted a national need.Now a leading expert is calling for similar action again, arguing that if the UK is serious about offsetting its carbon dioxide emissions it must plant tens of millions of trees from imported species on open land. Continue reading...

On World Water Day, UN warns that more than half the global population lacking access to safely managed sanitationDecades of chronic underfunding of water infrastructure is putting many countries at worse risk in the coronavirus crisis, with more than half the global population lacking access to safely managed sanitation, experts said as the UN marked World Water Day on Sunday.Good hygiene – soap and water – are the first line of defence against coronavirus and a vast range of other diseases, yet three quarters of households in developing countries do not have access to somewhere to wash with soap and water, according to Tim Wainwright, chief executive of the charity WaterAid. A third of healthcare facilities in developing countries also lack access to clean water on site. Continue reading...

The host of RuPaul’s Drag Race revealed recently that he leases the mineral rights of the 60,000 acres he owns in Wyoming to oil companiesRuPaul, of the beloved RuPaul’s Drag Race television show, said in a recent interview that he leases the mineral and water rights of his land in Wyoming to oil companies.In an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross on her show “Fresh Air” (the irony), Gross asked RuPaul about the 60 acres of land he owns in Wyoming. Continue reading...

Series of before and after images spark renewed calls for Victoria to urgently phase out native timber logging Continue reading...

Up to a third of the UK’s greenhouse emissions come from central heating. But a switch from natural gas to hydrogen, one of three proposals for greener energy, has experts dividedOn 27 June 2019, the energy and clean growth minister Chris Skidmore signed papers that committed the UK to reduce carbon emissions to effectively nothing by 2050. If we are to stand any chance of meeting this target, known as “net zero”, there is one enormous challenge that we will have to tackle: home heating.Warming our homes is responsible for between a quarter and a third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than 10 times the amount of CO created by the aviation industry. Around 85% of homes now use gas-fired central heating, and a large proportion of gas cooking still takes place. Greening this system is a huge challenge by any measure. But if recent reports are to be believed, there could be a simple and efficient way to do it: change from using natural gas to hydrogen gas. Continue reading...

The real-life Paddington bears were in decline across South America, but records suggest their numbers are growing in EcuadorDeep in the Maquipucuna cloud forest, two hours drive from Ecuador’s capital, Quito, rare Andean bears come together for a few weeks each year to feast on the wild avocados ripening atop mist-shrouded trees.According to ecologists, this small community is growing, bucking the trend of a vulnerable species in decline across South America. The gathering, similar to those of grizzly bears at salmon rivers in Alaska and Canada, is turning what experts know about this normally reclusive, solitary creature on its head. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Poor air quality contributed to 400 deaths and more than 4,000 hospital attendances, research in Medical Journal of Australia shows

Leaders and unions concerned about acute labour shortage suggest retraining those put out of work

One defendant did not attend hearing into last year’s protests as she was self-isolatingDozens of Extinction Rebellion protesters failed to attend their court hearings after the campaign group told them to stay away due to the coronavirus crisis.Forty-nine people were due to appear at City of London magistrates court on Friday charged in connection with a series of environmental demonstrations held in the capital last October. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including a rare kākāpō and orphaned chimps Continue reading...

Survey said proposed Western Link threatens endangered barbastelles in Wensum ValleyAn ecological report revealing that a new road would imperil one of Britain’s rarest mammals was rewritten to remove the warning.The proposed Western Link road in Norwich will cut through a maternity roost of barbastelle bats and put at risk a wider “super colony” that lives and feeds in the Wensum Valley. Continue reading...

At least 83 murdered in 2012-2019, with a third of attacks targeting opponents of energy mega-projectsAt least 83 Mexican land and environment defenders were murdered between 2012 and 2019, while hundreds more were threatened, beaten and criminalized, according to a new report.Latin America is the most dangerous continent in the world to defend environmental, land and human rights, with Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala ranking worst. Continue reading...

Bikes allows people to maintain isolation but provide important respite from being indoorsIt’s an increasingly urgent question for those who still have to travel into work, or to collect supplies or visit vulnerable people – how can you get around without contracting – or spreading – the coronavirus? One answer could be cycling.The immediate caveat to mention is that this is not a call for every trip to be made by bike. If you’re going 25 miles at night to collect 50kg of supplies for a food bank … well, you could do it with a cargo bike, but for most people it’s a non-starter. Continue reading...

Experts fear swarms like those seen in Africa will become more common as tropical storms create favourable breeding conditionsThe locust crisis that has now reached 10 countries could carry on to endanger millions more people, forecasters have said.Climate change created unprecedented conditions for the locusts to breed in the usually barren desert of the Arabian gulf, according to experts, and the insects were then able to spread through Yemen, where civil war has devastated the ability to control locust populations. Continue reading...

Australian photographer Brian Cassey visits Hasdeo Arand, one of the largest contiguous stretches of dense forest in central India. The area is rich in biodiversity, containing many threatened species including elephants, leopards and sloth bears. A rash of newly approved mines could further destroy swathes of the Hasdeo Arand forest – and with it the wildlife local villagers depend on for survival• India’s ancient tribes battle to save their forest home from mining Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome decision which allays fears for fragile biodiversity and communities dependent on river for livelihoodA Cambodian government decision to postpone building new hydropower dams on the Mekong river has been welcomed by campaigners, who say it will provide welcome relief to the tens of thousands of people whose livelihood depend upon its rich resources.Cambodia announced on Wednesday that it would not build any new hydropower dams on the mainstream Mekong for the next decade, allaying fears that the river’s fragile biodiversity could be further devastated by development projects. Continue reading...

Slow recovery due to relocating groups and stronger protection through law enforcementNumbers of African black rhinos in the wild have risen by several hundred, a rare boost in the conservation of a species driven to near extinction by poaching.Black rhinos are still in grave danger but the small increase – an annual rate of 2.5% over six years, has swollen the population from 4,845 in 2012 to an estimated 5,630 in 2018, giving hope that efforts put into saving the species are paying off. Continue reading...

With many activities halted by coronavirus, benefits of time spent in nature still available

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to some of the world’s most biodiverse locations, but conflict and poaching are a constant threat. Photographer Hugh Kinsella Cunningham documents the conservation efforts being made to protect the unique species that inhabit its forests Continue reading...

Officials say proposed 38,000-tonne sea barrier could damage sand dunes at Doonbeg resort

Magnox reprocessing plant will begin controlled shutdown after 8% of staff self-isolate

Expert says early cancellation due to coronavirus would damage hopes of progress

But some consumers might see bargains and marine life could recover if crisis goes on

Move will hopefully curb vast wildlife trade from farm, street markets, and online traders

Researchers believe the calf was born in January and a second may be on its wayHopes for a recovery of Brazil’s most endangered ecosystem have been given a boost by the first birth of a wild tapir in Rio de Janeiro’s Atlantic Forest for more than a century.Scientists said video clips of the baby tapir proved the initial success of a re-introduction strategy for the threatened mammal, which is often described as “a forest gardener” because it plays a vital role in the dispersal of seeds. Continue reading...

As habitat and biodiversity loss increase globally, the coronavirus outbreak may be just the beginning of mass pandemicsMayibout 2 is not a healthy place. The 150 or so people who live in the village, which sits on the south bank of the Ivindo River, deep in the great Minkebe Forest in northern Gabon, are used to occasional bouts of diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and sleeping sickness. Mostly they shrug them off.But in January 1996, Ebola, a deadly virus then barely known to humans, unexpectedly spilled out of the forest in a wave of small epidemics. The disease killed 21 of 37 villagers who were reported to have been infected, including a number who had carried, skinned, chopped or eaten a chimpanzee from the nearby forest. Continue reading...

Analysis of 35 leading investment banks shows financing of more than $2.66tn for fossil fuel industries since the Paris agreementThe world’s largest investment banks have funnelled more than £2.2tn ($2.66tn) into fossil fuels since the Paris agreement, new figures show, prompting warnings they are failing to respond to the climate crisis.The US bank JP Morgan Chase, whose economists warned that the climate crisis threatens the survival of humanity last month, has been the largest financier of fossil fuels in the four years since the agreement, providing over £220bn of financial services to extract oil, gas and coal. Continue reading...

Parks have remained open amid the coronavirus and become a haven over the past week, prompting fears for staff and large crowds

Seven landowners join forces to create largest lowland heathland nature reserve in UKIt is a rich, complex landscape, a mosaic of heaths, woods, mires, reed beds, salt marsh and dunes that are home to a myriad of flora and fauna from rare birds, butterflies and bats to carnivorous plants.Seven landowners have now joined forces to created what is being billed as the UK’s first “super national nature reserve” (NNR) on Purbeck Heaths in Dorset. Continue reading...

Winner beats stiff competition from Croatian gingko tree, Portuguese chestnut and English oakA lonely pine tree believed by superstitious locals to act as sentinel over a flooded Czech village has been chosen as Europe’s tree of the year, beating stiff competition from a Croatian gingko tree, a Portuguese chestnut and an English oak.The Guardian of the Flooded Village has grown for 350 years on a rocky height near the village of Chudobin, said locally to play host to a devil that sat under it at night, playing the violin and warding off intruders – though in reality the eerie sounds are more likely to have come from the strong winds blowing over the valley. Continue reading...

Lung damage from dirty air may worsen infections, but isolation measures improving air qualityCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe health damage inflicted on people by long-standing air pollution in cities is likely to increase the death rate from coronavirus infections, experts have said.Dirty air is known to cause lung and heart damage and is responsible for at least 8m early deaths a year. This underlying health damage means respiratory infections, such as coronavirus, may well have a more serious impact on city dwellers and those exposed to toxic fumes, than on others. Continue reading...

Campaign group says UK’s export credit agency broke OECD’s rules with £2bn of fossil fuel financingThe UK government’s export credit agency has fallen foul of OECD guidelines by offering multibillion-pound support to fossil fuel projects overseas despite global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, according to a campaign group.Global Witness has accused the UK of “rank hypocrisy” in a complaint to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based thinktank that issues guidelines and recommendations for developed economies. The complaint also calls on the government to axe all overseas financial support for fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Shortages amid coronavirus panic buying could cause wet wipe and kitchen roll fatbergs

Annual changes to list of goods and services reflect consumers’ desire to cut carbon outputReusable bottles and mugs have been included in the UK’s inflation basket for the first time amid evidence of a rise in sales driven by the desire of consumers to reduce their carbon footprint.In its annual update to the list of goods and services included in the calculation of the cost of living, the Office for National Statistics said other new items were crumpets, self-tanning products, gluten-free cereals, vegetable crisps and minced turkey. Continue reading...

Legalisation of e-scooters part of government’s wider plan for ‘transport revolution’Electric scooters will be allowed on public roads for the first time under a Department for Transport proposal which will consult on the rules required to allow the new technology to operate safely, the government has announced.The legalisation of e-scooters is just one proposal in a wider plan to enable a “transport revolution”, which also involves projects to trial medical deliveries to the Isle of Wight using autonomous drones, and a test of self-driving cars between Bristol and Bath. Continue reading...

Jump attributed to growing appetite among energy firms and falling technology costsThe number of new renewable energy projects applying for planning permission reached a four-year high in the UK last year as energy companies raced to meet the rising demand for clean electricity.There were 269 planning applications for new wind, solar and bioenergy projects in 2019, up from 204 the year before, according to an analysis of government data by energy consultancy PX Group. Continue reading...

Exclusive: conservation groups say weather extremes putting strain on resources and taking toll on wildlifeLast year was one of the worst in recent times for both flooding and drought in England, a study has found.There were more than 5,600 flood warnings in England in 2019, more than in any of the last 15 years except 2012. Groundwater levels were lower than normal in 25 areas, more than in any year since comparable records began in 2006. Continue reading...

Rare discovery made of freshwater aquifer that could contain as much as 2,000 cubic kilometres of waterAn aquifer has been discovered under the Pacific ocean off New Zealand’s coast, with scientists saying some of the South Island could draw on it for their main freshwater supply.Joshu Mountjoy, a marine geologist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), said the discovery was one of the few times a significant offshore aquifer had been located anywhere in the world. As climate change begins to bite it could become a crucial source of freshwater for nearby drought-prone regions such as the Canterbury plains. Continue reading...

Hotter, drier summers are making the French region’s star grape, Ugni blanc, ripen too quickly and lose acidityCognac makers are considering overturning longstanding tradition and turning to new grape varieties, as the main cultivar required to make the spirit struggles with the effects of global warming.Cognac’s star grape, Ugni blanc, which accounts for 98% of the vines in the Cognac region, is ripening quicker and losing acidity as summers become hotter and drier. Continue reading...

UK’s biggest fund manager had been criticised over inclusion of stocks such as ShellThe UK’s biggest fund manager has bowed to client pressure and agreed to launch its first fossil fuel-free ethical pension fund later this year.Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), which has been one of the most outspoken fund managers over the climate crisis, made the decision after a number of clients raised concerns that stocks such as Shell were still being included in its range of ethical funds. Continue reading...