Environment | The Guardian

Conservative members of Congress called on climate change deniers at hearing on endangered speciesThe climate crisis has become a top issue among Democrats running for president. But many Republican lawmakers are still resistant to the science showing global heating is a serious, manmade problem.When Democrats in control of the House scheduled a hearing for international scientists to explain their warnings that humans are critically wounding biodiversity on Wednesday, conservative members of Congress called on career climate science deniers to testify alongside them. Continue reading...

Aquaculture network in Victoria, maintained over 6,600 years, faces final step in recognition processA 6,600-year-old, highly sophisticated aquaculture system developed by the Gunditjmara people will be formally considered for a place on the Unesco world heritage list and, if successful, would become the first Australian site listed exclusively for its Aboriginal cultural value.Known as the Budj Bim cultural landscape, the site in south-west Victoria is home to a long dormant volcano, which was the source of the Tyrendarra lava flow. Continue reading...

Despite agreeing upon climate emergency, delegates vote to back oil and gas companiesMore than 70 Church of Scotland delegates – including the outgoing moderator the Very Rev Susan Brown – have formally lodged their frustration at the decision of its general assembly not to divest from fossil fuels, with advocates describing Wednesday’s vote as “an embarrassing abdication of moral leadership”.Although the general assembly voted to “recognise and affirm the declarations of the Scottish government, UK parliament and others that we are experiencing a climate and ecological emergency” on Wednesday morning, a counter-motion to disinvest from oil and gas companies by 2020 was narrowly defeated. Continue reading...

Birds brooding three eggs due to hatch in June are part of a rewilding projectWhite storks nesting on top of an ancient oak tree could become the first wild pair to successfully breed in Britain for hundreds of years.The enormous birds are brooding three eggs on the rewilded Knepp estate, in Sussex, as part of a project to reintroduce the species to south-east England. Continue reading...

Mining giant loses its appetite for thermal coal and will turn instead to oil, copper and nickelBHP is looking to add more oil, copper and nickel resources to its portfolio, while souring on thermal coal because it thinks the fossil fuel will be phased out, “potentially sooner than expected”.BHP’s chief financial officer, Peter Beaven, told investors and analysts in a strategy briefing on Wednesday that “the world will be a very different place in 10 to 20 years’ time” and the global miner must be thoughtful about the risks and opportunities. Continue reading...

We are exposed to synthetic chemicals in plastics, cosmetics and food every day. Could it be making us toxic? Our environment reporter was tested for over 1,530 chemicals to find out• Help us reach our $150,000 goal to fund this series. Make a contributionSitting on a plastic chair in a small office, I’m wearing medical scrubs rolled up to my knees and I have an X-ray machine strapped to my shin.The machine is scanning my bones for lead as an expert monitors readings streaming on to a screen. Continue reading...

Thousands of potentially harmful chemicals are in products ranging from electronics to medical equipment and carpets in the US• Help us reach our $150,000 goal to fund this series. Make a contributionSynthetic chemicals are in nearly everything we touch and consume. But some chemicals can be potentially harmful and a number of experts are anxious about possible long-term health effects of our everyday exposure. They say US regulations could be stronger.One of those who is concerned is Leo Trasande of NYU Langone Health, an expert in children’s environmental health and author of Sicker Fatter Poorer, which is about the threat of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Continue reading...

Analysis in north-west England linked to evidence of UK’s vulnerability to climate crisisThe floods of 2009 and 2015 in north-west England were the worst for more than 550 years, according to groundbreaking analysis of lake sediment in the region.Residents have long suspected that the devastating floods were the worst in living memory, but this confirmation – from an analysis of lake sediment layers – provides a unique window on to the history of flooding in one of the wettest parts of England, and reveals the global climate crisis. Continue reading...

Government confirms ban on sale and use of items from April next yearPlastic straws and drink stirrers, and cotton buds with plastic stems will be banned from sale and use in England from next April, the government has confirmed.The move, which has been in the offing for more than a year, is hoped to vastly reduce the litter and other environmental impacts of the nearly 5bn plastic straws currently used each year in the UK, along with more than 300m plastic stirrers and close to 2bn cotton buds with plastic stems. Continue reading...

Democrats ranked global heating as the third most important issue on their list, while Republican voters ranked it last in a Yale pollSurging concern among Americans about an overheating planet has done little to shift a political polarization that has now reached a stunning extreme: climate breakdown divides Democrats and Republicans even more than abortion does. Continue reading...

Annastacia Palaszczuk says state ‘needs some certainty’ about timing of outstanding approvalsQueensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says she is “fed up” with the state’s process for Adani’s Carmichael coalmine and has called an emergency meeting to set a deadline for the outstanding approvals.Labor’s vote was hit hard on Saturday in central Queensland seats including Dawson, Herbert and Capricornia, which some commentary has attributed to anger over environmental campaigns against the mine and federal Labor’s failure to articulate a clear position on the development. Continue reading...

Minister facing calls for demotion from cabinet despite Scott Morrison’s repeated praiseSupporters of the environment minister, Melissa Price, say she was deliberately gagged during the election campaign, as the embattled MP faces calls for her demotion from cabinet.As Coalition MPs jostle for promotion in Scott Morrison’s new frontbench, Price is understood to have told colleagues it was a tactical decision made by the prime minister and Coalition headquarters to keep her out of the limelight during the campaign. Price was supportive of the move, which ensured Morrison kept the focus on the economy and Labor’s tax agenda. Continue reading...

Samoan and Fijian leaders say Australia must take leading role in climate battlePacific leaders have congratulated Scott Morrison on his surprise election victory but have urged him to do more to fight the climate crisis, which poses an existential threat to the region.“[Australia] has been lagging behind,” said Tuilaepa Sailele, the prime minister of Samoa, about Australia’s action on the climate emergency. Continue reading...

More than half of British homeowners feed birds, maintaining 133 speciesThe increasingly appetising buffet provided for garden birds, from sunflower hearts to suet cakes, is supporting a rising number and greater diversity of species in Britain’s urban areas, according to research.In the 1970s, half of all birds using garden feeders belonged to just two species, the sparrow and starling, but by the 2010s the number of species making up the same proportion had tripled, with goldfinches, woodpigeons and long-tailed tits soaring in number because of the food on offer. Continue reading...

Fears that predicted influx of climate deniers would obstruct action on environmentAn influx of climate-denying far-right MEPs could pose a “toxic” threat to EU climate policy after the European elections, according to senior MEPs and academics.Populist parties are expected to take up to a third of the parliamentary seats in Thursday’s vote, with Matteo Salvini’s League in contention to be the largest single party, and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) overtaking Emmanuel Macron’s La République En Marche in some polls. Continue reading...

Lower-income and minority communities are exposed to majority of the pollution coming from waste-burning plants, report finds

Southern African countries to appeal to watchdog for permission to sell stockpiled ivory worth more than £230mZimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia are making a fresh appeal for a global watchdog to lift restrictive measures on the trade in raw ivory.The watchdog, Cites, prohibits unregulated commercial trade in endangered species around the world. Continue reading...

DJ and producer wants to banish ‘disconnect’ between climate issues and daily lifeOne of dance music’s rising stars is swapping the decks for a microphone to deliver a series of talks about the importance of environmental sciences to help tackle the climate crisis.Jayda G – real name Jayda Guy – is a Canadian DJ and music producer whose livestreamed mixes on YouTube clock up thousands of views, and now she is fusing two worlds by using her platform to expose fans to issues affecting the natural world. Continue reading...

Joint venture aims to turn Alcoa’s open-cut mine site into Anglesea project near Great Ocean RoadA UK charity that redeveloped a china clay quarry in Cornwall into a major ecotourism project has its eyes on Alcoa’s former coalmine in Anglesea, Victoria.The Eden Project and Alcoa announced a plan to turn a portion of the site into a $150m ecotourism attraction based around Anglesea’s coastal location. They say they will seek input from the community. Continue reading...

Ten eco-minded startups to receive assistance from a €2m fund, including a social enterprise training trekking guides in NepalDigital travel firm Booking.com has announced the sustainable travel startups that will receive financial assistance from its 2019 Booking Booster programme. As part of the programme – which has a fund of €2m – awards have been made to a variety of organisations, from a social enterprise training at-risk women to become trekking guides in Nepal, to a hotel school helping young people in Indonesia kickstart their careers.Each organisation’s plans were judged by a panel, including Booking Booster ambassador, Livia Firth. At the awards event Firth spoke about the importance of supporting sustainable travel. “Whoever we are and wherever we work – whether in startups, established companies, policymakers or members of government – we have the power to make a difference every day,” she said. “Today we know that we can also make a huge difference when we book a trip.” Continue reading...

Subsidies to restore woodlands and meadows would also boost wildlife, says Rewilding BritainA quarter of the UK’s land could be restored to nature, making a significant contribution towards cutting the nation’s carbon emissions to zero, under a new rewilding proposal.The plan, published by Rewilding Britain, calls for billions of pounds in farm subsidies to be redirected towards creating native woodlands and meadows and protecting peat bogs and salt marshes. The group says wildlife would benefit, farmers would not lose money and food production need not fall. Continue reading...

BlackRock, which controls $6.5tn in assets, urged to use its influence on planet’s biggest pollutersWhen a letter from BlackRock’s founder and chief executive, Larry Fink, landed in inboxes in January saying that the world’s biggest investor would no longer invest in companies that are not compliant with the Paris climate agreement, people took notice. The media jumped on the announcement, which appeared to herald a new era of finance facing up to the perils of the climate emergency.The letter was a hoax, carried out by the Yes Men, a group of pranksters with a history of embarrassing big companies. But while the message was fake, the concern behind it was not: environmental campaigners see BlackRock as a key obstacle to progress on meeting climate crisis goals. Continue reading...

‘Our job now is not to engage in some year-long pity party,’ leadership aspirant saysThe Labor leadership aspirant Jim Chalmers says the party’s entire policy agenda, including its ambitious 45% emissions reduction target, could be upended in the wake of Saturday’s shock election loss.“Everything is up for grabs,” Chalmers told the ABC TV’s Q&A program when asked whether Labor would review its climate policy. Continue reading...

There are real obstacles to environmental progress, but we must focus on what we are for, not just what we are againstWhen my daughter was two years old, I found myself struggling to finish any article relating to the dire state of our environment. I would get halfway through the piece, then disengage and move on to something else. I assumed I wasn’t the only parent to feel this way.Curious to understand why I seemed incapable of persisting, I reached out to the environmental psychologist Renee Lertzman. She explained that when we receive information charged with fear, dread or anxiety, the limbic system in our brain can be activated, which can override the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with creative thinking and problem solving. These days our news feeds are filled with images and stories of a bleak future. This is what we bombard our consciousness with, the images we expose our children to and they may also be why many of us feel paralysed when it comes to taking action on solutions to save our planet. Continue reading...

Plastic owls, birds of prey and swapping eggs for dummy eggs among methods being usedIt’s not just your chips that are threatened by seagulls at the British seaside: increasingly, the gull menace is hitting taxpayers in their pockets too, as research shows local councils are spending hundreds of thousands trying to control the birds.Waste management practices are partly to blame, as less frequent collection of bins gives the scavengers plenty of access to free meals, in turn encouraging them into urban areas. The problem has escalated in the last 15 years, according to Sarah Trotter, an assistant professor of law at the London School of Economics, who has written two papers on the subject. The birds have been blamed for attacking pets and people in towns all around the UK’s coastline, and sometimes even inland. Continue reading...

Environmental activists accuse oil company of ‘fuelling’ climate emergencyGreenpeace activists have blockaded all entrances to the BP headquarters in London, demanding an end to all new oil and gas exploration.The campaigners arrived at 3am on Monday and encased themselves in heavy containers before the oil company’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. Continue reading...

The Coal Council calls on Labor to reverse many of its climate policies after strong election swings against itThe coal industry has begun lobbying the re-elected Morrison government to support hardline positions, including building new coal-fired power stations and weakening approvals processes for new mines.The Coal Council of Australia released a statement on Sunday welcoming the election result, praising the Coalition for supporting coal, and calling on Labor to reverse many of its climate-focused policies towards the fossil fuel. Continue reading...

Despite PR damage over earlier spills, documents show oil firm pressed for reduced regulationBP stepped up its campaign to be allowed to drill for oil in the Arctic sea and an Alaskan wildlife refuge after Donald Trump was elected president, according to documents that detail the British firm’s lobbying efforts.Documents written by BP and oil industry groups show how the oil “supermajor” seized on the opportunity presented by Trump’s 2016 election victory to expand its offshore business, just seven years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Continue reading...

Fjaðrárgljúfur closed off to protect it from fans after it starred in pop star’s videoWith one music video, Justin Bieber has made a pristine Icelandic canyon famous around the world. And that’s the problem.Icelandic environmental officials have had to close off Fjaðrárgljúfur to protect it from the hordes of Bieber fans who are determined to visit the site, which is featured in the video for I’ll Show You. But these fans are not letting a few fences, signs or park rangers keep them away. Continue reading...

Proposals for renationalising gas and electricity are based on hopes of buying companies on the cheapLabour’s plans to renationalise water, energy and rail companies have widespread support and with good reason: these industries are failing to meet the legitimate expectations of the public.The question mark that hangs over these proposals is whether expectations are now being ramped up to such an extent that taking these industries back into public ownership will almost certainly be considered a failure. Continue reading...

Letter to senior figures urges them to use their power to influence public opinion on climate changeEnvironmental activists Extinction Rebellion have turned their fire on the advertising industry in a public letter, encouraging it to use its expertise in manipulating public opinion for good or risk mass public protests against it.Speaking to the Guardian, one of the authors of the letter, which was written by Extinction Rebellion members with decades of experience of the advertising industry, said the group was not “singling out advertising, as we previously disrupted fashion week and are systematically challenging all industries who have the platform, influence and skills to tackle this epoch-defining crisis but are failing to do so in any meaningful way”. Continue reading...

As part of efforts to tackle global heating, grants will be available for planting and three years’ careMore than 130,000 trees are to be planted in English towns and cities over the next two years as part of the nation’s battle against global heating.The environment secretary, Michael Gove, will announce on Sunday that grants for the plantings will be made available through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. Continue reading...

Forest officials record first births for many years in parts of Madhya Pradesh

Independent knocks former PM out of parliament with pro-climate action campaignOne of the Liberals’ leading conservatives and Australia’s 28th prime minister, Tony Abbott, has lost his blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Warringah after moderate Liberal voters abandoned him in protest at the role he played in opposing climate change action.Abbott lost to the independent candidate and Olympian Zali Steggall, with thecount showing she was likely to win almost 60% of the vote on a two-party-preferred basis. Continue reading...

Project hopes to identify best habitats for extraordinary creature more endangered than giant panda – and shed light on mysterious breeding location“That one is definitely over five years old, it could be eight to 10 years old,” shouts Dr Peter Walker, as a writhing 50cm long eel is scooped out of the River Tone near Taunton in Somerset. “This year or next I would expect this one to be on its merry way.”The European eel makes an extraordinary 6,000km (3,728-mile) journey to the Sargasso Sea in the north Atlantic to spawn, from where its larvae travel all the way back. Now scientists hope a new project may shed light on this still mysterious part of eels’ lifecycle, which could provide crucial help in protecting the species. Continue reading...

Create NSW contacted Screenworks, which then demanded the film-makers take down Island HomeA New South Wales government agency has demanded the removal from the internet of a hard-hitting environmental short film which urges Australians to “vote for the climate”.Island Home features stirring imagery of Australia’s coastline, warning it will be harmed by the climate emergency, and criticises Adani for the Carmichael coalmine and Equinor’s proposal to drill the Great Australian Bight. Continue reading...

Operators of historic vessels could be sunk by requirements costing up to £250,000 per boatOnce, thousands of sailing barges plied the Thames estuary. Today, the sight of Will, the largest such vessel still travelling on the waters in London – now converted for pleasure cruises – turns heads.Passengers on the deck of a giant cruise ship sailing up to Tower Bridge peer and wave at the historic barge below. But Will’s co-owner, Mark Tower, 60, warns that such sights – “absolutely part of the Thames maritime heritage” – could soon be lost. Continue reading...

Governments of the world need to act. It’s time to speak to our planet with kindness before it’s too lateAll the raspy-voice myna birds have come here, to this old swamp, where the ghost swans now dance the yellow dust song cycles of drought. Around and around the dry swamp they go with their webbed feet stomping up the earth in a cloud of dust, and all the bits and pieces of the past unravelled from parched soil. The Swan Book, by Alexis Wright.A dense haze of smoke crawled over Melbourne and embraced us for a day in its lonely pilgrimage, inviting us to contemplate its mourning rite, its long prayer. Continue reading...

Campaigners say pharmacy chain should uphold promise to reduce plastic packagingThe pharmacy chain Boots has come under fire for using plastic bags, rather than paper ones, to package some of its prescriptions.Environmental campaigners and customers criticised the firm, which signed up to a high-profile scheme to cut plastic packaging last year. Continue reading...

A bobcat, a Burmese python and a baby elephant Continue reading...

As the clock struck 12, the Meadowlands Marsh Hawks set out into the New Jersey night. But could they tally enough birds to beat their rivals?A white SUV ground to a stop near a sliver of New Jersey marshland, tires snarling against the gravel and sand access road. Three men – Christopher Takacs, David Bernstein, and Michael Wolfe – bounded out. Brine lingered in the moist air as they rushed forward on foot, traveling below an overpass. Reeds lined the lane, which was somewhere along the Hackensack River. Midges and ticks lurked in the dark as the trio waited for midnight. Takacs’ phone alarm chirped. It was finally midnight. As if on cue, something trilled in the near distance.“There’s a shorebird calling!” one of the men said. Continue reading...

From walking more to reducing waste, here’s what you can do to make a difference

Exclusive: Energy minister went to university with the fund manager who was chief investment officer in Pacific Alliance GroupOne of the main beneficiaries of an $80m sale of water to the federal government was a Hong Kong-based investment fund whose founder and chief investment officer attended New College, Oxford, alongside Angus Taylor.In 2017, the government paid Eastern Australia Agriculture $80m for its entitlements to overland flows on two properties in Queensland. Continue reading...

Taiji resident will testify in attempt to ban activity as part of charity’s legal challengeA man from Taiji, the Japanese fishing town whose annual slaughter of dolphins has drawn widespread condemnation, will appear in court on Friday in an unprecedented legal challenge to the hunts.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the plaintiff, who has asked not to be named until the hearing has concluded, said he had been been ostracised in Taiji, where he was born and raised but decided to speak out against the hunts. Continue reading...

With sitting Liberal MPs along coast under pressure from angry electorate, Coalition promises audit of regulator’s decisionA last-ditch effort to win votes in key seats in South Australia and Victoria has prompted both major parties to make changes to their policies on oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.The resources minister Matt Canavan – who has previously said offshore oil exploration should be a national priority – said on Thursday a re-elected Coalition government would commission an independent audit of the oil regulator’s consideration of exploration in the Bight. Continue reading...

Taking back control from private shareholders will cost a Labour government billionsThe Labour Party has announced plans to take back control of Britain’s energy network from private shareholders, as part of a sweeping nationalisation policy. We look at how a Labour government plans to pay for the multibillion pound programme.Related: Nationalisation plans will bring more than howls of outrage | Nils Pratley Continue reading...

Debris on Cocos (Keeling) Islands was mostly bottles, cutlery, bags and straws, but also included 977,000 shoes, study saysOn the beaches of the tiny Cocos (Keeling) Islands, population 600, marine scientists found 977,000 shoes and 373,000 toothbrushes.Related: ‘Monstrous’: Indigenous rangers’ struggle against the plastic ruining Arnhem Land beaches Continue reading...

National Grid chief says Labour policy will also stall move to cleaner energy as firm unveils £1.8bn profitThe chief executive of National Grid has warned that Labour’s renationalisation proposals would hold back the UK’s move to cleaner energy and mean higher prices for customers, as the company reported an £1.8bn annual profit.National Grid, which runs the UK’s national electricity network, said its profit for the 12 months to 31 March was down by nearly a third from £2.7bn the year before. It wrote off £137m of costs spent to connect two nuclear UK projects in Cumbria and Wales that were cancelled, and also took a financial hit from a seven-month labour dispute at its US business. Continue reading...

Mayor hails ‘significant impact’ in first month of capital’s ultra-low emission zoneThe number of the worst polluting cars and vans driving into central London dropped sharply in the first month of the ultra-low emissions zone.Initial figures show that on average 9,400 fewer such vehicles entered central London each day in April compared with March. There were 36,000 fewer than in February 2017 when the ultra-low emission zone plans were announced, though much of that drop could be attributed to drivers switching to cleaner vehicles. Continue reading...

Media criticism has actually kickstarted my drive to get commuters on to two wheelsOver the last few weeks, our schoolchildren have staged climate change strikes, while Extinction Rebellion locked down central London. Nearby, MPs (including myself) listened to Greta Thunberg and held debates on climate change.So, at a time when most of the country is focused on the threats to our environment, the challenges we face in addressing them and the need for not just behavioural change but a transformation of our economy, what is more newsworthy to Fleet Street? Continue reading...