Proposals this week to weaken EPA restrictions will help tiny group of owners while the American people will breathe dirtier air'Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed on Wednesday that its plan to eviscerate power plant pollution standards will save the US about $1bn a year. In reality, though, this represents a starkly uneven trade-off, experts say.The savings for Americans" will go entirely to power plant operators who won't have to cut their pollution, while at the same time climate and health benefits for all Americans that are 20 times larger in dollar terms will be deleted. Continue reading...
State says it would challenge president's resolution, setting up a battle over California's environmental measuresDonald Trump has blocked California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, signing a resolution on Thursday to stymie the state's ambitious attempt to tackle the climate crisis by pivoting to greener vehicles.
Intensive livestock farms such as those found across the US are spreading across the continent, according to new dataAmerican-style intensive livestock farms are spreading across Europe, with new data revealing more than 24,000 megafarms across the continent.In the UK alone, there are now 1,824 industrial-scale pig and poultry farms, according to the data obtained by AGtivist that relates to 2023. Continue reading...
Hosepipe bans possible as low reservoir levels make region second in England to enter drought statusYorkshire has become the second area of England to enter drought after the country recorded its driest spring in 132 years.Hosepipe bans could be possible if the region did not have significant rainfall in the coming weeks as, despite recent showers, reservoir stocks were continuing to dwindle. Yorkshire Water reservoir stocks dropped 0.51% over the last week to 62.3%, significantly below the average of 85.5% for this time of year. Continue reading...
From Northern Irish handkerchief-makers to Scilly Isles fisherman who know when to let stocks replenish, a new book showcases radical solutions to our environmental problems Continue reading...
The US president vowed to cut food costs, but experts warn metal tariffs may raise prices in a matter of monthsCanned foods make up a big part of 20-year-old Cale Johnson's diet: tuna, corned beef hash, beans, chicken soup, Spam and fruit. They're affordable and have a long shelf life, which is essential for many people in the US like Johnson, who earns a low income and works two part-time jobs in addition to being a full-time student in Omaha, Nebraska.In the days after Donald Trump's recent decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminum, Johnson says he's worried. Continue reading...
More than 200 health experts say regulatory proposals will lead to biggest increase in pollution in decadesUS power plants will be allowed to pollute nearby communities and the wider world with more unhealthy air toxins and an unlimited amount of planet-heating gases under new regulatory rollbacks proposed by Donald Trump's administration, experts warned.The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would repeal a landmark climate rule that aims to mostly eliminate greenhouse gases from power plants by the 2030s and would, separately, weaken another regulation that restricts power plants' release of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury. Continue reading...
A 30-year-old from New Jersey sustained minor injuries in latest mishap involving tourists and wildlifeA bison gored a man at Yellowstone national park on Tuesday, park officials said, in the latest instance of an injury caused to a tourist who got too close to one of the large hoofed bovines.An unnamed 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, sustained minor injuries after being gored by the bison in the Upper Geyser Basin region of Yellowstone, the famed national park that spreads across three western states. The National Park Service said the man was treated by emergency medical personnel and that the incident was now under investigation. Continue reading...
Foreign competition and natural disasters have pushed US shrimp industry to the edge of survivalSandy Nguyen has strong opinions about where the best shrimp in the US is produced.A second-generation shrimper in New Orleans, Nguyen maintains our [Louisiana] shrimp tastes better than Florida shrimp or Mississippi shrimp or Texas shrimp". Her family moved to the Gulf coast from Vietnam during the Jimmy Carter administration, and her dad, like many such immigrants to the area, worked as a fisher. The business gave Nguyen a front-row seat to one of the nation's most abundant sources of seafood. Continue reading...
The DNA of rare small-clawed otters in captivity in Japan has been matched to wild populations in poaching hotspots in ThailandPosing for selfies on the laps of excited visitors, the otters of Tokyo's animal cafes have learned to play their part in their online stardom. In thousands of social media videos, the aquatic mammals wriggle through the outstretched hands of adoring customers who reward their attention with food.But the booming demand has raised major concerns among conservationists, with a study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice linking the small-clawed otters in animal cafes in Japanese cities with wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand. Continue reading...
UK company offers alternative to land-based burials after success of memorials in Bali made from remains of petsDeath is killing our planet. That is the stark assessment of a new business offering an innovative alternative: having your loved one's ashes made into a reef and anchored to the British seabed.There are increasing concerns about the environmental cost of traditional funerals: a single burial generates 833kg of CO, while a typical cremation has a footprint of about 400kg of CO. In the US alone, 1.6m tonnes of concrete and 14,000 tonnes of steel is used each year for building graves. Chemicals from embalming processes seep into the soil. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Climate.gov, which supports public education on climate science, will soon no longer publish new contentA major US government website supporting public education on climate science looks likely to be shuttered after almost all of its staff were fired, the Guardian has learned.Climate.gov, the gateway website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa)'s Climate Program Office, will imminently no longer publish new content, according to multiple former staff responsible for the site's content whose contracts were recently terminated. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6XX83)
New study shows regions with best potential to regrow trees and suck climate-heating CO2 from the airNew maps have revealed the best win-win" opportunities across the world to regrow forests and tackle the climate crisis, without harming people or wildlife.The places range from the eastern US and western Canada, to Brazil and Columbia, and across Europe, adding up to 195 million hectares (482 million acres). If reforested, this would remove 2.2bn tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, about the same as all the nations in the European Union. Continue reading...
When a US firm saw the seaweed was making their shellfish the biggest and best' scientists realised they'd hit upon a natural way to combat ocean acidification
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6XX7N)
High-fronted SUVs are more likely to kill and are on the rise in Europe, with the UK an extreme exampleThe bonnet height of new cars in the UK and elsewhere in Europe is rising relentlessly, a report has found, bringing a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children".Higher fronts on cars significantly increase the death rate when pedestrians are struck. The analysis also found that drivers in the tallest cars could not see children as old as nine at all when they were directly in front of the vehicle. Continue reading...
It's not so much that rural and metro communities hold different opinions about climate change but rather they are holding completely different conversations Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton's free Clear Air newsletter hereWe got some rain in rural Victoria over the weekend, and that's headline-worthy news.There's been a record-breaking drought that's been afflicting the states of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and parts of New South Wales for over a year, but depending where you live - and how you get your news - you may not know much about it. Continue reading...
During a period of deep personal turmoil, Marjolein Martinot took her camera down to the riverside in southern France - and began to feel connected again Continue reading...
Copernicus data shows month was 1.4C above estimated 1850-1900 average used to define pre-industrial levelIt has been an exceptionally dry spring in north-western Europe and the second warmest May ever globally, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).Countries across Europe, including the UK, have been hit by drought conditions in recent months, with water shortages feared unless significant rain comes this summer, and crop failures beginning to be reported by farmers. Continue reading...
Move comes after efforts at UN ocean summit to establish marine protected areas in international watersBritain will take action to ratify the high seas treaty by the end of this year, a landmark agreement that will protect marine life in some of the oceans' most remote waters, ministers have announced.The move follows a surge in support and ratifications for the treaty at the UN oceans conference in Nice, France. Emmanuel Macron, the French president and co-host of the conference, told delegates on Monday that enough countries had either ratified or formally committed to ratifying the agreement and therefore it could come into force as early as January 2026. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot, Sandra Laville and Kiran Stacey on (#6XWQ9)
Charities and MPs say bill, which has passed its third Commons reading, risks causing environmental harmDowning Street and the Treasury intervened to stop any concessions in the planning bill, after pro-housing MPs voiced anger over a Labour rebel amendment that attempted to strengthen nature protections.The Guardian has been told that ministers drew up amendments to the bill last week in an attempt to head off the anger of wildlife charities and rebel Labour MPs amid a backlash against the bill. Continue reading...
A bold state investment signals nuclear revival, but unresolved issues around cost, waste and safety demand urgent ministerial clarityThe government's decision to invest 14.2bn in nuclear energy, on top of existing funds, marks a return to significant state funding of nuclear power after Hinkley Point C, financed by the private sector, was dogged by delays and cost overruns. It is also a decisive shift in energy policy. Ministers have high hopes of a nuclear energy renaissance. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, described the prospect of a new reactor in Suffolk, Sizewell C, combined with new money for modular reactor development and fusion research, as agoldenage". This was a striking choice of words from the greenest voice in the cabinet.The Climate Change Committee's latest advice to thegovernment took a more restrained view of nuclear,which drew industry ire. Mr Miliband's commitment to renewable energy is not in doubt. Thegovernment has made good progress on wind andsolar - although the cancellation of an offshore wind project was a stepbackwards. Nuclear is meant tocomplement support for renewables and speed up the transition away from gas. That, at least, is the theory, and Labour's bet reflects a broader shift across Europe. The other part of the calculation made by ministers including Rachel Reeves - whose departmentmade the announcement - is jobs. SizewellC is expected to employ 10,000 people, including 1,500 apprentices.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Daisy Cooper says doctor and presenter David Bull once appeared on TalkTV with his ear bandaged after the assassination attempt against TrumpReeves is now taking questions.The first comes from a delegate who says the proposed welfare cuts are wrong. Will the government think again? Continue reading...
Investment is pouring into companies promising to geoengineer a rapid change in the pH of our waters - but critics are concerned at the speed at which unproven methods are being adoptedIn October 2024, a US company called Ebb Carbon announced the world's largest marine carbon removal deal to date, signing a multimillion-dollar agreement with Microsoft to try to help fix a very real problem in the world's seas: ocean acidification.Ebb plans to use a method called electrochemical ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to mimic the natural process of ocean alkalisation - in other words, it wants to add huge amounts of alkaline materials to ocean waters that scientists now know are acidifying at an alarming rate. Continue reading...
As the Earth heats up, the amount of algae in our waterways is rapidly increasing, transforming the colour of lakes and killing entire ecosystemsBefore the elephants collapsed, they walked in aimless circles. Some fell head first, dying where they stood moments earlier; their carcasses scattered near watering holes across the Okavango delta. The unexplained deaths in May 2020 alarmed conservationists. By July, at least 350 elephants had died and nobody knew why.The animals all had their tusks, so poaching was unlikely. A lot of them had obviously died relatively suddenly: they had dropped on to their sternums, which was indicating a sudden loss of muscle function or neural capacity," says Niall McCann, director of the conservation group National Park Rescue. Continue reading...
Move to narrow classification of Pfas and weaken regulation is politically and/or economically motivated'A group of 20 internationally renowned scientists have issued a strong warning against attempts to narrow the definition of forever chemicals" in what they describe as a politically or economically motivated effort to weaken regulation of the potentially harmful chemicals.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used for their oil-, water- and stain-resistant properties in a range of consumer and industrial products from waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware to firefighting foams and electronics. Continue reading...
Exclusive: In the first legal challenge to the plan, top climate lawyers claim the government relies too heavily on forestry and failed to consult the publicHundreds of top environment lawyers are suing the New Zealand government over what they say is its dangerously inadequate" plan to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.It is the first time the country's emissions reduction plan has faced litigation, and the lawyers believe it is the first case globally that challenges the use of forestry to offset emissions. Continue reading...
Less than 1% of our country's seas are highly protected and the damaging practice of bottom-trawling must be restrictedIt's a remarkable feat that a small, isolated island nation of just five million people has managed to stake a claim to one of the largest ocean territories in the world.New Zealand's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spans more than 4m square kilometres - an area 15 times the size of our landmass.Rt Hon Helen Clark is a former prime minister of New Zealand, and former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb is chief executive of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6XW3Z)
Ed Miliband promises to get Britain off the fossil fuel rollercoaster' with new plant expected to create 10,000 jobsThe biggest nuclear programme in a generation will get Britain off the fossil fuel rollercoaster", the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said, announcing 14.2bn to build a new nuclear power station and a drive to build small modular reactors.The multibillion-pound investment at Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast, which has been long expected, will create 10,000 jobs and power the equivalent of 6m homes. Continue reading...
Only 7% of Britain's woodlands in good condition, while number of birds fell by 15% over last five yearsThe variety of wildlife in the UK's woodlands continues to decline as the habitats deteriorate, according to a new report.The Woodland Trust found that the progressively worsening ecological condition of woodlands is making them a less effective habitat for the wildlife living in them. Continue reading...
Chair of troubled firm admits 21 senior managers were paid 50% of base salary on 30 AprilThe environment secretary has been asked if he will claw back controversial bonus payments to Thames Water senior executives after it emerged some bonuses had already been paid out.Last month, Steve Reed vowed to block bonuses that Thames Water proposed to pay to managers at the beleaguered company. The firm's chair has been forced to admit that bonuses have already been paid to executives out of a 3bn emergency loan paid by creditors for the purpose of rescuing Thames from financial collapse. Continue reading...
Speaking at summit in France, Antonio Guterres calls for bold pledges to stop deep sea becoming wild west'Nations must move from plunder to protection" in order to save the world's seas from crisis, the UN chief, Antonio Guterres, told the ocean summit on Monday.All countries must come forward with bold pledges" including a biodiversity target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, to tackle plastic pollution, overfishing and for greater governance of the high seas, he said at the opening ceremony. Guterres also stressed the importance of multilateralism and warned, in an apparent swipe at the US, which was not present at the conference: The deep sea cannot become the wild west." Continue reading...
US power sector would be world's sixth largest emitter of planet-heating greenhouse gas if it were a country - studyDonald Trump's administration is set to claim planet-heating pollution spewing from US power plants is so globally insignificant it should be spared any sort of climate regulation.But, in fact, the volume of these emissions is stark - if the US power sector were a country, it would be the sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Continue reading...
Israeli forces have taken command of a vessel that tried to circumvent its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, sending the boat and its crew of 12 - including the activist Greta Thunberg - to a port in Israel, according to officials. The UK-flagged Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was trying to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on Monday to raise international awareness to the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded by Israeli forces before it could reach the shore, the FFC said. The foreign ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control
Chances are, wherever you live, if there's greenery around there will be owls there tooIt is dusk, a short walk from the big Ikea in Croydon, and a barn owl is emerging from its nest to hunt. In the fading light, the male owl sits on a fence post to survey the rough grass below. He has a busy evening ahead: he is responsible for feeding a roosting female for the next few weeks while she cares for their chicks. The owl hops to another fence post. Suddenly, he dives into the grass below, emerging a minute later with an unlucky rodent, and flies back into the nest.I still get really excited," says Tomos Brangwyn, a local enthusiast who monitors the site, lowering his binoculars. He'll do that most of the night. It's a great sign that there's a female in there that we haven't seen for a while, as she's on the eggs," he says. Continue reading...
Vast areas of land are now dominated by one species - purple moor-grass - and good luck with seeing a bird or insect there. How do we revive these habitats?Deserts are spreading across great tracts of Britain, yet few people seem to have noticed, and fewer still appear to care. It is one of those astonishing situations I keep encountering: in which vast, systemic problems - in this case, I believe, covering thousands of square kilometres - hide in plain sight.I realise that many people, on reading that first sentence, will suspect I've finally flipped. Where, pray, are those rolling sand dunes or sere stony wastes? But there are many kinds of desert, and not all of them are dry. In fact, those spreading across Britain are clustered in the wettest places. Yet they harbour fewer species than some dry deserts do, and are just as hostile to humans. Another useful term is terrestrial dead zones. Continue reading...
In seas around the world pH levels are falling - and scientists are increasingly frustrated that the problem is not being taken seriously enoughRead more: Ticking timebomb': sea acidity has reached critical levels, threatening entire ecosystems - studyOn a clear day at Plymouth marina you can see across the harbour out past Drake's Island - named after the city's most famous son, Francis Drake - to the Channel. It's quite often possible to see an abundance of marine vessels, from navy ships and passenger ferries to small fishing boats and yachts. What you might not spot from this distance is a large yellow buoy bobbing up and down in the water about six miles off the coast.This data buoy - L4 - is one of a number belonging to Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), a research centre in Devon dedicated to marine science. On a pleasantly calm May morning, Prof James Fishwick, PML's head of marine technology and autonomy, is on top of the buoy checking it for weather and other damage. This particular buoy is one of the most sophisticated in the world," he says as he climbs the ladder to the top. It's decked out with instruments and sensors able to measure everything from temperature, to salinity, dissolved oxygen, light and acidity levels." Continue reading...
Environmental groups welcome government proposals to clamp down on destructive fishing practiceEnvironmental groups have welcomed government proposals to ban the destructive fishing practice known as bottom trawling in half of England's protected seas.The plan, to be announced on Monday by the environment secretary, Steve Reed, came before a UN summit in Nice to tackle the ocean's failing health. It follows pressure from conservationists and the release of a David Attenborough film featuring rare underwater footage of the devastation to the seabed caused by bottom trawling in British waters. Continue reading...
The Last Dive tells how a relationship with a giant Pacific manta ray turned a big game fish hunter into a conservationistLocated about 500km off the southern coast of Baja California lies a group of ancient volcanic islands known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago. Home to large pelagic species including whale sharks and scalloped hammerheads, the rugged volcanic peaks were also once the site of an unlikely friendship.It began in December 1988 when Terry Kennedy, a now 83-year-old American sailor with a storied past, met a six-meter-wide giant Pacific manta ray off San Benedicto island's rugged shore. He would go on to name him Willy. When I saw him beside the boat, as massive as he was, I just had to get in the water just to see him," says Kennedy. I threw a tank on and jumped over, but I didn't see him anywhere. He couldn't have vanished that quick. And then I looked straight down and he was coming up underneath me. He was about four feet away and rising so I had no way to get off his back." Continue reading...
Pioneering broadcaster recalls incident during discussion with royal about latest documentary, OceanSir David Attenborough almost drowned when testing a scuba-diving helmet for his 1957 dive on the Great Barrier Reef, the broadcasting veteran has revealed in a discussion with Prince William.Discussing his latest documentary, Ocean, the pioneering film-maker described the incident to the Prince of Wales. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Ransom note' requests would leave Environment Agency unable to prosecute company or managementLenders vying to take over Thames Water have demanded that the struggling company and its management be granted immunity from prosecution for serious environmental crimes as a condition of acquiring it, the Guardian can reveal.Creditors want the environment secretary, Steve Reed, to grant the water company extraordinary clemency from a series of strict rules covering everything from sewage spills to failure to upgrade its water treatment works. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon on the Klamath River, California on (#6XTQ5)
Less than a year after four dams were removed from the river, life has blossomed along its banks, presenting new challenges and joys of recoveryBill Cross pulled his truck to the side of a dusty mountain road and jumped out to scan a stretch of rapids rippling through the hillsides below.As an expert and a guide, Cross had spent more than 40 years boating the Klamath River, etching its turns, drops and eddies into his memory. But this run was brand new. On a warm day in mid-May, he would be one of the very first to raft it with high spring flows. Continue reading...