Environment | The Guardian

Northern English towns inundated again as transport systems struggle to cope, but snow expected on Monday as temperatures dropHurricane-force winds and flooding have caused severe disruption across much of Britain, including damage to hundreds of properties and the cancellation of trains, flights and ferries.Storm Ciara brought heavy rain and winds of more than 90mph, knocking out power to homes in some areas. The upheaval is likely to last into the start of the working week and there is more bad weather to come. Continue reading...

512,452 megalitre deluge across all the city’s catchments equivalent of nine months’ worth of water in less than a week• NSW floods and weather: rain eases but chaos continues – live

Now is the time for ‘modern Liberals’ to speak for their community rather than toe the party line, independent MP saysThe woman who toppled Tony Abbott in Warringah at the last election on a platform of climate change action now has the whole parliament in her sights as she seeks bipartisan support for a climate change framework bill aimed at transitioning Australia to a decarbonised economy.Zali Steggall – along with her fellow crossbenchers Rebekah Sharkie, Helen Haines and Andrew Wilkie – will release the climate change national framework for adaption and mitigation bill on Monday, ahead of its introduction to the parliament in March. Continue reading...

Deputy leader says market should be allowed to make its own decisions and coal will play a part in the economy for decadesLabor’s deputy leader has not ruled out the party supporting new coal developments, saying it would be a decision for the markets despite previously declaring it would be a “good thing” if the thermal coal market collapsed.In a somewhat difficult and at times awkward interview with David Speers on the ABC’s Insiders program, Richard Marles struggled to articulate the difference between Labor’s coal policy and the Coalition’s, stating “coal will continue to play a part within our economy for decades to come”, while demanding the government do more on climate policy. Continue reading...

The UK must lead the ‘globalisation of the green new deal’ and a first step would be to build a Severn tidal barrageThe phrase “a stitch in time saves nine” dates back to the 18th century, near the start of the Industrial Revolution, from which point global warming has escalated to today’s levels, with the last five years the hottest on record worldwide.New Labour used a more prosaic phrase – “invest to save” – to describe the concept of spending money now to avoid the much higher costs and potential damage we would face if we waited until a problem reached its peak. Continue reading...

Environmental group puts pressure on museum to end its partnership with oil companyDozens of activists have coated themselves in plaster and are trying to occupy the British Museum overnight in a bid to pressure the institution to cut ties with oil corporation BP.About 60 protesters were taking part in the defiant act of impromptu sculpture making as the museum in London attempted to close its doors at 5pm on Saturday. Continue reading...

The deaths of two butterfly conservationists have drawn focus to a troubling tangle of disputes, resentments and violenceThe annual migration of monarch butterflies from the US and Canada is one of the most resplendent sights in the natural world – a rippling orange-and-black wave containing millions of butterflies fluttering instinctively southward to escape the winter cold.The spectacle when they reach their destination in central Mexico is perhaps even more astonishing. Patches of alpine forest turn from green to orange as the monarchs roost in the fir trees, the sheer weight of butterflies causing branches to sag to the point of snapping. Tens of thousands of the insects bounce haphazardly overhead, searching replenishment from nearby plants. Continue reading...

Businesses are still struggling months after a massive wildfire hit Sonoma county and prompted widespread evacuations and panicLike so many other wine country towns dependent on tourism and out-of-town visitors, the California resort community of Guerneville typically experiences a winter downturn.Business owners know to prepare for it. Restaurant owners scale back seasonal staff. Hotels offer discounted rates. Continue reading...

Progressive policies help get people on their bike, even in below-freezing conditionsIn London, where I live, the idea of winter cycling generally involves little more than remembering some gloves and making sure your bike lights are charged. In Joensuu, the compact city in eastern Finland, where I am now, it’s arguably a more serious business.When I got off the train from Helsinki the temperature was -16C (3F), and hasn’t yet risen higher than -6C. Every roadway, pavement and cycle route is covered in a layer of compacted snow. Continue reading...

Although shiny on the red carpet they ‘hide serious socio-environmental impacts’Fashion insiders are warning the great and the good of Hollywood not to wear sequins on the Academy Awards red carpet because of their terrible environmental impact.Last Sunday at the Baftas, despite guests being urged to opt for more planet-friendly fashion choices, Scarlett Johansson wore a sequinned pink Versace dress, Rebel Wilson was wrapped in a red sequin custom-made Prabal Gurung gown and Naomie Harris shone in silver sequinned Michael Kors. At the Grammys and Golden Globes last month, the red carpets were similarly awash with sequins. Continue reading...

The ‘safeguard mechanism’ promised to limit industry’s carbon pollution, but in two years has approved more than 7m tonnes of extra emissionsMining and heavy industry companies, including BHP and Alcoa, have again been allowed to lift their greenhouse gas emissions without penalty under a climate change policy that the Australian government promised would prevent national pollution increasing.Under changes posted online on Thursday, BHP coal and iron ore mines in Western Australia and Queensland, Alcoa’s Portland aluminium smelter in Victoria and a Boggabri coalmine in New South Wales were each given the green light to emit more under the scheme known as the “safeguard mechanism”. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including a baboon with a lion cub and Devon beavers Continue reading...

Gilbert Khoo transported endangered ‘glass eels’ to Hong Kong hidden beneath other fishA seafood salesman has been found guilty of smuggling more than £53m worth of endangered live eels out of the UK.Gilbert Khoo, 66, transported the rare elvers from London to Hong Kong hidden underneath other fish between 2015 and 2017. Continue reading...

Varieties of corn, beans and squash seen as central to Cherokee identity will be deposited in Norway’s Svalbard seed bankThe Cherokee Nation will bank corn, bean and squash seeds in the Arctic “doomsday vault”, becoming the first US-based tribe to safeguard culturally emblematic crops for future generations.The Svalbard seed vault, the world’s most sheltered storage facility, currently holds 992,039 crop seeds from across the world. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Inquiry into $21.4m conservation project reports ‘credible’ evidence of abuseArmed ecoguards partly funded by the conservation group WWF to protect wildlife in the Republic of the Congo beat up and intimidated hundreds of Baka pygmies living deep in the rainforests, an investigation into a landmark global conservation project has heard.A team of investigators sent to northern Congo by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to assess allegations of human rights abuses gathered “credible” evidence from different sources that hunter-gatherer Baka tribespeople living close to a proposed national park had been subjected to violence and physical abuse from the guards over years, according to a leaked draft of the report. Continue reading...

He has a history of ‘not getting’ global heating but his desire for Britain to be a world leader could be the planet’s hopeWill Boris Johnson please listen to his own father, rather than Jeremy Corbyn’s climate sceptic brother, on the subject of climate change? It may go against the prime minister’s instincts, but it is the best hope for Britain to live up to its responsibilities in a crucial year for our species.Johnson cannot do this on his own. That much was clear this week during the shambolic London launch of the COP 26 UN climate summit, which will take place in Glasgow in November. This will be the most important international conference in five years and as host the UK will play a leading role in deciding whether it ends in success or failure. Continue reading...

Activists dressed as warriors protest against corporate sponsorship deal with oil firmActivists have taken a Trojan horse into the grounds of the British Museum to protest against its sponsorship deal with the oil corporation BP.Protesters dressed as ancient Greek warriors snuck their 13ft-tall wooden horse through a side gate at 7.30am on Friday and pulled it on to the forecourt in front of the museum’s entrance. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen’s signature proposal co-opts the slogans of climate activism, but has none of the substanceEmergencies tend to reveal our true priorities. When our house is burning down or the storm waters are flooding in, we hold on to what we value most, and leave the rest behind.A decade ago, the leaders of the European Union found themselves facing such a moment. With the French and German banks falling into a black hole, they did whatever it took to save them. Between 2009 and 2013, European governments channelled €1.6tn (£1.36tn) to Europe’s bankers, while imposing stringent austerity upon the European citizens they pledged to serve. When in 2015 they realised that more support was necessary, the European Central Bank printed €2.6tn over just four years. Continue reading...

A new record set so soon after the previous record of 17.5C in March 2015 is a sign warming in Antarctica is happening much faster than global averageAntarctica has logged its hottest temperature on record, with an Argentinian research station thermometer reading 18.3C, beating the previous record by 0.8C.The reading, taken at Esperanza on the northern tip of the continent’s peninsula, beats Antarctica’s previous record of 17.5C, set in March 2015. Continue reading...

Gradual phaseout will begin in March as part of government plan to outlaw all single-use bags by 2021Tunisia has announced plans to stop its supermarkets and pharmacies from using single-use plastic bags from next month before phasing them out completely in 2021.Plastic pollution has been a growing problem in the north African country in recent years, along with the challenges presented by its ancient industrial plants and barely managed household waste. Continue reading...

Millions swim in open water and outdoor pools in the UK and we must press for better water standardsWhy would you even want to swim in a UK river? It’s cold, it’s a bit mucky and yes, it comes with risk.I may well die of some hideous waterborne flesh-eating virus that entered the water on the wing of a migrating bird, but I love river swimming. Perhaps the duck poo between the toes or the fact that it’s “dirty” is what’s discouraging you from leaping into your local river, but when was the last time you went for a swim in a pool and didn’t have someone else’s hair wrap around your fingers? Continue reading...

In the face of the climate disaster it helped create, the Australian government has given us only lies and denialUnprecedented wildfires have recently devastated California, the Amazon, southern Europe, Siberia and Australia. It’s safe to say that we’ve entered the era of the climate-fuelled megafire. But because fire conditions depend on local vegetation, topography and climate, each of these great conflagrations is different.Australia’s bushfires of the last four months have been true megafires, creating their own weather and becoming so vast in their impact that more than half of all Australians have been directly affected by them. As I write, fires continue to burn around Canberra, and though rain has begun to fall in northern New South Wales, 17 are “yet to be contained” according to the fire service. Meanwhile, what is traditionally the worst part of the fire season for Victoria and South Australia is just commencing. Conditions have been so severe that firefighters have often been unable to stop fires joining up, generating massive dry thunderstorms that spread fire with thousands of lightning strikes. Continue reading...

Lawsuits are pending from groups who have challenged the constitutionality of shrinking Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-EscalantePlans finalized on Thursday for two national monuments in Utah downsized by Donald Trump would ensure that lands previously off-limits to energy development will be open to mining and drilling.

Royal Canadian Mounted officers arrested at least six people at a roadblock erected by Indigenous people to block constructionCanadian police have made a series of arrests in northern British Columbia as they enforced a court injunction to remove activists who have been blocking the construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline on Indigenous territory.Before dawn on Thursday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers backed by tactical teams and dogs arrested at least six people at a roadblock erected by the Wet’suwet’en people to stop construction of the C$6bn (US$4.5bn) Coastal GasLink pipeline (CGL). Continue reading...

Announcement comes after Trump administration reversed plans to ban chlorpyrifos and rejected scientific conclusions of expertsThe world’s largest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, an agricultural pesticide linked to brain damage in children, has announced that it will stop producing the chemical by the end of the year.The announcement on Thursday by Corteva, the corporation formed from a Dow Chemical and DuPont merger, comes after the Trump administration reversed regulatory plans to ban the pesticide and rejected the scientific conclusions of US government experts. Continue reading...

Police say Rising Up report was commissioned as group had a ‘large following’ and concluded XR was not a threatCounter-terrorism chiefs ordered a formal assessment of whether Extinction Rebellion was a national security threat one year ago and then sent a secret report about the group to police forces, the Guardian has learned.The revelation shows that counter-terrorism police’s interest in the non-violent climate emergency group began earlier and was more extensive than previously thought. Continue reading...

Populations disappearing in areas where temperatures are getting hotter, scientists sayBumblebees are in drastic decline across Europe and North America owing to hotter and more frequent extremes in temperatures, scientists say.A study suggests the likelihood of a bumblebee population surviving in any given place has declined by 30% in the course of a single human generation. The researchers say the rates of decline appear to be “consistent with a mass extinction”. Continue reading...

Climate, extreme weather, biodiversity, food and water crises could lead to ‘systemic collapse’The world is facing a series of interlinked emergencies that are threatening the existence of humans, because the sum of the effects of the crises is much greater than their individual impacts, according to a new global study.Climate breakdown and extreme weather, species loss, water scarcity and a food production crisis are all serious in themselves, but the combination of all five together is amplifying the risks of each, creating a perfect storm that threatens to engulf humanity unless swift action is taken. Continue reading...

Speakers get emotional about the impact of the bill at a time Australians are living with the reality of the climate crisisCommunity group members and public health professionals have fought back tears while calling on the New South Wales government to drop “anti-climate” legislation that would limit planning authorities’ ability to block fossil fuel developments.Several witnesses became emotional while giving evidence to a parliamentary hearing into the proposed laws, which are designed to stop planning authorities from rejecting or imposing conditions on projects based on their impacts overseas, including overseas emissions. Continue reading...

Two dead 5ft snakes were discovered at a nature reserve within a month of each otherA python has been found dead, slit open along the length of its body, while another was found in pieces, prompting an investigation at a nature reserve in Scotland.The 1.5-metre (5ft) snakes were discovered within a month of each other at Den of Maidencraig in Skene Road, Aberdeen. A member of the public found the slit-open snake on 7 January, while the second was found on 31 January. Continue reading...

Environment Agency boss calls for more funding to help public embrace wild swimmingGrowing pressure to clean up Britain’s rivers to meet bathing water quality is a “game changer” that will require more government funding as the public embrace the outdoors, the head of the Environment Agency has said.A growing number of river users are calling for action to tackle the routine and legal discharge of untreated sewage into Britain’s waterways, which they say amounts to treating them like an open sewer. Continue reading...

Campaigners call on PM to ‘show UK is ready to do what it takes’ before COP 26 summitBoris Johnson must flesh out plans for the UK to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 if he is to make a success of the COP 26 climate summit, campaigners have said.The government has not yet set out firm plans or systematic new measures aimed at reaching the net-zero target, which was enshrined in law by Theresa May last summer. Continue reading...

Studies have shown that populations living around refineries, often people of color and low-income, have worse asthmaAt least 10 US oil refineries have been emitting cancer-causing benzene above the federal government’s limits, according to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project.The group reviewed a year of air monitoring data recorded at the fence lines of 114 refineries, as reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. Continue reading...

Officials claim there are no tigers in Goa. But the poisoning of a mother and three cubs has forced the issue into the open

Coalition of activists say they will continue action as Perth festival kicks offArtists and activists who oppose arts sponsorship from fossil fuel companies have said they intend to continue protesting as Western Australia’s leading international arts festival, Perth festival, prepares to open this week.Artists have been staging protests around Perth’s annual fringe festival, Fringe World, calling for the organisation to end its eight-year sponsorship arrangement with oil and gas giant Woodside in light of the intensifying climate crisis. Continue reading...

Watchdog reveals huge sum ploughed into ‘world’s dirtiest fossil fuels’ despite climate vowUK taxpayer funds totalling $750m (£577m) have been invested in new fossil fuel projects in developing African countries despite the government’s public commitment to tackling the climate crisis, according to an international watchdog.Global Witness found that a London-based investment group raised $1bn from the UK government over 16 years and spent three-quarters of this supporting oil and gas projects in some of Africa’s poorest countries. Continue reading...

Cressida Dick says police need more powers to deal with protest groups such as XRPolice officers are looking to update the offence of “public nuisance” for the 21st century to ensure they have the necessary powers to tackle protest groups such as Extinction Rebellion, the Metropolitan police commissioner has said.Cressida Dick told the London assembly she had been holding discussions with the Home Office to toughen up powers and legislation so police could clamp down on protests that aimed to “bring policing to its knees”. Continue reading...

Bank under pressure from UK’s powerful Investor Forum to adopt stricter climate policiesBarclays is facing a fresh revolt from the UK’s most powerful investor group amid mounting concerns over its role as the biggest European financier of fossil fuel companies.The Investor Forum, which holds £18.5tn in assets and represents Britain’s largest investors, is understood to be pressing Barclays to adopt stricter policies on climate change before the bank’s annual shareholder meeting in May. Continue reading...

Labour leader criticises COP 26 preparations and Johnson’s record on environmentJeremy Corbyn has accused Boris Johnson of “failing spectacularly” to measure up to the scale of the climate crisis, after the sacked president of COP 26 revealed the UK was miles behind in getting ready for the November summit.Speaking at prime minister’s questions, Corbyn raised the government’s failure to organise COP 26 properly, after Johnson’s team sacked Claire O’Neill as the summit’s president just days before its formal launch. Continue reading...

Activists also use oil barrels to make environmental point as Bernard Looney takes up roleGreenpeace members have blocked BP’s headquarters with solar panels and oil barrels to mark Bernard Looney’s first day as chief executive.About 100 environmental activists took 500 solar panels to the central London building at 3am on Wednesday as Looney prepared to take up his new role. Some protesters sat underneath the solar panels after they were prevented from installing them on the pavements and roads near the office. Continue reading...

A territory that has 0.5% of the Earth’s population plans to use up nearly a third of the planet’s remaining carbon budget

Ex-PM rejects Boris Johnson’s offer saying he already has ‘a lot of things’ to do this yearDavid Cameron has turned down an offer from Boris Johnson to head the UK’s preparations for a crucial international climate summit in Glasgow, saying he already has “a lot of things” to do this year.The former prime minister was asked by Johnson to be the president of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) but Cameron rejected the offer. Continue reading...

A soil fungus that causes banana crops to wilt and die, has been detected in a Tully Valley farm close to three other already infested propertiesA suspected case of a potentially devastating disease to banana crops has been detected in the region that supplies more than 90% of the fruit to Australia.Farmers are being encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity practices after a suspected case of Panama TR4 disease – a soil fungus – was detected at a far north Queensland banana farm. Continue reading...

UK watchdog bans advert claiming lowest CO pollution of any major airline

PM reaffirms 2050 net-zero pledge but his predecessor declines offer to lead UK preparations for crucial summitBoris Johnson has set out his vision for forging a new global consensus on the climate crisis promising “we will crack it”, amid news that he approached former prime minister David Cameron to lead the UK’s preparations for a crucial summit.Johnson has brought forward the UK’s phaseout of diesel and petrol vehicles by five years to 2035, and hastened the phaseout of coal-fired power by a year to 2024. He reaffirmed the UK’s pledge to switch to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, and urged other nations – without naming any – to do the same. Continue reading...

Federal court of appeals in a 3-0 decision rejected four challenges from First Nations to government’s approval of the projectCanada’s federal court of appeal has dismissed legal objections to the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that would nearly triple the flow of oil from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific coast.In a 3-0 decision, the court rejected four challenges from First Nations in British Columbia to the federal government’s approval of the project. Continue reading...

Scottish government accused of behaving disgracefully over use of Glasgow science centrePreparations for this year’s climate summit in Glasgow are being overshadowed by a bitter row between the UK and Scottish governments over a key building near the venue.UK government sources have accused Scottish ministers of refusing to hand over a building the Scottish government wants to use as its base for the COP 26 climate talks in November. Continue reading...

Motoring organisations say UK is unprepared to move to electric vehicles only by 2035The government’s move to bring forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035 has been attacked by manufacturers as a “date without a plan”.The policy, which will now come into effect five years earlier and include hybrid vehicles, was announced as Boris Johnson launched the forthcoming UN COP 26 climate summit. Continue reading...

PM takes charge of COP 26 as ex-minister hits back at her sacking as president of talks