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...

Issue symbolises disconnect between Holyrood’s climate rhetoric and what happens on the ground, say residentsWhen Linda Erskine looked outside her window last week, she saw an intense flare from the Mossmorran petrochemical plant in Fife. The flaring, which she says collapses night into day, can be seen more than 20 miles away in Edinburgh.Erskine, a local Labour councillor, describes living in Lochgelly, a former mining community neighbouring Mossmorran, as unpleasant. “When that flare goes, the house does vibrate. For me it’s something akin to a Nimrod [maritime patrol plane] landing on top of your house. The first time I went out to see if there’s a helicopter flying overhead.” Continue reading...

Scheme will enhance city’s reputation as a bicycling capital of EuropeThe “cyclist-first” city of Utrecht is constructing the Netherlands’ first high-density, car-free residential district for more than 12,000 people, making it one of the largest of its type in the world.The 24-hectare site, located between two canals in the middle of the city, is a business park but by 2024 it is hoped the area will enhance Utrecht’s reputation as a bicycling capital of Europe. Continue reading...

Endangered species have lost up to 82% of their habitat but Environment Protection Authority says logging of unburnt forest is legalThe New South Wales Forestry Corporation has continued to log unburnt forest that is habitat for some of the most imperilled species in the aftermath of the state’s bushfire crisis.Logging operations have continued in the Styx River state forest on the north coast that is now remnant habitat for endangered species including the greater glider and the Hastings River mouse. Continue reading...

New Zealand’s kākāpō has long been endangered, but when a deadly fungal disease struck the country’s vets came to the rescueGrowing up in the north of England, Dr James Chatterton was enthralled by the books of the pioneering zookeeper and conservationist Gerald Durrell and dreamed of saving endangered species. Now, on the other side of the world, Chatterton has done just that, helping to bring the world’s fattest parrot back from the brink.Chatterton and his team spent the best part of a year bringing in quarantine conditions and trialling new treatments on the frontline of a killer disease afflicting New Zealand’s kākāpō. Continue reading...

Projects to reduce grass cutting and increase the diversity of plants and wildlife along Britain’s roads are having dramatic resultsIn 2014, Giles Nicholson was battling the growing year from hell. A mild winter followed by a warm, wet spring had turbocharged a ferocious mass of cow parsley, nettles and dense grass along the hundreds of miles of road his team maintains for Dorset council. Austerity meant there was barely enough money to pay for repeated cuttings to hold back the matted swards. Complaints poured in about messy roadsides.“[The machinery] wouldn’t go through it,” says Nicholson, recalling the overspilling verges. Continue reading...

Skies above remote parts of the nation’s back country will host new technology designed to drop baits in the path of rats, stoats and possumsA large rat scampers across a shady forest floor in search of its latest meal of Kiwi chicks, one of New Zealand’s endangered native birds. But the rodent is in the sights of another predator – a mammoth drone carrying hundreds of kilograms of deadly poison.This scene could soon be playing out across New Zealand’s most rugged wilderness as the Department of Conservation (DoC) considers a new high-tech strategy to halt the country’s biodiversity crisis. Continue reading...

The pick of the world’s best flora and fauna photos, including the last female white giraffe and boxing hares Continue reading...

Data seen by the Guardian shows ‘extreme rainfall events’ have soared over past 30 yearsAbout 150 people have been killed or are missing following record-breaking heavy rains, landslides and flooding in three Brazilian states this year.Scientists say global heating is contributing to more “extreme rainfall” events in the country, and warned that such disasters could become “the new normal”. Continue reading...

Ecuadorian indigenous groups hope innovation will reduce amount of oil taken from forest only to be brought back as pollution

IEA warns that Covid-19 could cause a slowdown in world’s clean energy transitionThe coronavirus health crisis may lead to a slump in global carbon emissions this year but the outbreak poses a threat to long-term climate action by undermining investment in clean energy, according to the global energy watchdog.The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the economic fallout of Covid-19 to wipe out the world’s oil demand growth for the year ahead, which should cap the fossil fuel emissions that contribute to the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Changes may put in question more than 11,000 homes already planned for flood zonesThe government has announced a review into the building of thousands of homes on land at the highest risk of flooding following the worst winter storms in years.The housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, told MPs on Thursday that officials would review the policy of building homes on high-risk flood plains and bring forward changes “in the coming months”. Continue reading...

The research, used to help avoid a ban, claimed ‘severe impacts’ on farming if glyphosate was outlawedMonsanto secretly funded academic studies indicating “very severe impacts” on farming and the environment if its controversial glyphosate weedkiller were banned, an investigation has found.The research was used by the National Farmers’ Union and others to successfully lobby against a European ban in 2017. As a result of the revelations, the NFU has now amended its glyphosate information to declare the source of the research. Continue reading...

World’s largest artificial lake drops by six metres in three years after lengthy droughtZambia is facing severe water and electricity shortages after a lengthy drought, with reservoir levels remaining worryingly low despite recent rains.Water levels in Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake at more than 5,500 sq km, have dropped by six metres in the past three years. Continue reading...

Charity says rise in catches putting strain on stocks, but brown crab is back on the menuConsumers are being urged to avoid eating cuttlefish caught by trawlers in the Channel to help alleviate pressure on threatened stocks.A rise in prices has fuelled an increase in catches of the molluscs over the last decade, with landings in the UK in 2018 worth a record £14.9m, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said. Declines in populations in the Channel have led the charity to add cuttlefish caught in the area to its red “fish to avoid” list. Continue reading...

Chief representative of Quechua communities in north Peru urges OECD to support battle against ‘the tainting of land and rivers’An Amazonian leader has travelled from Peru to the Netherlands to lodge a complaint with the global trade watchdog about an Amsterdam-based oil firm, demanding that the company clean up decades of pollution from his people’s lands. .Aurelio Chino has accused Pluspetrol of using “letterbox” holding companies in tax havens like the Netherlands to avoid paying taxes in developing countries such as Peru. Continue reading...

Report raises fresh doubt about viability of Australia’s thermal coal export industryBuilding new wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper in every major market across the globe than running existing coal-fired power stations, according to a new report that raises fresh doubt about the medium-term viability of Australia’s $26bn thermal coal export industry.While some countries are moving faster than others, the analysis by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a climate finance thinktank, found renewable power was a cheaper option than building new coal plants in all large markets including Australia, and was expected to cost less than electricity from existing coal plants by 2030 at the latest. Continue reading...

Royal expert sounds alarm after Prince Harry seemingly duped into thinking he was talking to Greta ThunbergRussian hoaxers who apparently tricked Prince Harry into offering help to take penguins to the North Pole have raised serious questions over security and screening measures for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they leave the royal fold, a royal expert said.Pretending to be putting through the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and her father, Svante, hoaxers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov managed to reach Harry on his landline at his rented Vancouver Island mansion on New Year’s Eve and on 22 January, it has been reported. Continue reading...

Protected oil and gas industries and huge road schemes push back net-zero emissions plan

Budget includes billions to clean up heavy industry, transport and heating

Rishi Sunak fails to even mention energy efficiency, the no-brainer climate policyThe road to hell is paved with good intentions, and in his budget the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, headed off down the motorway towards climate catastrophe, all the while proclaiming his intention to protect the environment.“Over £27bn of tarmac,” he announced, for 4,000 miles of major new roads. In stark contrast, low-carbon transport was put in the slow lane, getting £1bn. Continue reading...

Extra £2.6bn is for capital projects, with no new funds for maintaining existing defencesExpenditure on flooding will be doubled, the chancellor has announced in the budget, but analysis has revealed the figure is less generous than it seems. Spending will be increased to £5.2bn for the period from 2015 to 2021, but the extra £2.6bn that includes will be for capital projects only, with no extra funds for maintenance.In the four years from 2015-16 to 2018-19, spending on flood defences was just over £3bn, and a further £815m was allocated for the financial year about to end. That comes to £3.9bn, of which about £1.3bn went on the vital maintenance of existing flood defences and other routine tasks. Continue reading...

Ninety per cent of Bellinger River snapping turtle adult population was wiped out but Australia’s Taronga Zoo is breeding numbers back upThe Bellinger River snapping turtle is one of the rarest turtles on the planet after a virus wiped out more than 90% of the adult population in 2015, but a captive breeding program is bringing hope that a healthy population can be restored in the wild.Thirty-five turtles have hatched at the special breeding facility at Taronga Zoo since the beginning of this year. Continue reading...

Multiple sightings in February and early March in Russia, Finland and the US, raising concerns of increased conflicts with humansAn unusually warm winter has caused bears to stir early from hibernation in several countries, raising concerns of an increased number of conflicts with humans.There have been multiple sightings of bears emerging from hibernation in February and early March in Russia, Finland and the US, a situation apparently triggered by the mild winter experienced in many countries. Continue reading...

Government failing on pledge to plant 30,000 hectares by 2024, says Friends of the EarthTree planting is one of the government’s key strategies for fighting the climate crisis, but ministers have got off to a slow start that shows little sign of speeding up, according to the latest figures: just £5.2m will be spent on new trees in England under the countryside stewardship scheme for the current financial year.That is enough for only 1,260 hectares, according to Friends of the Earth, which is calling for a greater effort on tree-planting to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australia needs the expertise to predict changes which have a major impact across the country, a review findsA government-backed review of Australia’s climate science capability has identified “critical gaps” in the nation’s ability to understand the processes that underpin climate change, with atmospheric modelling lagging other countries.It found Australia was in danger of losing “critical expertise” needed to predict changes in major climate patterns, such as El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, that have a major impact across the continent. Continue reading...

Deadly heatwaves, floods and rising hunger far greater threat to world than coronavirus, scientists sayThe world is “way off track” in dealing with the climate emergency and time is fast running out, the UN secretary general has said.António Guterres sounded the alarm at the launch of the UN’s assessment of the global climate in 2019. The report concludes it was a record-breaking year for heat, and there was rising hunger, displacement and loss of life owing to extreme temperatures and floods around the world. Continue reading...

Villagers are downing their weapons and protecting swathes of ancient forest and its wildlife in Nagaland state

Exclusive: carbon from most harvested wood soon ends up back in atmosphere, says studyCommercial tree plantations in Britain do not store carbon to help the climate crisis because more than half of the harvested timber is used for less than 15 years and a quarter is burned, according to a new report.While fast-growing non-native conifers can sequester carbon more quickly than slow-growing broadleaved trees, that carbon is released again if the trees are harvested and the wood is burned or used in products with short lifespans, such as packaging, pallets and fencing. Continue reading...

Traditional owners say deal will provide job security and support families in remote and regional AustraliaThe federal government has committed $102m over the next seven years to support Indigenous rangers, who are playing a “critical role” in protecting our environment, the environment minister, Sussan Ley, says.Indigenous protected areas (IPAs) make up about 45%, or 67m hectares, of Australia’s network of national parks and reserves, and hold some of the most culturally significant and biodiverse lands on the continent. Continue reading...

Riding is way of thumbing the nose at occupation and connecting with the landAre you annoyed by the anti-motorcycle barriers or speed bumps on your local bike path? Spare a thought for Palestinian bicycle advocates. According to the UN, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank imposes 705 obstacles to the free movement of Palestinians.These obstacles include military checkpoints where only those with permits can pass, a 440-mile separation barrier, and roving patrols that can turn a joyous bike ride into humiliating roadside detention. Continue reading...

First seagrass restoration in Britain will capture carbon rapidly and offer habitat for lost marine life“We think this whole bay was once carpeted with seagrass,” says Evie Furness, waving across the sparkling, sunlit waters of Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales.The underwater meadow is long gone though, a victim of past pollution and shipping. So from a boat half a mile from shore, Furness is feeding a long rope into the water, which carries a little hessian bag of seagrass seeds every metre. “We’ve passed the 800,000 seed mark now,” she says. Continue reading...

Corporation is not renewing its deals with the two leading arts institutions amid climate crisisShell is to end its relationship with two of the UK’s leading arts institutions amid growing concern about big oil’s role in the escalating climate crisis.The fossil fuel corporation has confirmed it is not renewing its corporate membership deals with the Southbank Centre and the British Film Institute (BFI) when they come up for renewal later this year. Continue reading...

Researchers believe the Indian Ocean Dipole is more clearly influenced by climate change than previously thoughtIndian Ocean surface temperatures that helped drive hot and dry conditions in eastern Australia last year were more clearly influenced by climate change than previously thought and are likely to worsen in future, researchers have found.Scientists studying a phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole say their observations suggest Australia could experience future conditions even more extreme than those that elevated the bushfire risk during the 2019-20 fire season. Continue reading...

Global emissions down by 2% amid mild winter and reduced use of coal-fired power plantsCarbon emissions from the global electricity system fell by 2% last year, the biggest drop in almost 30 years, as countries began to turn their backs on coal-fired power plants.A new report on the world’s electricity generation revealed the steepest cut in carbon emissions since 1990 as the US and the EU turned to cleaner energy sources. Continue reading...

Members of the public vent frustration that it has taken more than three weeks for PM to tour affected areasBoris Johnson has been met with cries of “traitor” after arriving in flood-hit Worcestershire more than three weeks after the crisis began.The prime minister arrived on the banks of the River Severn in Bewdley on Sunday afternoon, and was taken to view flood defences by Environment Agency staff. Continue reading...

Washington DC-based bank grants funds to redraft south American state’s oil laws by lawyers linked to oil giantThe World Bank is to pay for Guyana’s oil laws to be rewritten by a legal firm that has regularly worked for ExxonMobil, just as the US producer prepares to extract as much as 8bn barrels of oil off the country’s coast.The World Bank has pledged not to fund fossil fuel extraction directly, but it is giving Guyana millions of dollars to develop governance in its burgeoning oil sector, as the south American country prepares for an oil rush led by ExxonMobil and its partners. Continue reading...

By using public money to protect California homes from the climate crisis, the state is transferring wealth from working-class people of color to white property owners

With a fuel duty rise expected in this week’s budget, a survey by Centrica finds businesses on course to move to cleaner cars and vansBritish companies are expected to spend more than £12bn switching their fossil fuel vehicles for clean electric versions over the next two years.A survey found that nearly half of UK businesses are planning to invest in chargeable cars and vans in advance of the government’s ban on sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. Continue reading...

President of preservation society says councils are failing in duty to protect heritage as craze for exploring derelict buildings growsGriff Rhys Jones, the president of the Victorian Society, has urged councils to protect derelict buildings that are of huge importance to Britain’s industrial heritage. His intervention followed a surge in vandalism at such sites, triggered in part by the new-found popularity of exploring abandoned buildings.Last month it emerged that Shotton steelworks in north Wales – one of the society’s 10 most endangered buildings in 2018 – had been badly damaged. According to reports, vandals had knocked down partition walls, destroyed ornate panelling, and kicked in walls. Several fires had been lit and tiles thrown off the roof. Continue reading...