Environment | The Guardian

Dubbo is defending itself from critical neighbouring NSW towns after councillors voted to ease water restrictions on MondayDubbo mayor Ben Shields says criticism of his town’s water policy is coming from a “bunch of external people carrying on like pork chops”.The western New South Wales town has been attacked by leaders of neighbouring drought-stricken shires after its councillors voted on Monday to ease water restrictions. Continue reading...

Greenpeace calls for global action over nets, lines and traps that are deadly for marine lifeLost and abandoned fishing gear which is deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to a report by Greenpeace.More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year, the same weight as 55,000 double-decker buses. Continue reading...

Activist group Market Forces says its analysis suggests a disconnect between ANZ and Westpac’s statements on climate and their investment decisionsTwo of Australia’s big four banks increased their new lending to fossil fuel projects last year despite having made public commitments to support the goals of the Paris climate agreement, analysis of their financial dealings shows.The investor action group Market Forces says both ANZ and Westpac poured significant new money into fossil fuel projects during 2018-19 in a way that indicated the banks’ lofty climate goals were not being factored into individual investment decisions. Continue reading...

Protest comes amid effort to disrupt 700-mile Trans Mountain pipeline expansionYoung activists interrupted the delivery of a controversial pipeline to a port in southern Washington at daybreak on Tuesday, once again taking the lead in the climate fight.Tuesday’s protest by Portland Rising Tide was part of a continuing effort to disrupt the opening of project that expands a pipeline running from Edmonton, Alberta, to the coast of British Columbia and would open export markets to hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil from the Alberta tar sands. Continue reading...

Antique dealers fail in high court bid to overturn world-leading blanket ban on tradingAntique dealers have failed in an attempt to overturn a total ban on ivory trading being introduced by the government after the high court ruled the legislation did not breach European law.Conservation groups, who argued that any dilution of the ban would revitalise illegal elephant poaching, welcomed the decision, which they said would preserve the UK’s position as a world leader in the fight against the ivory trade. Continue reading...

The economist’s new book, Superpower, sets out how the government can embrace low-carbon opportunities in this termAustralia could set a path to 100% renewable electricity, a highly reliable grid and significantly cheaper wholesale prices than today by introducing a handful of policies consistent with the Morrison government’s election platform, the economist Ross Garnaut says.Writing in his new book, Superpower, which builds on his advice to Labor governments in 2008 and 2011 to set out a vision for a low-carbon future, Garnaut says introducing three policies that align with the government’s commitments could “increase the chances of a strong outcome”. Continue reading...

US and Brazil unlikely to meet Paris agreement pledges - while Russia has not even made oneThe world is on a path to climate disaster, with three-quarters of the commitments made by countries under the Paris agreement “totally inadequate”, according to a comprehensive expert analysis.Four nations produce half of all carbon emissions but the US has gone into reverse in tackling the climate emergency under Donald Trump while Russia has failed to make any commitment at all. Continue reading...

Creativity, solidarity and determination have stopped the government-backed ‘dash for gas’ in its tracksOn Saturday morning the UK government announced it would be halting fracking in England with immediate effect. Following years of opposition from local communities, the wider public and other major political parties, the Conservative government finally admitted defeat and announced a moratorium. It will, of course, try to claim a moratorium on fracking as a win for itself, but this is a victory for people power.For eight years, local communities have led this fight. Since work started in Lancashire, 1,032 days ago, local people have been at the gates every single day. From Balcombe to Blackpool, Sherwood to Ryedale, people power has defeated the fracking industry before it got off the ground. This victory is one of the biggest the climate movement has ever seen. Continue reading...

Study claims police tactics have left women feeling ‘violated and frightened’Police have been accused of groping and manhandling female anti-fracking protesters, including pulling their clothes to reveal their breasts.A team of academics, who have been studying anti-fracking demonstrations for three years, alleged that police had treated female protesters more physically than male protesters. Continue reading...

Cambridge Zero Carbon says university has been ‘hijacked’ by fossil fuel industryCambridge University has accepted a multimillion-pound donation from Shell to fund a team researching oil extraction technology, even as it publicly positions itself as part of the transition to a sustainable future.Shell has given £6m to fund the work of the university’s magnetic resonance research group amid a concerted campaign by students and staff to persuade the university to sever its links with extractive industries. Continue reading...

Parks one of many government resources Trump has sought to privatize, including the US postal service, airports and freewaysA team of Trump administration advisers – consisting mostly of appointees from the private industry – are urging “modernization” of national park campgrounds, with a vision of food trucks, wifi and even Amazon deliveries.“Our recommendations would allow people to opt for additional costs if they want, for example, Amazon deliveries at a particular campsite,” Derrick Crandall, vice-chairman of the Made in America Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, told the Los Angeles Times. “We want to let Americans make their own decisions in the marketplace.” Continue reading...

Activists take government back to court, saying plans violate people’s environmental rightsClimate campaigners are taking Norway’s government back to court to oppose its plans to open the Arctic for oil drilling despite a public commitment to tackle the environmental crisis.Greenpeace Nordic and Norway’s Nature and Youth organisation will appeal on Tuesday against the government’s decision to allow oil exploration in parts of the Arctic Ocean on the grounds that it violates people’s rights to a safe and healthy environment. Continue reading...

Christian Porter accuses Market Forces of trying to impose its political will on companies across AustraliaAcademics have warned that changes to competition law to shut down environmental boycotts could breach the constitution, as some Coalition MPs are expressing nervousness privately about Scott Morrison signalling a controversial crackdown last week.The attorney-general Christian Porter has nominated activist group Market Forces as the intended target of the Coalition’s efforts to temper activism, flagged by Morrison during a combative speech in Brisbane last Friday, but some government MPs are confused about precisely what is being proposed, and are concerned about the potentially negative implications for freedom of expression. Continue reading...

Firm says it will work with Oil and Gas Authority to allay communities’ concernsThe UK’s leading shale gas company hopes to overturn a government moratorium on fracking by proving that it can be safe despite triggering earthquakes.Cuadrilla has said it would provide the oil and gas regulator with new data to address the concerns of communities near active fracking sites so the suspension of its operations can be lifted. Continue reading...

School strikers and pensioners back petition demanding televised environment debateLabour, the Scottish National party and the Liberal Democrats have backed calls for a televised climate debate between party leaders ahead of the election, warning that time is running out to tackle the global heating emergency.School strikers, students and pensioners’ groups launched a campaign at the weekend to try to force political leaders to discuss the climate crisis live on television ahead of the December poll. Continue reading...

Activists critical of Leo Varadkar over claim warmer winters lead to fewer deathsEnvironmentalists have heaped scorn on Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s prime minister, after he said the climate crisis could have benefits such as warmer winters, lower heating bills and fewer deaths.Some called the comments silly and weird, others branded them irresponsible. Continue reading...

Government may have to change proposal for producers to pay levy on packagingThe Italian government could be forced to change its plans for a tax on plastic packaging after coming under pressure from producers.The measure, which is intended to combat plastic pollution while raising more than €1bn (£860m) in revenues, has divided the fragile coalition between the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Democratic party (PD). Continue reading...

Groups including Greenpeace, WI and Oxfam call for faster action in letter to all partiesThe next government must bring forward the target for reaching net-zero carbon emissions by five years to 2045, phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2030 instead of 2040, and start devoting at least 5% of all government spending to the climate and the restoration of the UK’s natural environment, a broad coalition of civil society groups has demanded.They have written to the leaders of all the UK’s main political parties, citing the UK’s hosting of next year’s UN conference on the climate, known as COP26, as the catalyst for strengthening existing goals in line with scientific advice. Continue reading...

Lavazza launch comes amid rising concern over where 20bn single-serve plastic pods end upThe first compostable one-cup coffee pods from a major manufacturer will go on sale this week in a battle to stop the 20bn pods used every year around the world from ending up in landfill.Italian espresso giant Lavazza is aiming to replace its entire range of home use capsules with new eco-friendly ones – at the same retail price – by the end of the year. Continue reading...

Fossil records suggest the species could be relocated from alpine areas to lowland rainforestsResearchers studying fossil records say they have come up with an innovative approach to try to save the mountain pygmy possum, an Australian species under serious threat due to global heating.Scientists from the University of New South Wales have used a new paper to argue for the translocation of the species from its current habitat in the alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales into lowland rainforests. Continue reading...

Peak Queensland tourism bodies oppose ‘unnecessary’ drum lines and say more research needed into shark behaviourPeak bodies representing the Queensland tourism industry have resisted calls for changes to Great Barrier Reef protection legislation to allow for lethal shark control measures.The strong statement, co-signed by several tourism bodies, said any such move would be an “unnecessary step” and could affect the reef’s world heritage status. Continue reading...

Readers respond to the government’s announcement on fracking, suspecting that the Tories have merely temporarily halted an unpopular practice to gain some votesShould we temper exultation with realism (Fracking banned in UK after government U-turn, 2 November)? Remember that politicians, even Conservative prime ministers, have a record of telling high-profile lies, especially in the run-up to an election. Remember David Cameron’s emphatic assurance that there would be no new Heathrow runway, “no ifs, no buts”, repeated several times before the 2010 general election? Boris Johnson, whose promises have frequently been shown to be false, knows fracking is unpopular in a number of Midlands and northern constituencies, including Conservative targets. He might well assure us that fracking will be banned, but in the longer term cite “changed circumstances” to reverse the pledge.

They’re an eye-popping treat, but drought and the bulldozer have thinned their numbers. Now a coal plant and dam wall threaten their survival

Car fumes, industrial emissions and smoke from farms have contributed to pollution crisisPollution in Delhi has reached its worst levels so far this year, at almost 400 times the amount deemed healthy, causing planes to be diverted away from the city.A week on from Diwali, the thick brown smog that shrouded the city after the festival has shown no sign of shifting. On Friday a public health emergency was declared and Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the city had turned into a “gas chamber”. Continue reading...

A firm with the biggest carbon footprint seeks cash to grow just as the fight against climate change needs it to shrink

Decision coincides with net-zero emissions review and is branded ‘backwards step’A new coalmine in Cumbria has been given the green light by the government in the same week that the Treasury launched a review into how the UK can end its contribution to global heating.The developer, West Cumbria Mining, said the £165m mine would create 500 jobs. Continue reading...

Mushrooms are a key feature of Spanish autumnal cuisine but are in thin on the groundWhile street protests and riots in Barcelona continue to grab the headlines, deep in the woods of northern Catalonia another crisis is unfolding: a scarcity of wild mushrooms that is being blamed on climate change.Mushroom hunting is a serious and lucrative business in Catalonia when the autumn rains come and the precious fungi appear overnight on the damp woodland floor. But so far this season, mushrooms have been thin on the ground in Catalonia and elsewhere in Spain. Continue reading...

World’s biggest ever IPO poised to take place next month after regulators give approval

Scientists say research on carbon capture was always better environmental optionMinisters have been condemned for wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money in a failed attempt to introduce fracking to the UK. The bid also cost the nation a decade of effort that should have been expended on other, more environmentally friendly energy projects, scientists and activists claimed yesterday.The criticisms were made in the wake of the government’s decision on Friday to impose a moratorium on fracking in the UK. A review published by the Oil and Gas Authority concluded it was impossible to predict the likelihood or scale of earthquakes triggered by fracking. Continue reading...

Rain not expected to extinguish all 70 fires raging across the state, and firefighters fear lightning could spark further blazesThunderstorms that hit New South Wales on Sunday will help firefighters working to contain bush and grass fires across the state, but will also bring with them lightning and the possibility of more fires.The state’s fire danger ratings were expected to improve somewhat on Sunday as showers offered firefighters some reprieve. Continue reading...

Swedish teenager needs help getting back to Europe following the COP25 meeting’s move from Chile to SpainAs delegates to the COP25 climate summit scramble to adjust to a last-minute change of venue from Santiago to Madrid, one of the highest-profile attendees has stuck out a metaphorical thumb on social media to ask for a lift across the Atlantic.Teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was speaking in California during a stop on her low-emissions journey from Sweden to Chile, tweeted that she was now in need of a ride to Spain. Continue reading...

One officer photographed with a sticker on his body camera and a second posted ‘inappropriate memes’Victoria police have expressed “extreme disappointment” at the behaviour of two officers involved in policing climate change protests in Melbourne last week, after one was photographed with a sticker on his body camera and another was discovered to have posted “inappropriate memes” on his social media.The same officer who posted the memes, which included Pepe the frog, was criticised this week after he was photographed making a hand gesture that Victoria police deny was the “white power” symbol. Continue reading...

Air pollution in capital territory 20 times higher than WHO recommended safe levelThe residents of Delhi have already begun to forget what it is like to wake up and see the sky.Almost a week on from Diwali, the thick brown smog that shrouded the city after the festival has showed no sign of shifting. On Friday, as the air became poison and 20 million people struggled to breathe, a public health emergency was declared, with Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal declaring the city had turned into a “gas chamber”. Continue reading...

Jeremy Corbyn has said the decision to halt fracking in England with immediate effect is an election stunt. The Labour leader says he believes the moratorium will be lifted on 13 December, the day after the general election, if Boris Johnson's government is returned to office

Labour leader’s comments come after minister suggests halt may only be temporaryCalls are growing for the next government to make the suspension of fracking in England permanent after a minister suggested the halt to exploration may only be temporary.The government announced an immediate moratorium on fracking on Friday in a major U-turn after the Oil and Gas Authority said in a report that it was unable to predict the magnitude of any earthquakes triggered by hydraulic fracturing. One in August measured 2.9 on the Richter scale. Continue reading...

Environmentalist actor says first meeting with teenage climate activist was ‘an honour’Leonardo DiCaprio has praised teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg as a “leader of our time” following their first meeting.DiCaprio, a prominent environmental campaigner, said 16-year-old Thunberg’s message should be a “wake-up call to world leaders everywhere that the time for inaction is over”. Continue reading...

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources unable to agree on plan backed by Australia, France and EUConservationists have expressed frustration that an international commission for protecting marine life in Antarctica has failed for the eighth consecutive time to create a marine park across 1 million sq km on the continent’s east.Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) could not agree on the proposal, backed by Australia, France and the EU, that would have protected habitat for penguins, seals, whales and seabirds. Continue reading...

The Swedish climate activist joined more than 1,000 people for an afternoon of youth-led climate action in Los AngelesParadise is not what it used to be, as Greta Thunberg witnessed earlier this week. Today the town with a lovely name is best known for the apocalyptic fire that ripped through it last year, decimating nearly every home and killing 86 people.This week California is once more in flames as fires rage in the north and south – a point that was not lost on the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who spoke at a rally in Los Angeles on Friday. Continue reading...

Victory for green groups follows damning scientific study and criticism from spending watchdogThe government has halted fracking in England with immediate effect in a watershed moment for environmentalists and community activists.Ministers also warned shale gas companies it would not support future fracking projects, in a crushing blow to companies that had been hoping to capitalise on one of the new frontiers of growth in the fossil fuel industry. Continue reading...

Jeremy Corbyn to say new standard for housebuilders is part of the real change he is promising the countryLabour would introduce tough new standards forcing housebuilders to make new properties zero carbon within three years, Jeremy Corbyn is to announce.The last Labour government introduced regulations to make all homes zero carbon by 2016, but the rules were scrapped by David Cameron less than a year before they were due to come into force. Continue reading...

Annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning diesel increased by 21.7m tonnes between 2011 and 2018Greenhouse gas emissions from diesel cars, utes and vans have risen sharply since 2011, effectively cancelling out the cut in pollution from new renewable energy replacing some coal plants.A surge in ownership of larger diesel vehicles is a central reason emissions from transport leapt by more than 10% over the decade, according to the monthly emissions audit published by progressive thinktank the Australia Institute. Continue reading...

News of Santiago summit’s cancellation reportedly came as heavy blow but youngsters decide to push ahead with boat tripChile’s decision to withdraw as host of the COP 25 UN climate conference has prompted tears and frustration from a group of school-strike activists sailing across the Atlantic to attend the talks.Related: Chilean president cancels Apec and climate summits amid wave of unrest Continue reading...

Event will take place from 2-13 December as planned after Spain intervenes to save talksThe world’s governments will meet in Madrid this December to discuss the climate emergency, it has been confirmed, after a last-minute intervention by the Spanish government to save the talks.The conference had been set to take place in Santiago, Chile, but the government of President Sebastian Pinera decided on Wednesday to call it off because of the unrest in the capital. Scores of people have been killed and injured in weeks of rioting over economic inequality and social problems. Continue reading...

Seven largest companies must make 35% cut by 2040 to limit climate crisis and meet 1.5C goal, says thinktankThe world’s largest oil and gas companies need to slash their production by more than a third by 2040 to meet global climate targets, according to a new report.The seven listed oil majors - including ExxonMobil, BP and Shell - would need to cut the total amount of oil and gas they produce every day by 35% to avoid driving temperatures 1.5C higher than pre-industrialised levels. Continue reading...

Rose tells staff she also aims to make bank ‘more open’ to help regain trust after string of scandalsThe first female boss of a major British bank has pledged to make the climate crisis a priority as she took over the top job at Royal Bank of Scotland.Alison Rose said she would build a more “open and, accessible and inclusive” bank following years of scandal at the state-owned lender. Rose said she would reveal her new strategy for the bank in the new year, but sought to draw a line under the past following the departure of Ross McEwan, who led the bank since 2013. Continue reading...

Country has changed definition of waste, which campaigners far could lead to imports of low-grade plastic scrapsArgentina has changed its definition of waste in a move that could allow it to import millions of tonnes of plastic waste discarded in the US.The country’s president, Mauricio Macri, signed a decree in August reclassifying some materials destined for recycling as commodities instead of waste, allowing looser oversight of mixed and contaminated plastic scraps that are difficult to process, and are often dumped or incinerated. Continue reading...

PM signals action on secondary boycotts of resources companies and says progressives want to tell Australians ‘what you can say, what you can think’Scott Morrison has branded environmental protesters “anarchists” and threatened a radical crackdown on the right to protest in a speech claiming progressives are seeking to “deny the liberties of Australians”.In a speech to the Queensland Resources Council on Friday, the prime minister said a threat to the future of mining was coming from a “new breed of radical activism” and signalled the government would seek to apply penalties to those targeting businesses who provide services to the resources industry. Continue reading...