Humane Society will argue shark control measures conflict with authority’s responsibility to protect reefEnvironmentalists will on Wednesday launch a legal challenge aiming to stop the legal killing of sharks, including several protected species, in the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef marine park.The Queensland government runs a shark control program that uses drum lines – baited hooks to lure and kill sharks – near popular swimming spots along the state’s coast. Continue reading...
Scientists test new alerts that focus on helping people to prepare for bad air and avoid itThe UK measures the effects of daily air pollution, like sunburn risk, on a one to 10 index. As the air quality index increases, official advice tells vulnerable people to avoid outdoor exercise and reminds asthmatics to use their inhalers more often. This index is used in national forecasts and alert systems in southern England and Scotland and in the warnings that appear at London bus stops when high air pollution is forecast.Scientists at King’s College London tested different types of messages with volunteers who used the CityAir app. Rather than telling people to make changes only when air pollution was bad, the scientists focused on helping people to know how to prepare and protect themselves, and overcome perceived barriers stopping them from changing how they travel. For instance, a message targeting asthmatics encouraged them to take their preventative medication, rather than simply warning them to carry their inhalers. Other messages included pollution maps to help people to find clean places to exercise and to find routes away from the worst roads. Anticipating that people might be reluctant to change, the messages pointed out that low pollution routes need not make their journeys any longer. Continue reading...
State minister fears ‘big stick’ legislation will compel the sale of state-owned assetsThe Queensland state government has emerged as the latest thorn in the side of what is left of the government’s “big stick†energy legislation, warning it could lead to the unpopular privatisation of state-owned assets.Queensland’s energy minister, Anthony Lynham, has called on the federal government to bring its much vaunted energy market misconduct bill to the next state energy ministers meeting for discussion. Continue reading...
The polar vortex has broken into ‘two swirling blobs of cold air’, bringing the most frigid conditions in decades to the midwestAs its name suggests, the polar vortex is found around the north pole. It’s a band of strong winds, high up in the atmosphere that keeps bitterly cold air locked around the Arctic region. This circulation isn’t considered a single storm, or even a weather pattern as such. Continue reading...
Lottery award to go towards saving habitats and heritage of forts in Dorset and WiltshireA string of iron age hillforts that dot the landscape of the English West Country are to be rejuvenated as part of a lottery award worth almost £1m.Thirteen hillforts in Dorset and Wiltshire, which are important for their flora and fauna, especially their butterflies, as well as their rich history, will benefit from the money. The National Trust will use the funds to tackle erosion to paths and ramparts and improve fencing so that cattle can graze the areas in the summer and sheep during the winter. Continue reading...
Satellite data suggests protection measures are being ignored as huge fishing lines snare endangered seabirdsIndustrial fishing vessels that accidentally kill tens of thousands of albatrosses each year routinely ignore regulations designed to save the birds from extinction, according to research.Using satellite data, investigators found that vessels employing longline fishing techniques showed a “low level of compliance†with measures to reduce albatross deaths. Continue reading...
Stranded porpoises, dolphins and seals had average of 5.5 particles in their gutsMicroplastics are being widely ingested by Britain’s marine mammals, scientists say, with samples found in every animal examined in a study.The research on 50 stranded creatures including porpoises, dolphins, grey seals and a pygmy sperm whale is the most comprehensive analysis of microplastics in the digestive tracts of both wild cetaceans and seals. Continue reading...
People buying generic fish such as rock could in fact be eating a range of shark speciesFish and chip shops and fishmongers are selling endangered sharks to an unwitting public, according to researchers who used DNA barcoding to identify species on sale.Most chip shop fish sold under generic names such as huss, rock, flake and rock salmon turned out to be spiny dogfish, a shark species classified as endangered in Europe by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list. Continue reading...
Audit committee singles out firms who take no action to reduce impact on environmentMajor UK fashion retailers are failing to promote environmental sustainability or to protect their workers, a parliamentary committee has said.The six companies, which include Amazon UK, JD Sports, Sports Direct and TK Maxx, have not taken any action to reduce their carbon, water and waste footprint. None of them use organic or sustainable cotton and only two – Sports Direct and Boohoo – use recycled material in their products. Continue reading...
South Australian report also finds negligence and unlawful actions in drawing up multibillion-dollar deal to save river systemThe head of the royal commission into the Murray-Darling basin plan has recommended a complete overhaul of the scheme, including reallocating more water from irrigation to the environment.Releasing its report on Thursday, the South Australian Murray-Darling basin royal commission found the original plan ignored potentially “catastrophic†risks of climate change. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent on (#484BD)
Pledges for 2019 plant-based campaign exceeded those in previous four years combinedA record 250,000 people worldwide signed up to the Veganuary movement this year by embracing plant-based diets this month, the campaign has revealed.As more consumers drop all meat and dairy products from their diet for health or ethical reasons, the charity behind the annual event said the record figures and strong global support had made 2019’s Veganuary the most popular since its launch in 2014. Many more people are thought to have taken part in the event without signing the official pledge. Continue reading...
Four fatalities recorded, with the US and Australia experiencing the most attacksThe number of shark attacks around the world fell by about one-quarter last year, with the US and Australia reporting the highest number of them.There were four fatalities worldwide, in line with the long-term average of six, according to the annual release of the Florida-based International Shark Attack File. Continue reading...
We still have time to avert the worst impacts of climate change, but heatwaves are now an inevitable part of Australia’s futureHeatwaves and blackouts have been the talk of the town as temperatures climbed over 40C in all states except Tasmania, and once again the commentariat have gone into a renewable-generated bluster. Chris Uhlmann and Alan Moran blamed the high prices on wind power, Pauline Hanson called for people to use more power and Judith Sloan called demand management a bribe.There were three notable things that happened with our energy system during what will become the new normal of extreme heat. Continue reading...
Over the border in NSW, the Barwon and Darling rivers are a series of muddy pools, and fish are dyingThese photos were taken by the Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick from a light plane over southern Queensland near Goondiwindi, on Wednesday.They show rivers such as the Condamine relatively full, and storages on cotton farms holding thousands of megalitres of water. Continue reading...
Virus outbreak among sea stars coincided with warm waters, researchers found after sixth graders held fundraiser for surveyFive years ago, a sixth grade class in land-locked Arkansas heard about a mass die-off of starfish on the west coast and felt compelled to help.Related: Mussels lose grip when exposed to microplastics – study Continue reading...
Investments not the only financial link between fossil fuels and elite universityCambridge University had been offered two new multimillion pound donations from global fossil fuel corporations as it considered calls made last year to divest its endowment fund from oil and gas companies.Documents seen by the Guardian show the university management was aware of a proposed £20m donation offered by BHP – subsequently withdrawn – and £2m from BP, as it considered whether to fully divest its fortune from fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Vermont’s Middlebury College has reversed its course on fossil fuel companies and is leading the way on renewable energyVermont’s Middlebury College announced on Wednesday that it was divesting its holdings in fossil fuel companies. Given that more than a thousand institutions with endowments totaling more than $8tn have made similar pledges, it might not seem so newsworthy – but Middlebury was one of the first to reverse course. Six years ago the college flatly rejected divestment, and the shift makes it clear why big oil’s purchase on our economy and our society is eroding.Much of the explanation, of course, stems from local factors, and since I’m employed there I’ve had a firsthand view. The college’s students never gave up, passing on the activist torch to each new entering freshman class – indeed, some of the students who pioneered the fight were on hand for today’s announcement. And along the way the college got a new president: religion scholar Laurie Patton proved an adept conciliator able to help her institution move. Continue reading...
Treasurer says climate change is real and Scott Morrison’s government takes emissions reduction ‘very seriously’Josh Frydenberg has defended the Coalition’s record on climate change and says he will work hard to earn the trust of his constituents in the face of a challenge from long-time Liberal and now independent Oliver Yates.Yates, a former Macquarie banker and head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, confirmed on Wednesday he would run in Kooyong at the coming federal election, declaring Frydenberg deserved to be challenged because of a lack of action on the environment. Continue reading...
Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, forcing residents to don masks and sparking criticism of governmentToxic smog forced Bangkok authorities to issue an unprecedented order to shut nearly 450 schools on Wednesday as authorities struggled to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread concern.The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, forcing residents to don masks and sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government. Continue reading...
Senate committee urges government to create policies to encourage use or risk missing out on a transport revolutionAustralia is “on the cusp†of a transport revolution but the country will miss out if it doesn’t end the policy vacuum that has so far kept the electric vehicle industry from growing, according to a Senate committee report released on Wednesday.“[Electric vehicle] uptake in Australia lags behind that of other comparable countries due to a relative absence of overarching policy direction from Australian governments,†the report said. Continue reading...
Supersonic aircraft would bring noise and greater CO2 emissions, report saysHeathrow airport could be hit by a sonic boom every five minutes as a new class of supersonic aircraft come into service, research suggests.It is predicted that by 2035 there could be demand for up to 2,000 supersonic passenger jets, which could knock hours off long-haul trips. Continue reading...
Paris agreement target will not be met without changes to policy and threatened species at risk unless funding increasedAustralia is not on track to meet its 2030 emissions targets under the Paris agreement and needs to bring its environment policies into line with the “scale of the challenge†the country is facing, one of the world’s pre-eminent economic institutions says.In a major report on Australia’s environmental performance, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development also finds the status of Australia’s biodiversity is “poor and worsening†and the government’s national threatened species strategy will fail unless it is expanded and funding increased. Continue reading...
by Jonathan Watts Global environment editor on (#47ZTQ)
Water resources are tapped with often reckless abandon and poor regulation. And it looks set to go on under new presidentThe Brazilian government has been urged to step up punishments for environmental crimes after the deadliest mining disaster in decades.The torrent of mud and iron ore tailings that engulfed the community of Brumadinho on Friday continues to inflict a toll on residents, river systems and freshwater species. Continue reading...
Of 775 projects overlapping bird’s habitat, government only refused one, study revealsEnvironmental laws that formally protect the endangered black-throated finch have also sanctioned the broadscale destruction of its natural habitat, leaving the species at risk of extinction, a new study says.The study, led by University of Queensland research fellow April Reside, and published on Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science and Policy, charts the exile of the black-throated finch from more than 80% of its former range. Continue reading...
Gas from Glengorm reservoir under North Sea could meet about 5% of annual demandA Chinese-led consortium has discovered the UK’s biggest gasfield in more than a decade, leading experts to say there is life yet in the country’s offshore sector.Drilling found the equivalent of about 250m barrels of oil could be recovered from the Glengorm reservoir in the central North Sea, about 5% of the UK’s annual gas demand. Continue reading...
The long-time Liberal party member wants to take on Josh Frydenberg to start a people power campaignOliver Yates, the son of a Liberal politician and long-time party member, wants to take on Josh Frydenberg in a seat once held by Robert Menzies to start a people power campaign not only in Australia, but around the world.The former Macquarie banker, and head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, who will confirm his intention to run in Kooyong as an independent publicly on Wednesday, says the challenges of climate change are now so serious, so pressing, that citizens need to “take out†their environment ministers when they occupy the portfolio but fail to protect the environment and the climate. Continue reading...
Coalition worth $6.5tn challenge fast food chains over lack of low-carbon planMcDonald’s, KFC and Burger King have been urged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chains by a coalition of global investors, with the animal agriculture industry criticised for being one of the world’s highest-emitting sectors without a low-carbon plan.Increasing concern that the industry is neglecting climate change and has failed to set emissions targets – unlike other sectors – prompted more than 80 investors representing $6.5tn (£4.94tn) to challenge fast food chain owners to put robust targets in place for their meat and dairy suppliers, in what could prove a landmark demand. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#47ZRV)
Exclusive: Natural England struggling to protect important sites after suffering budget cutsThousands of environmentally important sites across England are coming under threat as the government body charged with their care struggles with understaffing, slashed budgets and an increasing workload.Natural England has wide-ranging responsibilities protecting and monitoring sensitive sites, including sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and nature reserves, and advising on the environmental impact of new homes and other developments in the planning stages. Its work includes overseeing national parks, paying farmers to protect biodiversity, and areas of huge public concern such as air quality and marine plastic waste. Continue reading...
By driving such extreme distances, Wiebe Wakker hopes to bust Australian anxieties about electric vehiclesA Dutch man who has driven 89,000km from Amsterdam to Adelaide in a small electric car says he is proving to Australians that electric vehicles are a viable alternative.Since March 2016, adventurer Wiebe Wakker has driven across 33 countries from Europe to the Middle East to south-east Asia and finally to Australia in a 2009 Volkswagen Golf, converted to electric. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent on (#47ZQ2)
Keep Britain Tidy workshops will demonstrate how to use leftover bread in cookingAn estimated 1.2bn edible bread crusts are binned each year, new research has revealed, as one in five consumers turn their noses up at the leftover ends of loaves.The scale of the waste – equivalent to 50m loaves of bread being thrown away in crusts alone every year – is revealed by a new campaign using chefs’ tips and recipes to show consumers how to use it to make tasty snacks and meals. Continue reading...
Niall Blair says deaths are like nothing ‘we’ve ever seen in the state before’ while touring Lower Darling River siteThe New South Wales primary industries minister, Niall Blair, has admitted that “we’ve seen nothing like this†while touring the site of another massive fish death in the Lower Darling River at Menindee.The mass death incident in the Lower Darling, the third in a month, has left stretches of the Lower Darling upstream from Menindee covered in a carpet of dead fish. Continue reading...
National park saw ‘irreparable’ damage including vandalism, ruined trails and trees cut down, says former superintendentThe former superintendent of Joshua Tree national park has said it could take hundreds of years to recover from damage caused by visitors during the longest-ever government shutdown.“What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,†Curt Sauer said at a rally over the weekend, according to a report from the Desert Sun. Sauer retired in 2010 after running the park for seven years. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent on (#47ZCH)
Store to sell pasta and granola bars made from ground buffalo worm and cricket flourPasta, protein bars and granola bars made from insect flour are to go on sale in Selfridges to highlight alternative proteins for inclusion in mainstream diets.Amid growing awareness of the environmental impact of livestock farming – and the benefits of reducing meat consumption – the British department store is the latest retailer to tap into the rising recognition of the benefits of eating insects on both nutritional and environmental grounds. Continue reading...
Commissioner to find $13bn plan to restore river took into account factors other than the environment’s needs when it set the amount of water needed to be bought back from irrigatorsThe Murray Darling Basin Plan is likely in breach of the commonwealth act that underpins it – the Water Act 2007, the South Australian royal commission into the plan is expected to find.The report of the royal commission into the Murray Darling Basin Plan is being handed to the state governor on Tuesday but it is up to the SA government when it is released. Continue reading...
Minas Gerais locals recall another dam collapse involving mining firm Vale as hunt continues for 292 people still missingThe dirt road which once led to the Nova Estância guesthouse and a handful of nearby farms now ends in a slew of sticky, acrid sludge that stretches as far as the eye can see, a deep red gash across the green of the rolling Brazilian countryside.The road, a small bridge it once crossed, the guesthouse and hundreds of people were all swallowed by mud when a tailings dam at the Córrego de Feijão mine collapsed on Friday, unleashing a torrent of liquid waste. Continue reading...
Three-year-old Casey Hathaway said a bear helped him survive two nights in the woods but animal experts say it would be a firstThe story of a three-year-old boy who said he survived two nights alone in the woods due to the assistance of a friendly bear should not encourage people to seek out their own relationships with bears, a leading ursine expert has warned.Related: Three-year-old boy missing in woods for two days says friendly bear kept him safe Continue reading...
Locals are concerned about the sprawl of the dry creek bed and say the area desperately needs some heavy rainThe locals call this spot the “turtle bridgeâ€, and most stop for a few moments to watch the turtles and the families of ducks. Lately they’ve been muttering about the sprawl of the dry creek bed, which has turned the section of Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek into a shallow stagnant pond, shrinking by the day.“It’s drier than I can remember,†one long-term Kelvin Grove resident says, before walking on. Continue reading...
by Australian Associated Press in Wellington on (#47Y09)
Mallard who lived in a roadside puddle is found dead after being attacked by dogsTrevor the duck, whose tale of loneliness on the tiny Pacific island nation of Niue made him a local celebrity and captured headlines last year, has died.He was found dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs, according to a social media page dedicated to the drake. Continue reading...
42-mile fence on border with Germany aims to protect pig farms from African swine feverThe United States isn’t the only country with a border wall controversy these days. However, Denmark’s planned 42-mile (70km) fence along the German border is intended to keep out not people but wild boars, which authorities say threaten to bring disease to Danish pig farms.Construction on the fence was beginning on Monday along the northern edge of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Danish lawmakers and the country’s environmental agency approved the project last summer, arguing it would help farmers protect their pigs against African swine fever (ASF). Continue reading...
Desert lions learning to hunt marine life to survive Skeleton Coast’s harsh conditionsLions in Namibia have turned to hunting seabirds and seals in the face of scarce food resources in the desert landscape, research has found.The desert lions, which are found exclusively within the country’s Skeleton Coast region, are the only lions known to target marine life. Among the creatures they have been recorded eating are fur seals, flamingos and cormorants. Continue reading...
A new report reveals how Apple, among others, is already exploring the business possibilities that will come from the environmental crisis. Something to be cheerful about as the ice melts …You know what I love about capitalism? Its optimism. Even in the direst of circumstances, it is always able to find a silver lining.Take climate change, for example. After weird weather and ominous warnings of more to come, many of us are freaking out about an environmental apocalypse. Indeed, a new poll shows record numbers of Americans are worried about climate change and, after last year’s heatwave, concerns about the issue have soared in Britain. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#47XE0)
Scotland Yard’s small wildlife unit opens its store of raided treasures for the first timeRow upon row of primate skulls sit in a glass case, jaws stuck forever in a grimace. Rhino horns big and small rise from a table, a depiction of Jesus on the cross in ivory lies on a table, as does a polar bear skin; in the corner a rack is laden with fur coats; another glass case contains mounted butterflies.The items – a mix of the achingly beautiful and the macabre – sit in a storeroom in south London. They are all items seized by Scotland Yard’s wildlife crime unit and behind most is a story showing how greed, obsession and the yearning for profit collide. Continue reading...
The supermarket is increasing the cost of its standard plastic bags up to 15p from 10pMorrisons is to trial the launch of large paper bags for groceries at supermarket check-outs and is raising the price of its plastic bags by 50%.The supermarket will now charge 15p instead of 10p for its cheapest standard plastic bag, while testing out US-style paper grocery bags with handles costing 20p. Continue reading...
Ministers urged to make activity more popular outside London to boost public healthThe NHS could save £319m over the next 21 years if cycling in major UK cities becomes as popular as in London, according to a report by an environmental charity.About 34,000 incidences of type 2 diabetes, stroke, breast cancer and depression would be prevented in seven key cities between 2017 and 2040, if cycling increased at the same rate as in London since the millennium, according to analysis from Sustrans, the walking and cycling charity. Continue reading...
Locals report thousands of ‘fish all around me just gasping for breath’ after third mass death in a matter of weeksA third fish kill has occurred near Menindee on the Darling River overnight after temperatures plummeted following days of hot weather.The latest fish kill follows an incident on 6 and 7 January in which hundreds of thousands of native fish, including Murray cod, golden perch and bony bream died around the Menindee weir. Continue reading...
Our electricity system of the future could be powered by sun, wind and wavesLiberal party donor and coal plant owner Trevor St Baker is proposing with the help of his mates in government to build two new coal power stations in Australia at the expense of taxpayers.However, the big four banks and the big three energy companies are not having a bar of it. Indeed the majority of Australia’s energy companies are working towards a very different future for the country’s energy system, a future powered by clean, renewable energy. Continue reading...
Policy is Labor’s latest attempt to win environment-conscious voters ahead of the 2019 federal electionLabor will spend $200m to restore urban rivers and waterways, the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, has promised.The policy is the latest attempt to win environment-conscious voters ahead of the 2019 federal election, after both major parties promised $220m for Kakadu national park and Labor pledged to create a commonwealth environmental protection agency at its national conference in December. Continue reading...
Undercover film raises fears of serious health risks from major EU exporting countryUndercover footage that appears to show extremely sick cows being smuggled into a Polish slaughterhouse and sold on with little or no veterinary inspection has raised alarm about standards in one of the EU’s largest meat exporters.
Plant to operate for first time in seven years, but the finished product will not be flowing out of city’s taps until at least AprilSydney’s desalination plant has officially been switched on, returning it to operation for the first time in seven years.But the plant’s finished product will not be flowing out of the city’s taps until at least April. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian