Environment | The Guardian

New report shows roadmap for Australia to be global green energy export leaderAustralia could run entirely on renewable electricity and produce double what it needs to create a massive green export industry by 2050, leading experts say.A report from scientists working under the Australian-German Energy Transition Hub has examined the economic opportunities of decarbonisation over the coming decades. Continue reading...

Most of the risk is from naturally occurring arsenic, the byproducts of chemicals used to disinfect water and contaminantsContaminated tap water causes 100,000 cancer cases in the US over a lifetime, according to a new study from scientists with the Environmental Working Group.Most of the cancer risk is from naturally occurring arsenic, the byproducts of chemicals used to disinfect water and radioactive contaminants, according to the analysis, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Heylion. Continue reading...

The permanent closure of our school is imminent, yet some call this progress. I call it an emergency and a lesson to learn from the story of WollarIn the New South Wales town of Wollar you can’t hear children laughing in the school playground any more. Coal has silenced the schoolyard, coated the remaining houses in a layer of dust and cut off the future of our community, just as it is doing to our children’s future on a global scale.When the world takes part in the climate strike on Friday, those with a remaining connection to Wollar will strike too, at the empty local school. Continue reading...

Fiordland penguin found 170km west of Melbourne recuperates for eight weeks after 2,500km swimA New Zealand penguin that washed up on a beach in Victoria has been released back to the wild to complete a 2,500km swim home.The emaciated Fiordland penguin was found struggling against rocks in the shallows at Kennett River, 170km west of Melbourne, on 10 July. Continue reading...

Offshore leasing auction starts for 7GW capacity project that could supply 6m UK homesThe crown estate has opened the first leasing round for offshore windfarms in a decade to usher in a new generation of wind projects expected to eventually generate an investment of £20bn.The business intends to auction off new seabed rights in the waters around England and Wales to wind power developers. The leasing scheme allows up to 7GW of electricity generation capacity – enough to meet the needs of more than 6m homes. Continue reading...

New Democrat Coalition worried that Green New Deal plays into Republican messaging, seek ‘secure durable climate legislation’Moderate congressional Democrats worried about the infeasibility of passing the kind of sweeping climate legislation their progressive counterparts are proposing, such as the Green New Deal, are laying out their own policies.The New Democrat Coalition released an 11-page outline of principles on Wednesday, along with a list of bills to back them up, advocating for incremental and “pro-market” steps to cut pollution. Continue reading...

New rules will allow production lines at pork plants to run faster, despite concerns over safety and qualityThe US government has given the go-ahead to new rules to eliminate production line speed limits at pig slaughterhouses, deeming restrictions “unnecessary” despite fears that lifting them will worsen the already high number of serious injuries suffered by US meat plant workers.Amputations, fractured fingers, second-degree burns and head trauma are just some of the serious injuries suffered by US meat plant workers every week, according to an investigation last year by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Continue reading...

Aerospace company says growth in air travel to continue despite climate crisis concernsThe number of commercial aircraft in operation will more than double in the next 20 years to 48,000 planes worldwide, Airbus has forecast.The European aerospace company said that despite mounting concerns about the effects of aviation and the climate crisis, it believes air travel will continue to grow rapidly. Continue reading...

Chuang Chuang reportedly collapsed after eating bamboo in Chiang Mai ZooThe sudden death of a giant panda on loan to a zoo in Thailand has sparked outrage in China and calls for no more of the bears to be lent to the country.Chuang Chuang, a 19-year-old male, reportedly collapsed on Monday afternoon after eating bamboo in Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand, according to Thai media. Continue reading...

António Guterres cites ‘fantastic leadership’ of young activists and is counting on public pressure to compel governments to honor the 2015 Paris Agreement

Fisheries department will no longer be able to use nets and drumlines to control sharksThe Queensland government has lost its battle for the right to use nets and drumlines to catch and kill sharks in a bid to protect swimmers on the Great Barrier Reef.The state government appeal to maintain its controversial management program was dismissed on Wednesday in the federal court in Sydney. Continue reading...

BP, Shell and Chevron representatives will be at event on sidelines of UN climate summitOil and gas executives are holding an exclusive invitation-only forum with environmentalists and government representatives on the sidelines of the UN climate summit, in what critics have condemned as an attempt to influence negotiations in favour of fossil fuel companies.Senior executives from leading oil companies including BP, Shell and Chevron will be at the event in New York on 22 September, which they describe as a “closed high-level discussion” with key stakeholders. Continue reading...

One million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction, yet governments are failing to stem the tideThe number of mammals, insects, amphibians, fish and birds is in steep decline, the world’s forests are on fire and the abundance of life is diminishing at rates unprecedented in human history. The TV screens are full of images of gorgeous wildlife but one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction and governments appear paralysed.Faced with stark and mounting evidence of nature’s precipitous decline, leading natural and social science researchers, philosophers, anthropologists and conservationists have come together to ask why conservation is failing, and to call for an urgent re-think of how the natural world should be protected. Continue reading...

The protest has endured for more than six weeks, gaining national attention and support from Bernie SandersHarlan county, Kentucky, earned the nickname “Bloody Harlan” from a series of labor strikes and violent confrontations in the 1930s led by coalminers and union organizers against coal corporations and law enforcement. In 1973, Harlan’s coalminers went on strike for 13 months when contract negotiations with Duke Power Company broke down after miners voted to form a union.There are no longer any unionized mines in Kentucky, but Harlan’s miners are currently continuing the region’s legacy of labor struggles against wealthy and powerful coal corporations: they are blocking the coal trains from leaving a mine that laid them off. Continue reading...

The climate crisis isn’t the only reason to kick fossil fuels – the prospect of a war to protect Saudi crude reminds us of thatWe are sadly accustomed by now to the idea that our reliance on oil and gas causes random but predictable outbreaks of flood, firestorm and drought. The weekend’s news from the Gulf is a grim reminder that depending on oil leads inevitably to war too.Depending on how far back you want to stand, the possibility of war with Iran stems from a calculated decision by Tehran or its Houthi allies to use drones and missiles on Saudi installations, or on the infantile rage that drove President Trump to tear up a meticulously worked out and globally sponsored accord with Iran and to wreck its economy. But in either case, if you really take in the whole picture, the image is rendered in crude, black tones: were it not for oil, none of this would be happening. Continue reading...

Independent planning commission refuses South Korean company Kepco’s $290m proposalThe New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has rejected the development of a coalmine near Mudgee because of significant concerns about environmental impacts, including on climate change, and the costs to future generations.On Wednesday the commission said it had refused development approval for Kepco’s proposal for an open-cut and underground coalmine in the Bylong valley that would extract up to 120m tonnes of coal over 25 years for export. Continue reading...

Environmentalists are concerned gas extraction near the Carmichael site will compound the impacts of coalmining on the Galilee BasinA Queensland gas company plans to begin fracking at two exploratory wells close to the Adani Carmichael mine site later this year, and hopes production can begin “early” to service nearby mining projects.Gas explorers appear to have increased the pace of their planning and activities in the Galilee Basin during the past year as the Carmichael mine has passed key milestones – in contrast to companies behind other thermal coal proposals. Continue reading...

Exclusive: FOI documents reveal former environment minister took action despite support from islanders

Administration will declare that states are pre-empted from setting their own standards in a move that will spark challengeThe Trump administration is poised to end California’s authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards and bar states from establishing their own regulations.Conservative and free-market groups have been invited to attend an announcement of the rollback Wednesday afternoon at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington. The widely reported announcement is sure to spark a furious legal challenge. Continue reading...

The Swedish environmentalist was one of several who spoke at a Senate climate crisis task forceAt a meeting of the Senate climate crisis task force on Tuesday, lawmakers praised a group of young activists for their leadership, their gumption and their display of wisdom far beyond their years. They then asked the teens for advice on how Congress might combat one of the most urgent and politically contentious threats confronting world leaders: climate change.Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who has galvanized young people across the world to strike for more action to combat the impact of global warming, politely reminded them that she was a student, not a scientist – or a senator. Continue reading...

The activist group focused on fast fashion as a major factor in the climate crisis and called for drastic reformThe end of London fashion week was somewhat sombre on Tuesday evening. It culminated in Extinction Rebellion’s funeral march calling for the event to end in its current form, with the group criticising the clothing industry as a major offender in the climate crisis.Extinction Rebellion kept to the drama of which fashion is so fond. Starting at Trafalgar Square, a group of about 200 people – some in funereal outfits complete with black veils – gathered around two black coffins. “RIP LFW 1983-2019” read one, while the other simply said “Our Future”. They were accompanied by a live band as they made their way up to 180 The Strand, a venue that hosted fashion week shows. Continue reading...

Brazilian meat company which has supplied McDonald’s and Burger King bought cattle from farm using deforested land earlier this year, investigation showsThe world’s biggest supplier of burgers sourced meat from a farmer in the Amazon who had been found guilty of using deforested land, say reports, even as new figures reveal the beef industry’s deforestation risks.Marfrig, a Brazilian meat company that has supplied McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food chains around the world, bought cattle from a farm that had been using deforested land earlier this year, according to a joint investigation by Repórter Brasil and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Continue reading...

UK government says it expects disease to arrive within a year as China ditches pork tariffsSouth Korea is the latest country to confirm an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), as the UK government has said it expects the disease to arrive within a year.In the midst of what has been described as the “largest ever animal disease outbreak”, China announced this week that it was ditching its pork tariffs. China, the largest pork consuming and producing country in the world, has been hit particularly hard by ASF, a disease that is fatal for pigs and extremely contagious. Continue reading...

New concept store in central London is attempt to return to roots of founder Anita RoddickThe Body Shop is going back to the future with a UK concept store that aims to return to the activist roots of its late founder, the environmental and human rights campaigner Anita Roddick.As well as a zone to encourage shoppers to become part of a collective of local campaigners, the central London outlet is trialling a refill station – initially just for shower gels – which the ethical chain scrapped in the late 1990s after customers failed to understand how it worked. Continue reading...

Study recommends move away from ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to reducing carbon footprintA “one-size-fits-all” solution to addressing the climate crisis through our diets could be unhelpful, as how we eat affects the environment in different ways depending on where we live and how our food is sourced, according to a new report.Although reducing the consumption of meat and animal-based products globally could lower greenhouse gas emissions, it could also have adverse impacts on people’s health and nutrition in some countries, according to a report published online in the Global Environmental Change journal on Monday. Continue reading...

Asset management companies BlackRock Inc and Vanguard have failed to live up to pledge to support climate action at energy firmsSome of Wall Street’s largest asset management companies are failing to live up to commitments to use their voting power to fight the climate crisis, according to a new report.The report, published on Tuesday by the Washington DC-based Majority Action and the Climate Majority Project, claims that BlackRock Inc, the world’s largest asset manager with more than $6tn under management, and Vanguard, with assets of $5.2tn, have voted overwhelmingly against the key climate resolutions at energy companies, including a resolution at ExxonMobil’s annual shareholder meeting, and at Duke Energy. Continue reading...

Greens and conservationists warn it will be used by the Liberal National party to attack state Labor environment rulesThe Senate has approved a Liberal-backed inquiry into whether farming and poor water quality harm the Great Barrier Reef, interpreted as a bid to debate the claims of the controversial scientist Peter Ridd and discredit Queensland laws to protect the reef.The Greens and marine conservationists have warned the inquiry – due to report in October 2020 – will be used by the Queensland Liberal National party to attack the state Labor government, which is seeking land management changes and will be up for re-election in the same month. Continue reading...

New website asks Australians to record sightings of insect that is main food source of the mountain pygmy possum

Six whistleblowers and ex-government scientists describe how the Trump administration made them bury climate science – and why they won’t stay quietFrom weakening vehicle emissions to blocking warnings about how coastal parks could flood or the impact on the Arctic, the Trump administration is accused of muzzling climate science.Here six whistleblowers and former government scientists describe being sidelined by the administration – and why they won’t be quiet. Continue reading...

Criminals threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people, Human Rights Watch findsDeforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is a lucrative business largely driven by criminal networks that threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people who try to stop them, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.Rainforest Mafias concludes that Brazil’s failure to police these gangs threatens its abilities to meet its commitments under the Paris climate deal – such as eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030. It was published a week before the UN Climate Action Summit. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke and Amy Klobuchar to also miss the MSNBC event timed to align with global climate strikesFormer vice-president Joe Biden and the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, will miss an MSNBC forum on the climate crisis to be held in Washington later this week.The livestreamed event at Georgetown University, which will include hourlong interviews with presidential contenders on Thursday and Friday, is aimed at students and timed to align with global climate strikes inspired by young people. Continue reading...

ONS says rise is result of growing traffic as campaigners say car use must be curbedBritain’s greenhouse gas emissions from road transport have continued to grow since 1990 despite more efficient cars because traffic has increased by almost a third, according to government figures.Cutting emissions on Britain’s roads remains a significant challenge, according to the report from the Office for National Statistics, citing a 6% rise in greenhouse gases in the past three decades. Continue reading...

Voters continue to back Scott Morrison post-election and are still coming to terms with Anthony Albanese, survey showsA majority of Australians either approve of the medevac procedures, or think more needs to be done to protect the health and welfare of asylum seekers offshore, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.While the fortnightly survey of 1,093 respondents finds majority support (52%) for offshore detention, with 25% signalling strong support for Australia’s harsh deterrence framework – 41% of the survey thinks the medevac procedures strike a balance between strong borders and humane treatment for people in offshore detention, and 23% argue the legislation does not go far enough to provide humane treatment for people in offshore detention. Continue reading...

Government decision follows critics saying 2020 deadline had no chance of being metThe government has pushed back the deadline for its £13bn smart energy meter rollout by four years to 2024 after critics said the project had “no realistic prospect” of meeting its deadline.The government has bowed to pressure to extend the deadline after a damning report from the National Audit Office said households might be forced to pay £500m more than expected after a string of delays affecting the software underpinning the network. Continue reading...

Broadcaster will act as ambassador for government review into global costs and risks of habitat lossSir David Attenborough has agreed to become the public face of a landmark government study into biodiversity loss and its impact on the economy.The broadcaster and naturalist will act as an ambassador to promote the review around the world as the government attempts to demonstrate its determination to fight the climate emergency. Continue reading...

With Trump expected to skip the UN climate summit, the question will be: what’s possible if the most powerful nation is pulling away from action?

Inbreeding blamed as only 61 of 147 big cats survive after removal from tourist attraction

Frank Bainimarama wants the two countries to ‘unite behind the science’ of limiting global heating to 1.5CThe Fijian prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, has called on Australia to be “far more ambitious” in reducing greenhouse gases, linking the climate crisis to extreme weather events in the Pacific including drought and bushfires in Australia.On the final official day of his visit to Australia, Bainimarama nominated the “varied level of ambition when it comes to confronting the threat of climate change” as a key difference between the two countries and called for everyone to “unite behind the science” of limiting global heating to 1.5C. Continue reading...

Australia’s agricultural production will fall and food insecurity will rise without a climate strategy, report warnsNationals MPs have snubbed a farmers’ group launching a major climate change report that warns the Australian agricultural sector faces “significant threats to viability” without a new national climate strategy.The report, launched by the Farmers for Climate Action group at Parliament House on Monday, warns that agricultural production will fall, farm profits will decline and food insecurity will increase if the government does not come up with a cohesive national strategy on climate change and agriculture. Continue reading...

Territory government says it will phase out natural gas and pursue electrification of buses and private carsThe Australian Capital Territory plans to phase out natural gas, electrify its bus fleets and public school buildings, and introduce incentives for drivers who buy electric cars.The ACT government announced its climate strategy for 2019-25 on Monday, with several nation-first policies it said would further the territory’s “global leading climate efforts”. Continue reading...

NSW cabinet set to debate preventing irrigators from taking water from the Barwon-Darling river system during low-flow eventsThe New South Wales cabinet will this week consider whether to restrict irrigators in the Barwon-Darling from accessing water during low-flow events, as the drought in the west of the state deepens.A highly critical report by the independent NSW Natural Resources Commission a month ago described the Barwon-Darling as “an ecosystem in crisis” and warned that “the current cease-to-flow period is the longest since records began”. Continue reading...

Seventy-six-year-old suffered head injuries when he veered off a bike path and hit a fence post in WollongongA man has died of head injuries after he was startled by a magpie and crashed his bicycle in Wollongong.The 76-year-old was riding a pushbike on an off-road path alongside Nicholson Park at Woonona on Sunday morning when he veered off to avoid a swooping magpie, witnesses reported. Continue reading...

New survey finds almost 80% support CEOs having a say, but more than half believe when they do, it is out of self-interestAustralians overwhelmingly support business leaders speaking out on social and political issues, according to a new survey that conflicts with government efforts to paint such efforts as corporate kowtowing to “noisy elites”.However, the new survey, from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (Ceda), also shows that when chief executives do speak out they are regarded as doing so out of self-interest. Continue reading...

Papua New Guinea out of pocket $157m from failed attempt at mining material from deep-sea vents as opponents point to environmental riskThe “total failure” of PNG’s controversial deep sea mining project Solwara 1 has spurred calls for a Pacific-wide moratorium on seabed mining for a decade.The company behind Solwara 1, Nautilus, has gone into administration, with major creditors seeking a restructure to recoup hundreds of millions sunk into the controversial project. Continue reading...

Readers give their views on what needs to be done to combat climate disaster and save the planetFiona Harvey is surely right when she says “adaptation alone won’t save us from climate disaster” (Journal, 12 September). She gives an apt metaphor that adaptation “while continuing to burn fossil fuels is like trying to mop up an overflowing sink while the taps are still running”, but she still talks of mechanisms for “better economic growth”.Political leaders worldwide need to recognise the causal connection between economic growth and global heating, manifest in fossil fuel consumption. To save the planet, fossil fuels need to stay underground – unused by the greed of humankind. Our energy must come from wind, wave, hydraulic and solar sources, but this will be insufficient to maintain many of our industries and, consequently, many jobs will be lost. Continue reading...

The Guardian joins the Nation and Columbia Journalism Review in launching a new partnership among more than 250 news organizations to improve coverage of the climate crisisHundreds of newsrooms around the world are banding together this week to commit their pages and air time to what may be the most consequential story of our time: the climate emergency.As world leaders descend on New York for the UN Climate Action Summit on 23 September – and millions of activists prepare for a global climate strike on 20 September – the media partnership Covering Climate Now is launching its first large-scale collaboration to increase climate coverage in the global media and focus public attention on this emergency. Continue reading...

Latest data ‘not released until Defra announced 60,000 animals would be killed in 2019’Tuberculosis levels in cattle have risen in the original two areas of the country where the badger cull has been piloted over the past five years, raising questions about the merit of expanding the scheme.The figures are confirmed in official data quietly released last week as the government announced plans to expand the controversial cull in England, which campaigners say could see more than 60,000 badgers killed this year. Continue reading...

Environmental organizations say ‘very concerning’ move could open floodgates for importing other endangered speciesThe Trump administration has authorized a Florida man to bring back the “skin, skull, teeth and claws” of a lion he hunted in Tanzania, granting the first permit to import a lion from that country since the species gained protection under the US Endangered Species Act.Environmental organizations say the move could open the floodgates for importing other endangered species such as lions and rhinos. A freedom of information request made public by the US Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) also revealed that the hunter, Carl Atkinson, was represented by lawyer John Jackson III, who is also a member of the Trump administration’s International Wildlife Conservation Council, a controversial advisory board that promotes trophy hunting. Continue reading...

WaterNSW warns without significant rain, Macquarie River will run dry, wiping out supply to Dubbo, Cobar, Nyngan and NarromineParts of regional New South Wales could run out of water as early as November with data showing the worst-case scenario for the state if there’s no rain or government intervention.The projections from NSW’s river operator and bulk water supplier WaterNSW show without significant rain the first towns to lose water supply will be Dubbo, Cobar, Nyngan and Narromine with the Macquarie River forecast to run dry by November. Continue reading...

Firefighters use cooler conditions to backburn before danger set to pick up in coming daysFirefighters in New South Wales are taking advantage of cooler conditions to undertake backburning operations, with hotter and windier conditions expected next week.Fire conditions eased again over the weekend in northern NSW, where residents had been told it was too late to leave after a bushfire jumped a highway. Continue reading...