Companies will be asked to reveal how extreme weather could jeopardise financesBritain’s leading companies, investment funds and pension schemes must show by 2022 how the climate emergency could jeopardise their finances, under government plans to boost the UK’s green credentials.Firms must document within the two-and-a-half-year deadline how extreme weather and changes to climate rules, such as a ban on plastic packaging, could hit their profits. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#4JA6H)
Plunge is far faster than in Arctic and may lead to more global heating, say scientistsThe vast expanse of sea ice around Antarctica has suffered a “precipitous†fall since 2014, satellite data shows, and fell at a faster rate than seen in the Arctic.The plunge in the average annual extent means Antarctica lost as much sea ice in four years as the Arctic lost in 34 years. The cause of the sharp Antarctic losses is as yet unknown and only time will tell whether the ice recovers or continues to decline. Continue reading...
The Indonesian capital topped the charts for the world’s most polluted city a dozen times in JuneTired of breathing in some of the world’s filthiest air, a group of activists and environmentalists in Jakarta has decided to sue the Indonesian government to take action.Air quality in the south-east Asian metropolis has plunged dramatically in the past month and recorded worse conditions than notoriously polluted cities such as Delhi and Beijing. Continue reading...
Northern beaches local was swimming with friends at Shelly beach about 6am when he thought he was bittenSydney’s famous Manly beach has been closed after a man was injured in a suspected shark attack during an early-morning swim.The local – believed to be in his mid-50s – was swimming with friends at the adjoining Shelly Beach about 6am on Tuesday when he thought he was bitten. He managed to swim to nearby rocks and raise the alarm. Continue reading...
Call for ecological impact assessment of huge numbers of non-native gamebirds released in UK by shooting industryLarge-scale pheasant and partridge shoots are boosting the populations of avian predators including crows, jays, ravens and buzzards, which are feeding on millions of the non-native gamebirds, according to a new study.Despite gamekeepers legally trapping and shooting many avian predators to protect pheasants and partridges, researchers found “multiple positive associations†between areas of lowland Britain with large numbers of reared pheasants and partridges and higher populations of avian predators. Continue reading...
Morrison government urged to address where greenhouse gas emissions are rising substantiallyThe challenge the Morrison government faces in meeting future climate targets without new policies is underlined by an analysis that breaks down how significantly greenhouse gas emissions are increasing from transport, natural gas and coalmining.Since 2005, the year against which the government has chosen to benchmark its Paris target, Australia’s emissions from transport are up 23%. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#4J9G4)
Company becomes latest to make pledge as risks of climate crisis become clearerChubb will become the first US insurer to turn its back on the global coal industry by beginning to phase out its coal investments and insurance policies within the next three years.Chubb has ruled out selling new insurance policies to companies which build or operate coal power plants, or those which generate more than 30% of their revenue from coal mining or supplying coal-fired electricity. Continue reading...
Call to outlaw intensive grouse shooting after disappearance of two juvenile eaglesConservationists have urged the Scottish government to regulate grouse moors after two golden eagles disappeared within hours of each other on a shooting estate in Perthshire.The two juvenile eagles were fitted with satellite tags which abruptly stopped sending out signals on 18 April – the latest of a spate of cases where birds of prey have disappeared or been found dead in the same area of Perthshire, known as Strathbraan, near Dunkeld. Continue reading...
Video showing police removing seated demonstrators in Paris causes outrage on social mediaFrance’s interior minister has asked the Paris police chief to explain a controversial riot police operation to remove climate activists from a bridge, after a video of officers using pepper spray and dragging protesters went viral on social media.The interior ministry said the police operation to clear the demonstrators was “necessary to restore traffic circulation in the centre of Parisâ€. Continue reading...
From borrowing clothes to switching search engines, there are ways to boost your environmental credentials throughout the dayBritons use 840bn litres of water a year showering, with some power showers using up to 15 litres a minute. Aerator shower heads, such as Lowenergie’s (£12.99), save water by acting as a sieve, reducing space for the water to flow through while maintaining water pressure. Continue reading...
Great Torrington in Devon healthiest given factors such as pollution and fast-food accessSoho is the unhealthiest place to live in Britain, while the healthiest is a small market town in Devon, a study has concluded.The central London area had the greatest access to takeaways, pubs and off-licences, combined with high levels of air pollution and low levels of parks and green spaces, the research found. Continue reading...
by Justin McCurry in Osaka and agencies on (#4J8G5)
Fishermen set sail to hunt whales on Monday after country’s withdrawal from International Whaling CommissionJapanese fishermen have set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades, following Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission.Five vessels, their harpoons concealed beneath tarpaulin, left Kushiro in northern Japan on Monday morning. At around the same time, three whaling boats left Shimonoseki in southwestern Japan. Continue reading...
With 38C forecast, emergency services work to contain fire in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid regionFirefighters in central Spain are battling strong winds and high temperatures as they struggle to control a fire that has already destroyed over 5,000 acres in the provinces of Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.The fire broke out in Almorox near Toledo on Friday just as the one in Tarragona province in north-east Spain was brought under control, having reduced some 15,000 acres of woodland to ashes. Continue reading...
The onus of protecting children from chemicals should fall on manufacturers and regulators, not parentsThe other week I got an urgent email from a friend. His wife is newly pregnant and he was concerned that her super fragrant, aerosol “dry shampoo†was toxic. Could I review the ingredients and let him know what to do?This type of request is common for me. As a scientist and anti-toxin advocate, I’ve delved deeply into the safety of ingredients in body care products. From my research I know that these types of household products still routinely contain dangerous ingredients like lead, mercury, and formaldehyde. Continue reading...
Conservative party voters want to scrap block on new land turbines, survey findsPressure is mounting within the Conservative party to end its block on new onshore windfarms after evidence that Tory supporters overwhelmingly back their return.Both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, who are battling to become the party’s new leader, are facing internal calls to give the green light to new onshore wind projects that could slash the price of energy. Latest research suggests Tory voters are far more concerned about fracking than they are about onshore windfarms. Continue reading...
After senators took drastic action, rightwing groups pledged their support and protesters gathered outside the state houseOregon politics has been thrown into chaos for more than a week after Republican legislators fled the state and took refuge in neighboring Idaho. As police were ordered to bring them home, rightwing militia groups vowed to defend them, raising the prospect of violent confrontation.Related: Oregon senator walkout: 'patriot' groups vow to protect Republicans who fled state Continue reading...
Temperatures lead to what appears to be largest local die-off in 15 years, raising fears for broader ecosystemIn all her years working at Bodega Bay, the marine reserve research coordinator Jackie Sones had never seen anything like it: scores of dead mussels on the rocks, their shells gaping and scorched, their meats thoroughly cooked.Related: The week in wildlife – in pictures Continue reading...
Prime minister will tell G20 leaders they are last generation that can limit global warmingTheresa May is to pledge that Britain’s aid budget will in future be spent in a more environmentally sustainable way and tell her G20 counterparts: “We are the last generation of leaders with the power to limit global warming.â€The prime minister has been keen to burnish her green credentials as she enters in her final days in office. Fresh from announcing a new target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – in the face of scepticism from the chancellor, Philip Hammond – May will lead a session on the climate emergency at the summit in Japan. Continue reading...
The 10 candidates on stage in Miami accurately conveyed the urgency of global heating but missed chances to show how it underlies all key political issuesThursday’s Democratic debate demonstrated just how far the the US is from contemplating the climate crisis as a threat that will touch almost all areas of American life and policymaking.Once again, debate moderators waited until nearly 80 minutes into the debate to pose questions on the climate emergency. Continue reading...
Expectations are not being met in discussions with world powers, claims Iranian envoyIran said some progress had been made at a meeting with world powers on its nuclear accord – but probably “still not enough†to keep the landmark 2015 deal alive.“It was a step forward, but it is still not enough and not meeting Iran’s expectations,†said Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, after the talks on Friday. “I don’t think the progress made today will be enough to stop our process – but the decision will be made in Tehran.†Continue reading...
Trio taken to court by Cuadrilla after taking part in ‘lock-on’ at Blackpool site last yearThree anti-fracking protesters have been found to have breached an injunction designed to stop them demonstrating outside a fracking site in Lancashire, which they say has a “chilling effect on the right to peaceful protestâ€.The trio were taken to court by Cuadrilla, which last year became the first firm to start large-scale fracking in Britain. The energy firm said it took legal action to prevent “dangerous, disrespectful and illegal activity†at its Preston New Road site near Blackpool. Continue reading...
Greenpeace criticises long-awaited operation, saying it risked trauma or death for the animalsRussia’s long-awaited operation to release the first batch of whales held in cramped enclosures in the country’s far-east region was dangerously flawed, environmentalists have said.The animals – 11 orcas and 87 beluga whales – have been held in captivity in a bay near the port city of Nakhodka since last year. They were due to be sold to Chinese oceanariums, before images of the animals languishing in the “whale prison†caused an international outcry. Continue reading...
All England Lawn Tennis Club move means there will be 4,500 fewer plastic bags this yearIt may not quite be a Wimbledon tradition along the lines of the all-white dress code but the sight of players discarding the plastic cover from a freshly strung racket is a familiar one at SW19.However, it will not be seen at this year’s championships, which begin on Monday – or in future Wimbledon tournaments – after a review of the use of plastics, and sustainability in general, by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). Continue reading...
Agency wants to remove golf course area from Forevan Links site of special scientific interestThe spectacular sand dunes at Donald Trump’s golf course in Aberdeenshire are expected to be stripped of their special conservation status.Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), a government conservation agency, has recommended that the dunes lose their designation as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) because they have been “partially destroyed†by the course. Continue reading...
Sister-in-law of Angus Taylor called state office of environment and told them she was an MP and had done nothing wrongBronwyn Taylor, the New South Wales mental health minister, personally lobbied the state Office of Environment and Heritage to drop an investigation into alleged illegal native grassland clearing on a property she owns with her husband.The call was revealed in documents tabled in the NSW upper house on Friday that were requested by the state opposition following a Guardian Australia investigation. Continue reading...
Choice says decision is terrible news for people who care about the environmentAustralia’s consumer watchdog has failed to persuade a judge that Kimberly-Clark Australia misled customers when it said its wipes – moist towelettes – were flushable.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission claimed the company made false or misleading representations by labelling the moist towelette products as flushable, leading consumers to believe that they had similar characteristics to toilet paper. Continue reading...
Business group says nuclear programme will be key for low carbon economy in UKThe UK should keep building large-scale nuclear plants and “mini-nuke†reactors to help reach a net zero carbon target by 2050, according to Britain’s biggest business group.In a letter to the business secretary, Greg Clark, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the UK’s struggling new nuclear programme has “an important role†in a low carbon economy “at the right priceâ€. Continue reading...
Campaigners joined by indigenous people who have led fight against global heatingNearly 2,000 festival-goers have joined climate change campaigners Extinction Rebellion to stage a procession across the Glastonbury site, paying tribute to indigenous people who have led the fight against global heating.Waving flags bearing the extinction symbol, which was seen across central London earlier this year when Extinction Rebellion protests brought the city to a standstill, the crowd marched for about an hour in the scorching afternoon sun on Thursday from the festival’s park stage to its stone circle. Continue reading...
The climate crisis underlines the need for effective global economic leadership. The US president makes this harder, but so do China and several othersEver since the G20 of leading global economies was founded, its summits have mostly been convergent occasions, marked by attempts to find common ground and remembered for nothing more unseemly than a bit of jostling among the heads of government to be on the front row of the group photograph. Japan’s prime minister ShinzŠAbe clearly takes this traditional view about the G20 summit which he will host in Osaka on Friday and Saturday. “We want to make it a meeting that focuses on where we can agree and cooperate rather than highlighting differences,†he said recently.But there is a balloon-puncturing problem with Mr Abe’s approach, and it answers to the name of Donald Trump. If there is one issue on which this year’s summit clearly ought to be showing global leadership, it is the climate crisis. The subject is indeed on the Osaka agenda but, in spite of efforts by countries including France, there is no prospect of serious or effective action. That is no surprise from a group of nations which almost tripled the subsidies they gave to coal-fired power plants between 2013 and 2017, with China, India and Japan itself leading the way. But it is Mr Trump’s decision to walk away from climate accords and to back fossil fuels that creates the wider permission for these other terrible derelictions. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#4J2DT)
Europol says about 15m of the creatures were seized last year in trade worth €3bn annuallyThe number of arrests for the smuggling of eels in Europe has increased by 50% after a concerted effort by enforcement agencies to tackle the problem.Eels are in demand in China and other east Asian countries and about 350m are trafficked out of the European Union each year, in a trade worth about €3bn (£2.7bn) annually. It is the world’s biggest wildlife crime in terms of the number of creatures trafficked. About 15m eels were seized last year and 153 arrests were made, compared with 98 arrests the year before. Continue reading...
Elevenfold rise in funding over 12 months came as support for renewables fell to £700,000Britain increased support for fossil fuel projects overseas to almost £2bn last year, marking an elevenfold increase over the previous 12 months.Backing for oil and gas operations in Oman, Kuwait, Brazil and other countries, amounted to more than a quarter of the total commitment by UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government agency responsible for promoting British exports with credit, guarantees, loans and insurance. Continue reading...
National Trust says species decline apparent as climate crisis brings more frequent destructive storms in summerSeabirds nesting on the remote Farne Islands have been hit by heavy rain which has killed many of their young, the National Trust said.Arctic terns, puffins, guillemots and shags, all suffered losses as chicks including pufflings, or baby puffins, were battered by nearly 127mm (5in) of rain in 24 hours on 13 June. Continue reading...
Fellow actor backs stance on oil firm, and Greta Thunberg hails Rylance as role modelThe row over fossil fuel sponsorship of the arts continued to escalate as actor Miriam Margolyes joined Mark Rylance in his protest against BP’s sponsorship of the Royal Shakespeare Company.Rylance told the Guardian last week that BP’s sponsorship deal allowed the company to “obscure the destructive reality of its activities†and said he did not wish to be associated with BP any more than with “an arms dealer or a tobacco salesmanâ€. Continue reading...
Seeing retreating ice in mountains inspired PM to push for net zero emissions by 2050Theresa May has said she was won over to the cause of tackling the climate emergency on her Swiss walking holidays.In 2017 the prime minister decided to call what would prove to be a disastrous snap general election while on a walking holiday in Wales. Continue reading...
Long-awaited review says government should consider farming interests before listing threatened speciesThe environment minister should consider farming interests before deciding whether to list threatened species, according to a long-delayed government review of how conservation laws could better serve the agriculture industry.The review, completed in September but not made public until Thursday, also recommends setting up a $1bn trust fund to help farmers to protect the environment and inviting the public to have a say before threatened species are assessed by a government-appointed scientific advisory committee. Continue reading...
Germany imposes speed limits on highways while schools in France remain closedEuropean cities are taking exceptional steps to limit the impact of a historic early summer heatwave as temperatures across the continent approached monthly and, in some places, all-time records.Authorities have warned that temperatures could pass 40C and reach 45C in parts of the continent by Saturday as a plume of hot air moves north from the Sahara, sucked northwards by a stalled storm over the Atlantic and high pressure in central Europe. Continue reading...
Governments have abrogated responsibility with woefully inadequate policies, says letterMore than 1,000 doctors including 40 professors, several eminent public health figures and past presidents of royal colleges are calling for widespread nonviolent civil disobedience in the face of the environmental crisis.In a letter to the Guardian, the doctors say government policies are “woefully inadequateâ€, and call on politicians and the media to face the facts of the unfolding ecological emergency and take action. Continue reading...
Chlorpyrifos, a chemical used to treat pest infestations, was banned from residential use in 2000 but is still used in agricultureElisa Rivera’s face swelled up, her eyes watered and soon she was struggling to breathe.The 39-year-old first started to feel ill when the smell of pesticides drifted from nearby Fresno county fruit orchards on a recent afternoon: “We experience this all the time … People get used to it.†Continue reading...
Tata-owned Cheshire plant to turn 40,000 tonnes of CO a year into useful productsThe UK’s biggest carbon capture project will soon block thousands of tonnes of factory emissions from contributing to the climate crisis, by using them to help make the chemicals found in antacid, eyedrops and Pot Noodle.Within two years a chemical plant in Cheshire could keep 40,000 tonnes of carbon from the air every year, or the equivalent of removing 22,000 cars from the UK’s roads. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian