First ever financial study stresses need for investment in face of climate crisis

Oil giant looked to make tax-exempt donations to universities and civic groups in the early 1990s to promote the company’s interests

The Mobil Foundation funded universities and civic groups in the 90s, documents reveal, but largesse was not disinterestedA two-foot-wide pipe connecting the Mobil oil company’s Idoho offshore platform to a terminal near Nigeria’s eastern border ruptured in January 1998, spewing crude oil directly into the Atlantic Ocean.Dr David Page visited Nigeria after the spill and offered his views of its impact to the New York Times, which were published in special report dated 20 September that year. Page’s arrival on the scene was anticipated years earlier in Mobil’s plans, internal Mobil Foundation documents newly obtained by the Guardian reveal. Continue reading...

Sick and elderly left to fend for themselves with no end in sight to water crisisHundreds of Indian villages have been evacuated as a historic drought forces families to abandon their homes in search of water.The country has seen extremely high temperatures in recent weeks. On Monday the capital, Delhi, saw its highest ever June temperature of 48C. In Rajasthan, the city of Churu recently experienced highs of 50.8C, making it the hottest place on the planet. Continue reading...

UK to put down legislation but Greenpeace warns of impact on developing nationsTheresa May has sought to cement some legacy in the weeks before she steps down as prime minister by enshrining in law a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making Britain the first major economy to do so.The commitment, to be made in an amendment to the Climate Change Act laid in parliament on Wednesday, would make the UK the first member of the G7 group of industrialised nations to legislate for net zero emissions, Downing Street said. Continue reading...

East West Market hopes humorous bags like ‘Wart Ointment Wholesale’ will persuade shoppers to shun single-use plastic bagsIf concern over the climate crisis or revulsion over the contamination of the food chain are not enough to change consumer behaviour, one grocery store is hoping that another emotion may persuade people to shun single-use plastic bags: shame.Related: Canada will ban 'harmful' single-use plastics as early as 2021 Continue reading...

Adopting existing global standards for household appliances and factory equipment would also save billions in bills, a new report has foundAustralia could cut greenhouse gas emissions halfway to its Paris agreement target, and save $7.7bn a year in bills, by adopting existing global standards on energy efficiency.From new hot water heaters to better standards for appliances, a new report has found Australia is missing an opportunity to “easily” meet its emissions targets and fight the looming climate crisis. Continue reading...

Each year of high emissions adds to the stock of carbon in the air, bringing us closer to catastropheOne of the many ironies of the climate crisis is that as temperatures change and extreme weather becomes more common, we need more energy to maintain comfort. Hotter summers have driven an increase in power-hungry air conditioning and cooler temperatures in some places – which may be driven by the melting Arctic – raise demand for heating.BP’s report that carbon emissions from energy use have risen at the fastest rate in nearly a decade reflects those forces, as well as continuing demand from a rising global population and expanding industries. Continue reading...

Ineos, owned by UK’s richest man, wants to overturn ban on well next to sheltered housingVillagers have accused Britain’s richest man of making “a joke of local democracy” after his petrochemical firm applied to overturn a council’s decision to stop it from drilling a shale gas well in the Yorkshire countryside.Residents in the village of Woodsetts, in South Yorkshire, said the plans by Ineos to carry out test drilling would “ruin so many people’s lives” and “devastate” the local community. Continue reading...

Group says it will continue protest at company’s continued drilling despite climate crisis

BP report reveals swings in global temperatures are increasing use of fossil fuelsCarbon emissions from the global energy industry last year rose at the fastest rate in almost a decade after extreme weather and surprise swings in global temperatures stoked extra demand for fossil fuels.BP’s annual global energy report, an influential review of the market, revealed for the first time that temperature fluctuations are increasing the world’s use of fossil fuels, in spite of efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Undercover footage shows workers among hundreds of pigs, clubbing animals before slitting their throatsCampaigners are calling for animal welfare reform in Cambodia after exclusive footage of an open-air slaughterhouse revealed the brutal treatment of pigs.In the undercover video, taken by British animal rights campaigners Moving Animals, hundreds of the animals can be seen huddling together watching others being killed in close proximity. Continue reading...

Humane killing practices are virtually unknown in the majority of Thailand’s abattoirs, say campaigners, with millions of pigs dying in painAll photographs by Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals

Ineos, owned by UK’s richest man, wants to overturn ban on well next to sheltered housingA petrochemical company owned by Britain’s richest man is attempting to overrule a Yorkshire council to drill a shale gas well next to a sheltered housing development.Residents in Woodsetts, Rotherham, have crowdfunded £10,000 to pay a lawyer to help them oppose the application by Ineos to carry out test core drilling on a field just outside the village. Continue reading...

Scientists looking into whether reptile migration is behind big rise in number of attacksThe people of Timor-Leste have a crocodile problem.The reptiles are revered in the island, which lies north-west of Australia in the Timor Sea. Residents refer to the animals as “grandfathers” and crocodiles are honoured with shrines around the country. Continue reading...

New guidance on £1,000 ‘cap’ means more expensive ebikes are available as part of schemeOver the weekend, new guidance on the Cycle to Work scheme was announced by the Department for Transport (DfT), making it clear that ebikes are eligible for it. This clarification could encourage a new demographic on to two wheels, and provide huge benefits to disabled and elderly people.The scheme is a complicated but well-used salary sacrifice scheme in which employees can get bikes, tax-free, via their employers. It starts with a year-long loan, which most people extend until the bike is worth so little they can “buy” it for a nominal sum or extend the hire for a percentage of the bike’s value. (After five or six years, HMRC considers a bike to have a negligible value). Continue reading...

It’s great that philanthropists are pouring money into environmental causes. But it would be better for the planet if billionaires didn’t exist at allDuring a commencement address this week, Michael Bloomberg announced that he’s spending $500m to help the United States move closer to a carbon-neutral future. We should be very grateful that Bloomberg isn’t running for president: the money he’s pouring into Beyond Carbon will fund some great and necessary work, like his injection into the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign several years back. But it would be much better for the planet if billionaires like him didn’t exist at all.As Axios recently reported, the 1% and the world’s biggest companies have more money than they know what to do with, and they’re either hoarding it or pouring it into things like stock buybacks to make the wealthy even wealthier. Hedge funds and private equity funds are snapping up privatized public goods like water and electricity, while rich households are spending their extra cash on asset managers who’ll help them place bets on the next Theranos. Corporate profits have grown as wages have stagnated, all while some of the most useless and destructive parts of our economy balloon. Continue reading...

Award comes amid criticism of BP’s funding and sponsorship of National Portrait GalleryA portrait of an English literature student posing in a fake fur coat has won one of the UK’s most prestigious art prizes, which has been overshadowed by criticism of the oil company BP’s sponsorship of the award.The Brighton-based artist Charlie Schaffer was announced as the winner of the 2019 BP portrait award, with the judges saying the composition had a strong sense of a living presence and managed to be traditional and contemporary at the same time. Continue reading...

Investors ought to tell the directors: move aside and get some independent faces in the boardroomThe five directors of Woodford Patient Capital Trust would like to remind the world that they exist. It’s been hard to tell the past week.The board of the investment trust employs Neil Woodford to manage £800m of assets but, as crisis engulfed their top man at his separate Equity Income fund, nothing was heard from Patient Capital, a FTSE 250 company in its own right. But then we get a four-paragraph update for shareholders. Continue reading...

Keith Pitt says laws that target price-gouging energy companies should be extended to all big businessesThe Nationals MP Keith Pitt has broken ranks to endorse a push by the Centre Alliance to legislate an economy-wide power to break up big companies when the Morrison government’s controversial “big stick” energy package returns to parliament in July.The Queensland National, who has been one of the most vocal advocates of the “big stick” legislation, which allows energy companies to be broken up if they engage in price gouging, says a power to break up big companies should apply right across the economy, not just in the energy sector. Continue reading...

£17m investment includes formation of venture to develop systems to sell to other retailersOcado is investing £17m in high-tech farming with the aim of growing herbs and other produce alongside its robot-run distribution centres around the world.The online grocery specialist has bought a 58% stake in Jones Food, a “vertical farm” that grows 420 tonnes of basil, parsley and coriander a year in stacked trays under 12km (7.5 miles) of LED lights in a warehouse in Scunthorpe. The grower currently supplies businesses such as sandwich maker Greencore. Continue reading...

Energy firm expected to launch court proceedings to remove activists who boarded vessel on Sunday

Justin Trudeau said his government is drawing inspiration from EU in planning ban on water bottles, plastic bags and strawsCanada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Justin Trudeau said on Monday.The prime minister said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws. Continue reading...

Energy firm says project will be big step towards continuous renewable power for UKScottish Power is to undertake the most ambitious battery power project in Europe in an attempt to unlock the potential of the UK’s wind and solar farms.The company will connect an industrial-scale battery, the size of half a football pitch, to the Whitelee onshore windfarm early next year to capture more power from its 215 turbines. Continue reading...

Campaigners call on firm to abandon plans for new oil wells in face of climate emergencyGreenpeace activists have boarded an oil rig in the Cromarty Firth in protest at plans by BP to drill new oil wells in the North Sea.Two protesters climbed on to the 27,000-tonne platform as it was being towed out of the firth, which lies north of Inverness, to the Vorlich field at about 6.30pm on Sunday evening. They unfurled a banner bearing the words “climate emergency”. Continue reading...

Agriculture department sets up stalls around Manila in bid to get rid of fruit before it rotsThe Philippines is struggling under the weight of a sweet but troublesome burden: a glut of 2m mangoes.The agriculture secretary, Emmanuel Piñol, said mango farmers had reported an “unusual increase” in the harvest, which they had attributed to El Niño, the climate phenomenon that has led to unusually hot, dry weather this year. Continue reading...

Customers buying coffee from South Terminal Starbucks will be able to borrow free refillable cupThe UK’s first airport reusable coffee cup trial gets under way this week at Gatwick, offering passengers the opportunity to borrow and return refillable cups in a bid to help cut waste and tackle “throwaway” culture.Customers buying hot takeaway drinks from Starbucks will have the option to borrow a free reusable cup instead of using a paper cup, which they can then drop off at a designated point before boarding their flight. Continue reading...

Pepperdine scholar photobombed by lobster-hungry bird happy to see picture of roll reversal go viralAlicia Jessop knew Friday was going to be memorable, but she didn’t realize it would be a day she would never forget.Related: 'We live in a lobstocracy': Maine town is feeling the effects of climate change Continue reading...

We at Extinction Rebellion call for the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Opera House to stop enabling this agent of climate breakdownWhen Extinction Rebellion activists shut down London in April, we sounded the alarm loud and clear about the climate and ecological crisis that threatens humanity’s very survival. In response, around the world, governments, local councils, companies and professionals are stepping up and declaring a climate emergency.Related: Leading artists call on National Portrait Gallery to cut ties to BP Continue reading...

Judge also among those calling on gallery to sever links to oil firm on eve of its annual awards

Government also wants to encourage people with rooftop panels to install batteriesBritain’s biggest energy companies will have to buy renewable energy from their own customers under new laws to be introduced this week.Homeowners who install new rooftop solar panels from 1 January 2020 will be able to lower their bills by selling the energy they do not need to their supplier. Continue reading...

World Heritage centre says proposal would result in inundation of large part of world heritage-listed Blue Mountains wilderness areaAdvisers to the United Nations have expressed concerns about a plan to raise the Warragamba Dam wall because of its likely impact on the Blue Mountains.The World Heritage Centre, which advises the UN committee in charge of world heritage properties, published its position on the project on Friday. Continue reading...

Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately exposed to air pollution produced by white people, a study analyzing personal consumption has foundBlack and Hispanic people are disproportionately exposed to air pollution caused mainly by the consumer behaviours of white people in the US, according to a new study. Researchers call this “pollution inequity” (inequity is about unfair, avoidable differences and so it’s different to inequality which can simply describe uneven results).Air pollution exposure matters; it is the largest environmental health risk factor in the US, adding up to about 100,00 deaths each year. In March, Christopher W Tessum and his colleagues of engineers and economists tried to quantify these differences in a study that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue reading...

The energy executive talks about squaring his business dealings with his personal convictions – and what he would say to Greta ThunbergBefore standing down in 2007, John Browne was CEO of BP for 12 years. In 2015, he returned to the global oil business as executive chairman of L1 Energy. Since leaving BP, he has written five books; in the latest, he argues that engineers will save humanity from the threats such as disease, artificial intelligence and global warming.You say that civilisation is founded on engineering innovation and technology. Do you equate human progress with machines?

Airport will be world’s first accredited for serving sustainably sourced fishHeathrow is to become the world’s first airport accredited for serving sustainably sourced fish and seafood, as all its restaurants pledge to help tackle overfishing.Outlets whose menus still include “red-rated” fish – deemed by the Marine Conservation Society to be the least sustainable – have pledged to remove them by June 2020. Fish in that category include wild atlantic salmon, bluefin tuna and king prawns from non-certified farms. Continue reading...

Auditor general finds Victoria has had no statewide waste policy since 2014, and agencies had not effectively regulated the industryVictorian authorities failed to prevent the state sleepwalking into a recycled waste crisis, amid signs China was curbing imports six years ago, a scathing watchdog report has concluded.The auditor general report released this week noted the state’s environment department and Sustainability Victoria had ignored early warnings. Continue reading...

It’s about the very survival of people, nations and cultures. If action isn’t taken there are islanders who may have nowhere to goScott Morrison flew to the Solomon Islands last weekend to “show our Pacific step-up in action” but this policy will fail if his government doesn’t take meaningful action on climate change. A successful step-up must include stopping our own pollution, defending the sovereignty of our friends in the Pacific and offering a safety net to those who may need it.Over the past five years Australia’s standing in the Pacific has declined dramatically because of an unwillingness to take strong action on climate change. It’s not as if the Pacific hasn’t been clear. From female fishers to the Fijian prime minister, to remote communities in the Solomon Islands, climate change is a top-order issue. It’s about the very survival of people, nations and cultures. If action isn’t taken, in 40 years there are people in Pacific island states who may have nowhere to go. Continue reading...

White tiger cubs, urban deer and many millions of ladybirds Continue reading...

Company says rating reflects potential extent of damage in event of collapseFive dams used to store mining waste are at “extreme” risk of causing environmental damage if they fail, according to a review by BHP, the world’s biggest mining company.BHP said in a presentation on Friday that four tailings dams in Australia and one in the US were ranked at the highest level of risk, and had the potential to cause serious damage to the local environment and cause scores of deaths in the case of a collapse. Continue reading...

Police warn local residents after pride escapes from world-famous reserveAuthorities in South Africa have warned residents living close to the Kruger park after 14 lions escaped from the world-famous reserve.The state government of Limpopo said the pride had been seen near the town of Phalaborwa, close to the borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It told members of the public to be “alert at all times” until the animals were recaptured. Continue reading...

€72m makeover will create mile-long stretch of pools, fountains and parks

From sperm whales to dolphins, marine mammals in the eastern Mediterranean face a lethal threat from oil and gas explorationBefore the giants of oil and gas joined the litany of threats facing Greek sperm whales, the plight of the world’s largest-toothed animal was little known.Like the Hellenic trench, which was discovered only two decades ago and is the habitat most associated with the species, the mammals were once the preserve of dedicated oceanographers. Now international eco-warriors, bent on stopping oil companies drilling for underwater reserves, are determined to put both the region and its unique species on the map. Continue reading...

City tops list of 50 European ports for both sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissionsThe port of Barcelona, a city already overwhelmed by mass tourism, has topped a list of 50 European ports for the amount of air pollution produced there by cruise ships, according to a report.In 2017 cruise ships emitted 32.8 tonnes of sulphur oxide (SOx) in Barcelona, according to the research. Palma de Mallorca was the second most polluted, with 28 tonnes, followed by Venice with 27.5. Southampton, with 19.7 tonnes, was fifth on the list. Continue reading...

Special rapporteur Baskut Tuncak urges Canada to engage with groups who live near toxic sites and respect basic human rightsCanada’s handling of toxic chemicals and industrial waste shows a “blatant disregard for Indigenous rights”, a UN human rights expert has said following an extensive fact-finding mission in the country.Baskut Tuncak, the special rapporteur on toxic chemicals, called on Canada to improve its monitoring of hazardous materials in the country – and to better engage with the Indigenous people who live near harmful pollution. Continue reading...

Students say authorities have barred them from reading a text that warns of ‘catastrophic climate change’ for being too political

Former US vice president and Queensland premier circle around the proposed coalmine at climate change gatheringIt was always going to be awkward.Queensland’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, walked a thin political line on Friday, hosting a lunch with the US vice president turned climate activist, Al Gore, without mentioning the word Adani. Continue reading...

‘It’s definitely not birds, and it’s not bats. But we’re still not sure if it’s ladybugs,’ National Weather Service meteorologist saysThe internet is abuzz with talk of ladybugs.On Tuesday, the San Diego office of the National Weather Service tweeted that it had picked up an odd radar echo that evening. Continue reading...

Traditional landowners say NSW government has not done all promised checks on affected artefacts and sitesTraditional landowners have condemned a plan to raise the wall of Warragamba Dam, saying the New South Wales government has failed to fully check the affected area for Indigenous cultural artefacts and sites.The government plan proposes to raise the wall 14 metres. Continue reading...

Philip Hammond said reaching net zero target would mean less money for schools and hospitalsDowning Street has shot down claims made by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, that tackling the climate crisis would cost £1tn and require spending cuts for schools, hospitals and the police force.No 10 said plans to create a net zero carbon economy would cost no more than the UK’s existing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...

The chancellor has warned against cutting UK emissions to net zero. But failing to act will have dire consequencesThe chancellor, Philip Hammond, has written to the prime minister to warn against adopting the strict targets on greenhouse gas emissions recommended by the government’s advisers.His intervention, first reported by the Financial Times (£), raises the important question of whether or not it makes economic sense to save the planet. Continue reading...