Trade group says change may have opposite intended effect towards low carbon futureOil and gas companies listed on the London Stock Exchange have been reclassified under a non-renewable energy category in a move designed to distinguish between heavily polluting companies and greener producers.The change has been made by the index provider FTSE Russell, which now groups companies such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Cairn Energy, Petrofac, Premier Oil and Tullow Oil, formerly labelled oil and gas producers, in the non-renewable energy sector. Coal companies, previously classified under basic materials/mining, also now come under non-renewable energy. Continue reading...

From congestion to cost, there are many entirely misguided arguments in circulationCycle lanes have been in the news recently, as have the many often entirely misguided arguments that opponents use against them.For all the (slight) progress in some UK cities over mass cycling, we are still at a stage where a leaflet from a local branch of the party of government (see below) will state falsehoods about bike lanes as if they were the undoubted truth. Continue reading...

Anchorage sees 80F weather with nearly 120 fires blazing across the stateRecord-breaking heat across Alaska is pushing tourists to beaches, and sending flames across the unseasonably hot, dry state.Anchorage experienced higher than average temperatures nearly every day of June, reaching a balmy 80F on days that once maxed out at a mild 67. Continue reading...

Greenpeace report reveals 29 floor-exploration licences have been granted worldwideThe world’s oceans are facing a “new industrial frontier” from a fledgling deep-sea mining industry as companies line up to extract metals and minerals from some of the most important ecosystems on the planet, a report has found.The study by Greenpeace revealed that although no mining had started on the ocean floor, 29 exploration licences had been issued covering an area five times bigger than the UK. Environmentalists said the proposed mining would threaten not only crucial ecosystems but the global fight against climate breakdown. Continue reading...

US represents 4% of the world’s population but produces 12% of municipal solid waste, a stark contrast with China and IndiaThe US produces far more garbage and recycles far less of it than other developed countries, according to a new analysis by the global risk consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft.The figures emerge as the world faces an escalating waste crisis driven largely by plastics piling up in developing countries and the oceans. The US is at a crossroads as China and other developing countries refuse to continue to accept its waste, the report authors say. Continue reading...

Marium, who is five months’ old, was rescued off Thailand’s southern Krabi province after she was separated from her motherShe eats sea grass, drinks milk from a rubber glove, snuggles up to passing canoes and frequently beaches herself. But these idiosyncrasies have not stopped an entire nation from falling in love with her.Thailand has a new national sweetheart – an orphaned baby dugong called Marium. Continue reading...

Fracking ban and new environment act among influential group’s suggestionsFracking should be banned, the UK must take global leadership on the climate emergency and a royal commission should decide how to build homes in an environmentally sustainable manner, an influential group of Conservative MPs has said.The Conservative Environment Network (CEN) set out a manifesto on Tuesday that they said must govern the UK’s policies to prevent climate catastrophe and allow for greener economic growth. Among the 41 MPs who signed up to the pledges, which include a call for a new environment act, are senior figures such as Sir Nicholas Soames, Sir Oliver Letwin, Greg Hands, Caroline Spelman, Richard Benyon and Zac Goldsmith. Continue reading...

Liquefied natural gas developments on a collision course with Paris agreement, Global Energy Monitor saysThe booming liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry will play at least as big a role as new coal investments in bringing on a climate crisis if all planned projects go ahead, US-based energy analysts and campaigners say.The report by the Global Energy Monitor appears at odds with comments by Australia’s emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, who has said the country could be proud that the rapidly expanding LNG export industry was displacing coal power overseas. Continue reading...

Linda Rogers says the CBI has its head in the sand over nuclear reactors and Iain Climie wants politicians prepared to fund action to combat the climate emergencyHas the Confederation of British Industry got its head in the sand, or in the record levels of carbon-intensive concrete just poured at the Hinkley C nuclear site (Build more nuclear reactors to help climate crisis, says CBI, 28 June)? Nuclear power, apart from destroying biodiversity throughout its life cycle, produces up to 37 times the CO emissions of renewable energy sources, owing partly to the mining and refining of uranium. The impact of this process on people and the environment is not included in the rationale for nuclear power in the UK.As the CBI looks for investment from abroad, UK taxpayers will pick up the bill for the likely time and cost overruns of new nuclear build under the regulated asset-based funding proposals so welcomed by the CBI. Nuclear has failed to achieve the investment needed so far because it is no longer seen as economically viable. Even Hitachi (one of the world’s largest multinationals) cannot magic Wylfa Newydd into a commercially viable business. In January this year, Hitachi announced it had failed to squeeze the UK government for the very high levels of subsidies desired by large investors upfront for Wylfa. Nobody can afford the costs or the many risks attached to building new nuclear power stations.

Number of ‘warning letters’ sent by FDA has fallen by 33% compared with the most recent equivalent period under ObamaThe US regulator of food and drug safety has seen steep declines in several markers of enforcement under the Trump administration, according to a new analysis in the journal Science.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sends “warning letters” for tainted food, improperly advertised dietary supplements or even violations of human subjects’ protections in clinical trials. Continue reading...

Investigation exposes how Brazil’s huge beef sector continues to threaten health of world’s largest rainforest

The EU-Mercosur trade deal is good news for Brazil’s huge beef industry but devastating for the rainforest and environmentEuropean leaders have thrown the Amazon rainforest under a Volkswagen bus in a massive cows-for-cars trade deal with Brazil and three other South American nations.The EU-Mercosur agreement – the largest in Europe’s history, according to officials – will make it cheaper for Brazilian farmers to export agricultural products, particularly beef, despite growing evidence that cattle ranching is the primary driver of deforestation. Continue reading...

How the strange case of a former president secretly taped by industry executives revealed where power lies in BrazilIn Brazilian financial circles 17 May 2017 is dubbed “Joesley Day”. It’s the date when the power and influence of Brazil’s meat industry was exposed in all its ugly glory and gave the stock market a sucker punch.It was the date that Joesley Batista, at that point one of the controllers of the world’s biggest meat-packing company, family-run JBS, went to meet then-President Michel Temer, and secretly recorded him endorsing payments to a notoriously corrupt politician imprisoned for political corruption. Continue reading...

Four of the five new species, which are only a few millimetres in diameter, are from Queensland and one is from NSWA Queensland Museum arachnologist has helped identify five new species of tiny brushed jumping spiders the size of a grain of rice.The group includes a spider named after Karl Lagerfeld. Arachnologist Danilo Harms, said the spider had a distinct look that was reminiscent of the late fashion designer. Continue reading...

Emissions from dead trees were eight times higher than those from the healthy treesMangrove forests that died along a 1,000km stretch of coastline in northern Australia have been emitting methane at rates eight times higher than live trees, according to new research.Scientists from Southern Cross University have used the site of the mass dieback along the Gulf of Carpentaria to measure methane emissions from mangrove tree stems for the first time. Continue reading...

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...

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...

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 Paris”. 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...

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...

Environmental Justice Australia report finds problems at ash dumps in every mainland state

TV naturalist surprises festival crowd with speech hailing ditching of single-use plastics

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...

Prime minister calls on others to embrace UK’s net zero emissions target to tackle crisis

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...

Helen Haines rejects emphatically the notion that 2019 was a climate election and the climate lost

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.”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...

Freedom for Animals calls on government to end ‘vastly cruel’ practice by zoos

A red-eared slider tortoise, wild pigs, and a jaguar cooling off in the heatwave 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 protest”.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...

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A brief look at the causes and effects of high temperatures across the continent

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...

We asked what you wanted to know about toxic exposure and put your questions to Dr Leonardo Trasande

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...