As Sadiq Khan launches ultra-low emissions zone in London, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah says it is still not enoughThe mother of a schoolgirl who died of an asthma attack linked to air pollution has warned time is running out to save other children from a similar plight and called on politicians to do more to tackle the crisis.On the day mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the city’s new ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) to improve deadly air pollution, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah urged others to follow his example and called on him to go even further, faster. Continue reading...

Plastic bags only 1% of plastic in freshwater after sustained efforts to reduce their usePlastic bottles, the detritus of our throwaway water and soft drinks habits, are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution in European waterways, according to a new report.Food wrappers, including crisp and sweet packets, were the second biggest form of plastic pollution in rivers, followed by cigarette butts. All of these forms of litter can cause problems for wildlife and fish, and are hard to clean up once they have found their way into the water. Continue reading...

British Heart Foundation says Ulez will help reduce 36,000 annual UK pollution deathsThe ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) across London will help reduce the 36,000 deaths caused in the UK every year by outdoor pollution, the British Heart Foundation said as it welcomed the new vehicle charging zone that will launch on Monday.According to the leading heart charity, a significant proportion of air pollution-related deaths are in the capital, where pollution levels are often at their highest. Continue reading...

With demand set to rise across the world, Australia is set to become a global primary producer of hydrogenIn March, the Queensland University of Technology made history when it achieved the first export of a small quantity of clean, green hydrogen produced in Australia from renewable energy, to Japanese energy giant JXTG – proving that it was in fact possible.Hydrogen is increasingly being seen as an alternative to LNG and other fossil fuels and Australia has a lot to gain from a new export industry, with companies such as Woodside Energy and Siemens already investing. Continue reading...

FTSE4Good indices are under fire for inclusion of Golden-Agri ResourcesThe London Stock Exchange Group has refused to remove a palm oil company from an influential investment index of environmentally friendly firms, despite a string of allegations of corruption and unsustainable business practices.The group’s index subsidiary, FTSE Russell, has written to environmental groups declining to remove Golden-Agri Resources (GAR) from its FTSE4Good indices, which only include “companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices”. Continue reading...

Catch of pregnant female carrying 73 eggs is more than 17ft long as environmentalists struggle to eradicate the non-native speciesSnake hunters have captured what they say is the largest python ever found in the swamps of the Florida Everglades: a pregnant female more than 17ft (5.2 metres) long and weighing 140lb, or 63.5kg.The team from the Big Cypress national preserve posted news of their record-setting catch in a Facebook post that also noted the giant reptile was carrying 73 eggs. Continue reading...

Labor leader says PM has run out of steam on ‘scare campaigns’ and resorted to ‘scaring you about their own policies’The latest stage of the unofficial 2019 federal election campaign has opened with a battle over Australia’s electric car future, with Scott Morrison accusing Bill Shorten of wanting to “end the weekend”.In response the Labor leader accused the government of running out of steam on “scare campaigns” and so it had resorted to “scaring you about their own policies”, as the two major parties argue the toss on very similar policies. Continue reading...

New report ranks deadliest cities for feathered travelers, who often collide with glass-covered or illuminated buildingsScientists estimate that at least 100 million and maybe as many as a billion birds die each year in the US when they collide with buildings, especially glass-covered or illuminated skyscrapers. And, in a new report, conservationists now have a better idea which American cities are the deadliest for those on the wing.Chicago, with its many glass superstructures that spike into what is the busiest US avian airspace during migration, is the most dangerous city for those feathered travelers. More than 5 million birds from at least 250 different species fly through the Windy City’s downtown every fall and spring. Continue reading...

Almost 1,000 people a year in London are hospitalised with asthma caused by pollutionLondon is preparing to enforce “world-leading” vehicle pollution restrictions from Monday as the capital attempts to clean up the toxic air blamed for thousands of premature deaths.The ultra-low emission zone, or Ulez, will launch at one minute past midnight on April 8, imposing a £12.50-a-day charge to drive into central London in all but the cleanest cars and vans. Continue reading...

Shadow climate change minister reiterates opposition to Adani mine, saying no ‘case for opening up new thermal coal mine’

The California tide soon washes away work by Andres Amador – but for the artist, that is part of the pointWith a bundle of three-pronged tools and hand-assembled rakes cast over one shoulder, the artist Andres Amador quietly descends the steep, crumbling dunes arching over a San Francisco shoreline to the beach below.Scanning the horizon, stopping every so often to smile and pick up smooth stones, he walks until it seems right – until he finds a wide enough stretch of wet sand to serve as his canvas. Soon, it will come to life, etched with the large-scale angles and arches that form his captivating, signature style of Earthscape art. Continue reading...

Teaching union to debate call for schools to oppose fossil fuel giant’s backing of school fitness eventThe UK’s biggest teaching union is to decide whether to object to fossil fuel giant Ineos sponsoring the school Daily Mile initiative over allegations the company is using the event to greenwash its image.Campaigners accuse Ineos, owned by the UK’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, of endangering the wellbeing of future generations through its fracking activities and plastics production. Continue reading...

A three-toed skink’s unusual birth, a dead whale full of plastic and young elephants stuck in the mud Continue reading...

EU gives car manufacturers 10 weeks to respond to findings from antitrust investigationThe European commission has charged BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen with colluding to limit the introduction of clean emissions technology, in the preliminary findings of an antitrust investigation.The car manufacturers have 10 weeks to respond and could face fines of billions of euros – up to 10% of their global annual turnover – if their explanations are rejected. Continue reading...

As CO levels climb, the carbon count is a daily reminder we must tackle climate change nowThe simplest measure of how the mass burning of fossil fuels is disrupting the stable climate in which human civilisation developed is the number of carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere.Today, the CO level is the highest it has been for several million years. Back then, temperatures were 3-4C hotter, sea level was 15-20 metres higher and trees grew at the south pole. Worse, billions of tonnes of carbon pollution continues to pour into the air every year and at a rate 10 times faster than for 66m years. Continue reading...

Experts say even nations that got rich on fossil fuels are seeing the future is greenNorway’s $1tn oil fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is to plunge billions of dollars into wind and solar power projects. The decision follows Saudi Arabia’s oil fund selling off its last oil and gas assets.Other national funds built up from oil profits are also thought to be ramping up their investments in renewables. The moves show that countries that got rich on fossil fuels are diversifying their investments and seeking future profits in the clean energy needed to combat climate change. Analysts say the investments are likely to power faster growth of green energy. Continue reading...

Some developers are reviewing their policies after protests from environmentalists

Over the next week, Surfers Against Sewage is mobilising more than 30,000 volunteers to clear the plastic flotsam and jetsam from the UK coastline Continue reading...

Global project will mark 550 years since birth of religion’s founder, Guru NanakSikhs around the world are taking part in a scheme to plant a million new trees as a “gift to the entire planet”.The project aims to reverse environmental decline and help people reconnect with nature as part of celebrations marking 550 years since the birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. Continue reading...

Government forced to play down ‘split’ amid reports of Queensland MPs pressuring Coalition over key approvals for Carmichael coalmineLabor has warned the government against making any major decisions on the Adani coalmine before the election, while Scott Morrison and his environment minister Melissa Price face internal pressure from some Queensland MPs to take action.While playing down reports of a “split”, government MPs from Queensland, including James McGrath and Matt Canavan have kept up pressure inside Morrison’s office and the party room for key approvals for the Carmichael coalmine, including the ground water plan, to be signed off on as soon as possible. Continue reading...

Government modelling for climate policy cuts assumes an electric vehicle uptake of 25-50% of new car sales by 2030Modelling for the Morrison government’s climate policy assumes electric vehicles will make up between 25% and 50% of new car sales by 2030, a similar figure to the target set by the Labor party, which the Coalition criticised this week.Labor’s climate spokesman, Mark Butler, said “it shows how out of touch the Liberals are even with their own department” when it comes to cutting carbon pollution from transport. Continue reading...

Big Garden Birdwatch finds fall in long-tailed tits and wrens after ‘beast from the east’Almost 1.2 million house sparrows were spotted in British gardens during this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch but smaller garden birds appear to have suffered from the previous winter’s cold weather.Long-tailed tits decreased by more than 27% and wrens by 17% in 2019 after bumper years in 2018, according to the RSPB survey. Populations of both species are thought to have been affected by last year’s “beast from the east”: small birds are more susceptible to extreme chilly spells. Continue reading...

Readers and heads of environmental organisations respond to a call to rewild on a massive scaleGeorge Monbiot (The natural world can help save us from climate chaos, 3 April), Greta Thunberg and other signatories (Letters, 3 April) are right. Nature can provide effective options to help tackle climate change. Often there is no need for complicated, expensive and unproven technology. As we know from our work in such countries as Bhutan and Costa Rica, some governments are embracing nature-based solutions where natural forests are managed for their key role in storing carbon and regulating water for clean, green hydropower. Policies and investment need to work with local people and focus on linking nature to infrastructure to help avoid catastrophic climate change, protect biodiversity and cut emissions. The real challenge is to align the politics of change to the actions that are needed. While some countries are doing the right thing, in other places (such as Brazil) the politics is going backwards in deeply troubling ways.The international community needs to act to support local livelihoods and enable communities to be good stewards of the natural world. Our lives depend on it.

Iranian government criticised over response to crisis that has left thousands displacedThe death toll from two weeks of flooding in Iran has risen to 62 as frustration mounts inside the country at the government’s handling of the crisis and an international dispute has broken out over whether renewed US sanctions are blocking aid.Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have been engaged in a war of words over the crisis. Zarif attacked the US for “economic terrorism” and said it was blocking the shipment of vital rescue equipment. Continue reading...

Indonesian authorities want to protect endangered lizard from smugglers and restock its island food supplyAuthorities are considering banning tourists from Komodo, the island home of the ancient Komodo dragon, to allow for conservation efforts amid concerns over animal-smuggling.The island, in Manggarai Barat, Indonesia, is a major tourist destination, with many people making the trip to see the lizard which has a venomous bite, can grow up to three metres long and weigh more than 150kg. Continue reading...

Charity Commission to assess whether money sent abroad was subject to due diligence as German MPs urge funding haltBritain’s charity regulator has launched a formal investigation into the World Wide Fund for Nature, following allegations the conservation group is implicated in human rights abuses against people in Africa and Asia.The inquiry by the Charity Commission will assess whether WWF’s UK arm followed “due diligence” in ensuring that money sent abroad did not contribute to abuse. Continue reading...

Green party hopes to make hay in elections after state adopts well-backed petitionEnvironmentalists in Germany are celebrating a decision by Bavaria to adopt a series of measures to “save the bees” that may revolutionise farming practice across the country.“This is a milestone for nature protection and a fine hour for citizen law-making in Bavaria,” said Ludwig Hartmann, of the Green party, one of the initiators of a petition that prompted the move. “This is a reason to be joyful, but also an incentive to jointly advance further important projects for the protection of our environment and the climate.” Continue reading...

Panel was disbanded after a Trump official voiced concerns that it did not have enough members ‘from industry’

Scientists warn that social and economic price of plastic waste to global society has been underestimatedPlastic pollution in the world’s oceans costs society billions of dollars every year in damaged and lost resources, research has found.Fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities and global wellbeing are all negatively affected by plastic pollution, with an estimated 1-5% decline in the benefit humans derive from oceans. The resulting cost in such benefits, known as marine ecosystem value, is up to $2.5bn (£1.9bn) a year, according to a study published this week in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Continue reading...

The purple shrub thrives in dereliction and decay. How much better things would be if it had nowhere to grow

Mott Haven in the South Bronx is a classic example where black and Hispanic residents experience a particularly insidious ‘environmental inequality’Daniel Chervoni looked out at the busy street from the small community park he tends as a gardener in the South Bronx and clenched his fist as another Fresh Direct diesel truck roared by, spewing exhaust as it took a popular short-cut through the neighborhood.“They are the reason for our pain, this is why the lungs of Mott Haven’s residents are suffering,” he said. Continue reading...

Existing legislation requires ‘complete overhaul’ to prevent the decline of species, committee warnsA Senate committee examining Australia’s animal extinction crisis has recommended new environment laws to try to halt the decline of threatened species.The laws, proposed in an interim report by the committee, would include a new, independent national environmental protection authority that would have sufficient powers and funding to enforce compliance with environment law. Continue reading...

Study creates blueprint to safeguard marine life and enable ocean recoveryAcademics have mapped out a network of sanctuaries they say are required to save the world’s oceans, protect wildlife and fight climate breakdown.The study, ahead of a historic vote at the UN, sets out the first detailed plan of how countries can protect over a third of the world’s oceans by 2030, a target scientists and policy makers say is crucial in order to safeguard marine ecosystems and help mitigate the impacts of a rapidly heating world. Continue reading...

Weight of 1.75m signatures persuades German state to bypass referendum and order action to protect pollinatorsBavaria has announced that it will pass into law a popular “save the bees” petition that promises drastic changes in farming practices – without putting it to a referendum first.The landmark move comes amid increasingly alarming warnings from scientists that nearly half of all insect species are in rapid decline – a third of the crucial pollinators threatened with extinction. Continue reading...

Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coralThe number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017.Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality. Continue reading...

Appeal court judges rule in favour of campaigners against ‘draconian’ Ineos injunctionCampaigners have hailed a legal victory against a multinational company that took out a “draconian and anti-democratic” injunction against protesters.On Wednesday, three court of appeal judges ruled in favour of activists who wanted to overturn the wide-ranging injunction that had been granted to the petrochemicals business Ineos, which is owned by Britain’s richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, and aspires to become a leading fracking company. Continue reading...

New material could replace plastic or glass in construction of energy-efficient homesIn an era of glass and steel construction, wood may seem old-school. But now researchers say they have given timber a makeover to produce a material that is not only sturdy, but also transparent and able to store and release heat.The researchers say the material could be used in the construction of energy-efficient homes, and that they hope to develop a biodegradable version to increase its eco-friendly credentials as an alternative to plastic, glass or even cement. Continue reading...

Restoration of forests and coasts can tackle ‘existential crises’ but is being overlooked• Read the letter from campaigners

‘We owe it to our kids’: parents from 16 countries demand urgent climate actionParents and grandparents around the world are mobilising in support of the youth strikes for climate movement that has swept the globe.Under the banner Parents for the Future, 34 groups from 16 countries on four continents have issued an open letter. It demands urgent action to fight climate change and prevent temperatures rising by more than 1.5C, beyond which scientists say droughts, floods and heatwaves will get significantly worse. Continue reading...

A recent study found many drivers see people who use bikes as less than human. Part of the problem is the language we useAs the repair man rummaged around in my gas oven, I tried to explain something to him about cyclists.“We ‘cyclists’ are no more a homogenous group than you ‘vannists,’” I said. Continue reading...

In part three of our series, the Siona people stress opposition to any operations on their territory

Trudeau cited international commitments to fight global warning as premiers say they would challenge the measure

Australia’s global leadership on whale conservation will be tested as Japanese hunters move to a different hemisphereJapan’s whaling fleet arrived back at the port of Shimonoseki on the weekend with a barbaric tally of 333 dead whales that are no longer swimming freely in the Southern Ocean.If the work of the Japanese whalers is anything like last year, more than 100 pregnant females and 50 or so juveniles will have been killed. But from now on, things are different. Continue reading...

Legal expert tried to use freedom of information to shed light on Australia’s efforts to prevent reef being listed as ‘in danger’A legal expert has criticised Australia’s freedom of information regime after spending two years and more than $1,000 trying to shed light on Australia’s enormous lobbying effort to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being listed as “in danger”.In 2014-15, Australian government officials spent more than $100,000 visiting and lobbying members of Unesco’s world heritage committee to keep the Great Barrier Reef off the “in danger” list. Continue reading...

Irish firm joins nine coal plants on list, with carbon emissions up nearly 50% in last five yearsRyanair has become the first non-coal company to join Europe’s top 10 carbon emitters, according to EU figures.The Irish airline, which transports 130 million people a year, declared 9.9 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, up 6.9% on last year and 49% over the last five years, according to data in the EU’s latest emissions trading system registry. Continue reading...

Analysis of 50 years of UK data shows woodlands are not havens, while changing emergence times damage nature and farmingInsects have “no place to hide” from climate change, scientists have said after analysing 50 years’ worth of UK data.The study found that woodlands, whose shade was expected to protect species from warming temperatures, are just as affected by climate change as open grasslands. Continue reading...

No breach of annual limits so far in 2019, after 2017’s first breach within five daysTwo million people in London are living with illegal air pollution, according to the most recent data. However, nitrogen dioxide levels are falling and could reach legal levels within six years.In 2017, London saw its first breach of annual pollution limits just five days into the new year and in 2018 it occurred within a month. However, three months into 2019, no such breaches have taken place. In 2016, the last year in which Boris Johnson was mayor of London, there had been 43 breaches by this time. Continue reading...

European insect populations shrink as farming leaves ‘hardly any room for nature’Butterflies have declined by at least 84% in the Netherlands over the last 130 years, according to a study, confirming the crisis affecting insect populations in western Europe.Researchers analysed 120,000 butterflies caught by collectors between 1890 and 1980 as well as more recent scientific data from more than 2 million sightings to identify dramatic declines in the country’s 71 native butterfly species, 15 of which have become extinct over the last century. Continue reading...

Party says allowing heavy polluters to use international permits to meet emissions reduction targets allows companies to ‘keep polluting at home’The Greens are positioning to torpedo a key element of Labor’s new climate policy in the event Bill Shorten wins the federal election in May, telegraphing strong opposition to heavy polluters using international permits to meet their emissions reduction targets.The thumbs-down from the Greens, who will likely be the critical Senate bloc post-election in the event of a Labor victory, comes as the politically influential motoring lobby has also signalled it will push back on Labor’s proposal to introduce vehicle efficiency standards for light vehicles that would bring Australia broadly into line with carbon pollutions standards for cars in the US. Continue reading...

Biologists fear they will now start to see coral mortality in world’s southern-most reefResearchers have documented what they are describing as the most severe coral bleaching to hit the world’s southern-most reef at Lord Howe Island.Scientists from Newcastle University, James Cook University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have spent the past two weeks surveying corals around the island in the far south Pacific Ocean after they were alerted to bleaching in isolated areas. Continue reading...