Environment | The Guardian

Government clean air strategy failing to control increasing emissions that add to ‘hidden killer’ of air pollution

Researchers say simply sitting and enjoying the peace has mental and physical benefitsA two-hour “dose” of nature a week significantly boosts health and wellbeing, research suggests, even if you simply sit and enjoy the peace.The physical and mental health benefits of time spent in parks, woods or the beach are well known, but the new research is the first major study into how long is needed to produce the effect. If confirmed by future research, two hours in nature could join five a day of fruit and veg and 150 minutes of exercise a week as official health advice. Continue reading...

Draft report says Warragamba dam changes would affect Aboriginal historical sitesA leaked draft report has predicted world heritage areas of the Blue Mountains would be “permanently” changed by a controversial New South Wales government plan to raise a dam wall.The state government is proposing to raise the walls of the Warragamba Dam by 14 metres to mitigate the impact of floods – a move that environmental activists say would flood Unesco-protected bushland, and endanger 50 historic Indigenous sites. Continue reading...

Queensland government decision means company can begin work on mine site, but other federal approvals still required before coal extraction can beginAdani has been cleared to start work on its Carmichael coalmine after the Queensland government approved the company’s plans for groundwater management.Queensland’s coordinator general posted the decision on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...

Seven of the birds native to New Zealand have died, with just 142 adults remainingThe world’s fattest parrot is facing an existential threat in the form of a dangerous fungal infection which has already endangered a fifth of its species.Seven of New Zealand’s native kākāpō have died in recent months after falling victim to the respiratory disease aspergillosis. The latest was on Tuesday, where a 100-day-old chick died at the Auckland Zoo. Continue reading...

Pentagon released 59m metric tons of carbon dioxide and other warming gases in 2017, research showsThe United States creates more planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions through its defense operations alone than industrialized countries such as Sweden and Portugal, researchers said on Wednesday.The Pentagon, which oversees the US military, released about 59m metric tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in 2017, according to the first study to compile such comprehensive data, published by Brown University. Continue reading...

Homegrown stems accounted for 14% of £865m worth of flowers sold in Britain last yearThe British-grown flower industry is now worth £121m – up from £82m in 2015 – following years of decline owing to imported stems, figures reveal.Last year homegrown flowers accounted for 14% of the £865m worth of all stems sold in the UK, compared with 12% three years ago, according to a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Continue reading...

Government urged to overturn effective ban to help meet ambitious climate targetsGovernment ministers face rising calls to lift their block on onshore wind farms to help meet the UK’s ambitious climate targets while reducing home energy bills.Some of Europe’s largest energy investors have urged the government to overturn an effective ban on new onshore wind farms in England, warning that it may be stifling a flood of investment into the UK’s clean energy sector. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Louisiana agency poised to sue companies associated with neoprene plant over alleged Clean Air Act violationsLouisiana’s environment agency is poised to sue the two chemical companies associated with America’s only neoprene plant in the town of Reserve, the Guardian has learned. The legal action relates to alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and Louisiana state environmental laws.The news comes a month after the Guardian launched a year-long reporting project from Reserve, called Cancer Town, that tracks residents’ struggle for clean air and reports from other parts of the New Orleans-Baton Rouge corridor known colloquially as Cancer Alley. Continue reading...

Announcing a target to cut greenhouse gases by at least 100% below 1990 levels in 2050 is a necessary step to tackle the climate emergency. But it won’t be enough on its ownOne of Theresa May’s most consequential decisions of her unhappy premiership is to set a legally binding target for the UK to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. If it were to be achieved, this would mark the end of Britain’s contribution to global warming, apart from the those emissions “exported” by buying products made abroad. It is undoubtedly a very good thing that her successor will not only be left with draft laws to enact, but also with raised public expectation that they do so.Mrs May’s decision comes not a moment too soon. The influential BP review of worldwide energy use estimates that global CO emissions grew by 2% in 2018, the fastest growth for seven years. This country ought to reach net-zero emissions before the middle of the century. Clear policy direction is essential to change the way we produce, distribute and consume energy. The cleaning of the British economy can be traced back to the landmark decision by the European Union in 2007 to implement “20-20-20” green targets: reducing greenhouse gases by at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020; for 20% of energy consumption to come from renewables; and 20% reduction in energy use. The impact has been dramatic. Continue reading...

We will have to change almost everything, from our homes to our mealsThe net zero carbon target will require sweeping changes to almost every aspect of British life, affecting our homes, food and the way we get around, as well as jobs and businesses across the board. Ministers hope there will be health benefits and improvements to the natural environment along the way, as well as helping to stave off the global climate emergency.On some of the key areas where rapid change is needed, however, the signals so far have been mixed. Continue reading...

Consultants say 60% will be grown in vats or plant-based products that taste like meatMost of the meat people eat in 2040 will not come from slaughtered animals, according to a report that predicts 60% will be either grown in vats or replaced by plant-based products that look and taste like meat.The report by the global consultancy AT Kearney, based on expert interviews, highlights the heavy environmental impacts of conventional meat production and the concerns people have about the welfare of animals under industrial farming. Continue reading...

Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global gets go ahead to divest $13bn of investmentsThe world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, which manages $1tn (£786bn) of Norway’s assets, has been given the go ahead for the largest fossil fuel divestment to date by dropping more than $13bn of investments.Norway’s parliament voted plans into law on Wednesday for the fund to dump investments in eight coal companies and an estimated 150 oil producers. Continue reading...

Behaviour of tourists prompts writer of Sky/HBO hit TV series to speak outThe writer of the acclaimed TV series Chernobyl has called for visitors to behave “with respect”, after a number of photographs emerged on social media apparently showing tourists taking inappropriate or lewd selfies at the site of the nuclear disaster.Visitor numbers to the site of the former Soviet-era power plant in Ukraine have soared since the the five-part mini-series began airing on HBO and Sky Atlantic in May, with some tour companies reporting a 40% increase in bookings. Continue reading...

Thirty people aged 15-24 will assess how commitment made by Theresa May should be implementedYoung people will advise ministers on how the UK should meet the target of ending carbon emissions by 2050, to which prime minister Theresa May committed the nation on Wednesday.The commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions was described as “historic” by leading figures. But the UK is not yet on track to meet its 2025 and 2030 goals, so a huge transformation of energy, transport and buildings is urgently required. Continue reading...

Australian Conservation Foundation says case shows federal government hasn’t scrutinised Carmichael projectThe federal government will have to reassess water infrastructure for Adani’s Carmichael coalmine after conceding in a legal challenge that was lodged with the federal court.The Australian Conservation Foundation has succeeded in its appeal against the government’s assessment of Adani’s north Galilee water scheme, with the federal government admitting it failed to properly consider public responses to the proposal and even lost some submissions. Continue reading...

Many of those permitted since far-right president took power are banned in EuropeBrazil has approved hundreds of new pesticide products since its far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, took power in January, and more than 1,000 since 2016, a study has found. Many of those approved are banned in Europe.Of 169 new pesticides sanctioned up to 21 May this year, 78 contain active ingredients classified as highly hazardous by the Pesticide Action Network and 24 contain active ingredients banned in the EU, according to the study published on Wednesday by Greenpeace UK’s news agency Unearthed. Another 28 pesticides not included in the report were approved in the last days of 2018. Continue reading...

Energy minister dodges questions about how Australia will meet its Paris emission reduction targetsThe energy minister, Angus Taylor, has not ruled out the Morrison government reversing the nuclear energy ban, if a “clear business case” showed the economics were sound as he dodged questions about how Australia would meet its Paris agreement targets.The first energy battle of the new parliament comes from within the party room, with a group of Queensland MPs, emboldened by that state’s strong showing for the Coalition in the May election, leading a push to have nuclear energy reconsidered as part of Australia’s power plan. Continue reading...

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...