Environment | The Guardian

Weather may spark storms, travel delays and power cuts as temperatures head towards 39CBritain could bake under record-breaking heat as temperatures could potentially climb to 39C on Thursday.The scorching conditions may spark thunderstorms, which could trigger travel delays, flash flooding, and power cuts. Continue reading...

Profits from subsidy-free solar farms have helped to connect millions in Africa to cheap lightingA UK solar power pioneer has grown its profits eight-fold by investing in subsidy-free solar farms, a portion of which will help connect homes in Africa to small-scale solar-powered lighting systems.Solarcentury, one of the UK’s fastest growing renewable energy companies, will report profits of £14.4m for the year ending in March, compared with £1.5m the year before. Continue reading...

Wrap report finds 3.6m tonnes of food is thrown away or fed to animals each year in the UKMore than £1bn of food destined for UK supermarkets is thrown away or fed to animals before it leaves farms every year, according to a study highlighting the scale of the country’s waste problem.Crops rejected by retailers because they do not meet quality standards, fluctuations in demand or problems during storage or packing all contribute to 3.6m tonnes of waste in primary production, more than 10 times the amount thrown away by retailers, says a report by Wrap, the waste-reduction body. Continue reading...

Researchers call for urgent action to protect large species in international watersThe world’s shark populations are at increasing risk of becoming bycatch of international fishing fleets, which harvest them in open oceans where no legal protections exist, Australian researchers have said.Prof Rob Harcourt, from Macquarie University, said large sharks were more vulnerable to longline fishing and called for urgent action to protect them by implementing management strategies on the high seas. Continue reading...

New maximums set in Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, as citizens swelter across EuropeBelgium, Germany and the Netherlands have recorded their highest ever temperatures as the second extreme heatwave in as many months to be linked by scientists to the climate emergency grips the continent.The Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, said the temperature reached 39.2C (102.5F) at the Gilze-Rijen airbase near Breda on Wednesday afternoon, exceeding the previous high of 38.6C set in August 1944. Continue reading...

On band’s latest single, 16-year-old activist urges young people to act on climate emergencyGreta Thunberg has made her musical debut on a single by the 1975. On a track called The 1975, a version of which traditionally opens each of the British band’s albums, the 16-year-old environmental activist restates her position on the need to act on the climate emergency.Over minimal orchestral backing, Thunberg says: “We have to acknowledge that the older generations have failed. All political movements in their present form have failed. But homo sapiens have not yet failed. Yes, we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around.” Continue reading...

Locals in Reserve, Louisiana, the focus of a Guardian series, are fighting against toxic emissions from a nearby chemical factoryResidents in the town of Reserve, Louisiana have been diagnosed with cancer at “highly unusual” rates, according to a new academic study, which is set to further embolden local residents in their fight against toxic emissions from a nearby chemical factory.The report, released Wednesday by the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR), provides residents with the most detailed and comprehensive evidence to date that they are at an especially pronounced risk of cancer and other negative health effects due to toxic chemicals in the air. Continue reading...

Shareholder advocates demand more, but Greens says major parties should ‘take a leaf out of miner’s book’A declaration by the head of BHP that tackling the climate crisis will require “the biggest global mobilisation since World War II” has prompted claims the world’s biggest miner is more serious about the problem than the Australian parliament.But shareholder advocates warned BHP’s pledge to do more on climate change, including setting targets for its customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and linking executive pay to pollution reduction, should be viewed sceptically while it remained a member of groups that lobbied against significant action. Continue reading...

Move comes after investigation into city council found it fell far short of good practiceTree campaigners in Sheffield who were prosecuted by the council over a programme to fell thousands of street trees are taking legal advice to get their convictions quashed.The move follows a 15-month investigation by the Forestry Commission in which it strongly criticised the conduct of the city council. Continue reading...

Call for new Geneva convention to protect wildlife and nature reserves in conflict regionsInternational lawmakers should adopt a fifth Geneva convention that recognises damage to nature alongside other war crimes, according to an open letter by 24 prominent scientists.The legal instrument should incorporate wildlife safeguards in conflict regions, including protections for nature reserves, controls on the spread of guns used for hunting and measures to hold military forces to account for damage to the environment, say the signatories to the letter, published in the journal Nature. Continue reading...

The design of London’s new drinking fountains has been criticised on social media – so which cities have managed to get it right?

Taylor and Josh Frydenberg face possible inquiry over meeting with officials on protected grasslandsThe energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, has again defended himself over his business interests in a company that was under investigation for alleged illegal clearing of native grasslands, declaring he always acted within parliamentary rules.The government faced a second day of interrogation in both houses of parliament over Taylor’s shareholdings in Jam Land Pty Ltd, which he holds via his family investment company Gufee. Continue reading...

Beaches were deemed unsafe on at least a quarter of days tested and climate crisis will likely increase the pollutionBefore diving into the waves this summer, beachgoers in the US might like to do some homework on what they will be diving into, according to a new report.The Environment America Research and Policy Center (EARPC) found that more than half of American beaches were home to potentially dangerous levels of fecal bacteria at some point last year. Continue reading...

Study finds organic apples have more diverse and balanced bacterial communityThe impact of an apple a day in keeping the doctor away may be partly down to the beneficial bacteria it carries and their subsequent colonisation of your gut, according to scientists.A study has found that a typical apple carries more than 100m bacteria. Some of these microbes are important in maintaining a healthy gut environment, or microbiome, says Prof Gabriele Berg from Graz University of Technology, Austria, one of the authors of the research. Continue reading...

The California city on Tuesday voted to ban natural gas hook-ups in new buildings, in a historic moveBerkeley this week became the first city in the United States to ban natural, fossil gas hook-ups in new buildings.The landmark ordinance was passed into law on Tuesday, after being approved unanimously by the city council the previous week amid resounding public support. Continue reading...

NSW Natural Resources Commission says plan for the Barwon-Darling needs urgent overhaul to save ecosystem ‘in crisis’The Murray-Darling river system managed by NSW – the Barwon-Darling – is “an ecosystem in crisis” which is on a path to collapse and urgent reforms are needed to save it, a review has warned.The NSW Natural Resources Commission was asked to bring forward a statutory review of the Barwon-Darling by the previous minister Niall Blair, after ABC’s Four Corners aired allegations in 2017 of widespread water theft and another independent report raised serious doubts about the river’s management. Continue reading...

Climate crisis group members glue themselves to doorways to block members of Congress from attending evening voteProtesters from the climate crisis group Extinction Rebellion have brought disruption to Capitol Hill in Washington, superglueing themselves to doorways to block politicians and staff.Just after 6pm, six activists stood in doorways to a tunnel connecting the Cannon office building to the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent members of Congress attending an evening vote. Continue reading...

Medi Bastoni hopes to get to meet the president when he arrives in Jakarta, in several weeksA man from a village in East Java has embarked on an unconventional mission to raise awareness about preserving forests: he is walking 800km to Indonesia’s capital, backwards.Medi Bastoni hopes that, after taking thousands of steps backwards – and hopefully forwards for mankind – he will have the opportunity to meet President Joko Widodo so he can ask him for a symbolic tree seed, which he intends to plant on the slopes of Mount Wilis. Continue reading...

The government should be backing renewables, not tying itself to an expensive nuclear futureThat bill-payers got stuffed in the deal that brought the Hinkley Point C project into existence is beyond dispute these days. Even government ministers barely quibble with the National Audit Office’s assessment that consumers will be paying through the nose for 35 years. Instead, the defence has tended to run along these lines: don’t worry, we’ve triggered a “resurgence” in the nuclear industry in the UK and the next reactors will be relative bargains.Life has not worked out as planned. The government stretched the limits of financial acceptability to try to persuade Hitachi to construct a £16bn plant at Wylfa in Anglesey but still couldn’t get the Japanese firm to sign up. Nuclear still wasn’t getting cheaper. No surprise there: the costs never seem to fall. Continue reading...

Australia Institute report suggests public support for overhaul of royalty ratesQueensland’s mining royalties regime gives “effective subsidies” to exporters of low-quality thermal coal, according to a new report by the Australia Institute that shows public support for an overhaul of the royalty rates.The Queensland government and opposition have both committed to freezing mining royalties at their current level. Continue reading...

Scientists warn of ‘alarming’ lag between human-driven seasons shift and animals’ behavioural changesThe speed of climate disruption is outstripping many animals’ capacity to adapt, according to a study that warns of a growing threat to even common species such as sparrows, magpies and deer.Scientists behind the research described the results as alarming because they showed a dangerous lag between a human-driven shift in the seasons and behavioural changes in the natural world. Continue reading...

Manufacturer told DVSA it would not retrofit polluting vehicles, despite other firms agreeing to modificationsNissan’s decision to ignore a government request for emissions modifications to thousands of polluting cars has been branded a scandal by environmental campaigners.The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) discovered that the Sunderland-made diesel Qashqai model emits 17 times more nitrogen oxides (NOx) than EU limits allow. Continue reading...

In a combative question time the energy minister suggests the Coalition has an ‘open mind’ on nuclear powerAngus Taylor has flagged the Morrison government has an “open mind” about pursuing nuclear power during a combative question time where the energy minister was pursued about rising emissions and his meetings with officials about the protection of grassland in the south-eastern highlands.Taylor, who is the minister for energy and emissions reduction, was asked repeatedly by Labor on Tuesday whether emissions had risen in recent years, whether he supported calls by government backbenchers to establish a nuclear industry, and whether he had declared any relevant conflicts when meeting departmental officials. Continue reading...

The mining giant’s chief executive Andrew Mackenzie endorses drastic action to tackle global warmingThe chief executive of the world’s largest mining company has endorsed drastic action to combat global warming, which he calls “indisputable”, and an emerging crisis.“The planet will survive. Many species may not,” the BHP chief executive officer, Andrew Mackenzie, told a business breakfast in London on Tuesday. “This is a confronting conclusion but as a veteran geologist once said, ‘you can’t argue with a rock’.” Continue reading...

Government plans to attract investors by making taxpayer help pay for cost overrunsThe government has confirmed plans for consumers to begin paying for new nuclear reactors before they are built, and for taxpayers to pay a share of any cost overruns or construction delays.In a consultation document launched on Monday night, officials said the model is “essential” to attract private investors to back the UK’s new nuclear ambitions at a price that is affordable for bill payers. The public purse would also compensate nuclear investors if the project was scrapped. Continue reading...

Nine tonnes of contraband tusks from about 300 animals found in illegal cargo from DRCSingapore has made its largest ever seizure of smuggled ivory, impounding a haul of nearly nine tonnes of contraband tusks from an estimated 300 elephants, according to authorities.The illegal cargo, discovered on Sunday in a container from the Democratic Republic of the Congo also included a huge stash of pangolin scales – the third such seizure in as many months. Continue reading...

Cafod says UK is saddling poorer nations with outdated, polluting technologiesThe British government has spent £680m of its foreign aid budget on fossil fuel projects since 2010, according to analysis that highlights the UK’s failure to align diplomatic, trade and aid policies with the goals of the Paris climate agreement.Britain allocated more overseas development cash to oil and gas in the two years after signing the 2015 agreement than it had in the previous five, according to the study commissioned by the Catholic development agency Cafod and carried out by the Overseas Development Institute. Continue reading...

‘Floating bomb’ holding 1m oil barrels could create environmental disaster in Red SeaA deserted oil tanker described as a “floating bomb” that is currently anchored off the coast of war-torn Yemen has the potential to create an environmental disaster, according to experts.A byproduct of the battle between the Saudi-backed UN Yemen government and the Houthis, the tanker, containing over 1m barrels of oil, is said to be eroding fast, but UN officials’ plans to visit the ship this week to assess the scale of the damage have been blocked. There are fears that gases have built up in the storage tanks, which means the ship could explode. Continue reading...

Fears grow that figure could compound into hundreds of thousands of tonnes if the company collapsesMore than 20,000 tonnes of glass, paper and plastic was dumped in Victorian landfill while beleaguered waste company SKM Recycling was banned from accepting kerbside rubbish due to health and safety concerns.Councils and environmentalists fear that figure could compound into hundreds of thousands of tonnes if the company is declared insolvent when taken to court this week or just stops operating, as its founder has threatened. SKM processes half of the recyclable rubbish collected from kerbside bins across the state. Continue reading...

Russian environmentalists inundate actor’s Instagram with messages urging him to support campaign to ‘Save our Baikal!’As one of Hollywood’s best known environmentalists, Leonardo DiCaprio often uses Instagram to urge others to care about the planet. But lately his posts, in the comments section at least, have been dominated by a singular issue – the fate of a lake in Siberia.Related: I was Insta-famous and it was one of the worst things to happen in my 20s | Verity Johnson Continue reading...

Clip shows a bare-chested man with a spear, who is believed to belong to the Awá people, the world’s most threatened tribeRemarkable close-up footage that appears to show an uncontacted tribesman in the Amazon rainforest has been released by an indigenous media group that wants to raise awareness of the threat posed by illegal loggers, miners and drug traffickers.Related: The Amazon tribe protecting the forest with bows, arrows, GPS and camera traps Continue reading...

My father, Peter Iredale, who has died aged 87, was the last director of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Harwell laboratory in Oxfordshire, a pioneering institute that housed Europe’s first nuclear reactor.Having joined Harwell in the late 1950s as a scientific officer, Peter progressed through various scientific and leadership positions there, with a focus that eventually expanded to embrace non-nuclear energy technologies such as wind and wave power. At one stage he led the marine and technology support unit at Harwell, and from 1979 to 1984 he chaired the UK wave energy steering committee. Continue reading...

Plaque marking Okjökull, the first glacier lost to climate crisis, to be unveiled in August

David Littleproud says commonwealth is introducing penalties because states are doing ‘bugger all’ to stop farm invasionsThe Coalition has cut short debate on the future drought fund after Labor claimed its legislative haste is designed to wedge the opposition and not help farmers.The manager of opposition business Tony Burke accused the government of pushing ahead with plans to create the $5bn fund with money redirected from the Building Australia Fund – which Labor opposes – despite MPs not even having a chance to read the legislation. Continue reading...

Viral message claims water has harmful tritium levels as country faces heatwaveAs France faces a scorching new heatwave this week, Paris authorities have urged residents to keep calm and carry on drinking tap water after rumours spread that the capital’s water supplies had been contaminated with harmful levels of the radioactive isotope tritium.The Paris region prefecture insisted the city’s tap water did not present any risk for public health and said rumours circulating on social media were “fake news”. Continue reading...

Journalists charged with trespassing after filming Frontline Action on Coal activists include Hugo ClémentFour journalists working for the public television network France 2 have been charged with trespassing for filming a protest near the Abbot Point coal terminal, in north Queensland, targeting the operations of the Adani group.The group of journalists includes Hugo Clément, a reporter well known in France for his documentaries about climate change and environmental issues. Continue reading...

Planned tax will make public more aware of climate harm caused by flying, ministers hopeAir passengers may have to pay an extra “carbon charge” on flights as part of a government initiative to reduce CO2 emissions and tackle the climate crisis.Passengers could choose to pay more for travel tickets, which would then be used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Or the scheme could work on an “opt-out” basis and also be applied to trains, buses and ferries. Continue reading...

Readers respond to the 50th anniversary of the moon landings and the future of space explorationMy husband and I felt a little discombobulated when we read “The moon was once a frontier. But new worlds now beckon” (Journal, 20 July).On the TV and in the press we are invited to get excited all over again about men landing on the moon 50 years ago. We are told that several incredibly rich men are now busy designing rockets to take equally rich folk on the trip of a lifetime. In the meantime, we are witnessing the despoliation of our own planet to such an extent that in a few decades it will not be fit for human habitation. It seems to us that we’ve so many grave problems to solve here on Earth that all our efforts should be devoted to protecting the marvellous world we live in for us and future generations.

Camden citizens’ proposals focus on housing, transport and green space

Trust says it is recovering 100 bikes a year – docked, dockless, even electric – in London aloneHundreds of dockless bikes are being dumped in canals and rivers and most operators should do more help clean up the mess, the body responsible for the UK’s waterways has complained.The Canal & River Trust said it was growing increasingly frustrated by the number of hire bikes abandoned in and beside its 2,000-mile network. It said more than 100 hire bikes a year were being thrown into canals in London alone. Continue reading...

Concerns over climate crisis growing among British public, poll findings revealProtecting the environment has overtaken affordable housing and the threat of terrorism in the British public’s policy priorities over the last eight months, polling has revealed.Polling by BritainThinks, commissioned by Engage Britain, found that concern about the climate crisis has risen at roughly the same rate for all age groups, and has emerged as the single most important issue for young people. It comes as the activist group Extinction Rebellion is due to stage another round of protests expected to bring parts of the country to a standstill. Continue reading...

In the choice between big chemical corporations and ordinary citizens, the Environmental Protection Agency has made clear where its allegiances lie

Schools should teach pupils gardening skills to instil a passion for the environment in future generations, says horticultural chiefFrom the water vole to the Scottish wildcat, the dwindling numbers of Britain’s most at-risk animals are well documented. But now the alarm bell is sounding over a rather more overlooked endangered species: green-fingered children.Young people are so rarely spotted in gardens across Britain nowadays that the Royal Horticultural Society is warning that the country is facing a green skills crisis unless more learn to garden. Continue reading...

Fair Bluff has already been hit by two hurricanes – but if another arrives this year, it could become one of the US’s first climate crisis ghost townsThe water slithered up while the people went to sleep. No text alerts. No sirens. Just the Lumber River, the color of black tea, carrying out its slow, silent ambush, creeping up to the steps of the Baptist church and the rototillers at the hardware store and the 99-cent greeting cards in the pharmacy.In her final hours in the home where she grew up, 55-year-old Bonnie Savage pulled a load of warm clothes from the dryer and folded them. She was hardly concerned about Hurricane Matthew. It had come ashore in South Carolina as a category 1 and was a tropical storm by the time it tumbled inland and into her hometown of Fair Bluff in eastern North Carolina. Continue reading...

Breakthrough means less pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions

Camden council officials say they intend to implement at least some of the panel’s ideasBritain’s first climate “citizens assembly” opened its final session on Saturday morning at which more than 50 Londoners will decide on carbon-cutting measures they want their district to enact in order to confront climate change.Camden’s Citizens Assembly, convened to interrogate what locals, neighbourhoods and the council can do for the environment, is deliberating action that would reduce fossil fuel usage in homes and public buildings and on roads. Continue reading...

As wildfires increase in intensity, how can farmers safeguard their animals – and their way of life?Two years after wildfires killed the pigs on his family farms in British Columbia, Scott Kellington is still coming to terms with the destruction.This particular fire had come from the north, its towering flames whipped into a terrible ferocity by strong winds and sustained by the 40C heat. After making sure his wife was evacuated, Kellington and his three sons stayed behind to try to save the neighbourhood homes and livestock. Continue reading...