Greens and conservationists warn it will be used by the Liberal National party to attack state Labor environment rulesThe Senate has approved a Liberal-backed inquiry into whether farming and poor water quality harm the Great Barrier Reef, interpreted as a bid to debate the claims of the controversial scientist Peter Ridd and discredit Queensland laws to protect the reef.The Greens and marine conservationists have warned the inquiry – due to report in October 2020 – will be used by the Queensland Liberal National party to attack the state Labor government, which is seeking land management changes and will be up for re-election in the same month. Continue reading...

New website asks Australians to record sightings of insect that is main food source of the mountain pygmy possum

Six whistleblowers and ex-government scientists describe how the Trump administration made them bury climate science – and why they won’t stay quietFrom weakening vehicle emissions to blocking warnings about how coastal parks could flood or the impact on the Arctic, the Trump administration is accused of muzzling climate science.Here six whistleblowers and former government scientists describe being sidelined by the administration – and why they won’t be quiet. Continue reading...

Criminals threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people, Human Rights Watch findsDeforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is a lucrative business largely driven by criminal networks that threaten and attack government officials, forest defenders and indigenous people who try to stop them, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.Rainforest Mafias concludes that Brazil’s failure to police these gangs threatens its abilities to meet its commitments under the Paris climate deal – such as eliminating illegal deforestation by 2030. It was published a week before the UN Climate Action Summit. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke and Amy Klobuchar to also miss the MSNBC event timed to align with global climate strikesFormer vice-president Joe Biden and the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, will miss an MSNBC forum on the climate crisis to be held in Washington later this week.The livestreamed event at Georgetown University, which will include hourlong interviews with presidential contenders on Thursday and Friday, is aimed at students and timed to align with global climate strikes inspired by young people. Continue reading...

ONS says rise is result of growing traffic as campaigners say car use must be curbedBritain’s greenhouse gas emissions from road transport have continued to grow since 1990 despite more efficient cars because traffic has increased by almost a third, according to government figures.Cutting emissions on Britain’s roads remains a significant challenge, according to the report from the Office for National Statistics, citing a 6% rise in greenhouse gases in the past three decades. Continue reading...

Voters continue to back Scott Morrison post-election and are still coming to terms with Anthony Albanese, survey showsA majority of Australians either approve of the medevac procedures, or think more needs to be done to protect the health and welfare of asylum seekers offshore, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.While the fortnightly survey of 1,093 respondents finds majority support (52%) for offshore detention, with 25% signalling strong support for Australia’s harsh deterrence framework – 41% of the survey thinks the medevac procedures strike a balance between strong borders and humane treatment for people in offshore detention, and 23% argue the legislation does not go far enough to provide humane treatment for people in offshore detention. Continue reading...

Government decision follows critics saying 2020 deadline had no chance of being metThe government has pushed back the deadline for its £13bn smart energy meter rollout by four years to 2024 after critics said the project had “no realistic prospect” of meeting its deadline.The government has bowed to pressure to extend the deadline after a damning report from the National Audit Office said households might be forced to pay £500m more than expected after a string of delays affecting the software underpinning the network. Continue reading...

Broadcaster will act as ambassador for government review into global costs and risks of habitat lossSir David Attenborough has agreed to become the public face of a landmark government study into biodiversity loss and its impact on the economy.The broadcaster and naturalist will act as an ambassador to promote the review around the world as the government attempts to demonstrate its determination to fight the climate emergency. Continue reading...

With Trump expected to skip the UN climate summit, the question will be: what’s possible if the most powerful nation is pulling away from action?

Inbreeding blamed as only 61 of 147 big cats survive after removal from tourist attraction

Frank Bainimarama wants the two countries to ‘unite behind the science’ of limiting global heating to 1.5CThe Fijian prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, has called on Australia to be “far more ambitious” in reducing greenhouse gases, linking the climate crisis to extreme weather events in the Pacific including drought and bushfires in Australia.On the final official day of his visit to Australia, Bainimarama nominated the “varied level of ambition when it comes to confronting the threat of climate change” as a key difference between the two countries and called for everyone to “unite behind the science” of limiting global heating to 1.5C. Continue reading...

Australia’s agricultural production will fall and food insecurity will rise without a climate strategy, report warnsNationals MPs have snubbed a farmers’ group launching a major climate change report that warns the Australian agricultural sector faces “significant threats to viability” without a new national climate strategy.The report, launched by the Farmers for Climate Action group at Parliament House on Monday, warns that agricultural production will fall, farm profits will decline and food insecurity will increase if the government does not come up with a cohesive national strategy on climate change and agriculture. Continue reading...

Territory government says it will phase out natural gas and pursue electrification of buses and private carsThe Australian Capital Territory plans to phase out natural gas, electrify its bus fleets and public school buildings, and introduce incentives for drivers who buy electric cars.The ACT government announced its climate strategy for 2019-25 on Monday, with several nation-first policies it said would further the territory’s “global leading climate efforts”. Continue reading...

NSW cabinet set to debate preventing irrigators from taking water from the Barwon-Darling river system during low-flow eventsThe New South Wales cabinet will this week consider whether to restrict irrigators in the Barwon-Darling from accessing water during low-flow events, as the drought in the west of the state deepens.A highly critical report by the independent NSW Natural Resources Commission a month ago described the Barwon-Darling as “an ecosystem in crisis” and warned that “the current cease-to-flow period is the longest since records began”. Continue reading...

Seventy-six-year-old suffered head injuries when he veered off a bike path and hit a fence post in WollongongA man has died of head injuries after he was startled by a magpie and crashed his bicycle in Wollongong.The 76-year-old was riding a pushbike on an off-road path alongside Nicholson Park at Woonona on Sunday morning when he veered off to avoid a swooping magpie, witnesses reported. Continue reading...

New survey finds almost 80% support CEOs having a say, but more than half believe when they do, it is out of self-interestAustralians overwhelmingly support business leaders speaking out on social and political issues, according to a new survey that conflicts with government efforts to paint such efforts as corporate kowtowing to “noisy elites”.However, the new survey, from the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (Ceda), also shows that when chief executives do speak out they are regarded as doing so out of self-interest. Continue reading...

Papua New Guinea out of pocket $157m from failed attempt at mining material from deep-sea vents as opponents point to environmental riskThe “total failure” of PNG’s controversial deep sea mining project Solwara 1 has spurred calls for a Pacific-wide moratorium on seabed mining for a decade.The company behind Solwara 1, Nautilus, has gone into administration, with major creditors seeking a restructure to recoup hundreds of millions sunk into the controversial project. Continue reading...

Readers give their views on what needs to be done to combat climate disaster and save the planetFiona Harvey is surely right when she says “adaptation alone won’t save us from climate disaster” (Journal, 12 September). She gives an apt metaphor that adaptation “while continuing to burn fossil fuels is like trying to mop up an overflowing sink while the taps are still running”, but she still talks of mechanisms for “better economic growth”.Political leaders worldwide need to recognise the causal connection between economic growth and global heating, manifest in fossil fuel consumption. To save the planet, fossil fuels need to stay underground – unused by the greed of humankind. Our energy must come from wind, wave, hydraulic and solar sources, but this will be insufficient to maintain many of our industries and, consequently, many jobs will be lost. Continue reading...

The Guardian joins the Nation and Columbia Journalism Review in launching a new partnership among more than 250 news organizations to improve coverage of the climate crisisHundreds of newsrooms around the world are banding together this week to commit their pages and air time to what may be the most consequential story of our time: the climate emergency.As world leaders descend on New York for the UN Climate Action Summit on 23 September – and millions of activists prepare for a global climate strike on 20 September – the media partnership Covering Climate Now is launching its first large-scale collaboration to increase climate coverage in the global media and focus public attention on this emergency. Continue reading...

Latest data ‘not released until Defra announced 60,000 animals would be killed in 2019’Tuberculosis levels in cattle have risen in the original two areas of the country where the badger cull has been piloted over the past five years, raising questions about the merit of expanding the scheme.The figures are confirmed in official data quietly released last week as the government announced plans to expand the controversial cull in England, which campaigners say could see more than 60,000 badgers killed this year. Continue reading...

Environmental organizations say ‘very concerning’ move could open floodgates for importing other endangered speciesThe Trump administration has authorized a Florida man to bring back the “skin, skull, teeth and claws” of a lion he hunted in Tanzania, granting the first permit to import a lion from that country since the species gained protection under the US Endangered Species Act.Environmental organizations say the move could open the floodgates for importing other endangered species such as lions and rhinos. A freedom of information request made public by the US Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) also revealed that the hunter, Carl Atkinson, was represented by lawyer John Jackson III, who is also a member of the Trump administration’s International Wildlife Conservation Council, a controversial advisory board that promotes trophy hunting. Continue reading...

WaterNSW warns without significant rain, Macquarie River will run dry, wiping out supply to Dubbo, Cobar, Nyngan and NarromineParts of regional New South Wales could run out of water as early as November with data showing the worst-case scenario for the state if there’s no rain or government intervention.The projections from NSW’s river operator and bulk water supplier WaterNSW show without significant rain the first towns to lose water supply will be Dubbo, Cobar, Nyngan and Narromine with the Macquarie River forecast to run dry by November. Continue reading...

Firefighters use cooler conditions to backburn before danger set to pick up in coming daysFirefighters in New South Wales are taking advantage of cooler conditions to undertake backburning operations, with hotter and windier conditions expected next week.Fire conditions eased again over the weekend in northern NSW, where residents had been told it was too late to leave after a bushfire jumped a highway. Continue reading...

Group said that Roger Hallam had been apprehended for the second time in three daysOne of Extinction Rebellion’s co-founders has been arrested for the second time in three days after trying to fly a drone near Heathrow Airport during an environmental protest, the group said.Roger Hallam was detained on Saturday while attempting to disrupt flights at Britain’s busiest airport with the device. Continue reading...

The climate protesters had promised to shut down the Princes Bridge near Flinders Street station from middayClimate protesters have blockaded a bridge in central Melbourne with police moving in and arresting multiple people.Organisers from the Extinction Rebellion movement promised to shut down the Princes Bridge near Flinders Street station from midday. Continue reading...

Proposed legislation in California would commit to 75% reduction in plastic waste by 2030, and phase out most single-use packagingThe most ambitious US legislation to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution choking up oceans and piling up in landfills could pass in California Friday – or end up in the dustbin of history. Lawmakers are likely to vote on proposals that aim to phase out most single-use plastic packaging within the next decade.The two identical bills – one introduced in the state assembly and one in the senate – commit to a 75% reduction in plastic statewide within 10 years. If passed into law, they would require manufacturers to ensure that all single-use packaging produced, sold and distributed in California is fully recyclable or compostable by 2030. Companies that fail to comply could face up to $50,000 a day in fines. Continue reading...

Young activists rallied in protest of inadequate government action on the climate crisis, chanting: ‘Protect our future’

Protesters to hold fashion funeral in demand for industry to take climate crisis seriouslyNot long ago, high drama at London fashion week meant a battle over hemlines or between designer egos. But as the climate crisis challenges fashion’s fundamental viability as an industry, the stakes, and tempers, have been raised.Hours before the first catwalk show of the five-day run, the climate campaign group Extinction Rebellion staged a “die-in” outside the central London venue, throwing buckets of fake blood to symbolise how “business as usual” for fashion and other industries is leading toward the extinction of life on earth. The group is calling for the industry to be “cancelled” and is planning continued disruption to fashion week, culminating in a “funeral procession for fashion” to be staged on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

Flights operate as normal after climate activists ‘blocked by signal-jamming technology’Twelve people have been arrested over a drone protest at Heathrow that activists say will continue over the weekend.Protesters from a group called Heathrow Pause failed to cause disruption at the airport, but say the action highlights the devastating role air travel plays in the escalating climate emergency. Continue reading...

Noise and pollution would threaten thousands of animals in Richmond Park, group saysThe impact of thousands of newly routed flights over Richmond Park has been almost completely ignored in Heathrow airport’s environmental impact report on its plans for a third runway, campaigners have said.As the consultation on Heathrow’s expansion approached closure on Friday, environmental campaigners said the effect of the expansion on the biodiversity, tranquility and environment on the park had yet to be properly addressed. Continue reading...

‘Plant-based Valley’ could help lead consumers’ transition from ‘cattle culture diet’Climate activists have welcomed the launch in the Northumberland countryside of a “vegan Silicon Valley”, which is aimed at helping to fight climate change.The 55-acre site, the brainchild of the entrepreneur Heather Mills, will offer manufacturing, storage and business space exclusively to vegan entrepreneurs and plant-based businesses. Continue reading...

Worldwide commission aims to end energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia by driving investment in new technologyElectricity could be delivered to more than a billion people currently living without it within a decade by linking up small-scale projects into a giant, environmentally-friendly network.According to a new global commission, advances in micro energy grids and renewable energy technologies could “dramatically accelerate change” and transform lives in rural areas of sub-Saharan African and south Asia. Continue reading...

Exclusive: independent review will add to disagreements between Liberals and Nationals over environmental issuesA highly secret government-commissioned review into skyrocketing rates of clearing of native vegetation for farming in New South Wales has been completed and is likely to add to simmering tensions between the Liberals and Nationals within cabinet.The review, which was triggered when land clearing exceeded 20,000 hectares in less than a year, has been undertaken by the NSW Natural Resources Commission, an independent body, and is soon to be considered by cabinet. Continue reading...

Telethon asking viewers to give £2.4m for forests project to help tackle climate crisisPeople in Denmark will be able to “plant trees” from the comfort of their sofa in what is believed to be the world’s first TV fundraiser for forests.On Saturday the national broadcaster TV2 will air Denmark Plants Trees, a two-and-a-half hour live benefit event which will ask viewers to donate funds to plant 1m trees across the country. Continue reading...

Paul Thomas Anderson’s tragic parable of society’s addiction to oil, fuelled by a zealous Daniel Day-Lewis, is a burning indictment of male aggression and an apocalyptic warningThe title is a prophecy, a warning, or a vengeful supernatural pronouncement. Paul Thomas Anderson’s strange masterpiece, freely adapted by him from Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil!, is a tragic parable of man’s dependence on this commodity: formerly the lubricant of commercial triumph and technological innovation, and now the dwindling lifeblood of our material prosperity, the unacknowledged driving force of our military conflicts, and even the cause of a coming ecological catastrophe. That dark title threatens a calamity now visible on the horizon: destruction of the Earth itself. And it is all inscribed in the story of the movie’s leading character, a man with the Bunyanesque name of Daniel Plainview.Related: 'An account of how insane we once were' – Paul Thomas Anderson on There Will Be Blood Continue reading...

Numbers of top five species up on last year while small tortoiseshell moves northIt has been a painted lady summer. Nearly half a million of the migratory creatures were counted in British parks and gardens as part of the biggest butterfly survey in the world.The painted lady topped the charts of the annual Big Butterfly Count with 420,841 recorded during high summer after their first big influx on British shores in a decade. Continue reading...

Wall will traverse the entirety of the southern edge of the Organ Pipe Cactus national monument, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the USConstruction of a 30ft-high section of Donald Trump’s border barrier has begun in the Organ Pipe Cactus national monument in southern Arizona, a federally protected wilderness area and Unesco-recognized international biosphere reserve.In the face of protests by environmental groups, the wall will traverse the entirety of the southern edge of the monument. It is part of the 175 miles of barrier expansion along the US-Mexico border being funded by the controversial diversion of $3.6bn from military construction projects. Continue reading...

The Bureau of Land Management will offer leases to the 1.6m-acre coastal plain which is home to threatened polar bearsThe Trump administration is finalizing plans to allow oil and gas drilling in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that has been protected for decades.The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will offer leases on essentially the entire 1.6m-acre coastal plain, which includes places where threatened polar bears have dens and porcupine caribou visit for calving. Drilling operations are expected to be problematic for Indigenous populations, many of which rely on subsistence hunting and fishing. Continue reading...

Environmental advocates say millions will be left with less safe drinking water as activists plan court challengeThe Trump administration has revoked an Obama-era regulation that shielded many US wetlands and streams from pollution but was opposed by developers and farmers who said it hurt economic development and infringed on property rights.Environmental groups criticized the administration’s action on Thursday, the latest in a series of moves to roll back environmental protections put into place when Barack Obama was president. Continue reading...

High levels of mercury and banned industrial fluids, found in blubber and skin, can impact reproductionBottlenose dolphins in the Channel have been found to carry a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals in their bodies, some of which have been banned for decades and which may be harming the marine mammals’ health, scientists have said.Belgian and French scientists said they detected high accumulations of industrial fluids and mercury in the blubber and skin of dolphins in the waters off the north-west coast of France. Continue reading...

The planet has gone too far, says CEO Marco Bizzarri, as he outlines greener strategyAs the fashion industry continues to address its role in the climate crisis, Italy’s most valuable luxury brand has said it has become an entirely carbon neutral company.Gucci outlined its strategy on Thursday, which stretches from its supply chain to its fashion shows and comprises a mixture of reduction, elimination and offsetting what it calls “unavoidable emissions”. Continue reading...

West Africa and Congo basin are hotspots for forest loss but receive lower global attention

Chance of ending deforestation by 2030 seems lower than when pledge was made five years ago

Government agrees to examine impact of shooting industry’s release of 50m non-native birdsThe annual release of more than 50 million non-native game birds into the countryside with no environmental assessment is to be reviewed by the government after campaigners announced a legal challenge.Chris Packham, Mark Avery and Ruth Tingay, of the campaign group Wild Justice, argued that the massive and unregulated increase in the number of pheasants and red-legged partridges put into the British countryside for shooting each year – up from 4 million in the early 1970s – contravened the EU habitats directive. Continue reading...

David Littleproud’s comments to parliament entirely at odds with earlier statement to Guardian AustraliaAustralia’s minister responsible for drought and natural disasters, David Littleproud, now says he accepts the science on manmade climate change, and “[I] always have”.Littleproud’s comments to the House of Representatives on Thursday were entirely at odds with a written statement he made to Guardian Australia on Tuesday. In response to questions, Littleproud said: “I don’t know if climate change is man-made.” Continue reading...

Clean Up Britain patron criticises ‘utterly useless’ ministers and ‘even more useless’ Keep Britain TidyBritain is a nation of litter louts and government efforts to tackle “the soul-destroying problem” are “utterly useless”, according to Jeremy Paxman, patron of the Clean Up Britain group.Polluters, such as the makers of chewing gum and cigarettes, should be made to pay for a national campaign to change peoples’ behaviour, he will tell the UK’s largest waste and recycling conference on Thursday. The aim is to make littering as unacceptable as drunk driving, he says. Continue reading...

Shinjiro Koizumi says: ‘We will be doomed if we allow another accident to occur’Japan’s new environment minister has called for the country’s nuclear reactors to be scrapped to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.Shinjiro Koizumi’s comments, made hours after he became Japan’s third-youngest cabinet minister since the war, could set him on a collision course with Japan’s pro-nuclear prime minister, Shinzo Abe. Continue reading...