Climate emergency and population growth blamed for deteriorating water quality, with ‘cocktail of chemicals’ changing as countries become richerThe planet is facing a mounting and “invisible” water pollution crisis, according to a hard-hitting World Bank report, which claims the issue is responsible for a one-third reduction in potential economic growth in the most heavily affected areas.The study, which assembled the world’s largest database of water pollution, assesses how a combination of bacteria, sewage, chemicals and plastics suck oxygen from water supplies and transform water into poison for people and ecosystems. Continue reading...

Supermarket giant is the latest in a series of companies that have turned to renewable energy to reduce power billsSupermarket giant Coles has signed a long-term contract to get electricity from three new solar farms, the latest in a series of companies that have turned to renewable energy to lower power bills.It comes as a group of 41 retailers and businesses including Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Ikea and JB Hi-Fi plan an unprecedented joint electricity purchase in a bid to reduce costs. Continue reading...

The president’s daughter shared photos of a vacation in Wyoming, causing blowback over her father’s poor environmental recordIvanka Trump shared a series of pictures on social media over the weekend of herself, husband Jared Kushner and their children availing themselves of the natural wonders of Wyoming.“Love. Wonder. Wander. Repeat,” the president’s daughter and adviser captioned in one photo, in front of a painterly backdrop. Continue reading...

University of Nottingham says new techniques give lower estimate than in 2013 reportThe UK’s underground shale gas reserves may deliver only a fraction of the gas promised by fracking firms and government ministers, according to a study.Research by the University of Nottingham found that early estimates may have exaggerated the UK’s shale reserves up to sixfold. Continue reading...

EDF Energy is expected to restart reactor a year after it was shut down over safety concernsBritain’s nuclear watchdog has agreed to allow one of the country’s oldest nuclear reactors to restart, one year after it was shut down to investigate cracks in its graphite core.EDF Energy is expected to restart reactor 4 at its 40-year-old Hunterston B nuclear plant within weeks after the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said the plant was safe. Continue reading...

Monitoring stations ceased transmitting data two days after the 8 August blastRussia has told international nuclear test ban monitors that it does not have to share information on the blast that caused a brief spike in radiation levels in Arkhangelsk region, bolstering speculation that Russia may have tampered with monitoring stations that failed to transmit scientific data after the accident.Two Russian-operated monitoring stations for the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty ceased transmitting data two days after the 8 August blast, when a projected radioactive plume from the deadly accident would be expected to reach them. Continue reading...

Senate inquiry hears that major threats to wildlife are not being recognised because of environment department budget cutsAustralia is taking at least six years to list habitats as threatened under national environment laws, an inquiry examining the country’s extinction crisis has heard.The Humane Society International (HSI) also said that potential major threats to Australia’s wildlife are going unexamined because “we’re not even spending the meagre funds required” to look into them. Continue reading...

From power cuts to infrastructure failure, the impact of climate change on US cities will be huge – but many are already innovating to adaptBetween record heat and rain, this summer’s weather patterns have indicated, once again, that the climate is changing.US cities, where more than 80% of the nation’s population lives, are disproportionately hit by these changes, not only because of their huge populations but because of their existing – often inadequate – infrastructure. Continue reading...

Despite huge profit, BHP’s Andrew Mackenzie is cautious on global outlookThe rise of nationalism and governments that interfere in markets pose a threat to the global economic system, the boss of BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, has warned.Despite announcing a 124% rise in profits to $US8.31bn (£6.84bn), helped by booming iron ore sales to China, Andrew Mackenzie said on Tuesday that there were “a number of things abroad” that were causing concern for the Anglo-Australian behemoth. Continue reading...

Crackdown includes new laws that make it illegal to possess a device used for locking on, and comes as Extinction Rebellion ramps up activitiesQueensland police will be given new powers to search suspected climate change protesters, as the state government attempts to crack down on an escalating campaign of civil disobedience.Extinction Rebellion protesters have regularly disrupted traffic in the Brisbane CBD. They have indicated those stoppages would escalate in the coming months. Other groups have attempted to stop the operations of mining companies, contractors and coal freight networks across the state. Continue reading...

Singer reveals he paid for a flight for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son ArchieSir Elton John has defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over their use of private jets, revealing that he had paid for a flight for them and their son Archie to “maintain a high level of much-needed protection”.The singer hit back at what he called “these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character”, after Prince Harry and Meghan faced mounting criticism for reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days, rather than opting for commercial flights, despite speaking out on environmental issues. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Continue reading...

Plan to prevent 5,000 primates being caged in UK comes ahead of possible general electionA total ban on keeping monkeys as pets would be brought in under a Labour government to stop up to 5,000 primates being kept in cages in the UK.Labour announced it would make it illegal to train or keep marmosets, capuchins, squirrel monkeys and lemurs, as the political parties begin to set out their policies ahead of a possible general election this autumn. Continue reading...

Environmental groups called deaths of wolves that had killed or wounded cows since 2018 ‘unbelievably tragic’

Couple in hot water as Italian authorities get tough on issue blighting island for yearsA pair of French tourists could face up to six years in jail after allegedly stealing 40kg (6st 3lbs) of sand from one of Sardinia’s pristine beaches.Border police found the white sand, taken from Chia beach in the south of the Italian island, stashed into 14 large plastic bottles in the boot of the couple’s car. The pair were about to board a ferry for Toulon, in southern France, from Porto Torres. Continue reading...

Conservation groups split on impact of move agreed at international wildlife summitSouth Africa has won permission to almost double the number of black rhinos that can be killed as trophies after arguing the money raised will support conservation of the critically endangered species.The decision was made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after receiving support from some African nations and opposition from others. Continue reading...

National Farmers’ Union says only farms in south-east England able to start harvestAugust’s wet weather has brought this year’s wheat harvest to a “shuddering halt”, the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union has said.Guy Smith said farmers outside the south-east of England had been left unable start their harvest their crop because of heavy rainfall this month. Continue reading...

Campaigners call for stiffer penalties after Alan Wilson given community sentenceA sheriff has criticised Scotland’s weak wildlife crime laws after a gamekeeper convicted of killing protected birds of prey and mammals avoided a prison term.Alan Wilson, 60, pleaded guilty in July to shooting and trapping badgers, an otter, goshawks and buzzards and installing 23 illegal snares in a small wood on a grouse- and pheasant-shooting estate at Longformacus near Duns. Continue reading...

National Trust for Scotland says fish farm could harm the environment and economyThe National Trust for Scotland has warned that a large salmon farm beside the Hebridean island of Canna could destroy the island’s culture and wildlife.The trust, Scotland’s largest heritage charity, said the proposed fish farm posed unacceptable risks to the sea and the birdlife around the tiny island, and would put its booming tourism economy under great strain. Continue reading...

Coal-fired stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and NSW’s Lake Macquarie region among biggest hotspots for deadly sulphur dioxide, report findsPower stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and New South Wales’s Lake Macquarie region have been named on a list of the world’s biggest hotspots for toxic air pollution.A new report by Greenpeace, published on Monday, used satellite data published by Nasa to analyse the world’s worst sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution, an irritant gas known to affect human health and one of the main pollutants contributing to deaths from air pollution worldwide. Continue reading...

Researchers say eradication of feral cats is required to reduce the prevalence of the parasite and the diseaseFeral cats are not just predators that kill large numbers of Australian wildlife, they may also be spreading parasitic disease to native animal species, according to new research analysing the impact of cat populations in South Australia.The study, published in the journal Wildlife Research, examined Toxoplasma gondii (T gondii), a cat-borne parasite that can cause the disease Toxoplasmosis in a range of species. Continue reading...

Australia Institute says claim Australia is only responsible for 1.2% of emissions hides real contribution to climate crisisAustralia’s role as a leader in the global fossil fuel trade is underscored by a report that finds it is the world’s third biggest exporter and fifth biggest miner of fossil-related emissions.While political debate sometimes emphasises that Australia is responsible for 1.2% of global emissions at home, the analysis by progressive thinktank the Australia Institute says it trails only Russia and Saudi Arabia in exporting fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Climate activist is four days into a two-week journey on solar-powered yachtFour days into its two-week Atlantic crossing, the solar-powered yacht carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg is becalmed in the ocean after a choppy start to the trip, still 2,500 nautical miles from New York.In an update posted to Twitter around midday on Saturday, the 16-year-old said she was eating and sleeping well and had no sea sickness so far. Continue reading...

Number of flights taken by BEIS staff rises to 4,500 from 2,700 in previous year despite carbon footprintThe Whitehall officials responsible for tackling the climate crisis dramatically increased their domestic flights last year despite the huge carbon footprint associated with aviation.Officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) took more than 4,500 domestic business flights in the last financial year, according to its annual report. The number of flights taken the year before was fewer than 2,700. Continue reading...

Things are not under control when it comes to Australia meeting our Paris target, even if Scott Morrison wants us to believe thatWe’ll get to climate, and the rumble in the Pacific, but I want to begin closer to home. It’s been a busy news week, so you might have missed an excellent story from my colleague Adam Morton on Tuesday revealing that a coalmine in Queensland has nearly doubled its greenhouse gas emissions in two years without penalty under a Morrison government mechanism that is supposed to impose limits on industrial pollution.According to documents released under freedom of information laws, mining company Anglo American was given the green light under the safeguards mechanism to increase its emissions by about 1m tonnes at its Moranbah North mine, in central Queensland. The case study matters, because it helps us separate spin from substance. Continue reading...

Endangered bonobo, migrating storks and one of the world’s biggest raptors

Compostable bowls are considered eco-friendly, but they are covered in chemicals that persist indefinitely and are linked to troubling health effectsFor years, disposable bowls have been a stalwart ally of the fast-casual restaurant. Beige, earthy-looking and made from molded plant fibers, these receptacles appear less wasteful than single-use plastic, lending an aura of social responsibility to the eateries that use them. Some varieties are even certified compostable, which means they’re guaranteed to break down in commercial composting facilities, if not the backyard leaf pile. And while only a few chains actually run composting programs, these bowls still feel lighter-touch somehow – even when they’re simply shipped to the landfill. They suggest a higher-minded way of eating, one based on a form of packaging that’s almost as ephemeral as our encounters with it.But fast-casual bowls have a troubling secret: virtually all of them contain worrisome chemicals that never biodegrade, polluting soil, water and our bodies in the process. The truth is that, though you might only handle your salad bowl for five minutes, traces of it will stick around in the environment for ever. Continue reading...

Australia’s regional and global influence will not grow unless we are fair dinkum about acting on climate changeAs the Pacific Islands Forum comes to an end, Australia has yet again been shamed on a global stage for our inaction on climate change. The forum was held in Tuvalu, one of the lowest lying islands on Earth, where the effects of sea level rise are already being seen. For Tuvalu, a global commitment to limiting climate change to 1.5C is literally a question of survival.By doing everything he could to water down the forum communique’s climate language, the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, refused to listen to the words of Tuvalu’s prime minister, Enele Sopoaga, when he urged leaders to focus on “survival, not saving the economies of countries”. Continue reading...

As UK rents rise and online retailers eat into their margins, shops struggle to surviveIn the early 1930s a young William Laker would cycle the 50-odd miles from his home in Kent to Crystal Palace in south London to visit the woman who would, half a century later, become my grandmother.There is every chance Grandpa would have popped into the small bike shop at 3&5 Central Hill in Crystal Palace. That very shop remained open for about 97 years, serving generations of cyclists, but in July the current custodian of what is now called Blue Door Bicycles, David Hibbs, announced it is to close its door for good. Continue reading...

Recent mass shootings have been linked to ‘eco-xenophobia’ – part of a tradition that dates to America’s first conservationistsThe environmentalist, white nationalist, and influential anti-immigration activist John Tanton died less than three weeks before the El Paso shooting. Tanton lived to see his movement shape much of modern US immigration policy, but not this latest violent turn.A hate-filled document allegedly linked to the man suspected of killing 22 people in El Paso on 3 August echoed the kind of rhetoric generally favored by the far right – and also had a decidedly environmentalist, Tanton-like bent. The document praised the Dr Seuss character the Lorax, who says he speaks for the trees, and complained about the unsustainable overuse of paper towels. It concluded that the best course of environmental action would be mass murder. Continue reading...

Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison came under fire from Tuvalu’s leader Enele SopoagaCritical talks at the Pacific Islands Forum almost collapsed twice amid “fierce” clashes between the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, and Tuvalu’s prime minister, Enele Sopoaga, over Australia’s “red lines” on climate change.Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s foreign minister, who was part of the drafting committee of the forum communique and observed the leaders’ retreat, said there was heated discussion over the Australian delegation’s insistence on the removal of references to coal, setting a target of limiting global warming to below 1.5C and announcing a strategy for zero emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

The poison-filled traps are used by the federal government to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals for farmers and ranchersAfter sustained public outcry, the Trump administration has voided its decision to reauthorize controversial cyanide traps for killing wildlife.The traps, which are known as M-44s and dubbed “cyanide bombs” by critics, are spring-loaded devices that emit a spray of sodium cyanide to kill their targets. The traps are most frequently used by Wildlife Services, a little-known federal agency inside the United States Department of Agriculture, to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals at the behest of private agriculture operators. Continue reading...

Australia PM says radio host ‘way out of line’ for comments about New Zealand leaderScott Morrison has said the radio presenter Alan Jones was “way out of line” for saying the Australian prime minister should “shove a sock down the throat” of his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern.Speaking after a 12-hour meeting with other leaders of Pacific countries in Tuvalu on Thursday, Morrison said: “The comment has been relayed to me; on what’s been reported to me, I find that very disappointing and of course that’s way out of line. Continue reading...

Environment groups fear possibly ‘weakened’ earthquake risk rules after report on Cuadrilla drillingEnvironmental groups have voiced fears that the government is preparing to row back on fracking regulations after officials said they were considering reviewing earthquake safeguard rules.The limits affecting shale gas fracking are strongly contested by the industry because they bring an immediate halt to fracking if even a minor tremor of 0.5 on the Richter scale is recorded. Continue reading...

Forum’s chair describes leaders’ 12 hours of talks as ‘very, very tough struggle’Australia stands in opposition to other Pacific Islands nations after distancing itself from language calling for urgent action on climate change at a regional meeting in Tuvalu.Eighteen leaders including Australia’s Scott Morrison, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama met for almost 12 hours at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), and its chair, Enele Sopoaga, the Tuvaluan prime minister, described the talks as “a very, very tough, difficult struggle”. Continue reading...

Underland was the author’s fourth work to be shortlisted, and judges decided unanimously that the ‘claustrophobic thriller of sorts’ was his bestAfter making the shortlist for the UK’s top nature-writing award three times, Robert Macfarlane has finally won the Wainwright Golden Beer book prize for what judges called his “best book”: a journey into the worlds beneath our feet, Underland.Related: Underland by Robert Macfarlane review – a dazzling journey into deep time Continue reading...

To protect itself from destructive flooding, the city has built a park designed to store and recycle rainwaterIn Alicante it never rains but it pours. The city in southeast Spain goes without rain for months on end, but when it comes it’s torrential, bringing destructive and sometimes fatal flooding.Or at least, it used to. In San Juan, a low-lying area of the city, authorities have built a new park with a twist. Called La Marjal, it serves as a typical recreation area and a nature reserve – but its primary purpose is to store, and then recycle, rainwater. Continue reading...

MPs, celebrities and academics criticise ‘disgraceful’ comment by Brexit backerArron Banks has been criticised after he appeared to wish harm upon Greta Thunberg as the 16-year-old activist set sail across the Atlantic in a solar-powered yacht on a zero-carbon two-week voyage.The controversial Brexit backer warned the teenager that “freak yachting accidents do happen in August” as he responded to a tweet by Green party MP Caroline Lucas who said Thunberg was carrying “the vital message to the UN that time is running out to address the climate emergency”. Continue reading...

Sources say Canberra has softened language, getting rid of all but one reference to coalAustralia has succeeded in removing all but one reference to coal on the draft communique of the Pacific Islands Forum, and is expected to be able to get that removed on Thursday as Pacific leaders including Scott Morrison meet to debate the text.Sources familiar with the negotiations on the communique, which is used for regional policy making, told Guardian Australia that Australia has been working hard during negotiations to soften the language on climate change and has succeeded in many mentions. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Speaking tour by controversial academic Peter Ridd is being supported by sugarcane managers paid for with Queensland government funds

Exclusive: Business case, which NSW government fought to keep secret, shows water security was not primary motivation for pipelineA business case for the controversial $500m Broken Hill pipeline, released after a three-year battle, reveals the New South Wales government made almost no effort to evaluate the impacts of the pipeline on the lower Darling and instead put weight on how the pipeline would help the cotton industry upstream and mining ventures along the pipeline route.The 2016 report, which had been kept secret until this week, will add to pressure on the government to respond to the findings of the Natural Resources Commission that water-sharing rules for the Barwon-Darling system in northern NSW are responsible for the environmental catastrophe at Menindee and a drought three years early in the lower Darling. Continue reading...

Discovery of pollution in snowfall from the Arctic to the Alps leads to call for urgent research on potential human health impactsAbundant levels of microplastic pollution have been found in snow from the Arctic to the Alps, according to a study that has prompted scientists to warn of significant contamination of the atmosphere and demand urgent research into the potential health impacts on people.Snow captures particles from the air as it falls and samples from ice floes on the ocean between Greenland and Svalbard contained an average of 1,760 microplastic particles per litre, the research found. Even more – 24,600 per litre on average – were found at European locations. The work shows transport by winds is a key factor in microplastics contamination across the globe. Continue reading...

Let’s go for an expansive renewable energy system, backed up with energy efficiency and energy storage, says David Blackburn. Plus Mike Ellwood on the integral fast reactor, and John Barstow on the case for keeping coal as a backupYour article on Hinkley Point C outlines the rising costs, long delays and the mental health crisis among the employees building this new nuclear power station (Report, 14 August). The article suggests the much-delayed project may be delivered around 2025-6. But even this assessment should be treated with real caution. An identical reactor being built at Flamanville in France, which was started in 2007, was supposed to open in 2012. The French nuclear regulator has now sought more work on faulty welds across the reactor, meaning another three-year delay until 2022, ie 15 years after construction began. The additional costs of building this reactor will burden EDF further and inevitably impact on Hinkley Point C. I agree with the National Infrastructure Commission that the costs and delays to new nuclear are such that the UK has to refocus on more deliverable and cheaper renewable energies. Across the board these are being delivered now and we simply do not have the time to wait for new nuclear to come forward. Let’s go for an expansive renewable energy system, backed up with energy efficiency and energy storage. The climate emergency is too pressing to take our time with such endeavours.

Researchers say boom in shale oil and gas major contributor to climate emergencyThe boom in the US shale gas and oil may have ignited a significant global spike in methane emissions blamed for accelerating the pace of the climate crisis, according to research.Scientists at Cornell University have found the “chemical fingerprints” of the rising global methane levels point to shale oil and shale gas as the probable source. Continue reading...

As England’s pheasant egg imports double in three years, campaigners condemn lack of laws regulating rearing and breeding for shooting industryPheasants whose chicks are destined to be shot in the UK are having their septums pierced in order to attach plastic masks to their beaks, according to an undercover film released by activists this week. The method of restraint is illegal in the UK.The video, shot on a farm in Poland, also appears to show the birds being fitted with “breeding aids” and confined in small boxes to repetitively mate. The farm exports ready-to-hatch eggs to the UK for eventual shooting. Animal rights campaigners renewed calls for an end to the “factory farming” of game birds. Continue reading...

New Zealand prime minister warns Scott Morrison about Canberra’s stance but refuses to call for Australia to transition out of coalJacinda Ardern has declared that “Australia has to answer to the Pacific” on climate change, saying that New Zealand is doing what it can to limit global emissions to 1.5C and expects other nations to do the same.

Analysts say Kyoto credits being used to back out of promised cuts as Tuvalu’s PM calls Australia’s $500m pledge an immoral ploy to quell debateAustralia has been accused of using a loophole to back out of a promised emissions cut nearly eight times greater than the combined annual fossil fuel pollution released by the rest of the Pacific.The prime minister, Scott Morrison, arrived in Tuvalu for the Pacific Islands Forum on Wednesday, facing calls that he take steps to quickly reverse Australia’s rising greenhouse gas emissions, including moving away from coal. Continue reading...

Indigenous custodians say document looking at impact of flooding parts of Blue Mountains is hard to followTraditional owners say they have not been given enough time to assess the cultural heritage impact of a plan to raise the wall of Warragamba dam and flood world heritage-listed areas of the Blue Mountains, as two local mayors demand that a state government representative faces community concerns at a public meeting this Friday.The New South Wales government wants to raise the dam wall by at least 14 metres to reduce flood risks to western Sydney suburbs downstream. But green groups, Aboriginal traditional owners and Unesco are against the proposal, with the world heritage committee announcing last month that it was “likely to have an impact on the outstanding universal value” of the area. Continue reading...

Tuvalu PM says no amount of funding makes up for Australia’s failure to cut emissionsThe scene has been set for tense discussions in Tuvalu as Scott Morrison arrives on Wednesday, after his announcement of $500m in climate funding for the Pacific fell flat, with regional leaders saying that no matter how much money Australia put forward there was no excuse for not reducing emissions and closing coalmines.Though the Australian prime minister was not present for the start of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting on Tuesday, his country’s presence at the forum has already been strongly felt, with Pacific leaders pointedly calling for Australia to transition rapidly away from coal use. Continue reading...

New government analysis on electric vehicles suggests Labor’s election policy was not out of step with path country is already on