Environment | The Guardian

Seven protesters arrested between November 2016 and February 2017 win £24,300 from South Yorkshire policeCampaigners who were wrongfully detained while protesting against tree felling in Sheffield have been given a £24,300 payout by South Yorkshire police.The seven protesters were arrested between November 2016 and February 2017 and detained for up to nine hours under an obscure trade union law that was incorrectly used, the police watchdog found last year. Continue reading...

Scott Morrison is trying to scare people about franking credits but seems blithely unaware people are already scared – about climate changeAs I write this, fire is 500 metres from the largest King Billy pine forest in the world on Mt Bobs, an ancient forest that dates back to the last Ice Age and has trees over 1,000 years old. Fire has broached the boundaries of Mt Field national park with its glorious alpine vegetation, unlike anything on the planet. Fire laps at the edges of Federation Peak, Australia’s grandest mountain, and around the base of Mt Anne with its exquisite rainforest and alpine gardens. Fire laps at the border of the Walls of Jerusalem national park with its labyrinthine landscapes of tarns and iconic stands of ancient pencil pine and its beautiful alpine landscape, ecosystems described by their most eminent scholar, the ecologist Prof Jamie Kirkpatrick, as “like the vision of a Japanese garden made more complex, and developed in paradise, in amongst this gothic scenery”.“You have plants that look like rocks – green rocks – and these plants have different colours in complicated mosaics: red-green, blue-green, yellow-green, all together. It’s an overwhelming sensual experience really.” Continue reading...

Improving the quality of high sulphur fuel could offer 5% improvement on CO2 emissions ‘overnight’Australia’s cheap, dirty petrol ranks among the worst of the OECD nations, yet the peak industry body representing Australian petrol refiners has rejected the criticism, saying the industry should be given until 2027 to adjust to stricter regulations.Paul Barrett, the chief executive of the Australian Institute of Petroleum, hit back at critics who have described Australian petrol as low quality thanks to its sulphur content. Continue reading...

Exposure to particulate matter and ozone highest in poor eastern European states, says studyEurope’s poorest, least educated and most jobless regions are bearing the brunt of the air pollution crisis, according to the first official stocktake of its kind.Nearly half of London’s most deprived neighbourhoods exceeded EU nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limits in 2017 compared with 2% of its wealthiest areas. Continue reading...

Ministers are playing politics with the country’s future, says Ineos boss Sir Jim RatcliffeThe UK’s richest person has launched an attack on the government’s fracking rules, accusing ministers of policies that will cause an “energy crisis” and “irreparable damage” to the economy.Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of petrochemicals firm Ineos, pledged four years ago to start a UK fracking revolution but the company has been bogged down in planning battles and is yet to drill or frack a single well. Continue reading...

Off-road drivers and vandals damaged the fragile ecosystem, prompting fears it could take ‘300 years’ to bounce backAs Ethan Peck’s boots crunch through the desert sands, he stops to point out tracks on the side of the trail: not coyote or other wildlife, but dog prints. “It’s just sad that people would do this,” says Peck, who owns Joshua Tree Adventures and has lived in the area for seven years. “You’re not allowed to hike with your dog [off-leash] in any national park.”Related: Joshua Tree national park 'may take 300 years to recover' from shutdown Continue reading...

Firm hopes to build scheme within six years after ministers rejected it for being too costlyThe backers of a pioneering project to harness energy from the tides off the Welsh coast have rebooted the scheme and believe they can build it without the help of government.With the recent failure of two major nuclear projects, attention has turned to alternatives to fill the low-carbon power gap, with developers of windfarms and small nuclear plants among those vying for government support. Continue reading...

Scientists say effects of global warming on ‘phytoplankton’ will intensify the coloursThe blues and greens of the ocean will become even bluer and greener by the end of the century as a result of global warming, scientists have found.Researchers say the colour changes are down to the effect of climate change on populations of tiny water-dwelling organisms, known as phytoplankton, that convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis, as well as effects on levels of other colourful components of the oceans. Continue reading...

Streaming case online will raise awareness of climate change, barrister arguesA high court challenge to the government’s controversial plan for a third runway at Heathrow could be opened up to a mass audience through livestreaming for the first time if judges accept a legal argument.Although the supreme court has transmitted its hearings since 2009, photography and recording of court proceedings elsewhere are strictly controlled by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, which only permits cases in the court of appeal to be broadcast. Continue reading...

Thousands of homes at risk as Townsville braces for ‘once-in-a-century’ flood. This blog is now closed

Water birds and marine animals particularly at risk, according to new RSPCA findingsWildlife and pets are under increasing threat from plastic waste and litter, according to new data from the RSPCA, which shows the number of incidents of animals hurt by plastic litter has risen sharply on previous years.Plastic litter led to 579 cases of damage to wildlife or pets that were reported to the animal charity in England and Wales in 2018, up from 473 in 2015. That rise came against a background of falling damage to animals from other forms of litter, down from 4,968 reported incidents in 2015 to 4,579 last year. Continue reading...

As peak Australian farming body bemoans advent of pea protein-based bar, others hail ‘smart move’ by UnileverThe peak body for Australian dairy farmers has labelled a new vegan Magnum made of pea protein “a problem for the dairy industry” and said it should not be called an ice-cream.The vegan Magnum, released widely in Australia this month, is a dairy-free version of the popular ice-cream snack. It features dairy-free chocolate made from coconut oil and cacao butter, and pea protein flavoured with vanilla. Continue reading...

Protected countryside is more than 15 miles away from almost half of the most deprived areasFrom Exmoor to Northumberland, the country’s poorest people are being denied access to England’s most beautiful countryside and missing out on the mental and physical health benefits that can result, research has found.Almost half of the country’s most socially deprived areas are more than 15 miles by road from 10 national parks and 46 areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), according to a submission to a government review into how national assets are being managed. Continue reading...

South Australian senator says cotton sales are equivalent to exporting 20% of river system’s water to China and IndiaThe South Australian Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick is calling for cotton exports to be banned in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of the Murray-Darling river system and the over-extraction by irrigators.The senator is preparing to introduce a bill when parliament resumes next week. It would impose a ban on exporting cotton in three years’ time. Continue reading...

After 12% drop in generation, experts say existing nuclear plants are likely to close earlyBritain’s nuclear power stations recorded a 12% decline in their contributions to the country’s energy system over the past month, as outages raised concerns over how long the ageing plants will be able to keep operating.Related: What role does nuclear power play in UK and what are alternatives? Continue reading...

Several hopefuls are embracing the effort for a Green New Deal – but success will require overcoming legislative hurdlesCarl Shoupe, a 71-year-old who lives in Benham, Kentucky, at the foot of the tallest mountain in the state, does not feel well served by America.When he came back from Vietnam, he went to work in the coal mines. At 22, he was nearly killed by a roof collapse. Continue reading...

Some put lack of action down to fundamental differences between the two countriesIt started with a solo protest outside Sweden’s parliament by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg and has snowballed across the globe.Schoolchildren demanding action on climate change have played truant and taken to the streets in Australia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and, in their greatest numbers, in Belgium, where 35,000 made their voices heard in Brussels a week ago and a further 12,500 marched on Thursday. Continue reading...

More than 220 remain missing after an avalanche of liquid mining waste swept through the countryside of Minas GeraisHelicopters clattered overhead as teams of men and sniffer dogs picked their way across the few areas of red mud solid enough to walk on. Other recovery teams gathered around a digger as its shovel scooped up the sludge and drained it, again and again.Related: Brazil dam collapse: bodies pulled from toxic mud as hope fades for survivors Continue reading...

An understaffed stretch of California coastline has new residents: nearly 100 elephant seals and their pupsDuring the US government shutdown, understaffed national parks were overrun by careless visitors. But at one spot in California, the absence of rangers meant a takeover by a horde of a different sort: a massive group of boisterous elephant seals.Related: 'That income is gone': shutdown pain lingers for unpaid contract workers Continue reading...

Footage shows torrent of mining waste, while ceremony pays tribute to 110 victimsA week after the deadly collapse of a mining dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, dozens paid tribute to the 110 victims killed and 238 who are still missing, while newly released video footage showed the moment that a powerful wave of waste began sweeping over everything in its path.A ceremony was held at the site of the disaster around 1pm local time on Friday, the hour at which the dam breached on 25 January, unleashing a destructive torrent of reddish-brown mining waste. Continue reading...

Exclusive: leaked emails show officials planning crisis centres to manage halt in waste exports to EUGovernment officials are preparing to deal with “putrefying stockpiles” of rubbish in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to documents leaked to the Guardian.If the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March, export licences for millions of tonnes of waste will become invalid overnight. Environment Agency (EA) officials said leaking stockpiles could cause pollution. Continue reading...

Macaques adapt to city life, Andean condors are released back into the wild, and a lion catches a seal in this week’s gallery Continue reading...

Introduction of minimum prices in supermarkets aims to increase farmers’ incomesFrance’s agriculture minister has sought to reassure households that food shopping bills would not jump dramatically after a rise in minimum food prices aimed at increasing farmers’ incomes came into effect.The measure introduced on Friday had been postponed by the government in December as France reeled from nationwide unrest and sometimes violent gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests over high living costs and squeezed household budgets. Continue reading...

Hottest month ever shows temperatures rising faster than predicted, say climate expertsAustralia sweltered through the hottest month in its history in January, spurring mass deaths of fish, fire warnings and concerns among climate scientists that extreme heat is hitting faster and harder than anticipated.For the first time since records began, the country’s mean temperature in January exceeded 30C (86F), according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), which said daily extremes – in some places just short of 50C – were unprecedented. Continue reading...

After secret footage of animals raises health fears across Europe, reporter says tip-offs suggest scandal was not isolated incidentThe practice of smuggling sick cows into the meat chain is feared to be more widespread in Poland than previously believed, according to the investigative reporter who captured footage of ill cows being dragged to slaughter with a winch.After Patryk Szczepaniak’s undercover footage aired, the EU’s rapid alert system for food and feed was triggered, and it has since been confirmed that meat from this particular abattoir was exported to 12 other EU countries (not including the UK). Continue reading...

Many cruise ships use seawater to ‘wash’ dirty fuel to meet targets but dump washwater back in oceanA boom in cruise liner holidays is raising concerns over the widespread use of “emissions dodging” by global shipping to meet tough new dirty fuel rules next year.Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd revealed this week it had received record bookings for 2019, with the boom sparked in part by a rise in Chinese passengers. Continue reading...

Campaigners argue that the business case for the project was a ‘no-brainer’A scrapped “emerald necklace” cycleway up the spine of the country alongside HS2 would have delivered a return on investment of up to five times greater than the rail project itself, an FoI request has revealed – but neither the government nor HS2 Ltd will fund it.A 50-page report outlining the business case for the national cycleway, obtained by the Guardian, reveals health, congestion and economic benefits of between £3 and £8 per £1 spent. The return on investment of HS2 itself, meanwhile, is just £1.5-£1.7 per £1, according to the National Audit Office. Campaigners say completing the cycleway should have been a “no-brainer”. Continue reading...

Pressure from investors forces UK oil and gas firm to be more transparent on climate changeBP has bowed to pressure from investors, including the Church of England, by backing a plan to explain how its strategy and investments are consistent with the Paris climate agreement.The UK oil and gas company supported a resolution, put forward by a group of shareholders including the investment arms of HSBC, Legal & General and the C of E, forcing it to be more transparent on climate change. Continue reading...

Up to 100 more homes face flooding after mayor orders high-risk plan to open floodgates on the Ross River damOne hundred homes could be flooded in Townsville after the city’s mayor sanctioned the high-risk release of dam water to save the area from more widespread inundation following more than 1.1 metres of rain.Announcing the emergency measure for the Ross River dam on Friday, the mayor Jenny Hill said there were no guarantees the plan would work. Between 90 and 100 homes downstream from the dam were being evacuated, she added. Continue reading...

Controversial climatologist John Christy, who once said scientists believed Earth was flat, to join advisory board at environment agency

Bureau of Meteorologist says global warming contributed to soaring temperaturesJanuary was Australia’s hottest month on record, with the country’s mean temperature exceeding 30C for the first time since records began in 1910.The Bureau of Meteorology released its climate summary for January on Friday and said the widespread heatwave conditions and daily extremes were “unprecedented”. Continue reading...

Humane Society will argue shark control measures conflict with authority’s responsibility to protect reefEnvironmentalists will on Wednesday launch a legal challenge aiming to stop the legal killing of sharks, including several protected species, in the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef marine park.The Queensland government runs a shark control program that uses drum lines – baited hooks to lure and kill sharks – near popular swimming spots along the state’s coast. Continue reading...

Scientists test new alerts that focus on helping people to prepare for bad air and avoid itThe UK measures the effects of daily air pollution, like sunburn risk, on a one to 10 index. As the air quality index increases, official advice tells vulnerable people to avoid outdoor exercise and reminds asthmatics to use their inhalers more often. This index is used in national forecasts and alert systems in southern England and Scotland and in the warnings that appear at London bus stops when high air pollution is forecast.Scientists at King’s College London tested different types of messages with volunteers who used the CityAir app. Rather than telling people to make changes only when air pollution was bad, the scientists focused on helping people to know how to prepare and protect themselves, and overcome perceived barriers stopping them from changing how they travel. For instance, a message targeting asthmatics encouraged them to take their preventative medication, rather than simply warning them to carry their inhalers. Other messages included pollution maps to help people to find clean places to exercise and to find routes away from the worst roads. Anticipating that people might be reluctant to change, the messages pointed out that low pollution routes need not make their journeys any longer. Continue reading...

State minister fears ‘big stick’ legislation will compel the sale of state-owned assetsThe Queensland state government has emerged as the latest thorn in the side of what is left of the government’s “big stick” energy legislation, warning it could lead to the unpopular privatisation of state-owned assets.Queensland’s energy minister, Anthony Lynham, has called on the federal government to bring its much vaunted energy market misconduct bill to the next state energy ministers meeting for discussion. Continue reading...

The polar vortex has broken into ‘two swirling blobs of cold air’, bringing the most frigid conditions in decades to the midwestAs its name suggests, the polar vortex is found around the north pole. It’s a band of strong winds, high up in the atmosphere that keeps bitterly cold air locked around the Arctic region. This circulation isn’t considered a single storm, or even a weather pattern as such. Continue reading...

Lottery award to go towards saving habitats and heritage of forts in Dorset and WiltshireA string of iron age hillforts that dot the landscape of the English West Country are to be rejuvenated as part of a lottery award worth almost £1m.Thirteen hillforts in Dorset and Wiltshire, which are important for their flora and fauna, especially their butterflies, as well as their rich history, will benefit from the money. The National Trust will use the funds to tackle erosion to paths and ramparts and improve fencing so that cattle can graze the areas in the summer and sheep during the winter. Continue reading...

Satellite data suggests protection measures are being ignored as huge fishing lines snare endangered seabirdsIndustrial fishing vessels that accidentally kill tens of thousands of albatrosses each year routinely ignore regulations designed to save the birds from extinction, according to research.Using satellite data, investigators found that vessels employing longline fishing techniques showed a “low level of compliance” with measures to reduce albatross deaths. Continue reading...

Stranded porpoises, dolphins and seals had average of 5.5 particles in their gutsMicroplastics are being widely ingested by Britain’s marine mammals, scientists say, with samples found in every animal examined in a study.The research on 50 stranded creatures including porpoises, dolphins, grey seals and a pygmy sperm whale is the most comprehensive analysis of microplastics in the digestive tracts of both wild cetaceans and seals. Continue reading...

People buying generic fish such as rock could in fact be eating a range of shark speciesFish and chip shops and fishmongers are selling endangered sharks to an unwitting public, according to researchers who used DNA barcoding to identify species on sale.Most chip shop fish sold under generic names such as huss, rock, flake and rock salmon turned out to be spiny dogfish, a shark species classified as endangered in Europe by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list. Continue reading...

Audit committee singles out firms who take no action to reduce impact on environmentMajor UK fashion retailers are failing to promote environmental sustainability or to protect their workers, a parliamentary committee has said.The six companies, which include Amazon UK, JD Sports, Sports Direct and TK Maxx, have not taken any action to reduce their carbon, water and waste footprint. None of them use organic or sustainable cotton and only two – Sports Direct and Boohoo – use recycled material in their products. Continue reading...

South Australian report also finds negligence and unlawful actions in drawing up multibillion-dollar deal to save river systemThe head of the royal commission into the Murray-Darling basin plan has recommended a complete overhaul of the scheme, including reallocating more water from irrigation to the environment.Releasing its report on Thursday, the South Australian Murray-Darling basin royal commission found the original plan ignored potentially “catastrophic” risks of climate change. Continue reading...

Pledges for 2019 plant-based campaign exceeded those in previous four years combinedA record 250,000 people worldwide signed up to the Veganuary movement this year by embracing plant-based diets this month, the campaign has revealed.As more consumers drop all meat and dairy products from their diet for health or ethical reasons, the charity behind the annual event said the record figures and strong global support had made 2019’s Veganuary the most popular since its launch in 2014. Many more people are thought to have taken part in the event without signing the official pledge. Continue reading...

Four fatalities recorded, with the US and Australia experiencing the most attacksThe number of shark attacks around the world fell by about one-quarter last year, with the US and Australia reporting the highest number of them.There were four fatalities worldwide, in line with the long-term average of six, according to the annual release of the Florida-based International Shark Attack File. Continue reading...

We still have time to avert the worst impacts of climate change, but heatwaves are now an inevitable part of Australia’s futureHeatwaves and blackouts have been the talk of the town as temperatures climbed over 40C in all states except Tasmania, and once again the commentariat have gone into a renewable-generated bluster. Chris Uhlmann and Alan Moran blamed the high prices on wind power, Pauline Hanson called for people to use more power and Judith Sloan called demand management a bribe.There were three notable things that happened with our energy system during what will become the new normal of extreme heat. Continue reading...

Monarch production will not be replicated next year, experts warn, as above average temperatures will cause problems

Over the border in NSW, the Barwon and Darling rivers are a series of muddy pools, and fish are dyingThese photos were taken by the Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick from a light plane over southern Queensland near Goondiwindi, on Wednesday.They show rivers such as the Condamine relatively full, and storages on cotton farms holding thousands of megalitres of water. Continue reading...

Virus outbreak among sea stars coincided with warm waters, researchers found after sixth graders held fundraiser for surveyFive years ago, a sixth grade class in land-locked Arkansas heard about a mass die-off of starfish on the west coast and felt compelled to help.Related: Mussels lose grip when exposed to microplastics – study Continue reading...

Investments not the only financial link between fossil fuels and elite universityCambridge University had been offered two new multimillion pound donations from global fossil fuel corporations as it considered calls made last year to divest its endowment fund from oil and gas companies.Documents seen by the Guardian show the university management was aware of a proposed £20m donation offered by BHP – subsequently withdrawn – and £2m from BP, as it considered whether to fully divest its fortune from fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Vermont’s Middlebury College has reversed its course on fossil fuel companies and is leading the way on renewable energyVermont’s Middlebury College announced on Wednesday that it was divesting its holdings in fossil fuel companies. Given that more than a thousand institutions with endowments totaling more than $8tn have made similar pledges, it might not seem so newsworthy – but Middlebury was one of the first to reverse course. Six years ago the college flatly rejected divestment, and the shift makes it clear why big oil’s purchase on our economy and our society is eroding.Much of the explanation, of course, stems from local factors, and since I’m employed there I’ve had a firsthand view. The college’s students never gave up, passing on the activist torch to each new entering freshman class – indeed, some of the students who pioneered the fight were on hand for today’s announcement. And along the way the college got a new president: religion scholar Laurie Patton proved an adept conciliator able to help her institution move. Continue reading...

Treasurer says climate change is real and Scott Morrison’s government takes emissions reduction ‘very seriously’Josh Frydenberg has defended the Coalition’s record on climate change and says he will work hard to earn the trust of his constituents in the face of a challenge from long-time Liberal and now independent Oliver Yates.Yates, a former Macquarie banker and head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, confirmed on Wednesday he would run in Kooyong at the coming federal election, declaring Frydenberg deserved to be challenged because of a lack of action on the environment. Continue reading...