Environment | The Guardian

California program will add an optional 1% surcharge to diners’ checks to help fight climate changeDining out isn’t the most eco-friendly activity, thanks to the carbon footprint of food brought in and the waste inherent in running a restaurant. Now, an effort by California restaurants wants diners to help fight climate change – by paying more.Concerned eateries can join the Restore California Renewable Restaurant Program and add an optional 1% surcharge to diners’ checks. The money will go towards a public fund to help farmers reduce carbon in their food production practices. Continue reading...

Environmental groups oppose loosening Obama-era regulations as Trump pushes to expand offshore drillingThe Trump administration on Thursday moved to ease safety regulations adopted after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, the worst offshore oil disaster in US history that killed nearly a dozen people and caused massive pollution.David Bernhardt, the interior secretary, said in a statement the administration was acting to eliminate “unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety and environmental protection offshore”. Continue reading...

Only a few Republicans crossed party lines to vote for the measure, which Mitch McConnell said will ‘go nowhere’Democrats on Thursday passed their first significant climate change legislation since gaining control of the House of Representatives this year, directing Donald Trump to remain in the landmark international agreement to limit the pollution that is heating the world.The measure would not directly reduce the greenhouse gases causing worse heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and storms. It falls far short of the action scientists say is needed and the vision outlined by progressives and supported by many Democrat presidential candidates in the Green New Deal. Continue reading...

As experts fear for its survival, Tufjord residents told not to feed beluga so that it can learn to forageA beluga whale that may – or may not – have been trained to spy for Russia appears to have defected to Norway, refusing to stray more than a few miles from the small northern harbour where it was found on Monday and entertaining locals with tricks.“He’s so comfortable with people that when you call him he comes right up to you,” Linn Sæther, a resident of Tufjord on the Arctic island of Rolvsøya, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, which has launched a poll to find a name for the mammal. Continue reading...

Government advisers have explained how to erase the nation’s carbon footprint. Science dictates that we do it as fast as we canBy the end of this year we should expect UK law to mandate net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Thursday’s report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which advises the government, sets out not only why this new target is needed, but how it can be achieved. Last year the UN warned of greatly increased dangers if countries do not stick to the lower end of the 1.5-2C of global warming mandated by the Paris agreement. Experts highlighted sea level rises and risks to insect and coral species among problems likely to be seriously exacerbated by an additional 0.5C rise.This is the reason for governments to set new, tougher targets in advance of upcoming UN climate talks, at which they will be held to account and forced to decide what happens next. At the same time, dramatic falls in the cost of renewable energy and battery storage mean that cutting emissions has become cheaper. The CCC believes it is possible to eliminate the UK’s carbon footprint altogether without investing more than already planned: that is, between 1% and 2% of GDP. So there is some good news, along with the bad. Continue reading...

Cycling team Ineos face vocal anti-fracking protesters at start of Tour de YorkshireAcross the Channel, the riders of Team Sky had become used to abuse – they were spat on, lashed out at and even forced to dodge the odd bottle of urine. After winning six out of the last seven editions of the Tour de France amid a series of (never proven) doping allegations, they won over few French fans.But on home turf, Team Sky were usually guaranteed a warm reception – particularly at the Tour de Yorkshire, the brutal four-day stage race that grew out of 2014’s wildly successful Yorkshire Grand Départ. Continue reading...

Nicola Sturgeon signals willingness to step up efforts to reduce carbon emissionsNicola Sturgeon has confirmed the Scottish government will rethink plans to cut air travel taxes after agreeing to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2045.The first minister said Scotland needed to dramatically step up its efforts after she accepted a target from the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to set a tougher goal of net-zero emissions over the next 25 years. Continue reading...

Mark Carney is giving a press conference after leaving UK interest rates on hold, as protesters urge action on climate change

It is our duty as a generation to push against the limits of the possible and protect as many lives as we can from disasters that can be preventedWhen Beto O’Rourke launched his presidential campaign, I was impressed. On multiple occasions, including as recently as April, O’Rourke backed calls to effectively zero out all domestic emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change by 2030, and said we’re screwed if we aim for anything less.On Monday, he shifted the goalposts back. He released a detailed climate plan, his first policy proposal of his campaign. There’s a lot to like. He pledged to make climate action a day one priority and included an expansion of resources for climate resiliency and adaptation. But he also pushed back the timeline to achieve net-zero emissions to 2050. Our movement was sad to see him let up on his ambition as he rolled out the specifics, before we even give it a try. Continue reading...

New development minister mounts staunch defence of 0.7% commitment and says DfID will keep spending on climate changeRory Stewart, the new secretary of state for international development, has reiterated his support for the government’s commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid.Stewart, the former prisons minister, who was appointed to his new role on Wednesday night after Penny Mordaunt replaced the sacked Gavin Williamson as defence minister, also pledged to put climate change at the heart of his work. Continue reading...

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference is being published in June, with a family memoir due to come later in 2019The collected speeches of 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who began the worldwide school strike for the environment in 2018, will be released as a book next month.Penguin, which is also rushing out a handbook from Extinction Rebellion, will publish No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference, a selection of 11 of Thunberg’s key speeches, all written by her. It will be published on 6 June as a £2.99 paperback. The first speech in the book was given three weeks after Thunberg’s first climate strike in August 2018, the most recent in the UK parliament last month. Continue reading...

Nine-year-old from London died after asthma attack possibly linked to pollutionThe high court has granted a fresh inquest into the death of a schoolgirl who died of an asthma attack linked to illegal levels of air pollution near her south London home.The mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah has been fighting for a new hearing to consider whether and how air pollution contributed to the nine-year-old’s death. Continue reading...

Former PM engages in lively exchange of views with his independent rival for the seat of Warringah. This blog has now closed

Emission of greenhouse gases has fallen, but environmental issues are still ‘an emergency’• ‘Do it now’: UK told to set zero-carbon target for 2050

Darling and Warrego rivers flowing upstream after small falls on multiple daysFarmers along the Darling river are celebrating their first real rain in a year after they received a small fall on Tuesday and more on Wednesday and Thursday.As of 9am on Thursday morning, 28mm had fallen at Menindee and the Darling and Warrego rivers were flowing upstream. Continue reading...

Energy minister was a director of Eastern Australia Agriculture but says he only advised on the agricultural sideThe energy minister, Angus Taylor, has denied he played a role in structuring the company which received an $80m government buyback of its water rights through the tax haven of the Cayman Islands.Taylor, who was a director of Eastern Australia Agriculture between 2008 and 2009 and who described himself as a co-founder of the company, told ABC Radio National on Thursday morning he was involved only in advising on the agricultural side of the investment. Continue reading...

Committee on Climate Change sets out how UK can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050• ‘Do it now’: UK told to set zero-carbon target for 2050

Committee says legally binding target is necessary, achievable and could spur global action

Scotland should aim to reach zero carbon faster than UK as whole, says green bodyNicola Sturgeon has been urged to abandon her plans to cut aviation taxes in Scotland in an attempt to help meet a challenging new target to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2045.The Scottish first minister said on Sunday that she accepted the world faces a climate emergency, but her aides said the government was still planning to cut air passenger duty (APD) to increase flight numbers from Scotland’s airports. Continue reading...

Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to ‘downlist’ the burying beetle, which would allow drilling in Oklahoma and nearby states

Environment secretary calls for cross-party approach as Labour leader says vote can ‘set off wave of action’MPs have endorsed a Labour motion to declare a formal climate and environment emergency, with Jeremy Corbyn hailing the move as a necessary response to school climate strikers and groups such as Extinction Rebellion.The Labour leader said the decision by the Commons to pass the motion without a vote “can set off a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the globe”. Conservative MPs were told to not oppose the motion. Continue reading...

Wastewater policy a ‘significant hurdle’ to company’s plans for Crib PointThe gas company AGL asked the Victorian government to change a wastewater policy that could be used to block the proposed Crib Point gas import terminal.AGL made the request in a public submission on a draft environmental regulation. The company wants to build a 290 metre-long floating storage and regasification unit at Crib Point in Western Port Bay, 80km south-east of Melbourne. Continue reading...

Campaigners argued a third runway was inconsistent with Paris climate agreementFriends of the Earth has said it will appeal against the ruling by judges to dismiss five legal challenges to expansion at Heathrow airport, because the decision is “outdated in an ecological and climate emergency”.The campaign group mounted one of five judicial reviews challenging the legality of the government’s verdict to allow a third runway at the airport. Continue reading...

Judges order oil firm to release confidential documents as wives of late Nigerian activists get go-ahead to pursue claimA Dutch court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to determine whether Royal Dutch Shell was complicit in the Nigerian government’s execution of the Ogoni Nine, environmental protesters who fought against widespread pollution in the Niger Delta.In a 50-page ruling hailed by campaigners as an “important precedent” for global human rights cases, judges at The Hague’s district court said on Wednesday that they would allow the case to go forward, also indicating that the claimants – widows of four of the activists – would be able to bring further evidence to prove their case. Continue reading...

Belgian brothers fear Lhoist lime quarrying will threaten production of brew

Researchers find arsenic and other contaminants that could lead to almost 15,500 cases of cancerDrinking California tap water over the course of a lifetime could increase the risk of cancer, according to a study published on Tuesday.Researchers with the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy non-profit, studied the combined health impacts of contaminants found in 2,737 community water systems throughout California and calculated that prolonged consumption of the contaminated water could cause almost 15,500 new cases of cancer. Continue reading...

New legislation makes it illegal to kill beavers or destroy dams and lodges without a licenceWildlife campaigners have hailed a “historic day for Scotland” as beavers are granted protected status a decade after their successful reintroduction in Argyll.It is now illegal to kill the animals, or destroy established dams and lodges without a licence. Continue reading...

Concerns over air pollution, traffic congestion, targeting of schools and illegal trading have led to a crackdown in parts of the capitalIce cream vans are to be banned from operating in some areas of London over concerns about air pollution.Drivers need to keep their engines switched on while they are selling ice cream so that their onboard freezers stay cold, and to power soft serve ice cream machines. Most of the vehicles use diesel engines, which emit harmful chemicals such as black carbon and nitrogen dioxide. Continue reading...

Citizen-funded campaign to flag up illegal levels of toxic air to London buyers and rentersA citizen-funded advertising campaign against air pollution will target the property market with billboard slogans including “Location, location, lung disease” and “The neighbourhood’s gone to the docs”.These will be accompanied by online ads and a website where homebuyers and renters in London will be able to look up levels of toxic air for the property they are considering. The campaign will launch in the capital in late May and there are plans to make it nationwide. Continue reading...

From Mad Men to The Crown, the actor is used to big exits. As new disaster drama Chernobyl launches, he talks about cover-ups, climate change shame – and his hellraising dad RichardJared Harris says that if only he had played Lane Pryce as he was meant to, he would have probably lasted the duration of Mad Men. Pryce, the financial executive at the TV drama’s advertising agency, was supposed to be a right bastard – and the show’s creator Matthew Weiner famously said baddies don’t get written out. But Harris doesn’t do bastards. He will always find a way to humanise a character – a sprinkling of vulnerability here, a dash of tenderness there. And sure enough, three seasons down the line, Lane departed.Harris is getting used to being bumped off. His quietly dignified George VI in The Crown was inevitably done for by a coronary thrombosis. In his latest TV drama, Chernobyl, Harris’s investigative scientist has died before the opening sequence is done and dusted. (Don’t worry, he’s still the lead.) Continue reading...

Labour leader urges emissions cuts and boost for renewables in ‘green industrial revolution’Jeremy Corbyn will urge MPs to take on their “historic duty” over climate change and back a Labour motion calling for the UK to declare a national environmental and climate-change emergency.Speaking in the wake of climate strikes by young people and the wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the Labour leader will open an opposition day debate on Wednesday by also seeking a so-called green industrial revolution to transform the economy. Continue reading...

Administration to keep weedkiller on the market after landmark court rulings and concerns over foodThe Trump administration is keeping the weedkiller Roundup on the US market, insisting it is safe for humans despite thousands of lawsuits launched by people who claim it gave them cancer.Related: The Roundup row: is the world’s most popular weedkiller carcinogenic? Continue reading...

NSW campaigners say they have footage of water transport trucks operating through the night despite curfew

We spoke to climate change experts for advice on how news outlets can cover the environment in ways that make voters listenAmerica elected Donald Trump at the end of the hottest year ever recorded, without debate moderators asking him a single question about global warming.

But climate change activists unimpressed after meeting environment secretaryPlanting more trees, restoring peatlands to health and using new technology to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere should all be pursued as a matter of urgency, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, has told climate change campaigners.His meeting with Extinction Rebellion on Tuesday produced pledges from the government to reduce carbon emissions to “net zero” but without a timeline, though Gove said he was “open” to a more ambitious target. Continue reading...

Thousands evacuated from eastern Canada as Justin Trudeau admits urgent action necessary to improve climate preparednessNews footage showed people boating where they once walked, homes and cars filled with muddy water, volunteers searching for lost pets. Thousands of people in eastern Canada have been forced from their homes as heavy rains and meltwater cause unprecedented flood evacuations.One of the worst-hit areas was a Montreal suburb where more than 6,000 people were evacuated after a dyke burst on Sunday. A further 3,000 people were evacuated in other parts of Quebec, and in Ontario and New Brunswick, hundreds more are waiting out the floods in hotels and shelters. Continue reading...

Hampshire police investigate intimidation of Springwatch presenter and familyThe broadcaster and wildlife campaigner Chris Packham has revealed he and his family received death threats days after dead crows were strung up outside his home in an escalating row about shooting birds.He also criticised Facebook for allowing a pro-shooting group to publish his home address online. Continue reading...

Instead of hoping market forces solve the climate crisis, the government needs to stop giving tax breaks to pollutersLast October, the world’s most renowned climate scientists warned governments that humanity has just 12 years to prevent climate catastrophe. The UK government faces three choices to deal with carbon-heavy fossil fuels: force people to stop using them immediately; facilitate a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy; or hope business-as-usual market forces solve our problem for us. Strip away the rhetoric, and the Tory government is still relying on the latter option.A few weeks ago, lost in the never-ending fog of Brexit, the cross-party public accounts committee released a damning report on the public cost of decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure. Their report vindicates every argument Labour has made against the government’s massive tax breaks for oil and gas companies, under its Transferable Tax History (TTH) policy. Continue reading...

Greenpeace poll findings released alongside group’s ‘manifesto’ to slash emissionsTwo-thirds of people in the UK recognise there is a climate emergency and 76% say that they would cast their vote differently to protect the planet.The findings, in a poll commissioned by Greenpeace, come as the group unveiled a detailed “climate manifesto”, listing 134 key actions they say the government should take immediately to ensure the UK hits zero carbon emissions as soon as possible. Continue reading...

Another water battle is raging in rural NSW, as farmers say government has left them at the mercy of unaccountable private interestsIt could not have been more clear when Scott Morrison laid out his philosophy, “a fair go for those who have a go”.In much of the Coalition’s rhetoric – remember lifters not leaners – the Iresons could be the pin up family. Continue reading...

Management authority warns wet topics area is in ‘accelerating decline’ and endemic species under immediate threatThe wet tropics world heritage area in north Queensland has been damaged by climate change in a manner “equivalent” to coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, the area’s management authority has said.In an extraordinary statement issued on Monday, the authority’s board said the tropical rainforest was in “accelerating decline” and that some of the area’s unique species were at imminent risk of extinction. Continue reading...

Activists to rally at parliament urging government to declare environmental emergency

Like other recipients, Alfred Brownell has faced threats and worse defending the environmentTwo years ago Alfred Brownell was forced to flee Liberia after a successful campaign against a foreign palm oil plantation led to death threats and intimidation. Today, he hopes to return after being named one of this year’s winners of the Goldman environmental prize.Like several other recipients of the 2019 award, which will be presented at a ceremony on Monday in San Francisco, the Liberian lawyer risked life and liberty to defend people and wildlife in a region of the world that was until recently remote, but is now encroached upon by powerful business interests. Continue reading...

Artists and musicians swoop to save one of UK’s most celebrated but endangered birdsJust as Vera Lynn sang, the voices of nightingales are again being heard in Berkeley Square in central London over the hum of traffic and din of construction work.The nightingale has virtually disappeared from Britain over the past 50 years, its population plummeting by 93% to fewer than 5,500 pairs. But now a chorus of nightingale events are being arranged by artists, musicians and filmmakers to raise awareness of the plight of one of the country’s most celebrated but endangered birds. Continue reading...

Horse rider allegedly knocked over a woman in her 60s after riding through a crowd in Clermont Showground

Drivers would be quoted a price before each individual journey to reflect its true impactLondon’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) and congestion charge should be scrapped in favour of a per-mile charging scheme based on the impact of vehicle journeys, according to a thinktank report backed by politicians and business groups in the capital.Using digital platforms and a new app, users would be quoted a price before their journey, which would vary depending upon the vehicle emissions, levels of congestion and pollution, and what public transport was available. Continue reading...

The Australian Conservation Foundation gives Labor a better 56% and rates the Greens a near perfect 99%The Coalition has rated a miserable 4/100 on the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate change policy scorecard.The scorecard, released on Monday ahead of the 18 May election, finds that Labor rates better on 56% but is held back by “fairly weak” policies on stopping the burning of coal and an “unclear” position on the Adani Carmichael coalmine. Continue reading...

SNP leader tells party members she will speed up efforts to achieve zero carbon emissionsNicola Sturgeon has said she believes the world is facing a climate emergency and pledged to speed up efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions.Following similar moves by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, this weekend, the Scottish first minister said she was declaring the emergency because the science showed global warming was worsening. Continue reading...

Natascha Engel quit government role after six months over ‘ridiculous’ regulationsAnti-fracking campaigners have welcomed the resignation of the government’s shale gas commissioner, who quit in frustration at “ridiculous” regulations limiting drillers from causing earth tremors, which she claimed were hobbling the industry.Natascha Engel stood down at the weekend after just six months in the post and accused ministers of being too heavily influenced by climate change campaigners such as the Swedish 16-year-old Greta Thunberg and anti-fracking protesters. Continue reading...

People trapped by rising flood water as Cyclone Kenneth dumps more rain on the regionFive people have died and aid workers have reported scenes of destruction in the wake of Cyclone Kenneth, the second tropical cyclone to lay waste to swathes of Mozambique in five weeks.Rescuers have moved in to help people trapped by rapidly rising flood water in the northern city of Pemba, home to 200,000 people, a United Nations spokesman said, as Kenneth dumped more rain on the region. Continue reading...