Environment | The Guardian

Scientists believe longstanding condition set by state government has not been met for Carmichael mineScientific reviews of Adani’s groundwater plans appear to hand the Queensland government a trigger to block the Carmichael coalmine by suggesting the company has not been able to satisfy a longstanding state environmental condition.On Tuesday the federal government approved Adani’s groundwater dependent ecosystems management plan after receiving detailed reports from the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia. Continue reading...

CSIRO and Geoscience Australia advice could raise questions about decision to approve groundwater management planThe Morrison government has approved the groundwater management plan for the controversial Adani project, a decision that follows internal pressure from Queensland MPs to achieve sign-off before the prime minister calls the federal election.The environment minister, Melissa Price, confirmed on Tuesday she had made a positive decision after advice from the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia “confirmed the revised plans meet strict scientific requirements”. Continue reading...

The correlation of the feminine to nature, repressive for so long, can be a source of powerIn the past few months I have started putting down roots. It’s a cliche but it’s literally what I’m doing. I spend my weekends transforming the tired old lawn into garden beds, layering woodchips, straw and horse shit I’ve shovelled from the paddocks next door into rich soil to grow my lettuces and kale. I have always loved gardening but now, more than ever, working with the earth has taken on an element of the spiritual.As a teenager, like many suburban white girls, I got way into Wicca, that gentle, nature-centred neo-pagan religion beloved by would-be witches everywhere. Much later, in my early 20s, I revisited witchcraft, finding an unstructured feminine spirituality that helped me make sense of the world. Continue reading...

Researchers say eggs are often safe to eat long after packaging date passesBritons are throwing away 720m eggs every year – three times more than in 2008and at a cost of £139m – according to research.The scale of waste has been blamed on overcautious consumers relying on best-before dates to decide if eggs are fresh enough to eat, and the growing popularity of vegetarian and “flexitarian” diets has boosted overall sales. Continue reading...

Carbon is being locked in young trees as a result of reforestation across the northern hemisphereWhen measures designed to curb climate change have a beneficial effect and result in a greener planet, it is cheering. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been on a relentless upward trend but things would be far worse if countries in the northern hemisphere were not planting forests and restoring natural habitats. Measurements taken over 60 years of the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the growing season show that, north of the equator, plants are absorbing more carbon than they used to.Related: Why the Guardian is putting global CO2 levels in the weather forecast Continue reading...

Wildlife and human health are threatened say scientists as Syngenta accepts ‘undeniable demand’ for changePesticides and antibiotics are polluting streams across Europe, a study has found. Scientists say the contamination is dangerous for wildlife and may increase the development of drug-resistant microbes.More than 100 pesticides and 21 drugs were detected in the 29 waterways analysed in 10 European nations, including the UK. A quarter of the chemicals identified are banned, while half of the streams analysed had at least one pesticide above permitted levels. Continue reading...

Survey reveals backing for emissions charging to tackle air pollution and congestionAlmost three-quarters of Londoners support charging drivers of dirty vehicles in an effort to tackle the capital’s air pollution crisis, according to a study.The survey, released on the day the mayor, Sadiq Khan, launches his ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ), found that 72% of adults in London support emissions charging to tackle both air pollution and congestion. Continue reading...

Decision coincides with visit to enclosure by French marine expert Jean-Michel CousteauRussian authorities have decided to free nearly 100 whales held in cages in the country’s far east, according to reports.Images of the whales, kept in cramped enclosures in a bay near the Sea of Japan port city of Nakhodka, first appeared last year, triggering a storm of criticism. Continue reading...

Federal investigation has taken more than two years after separate investigation dropped by NSWAn investigation into illegal land clearing against a company part-owned by the family of federal minister Angus Taylor was dropped by the New South Wales government, and a separate investigation under federal environmental laws has taken more than two years.Both actions relate to allegations of clearing of endangered native grassland in October 2016 near Delegate in southern NSW shortly after a company, Jam Land Pty Ltd, purchased the property. A NSW government briefing document alleged about 200 hectares were illegally cleared. Continue reading...

Revealed: federal support to research centers cut off as scientists fear years of successful work will go ‘down the drain’Scientists and officials around the US have told the Guardian that the Trump administration has withdrawn funding for a large, successful conservation program – in direct contradiction of instructions from Congress.Unique in scale and ambition, the program comprises 22 research centers that tackle big-picture issues affecting huge swaths of the US, such as climate change, flooding and species extinction. They are known as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives – or were, because 16 of them are now on indefinite hiatus or have dissolved. Continue reading...

Tom Wolf’s office has denied he ordered permits for the Mariner East 2 pipeline, which is under criminal investigation for pollution and property damage, to be acceleratedInternal government records obtained by the Guardian raise questions about the role of Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf in permitting construction of a controversial fossil fuel pipeline that now faces two criminal investigations stemming from widespread environmental and property damage.The 350-mile, $2.5bn Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline through southern Pennsylvania has sparked growing outrage. It has caused roughly 140 documented industrial waste spills into wetlands and waterways, destroying numerous residential water wells, and opening large sinkholes just steps from residents’ homes. Continue reading...

Hot summer of 2018 boosted large blue, and black hairstreak, but small tortoiseshell declinedThe golden summer of 2018 saw two of the UK’s rarest butterflies, the large blue and the black hairstreak, enjoy their best years since scientific monitoring began.More than two-thirds of British butterfly species were seen in higher numbers last year than in 2017, but despite the ideal butterfly weather, it was still only an average season – the 18th best in 43 years of recording. Continue reading...

Some Queensland MPs push for sign-off before the election, which is likely to amplify activist campaigns against the CoalitionScott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have played down the significance of remaining approvals for the controversial Adani coalmine, characterising the outstanding determinations as “sub-approvals” and “minor” matters, and insisting the government will make decisions based on science.With some Queensland Liberals and Nationals escalating an internal campaign for the remaining Adani sign-offs to be done this week, before Morrison heads to the polls, Liberals in the southern states are now bracing themselves for the federal approvals to be granted some time this week, even though that timing is inconvenient because it will kickstart third-party activist campaigns against the Coalition. Continue reading...

As Sadiq Khan launches ultra-low emissions zone in London, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah says it is still not enoughThe mother of a schoolgirl who died of an asthma attack linked to air pollution has warned time is running out to save other children from a similar plight and called on politicians to do more to tackle the crisis.On the day mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the city’s new ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) to improve deadly air pollution, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah urged others to follow his example and called on him to go even further, faster. Continue reading...

Plastic bags only 1% of plastic in freshwater after sustained efforts to reduce their usePlastic bottles, the detritus of our throwaway water and soft drinks habits, are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution in European waterways, according to a new report.Food wrappers, including crisp and sweet packets, were the second biggest form of plastic pollution in rivers, followed by cigarette butts. All of these forms of litter can cause problems for wildlife and fish, and are hard to clean up once they have found their way into the water. Continue reading...

British Heart Foundation says Ulez will help reduce 36,000 annual UK pollution deathsThe ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) across London will help reduce the 36,000 deaths caused in the UK every year by outdoor pollution, the British Heart Foundation said as it welcomed the new vehicle charging zone that will launch on Monday.According to the leading heart charity, a significant proportion of air pollution-related deaths are in the capital, where pollution levels are often at their highest. Continue reading...

With demand set to rise across the world, Australia is set to become a global primary producer of hydrogenIn March, the Queensland University of Technology made history when it achieved the first export of a small quantity of clean, green hydrogen produced in Australia from renewable energy, to Japanese energy giant JXTG – proving that it was in fact possible.Hydrogen is increasingly being seen as an alternative to LNG and other fossil fuels and Australia has a lot to gain from a new export industry, with companies such as Woodside Energy and Siemens already investing. Continue reading...

FTSE4Good indices are under fire for inclusion of Golden-Agri ResourcesThe London Stock Exchange Group has refused to remove a palm oil company from an influential investment index of environmentally friendly firms, despite a string of allegations of corruption and unsustainable business practices.The group’s index subsidiary, FTSE Russell, has written to environmental groups declining to remove Golden-Agri Resources (GAR) from its FTSE4Good indices, which only include “companies demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices”. Continue reading...

Catch of pregnant female carrying 73 eggs is more than 17ft long as environmentalists struggle to eradicate the non-native speciesSnake hunters have captured what they say is the largest python ever found in the swamps of the Florida Everglades: a pregnant female more than 17ft (5.2 metres) long and weighing 140lb, or 63.5kg.The team from the Big Cypress national preserve posted news of their record-setting catch in a Facebook post that also noted the giant reptile was carrying 73 eggs. Continue reading...

Labor leader says PM has run out of steam on ‘scare campaigns’ and resorted to ‘scaring you about their own policies’The latest stage of the unofficial 2019 federal election campaign has opened with a battle over Australia’s electric car future, with Scott Morrison accusing Bill Shorten of wanting to “end the weekend”.In response the Labor leader accused the government of running out of steam on “scare campaigns” and so it had resorted to “scaring you about their own policies”, as the two major parties argue the toss on very similar policies. Continue reading...

New report ranks deadliest cities for feathered travelers, who often collide with glass-covered or illuminated buildingsScientists estimate that at least 100 million and maybe as many as a billion birds die each year in the US when they collide with buildings, especially glass-covered or illuminated skyscrapers. And, in a new report, conservationists now have a better idea which American cities are the deadliest for those on the wing.Chicago, with its many glass superstructures that spike into what is the busiest US avian airspace during migration, is the most dangerous city for those feathered travelers. More than 5 million birds from at least 250 different species fly through the Windy City’s downtown every fall and spring. Continue reading...

Almost 1,000 people a year in London are hospitalised with asthma caused by pollutionLondon is preparing to enforce “world-leading” vehicle pollution restrictions from Monday as the capital attempts to clean up the toxic air blamed for thousands of premature deaths.The ultra-low emission zone, or Ulez, will launch at one minute past midnight on April 8, imposing a £12.50-a-day charge to drive into central London in all but the cleanest cars and vans. Continue reading...

Shadow climate change minister reiterates opposition to Adani mine, saying no ‘case for opening up new thermal coal mine’

The California tide soon washes away work by Andres Amador – but for the artist, that is part of the pointWith a bundle of three-pronged tools and hand-assembled rakes cast over one shoulder, the artist Andres Amador quietly descends the steep, crumbling dunes arching over a San Francisco shoreline to the beach below.Scanning the horizon, stopping every so often to smile and pick up smooth stones, he walks until it seems right – until he finds a wide enough stretch of wet sand to serve as his canvas. Soon, it will come to life, etched with the large-scale angles and arches that form his captivating, signature style of Earthscape art. Continue reading...

Teaching union to debate call for schools to oppose fossil fuel giant’s backing of school fitness eventThe UK’s biggest teaching union is to decide whether to object to fossil fuel giant Ineos sponsoring the school Daily Mile initiative over allegations the company is using the event to greenwash its image.Campaigners accuse Ineos, owned by the UK’s richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, of endangering the wellbeing of future generations through its fracking activities and plastics production. Continue reading...

A three-toed skink’s unusual birth, a dead whale full of plastic and young elephants stuck in the mud Continue reading...

EU gives car manufacturers 10 weeks to respond to findings from antitrust investigationThe European commission has charged BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen with colluding to limit the introduction of clean emissions technology, in the preliminary findings of an antitrust investigation.The car manufacturers have 10 weeks to respond and could face fines of billions of euros – up to 10% of their global annual turnover – if their explanations are rejected. Continue reading...

As CO levels climb, the carbon count is a daily reminder we must tackle climate change nowThe simplest measure of how the mass burning of fossil fuels is disrupting the stable climate in which human civilisation developed is the number of carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere.Today, the CO level is the highest it has been for several million years. Back then, temperatures were 3-4C hotter, sea level was 15-20 metres higher and trees grew at the south pole. Worse, billions of tonnes of carbon pollution continues to pour into the air every year and at a rate 10 times faster than for 66m years. Continue reading...

Experts say even nations that got rich on fossil fuels are seeing the future is greenNorway’s $1tn oil fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is to plunge billions of dollars into wind and solar power projects. The decision follows Saudi Arabia’s oil fund selling off its last oil and gas assets.Other national funds built up from oil profits are also thought to be ramping up their investments in renewables. The moves show that countries that got rich on fossil fuels are diversifying their investments and seeking future profits in the clean energy needed to combat climate change. Analysts say the investments are likely to power faster growth of green energy. Continue reading...

Some developers are reviewing their policies after protests from environmentalists

Over the next week, Surfers Against Sewage is mobilising more than 30,000 volunteers to clear the plastic flotsam and jetsam from the UK coastline Continue reading...

Global project will mark 550 years since birth of religion’s founder, Guru NanakSikhs around the world are taking part in a scheme to plant a million new trees as a “gift to the entire planet”.The project aims to reverse environmental decline and help people reconnect with nature as part of celebrations marking 550 years since the birth of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. Continue reading...

Government forced to play down ‘split’ amid reports of Queensland MPs pressuring Coalition over key approvals for Carmichael coalmineLabor has warned the government against making any major decisions on the Adani coalmine before the election, while Scott Morrison and his environment minister Melissa Price face internal pressure from some Queensland MPs to take action.While playing down reports of a “split”, government MPs from Queensland, including James McGrath and Matt Canavan have kept up pressure inside Morrison’s office and the party room for key approvals for the Carmichael coalmine, including the ground water plan, to be signed off on as soon as possible. Continue reading...

Government modelling for climate policy cuts assumes an electric vehicle uptake of 25-50% of new car sales by 2030Modelling for the Morrison government’s climate policy assumes electric vehicles will make up between 25% and 50% of new car sales by 2030, a similar figure to the target set by the Labor party, which the Coalition criticised this week.Labor’s climate spokesman, Mark Butler, said “it shows how out of touch the Liberals are even with their own department” when it comes to cutting carbon pollution from transport. Continue reading...

Big Garden Birdwatch finds fall in long-tailed tits and wrens after ‘beast from the east’Almost 1.2 million house sparrows were spotted in British gardens during this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch but smaller garden birds appear to have suffered from the previous winter’s cold weather.Long-tailed tits decreased by more than 27% and wrens by 17% in 2019 after bumper years in 2018, according to the RSPB survey. Populations of both species are thought to have been affected by last year’s “beast from the east”: small birds are more susceptible to extreme chilly spells. Continue reading...

Readers and heads of environmental organisations respond to a call to rewild on a massive scaleGeorge Monbiot (The natural world can help save us from climate chaos, 3 April), Greta Thunberg and other signatories (Letters, 3 April) are right. Nature can provide effective options to help tackle climate change. Often there is no need for complicated, expensive and unproven technology. As we know from our work in such countries as Bhutan and Costa Rica, some governments are embracing nature-based solutions where natural forests are managed for their key role in storing carbon and regulating water for clean, green hydropower. Policies and investment need to work with local people and focus on linking nature to infrastructure to help avoid catastrophic climate change, protect biodiversity and cut emissions. The real challenge is to align the politics of change to the actions that are needed. While some countries are doing the right thing, in other places (such as Brazil) the politics is going backwards in deeply troubling ways.The international community needs to act to support local livelihoods and enable communities to be good stewards of the natural world. Our lives depend on it.

Iranian government criticised over response to crisis that has left thousands displacedThe death toll from two weeks of flooding in Iran has risen to 62 as frustration mounts inside the country at the government’s handling of the crisis and an international dispute has broken out over whether renewed US sanctions are blocking aid.Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have been engaged in a war of words over the crisis. Zarif attacked the US for “economic terrorism” and said it was blocking the shipment of vital rescue equipment. Continue reading...

Indonesian authorities want to protect endangered lizard from smugglers and restock its island food supplyAuthorities are considering banning tourists from Komodo, the island home of the ancient Komodo dragon, to allow for conservation efforts amid concerns over animal-smuggling.The island, in Manggarai Barat, Indonesia, is a major tourist destination, with many people making the trip to see the lizard which has a venomous bite, can grow up to three metres long and weigh more than 150kg. Continue reading...

Charity Commission to assess whether money sent abroad was subject to due diligence as German MPs urge funding haltBritain’s charity regulator has launched a formal investigation into the World Wide Fund for Nature, following allegations the conservation group is implicated in human rights abuses against people in Africa and Asia.The inquiry by the Charity Commission will assess whether WWF’s UK arm followed “due diligence” in ensuring that money sent abroad did not contribute to abuse. Continue reading...

Green party hopes to make hay in elections after state adopts well-backed petitionEnvironmentalists in Germany are celebrating a decision by Bavaria to adopt a series of measures to “save the bees” that may revolutionise farming practice across the country.“This is a milestone for nature protection and a fine hour for citizen law-making in Bavaria,” said Ludwig Hartmann, of the Green party, one of the initiators of a petition that prompted the move. “This is a reason to be joyful, but also an incentive to jointly advance further important projects for the protection of our environment and the climate.” Continue reading...

Panel was disbanded after a Trump official voiced concerns that it did not have enough members ‘from industry’

Scientists warn that social and economic price of plastic waste to global society has been underestimatedPlastic pollution in the world’s oceans costs society billions of dollars every year in damaged and lost resources, research has found.Fisheries, aquaculture, recreational activities and global wellbeing are all negatively affected by plastic pollution, with an estimated 1-5% decline in the benefit humans derive from oceans. The resulting cost in such benefits, known as marine ecosystem value, is up to $2.5bn (£1.9bn) a year, according to a study published this week in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Continue reading...

The purple shrub thrives in dereliction and decay. How much better things would be if it had nowhere to grow

Mott Haven in the South Bronx is a classic example where black and Hispanic residents experience a particularly insidious ‘environmental inequality’Daniel Chervoni looked out at the busy street from the small community park he tends as a gardener in the South Bronx and clenched his fist as another Fresh Direct diesel truck roared by, spewing exhaust as it took a popular short-cut through the neighborhood.“They are the reason for our pain, this is why the lungs of Mott Haven’s residents are suffering,” he said. Continue reading...

Existing legislation requires ‘complete overhaul’ to prevent the decline of species, committee warnsA Senate committee examining Australia’s animal extinction crisis has recommended new environment laws to try to halt the decline of threatened species.The laws, proposed in an interim report by the committee, would include a new, independent national environmental protection authority that would have sufficient powers and funding to enforce compliance with environment law. Continue reading...

Study creates blueprint to safeguard marine life and enable ocean recoveryAcademics have mapped out a network of sanctuaries they say are required to save the world’s oceans, protect wildlife and fight climate breakdown.The study, ahead of a historic vote at the UN, sets out the first detailed plan of how countries can protect over a third of the world’s oceans by 2030, a target scientists and policy makers say is crucial in order to safeguard marine ecosystems and help mitigate the impacts of a rapidly heating world. Continue reading...

Weight of 1.75m signatures persuades German state to bypass referendum and order action to protect pollinatorsBavaria has announced that it will pass into law a popular “save the bees” petition that promises drastic changes in farming practices – without putting it to a referendum first.The landmark move comes amid increasingly alarming warnings from scientists that nearly half of all insect species are in rapid decline – a third of the crucial pollinators threatened with extinction. Continue reading...

Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coralThe number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017.Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality. Continue reading...

Appeal court judges rule in favour of campaigners against ‘draconian’ Ineos injunctionCampaigners have hailed a legal victory against a multinational company that took out a “draconian and anti-democratic” injunction against protesters.On Wednesday, three court of appeal judges ruled in favour of activists who wanted to overturn the wide-ranging injunction that had been granted to the petrochemicals business Ineos, which is owned by Britain’s richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, and aspires to become a leading fracking company. Continue reading...

New material could replace plastic or glass in construction of energy-efficient homesIn an era of glass and steel construction, wood may seem old-school. But now researchers say they have given timber a makeover to produce a material that is not only sturdy, but also transparent and able to store and release heat.The researchers say the material could be used in the construction of energy-efficient homes, and that they hope to develop a biodegradable version to increase its eco-friendly credentials as an alternative to plastic, glass or even cement. Continue reading...