Democratic candidate says other issues matter, but America cannot afford to have another leader who does not have climate change as their top priorityThere are other things around which Washington’s governor, Jay Inslee, could craft his stump speech. He could talk about how he dropped out of Stanford and moved into his parents’ basement because he couldn’t afford tuition. He could tell voters he was the first governor to challenge Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban.Related: Pete Buttigieg to Fox: 'Ideological spectrum has never been less relevant' Continue reading...

Australia’s largest export customer for thermal coal is scrapping plans to build power plantsMajor Japanese investors, including those most indebted to coal, are seeking to back large-scale renewables projects across Asia, marking a “monumental” shift that energy market analysts say is “the start of the end for thermal coal”.At the same time, Japanese banks and trading houses are walking away from coal investments, selling out of Australian mines and scrapping plans to build coal-fired power. Continue reading...

Traffic pollution is putting our children at risk. We meet campaigners – many of them concerned mothers – fighting backIn the winter you can taste and smell the pollution,” says Kylie ap Garth, drinking coffee in a cafe in Hackney, east London. “My eldest is eight and he has asthma. Being outside, he would have a tight chest and cough. I just assumed it was the cold weather. I didn’t realise there was a link to the cars.”She is not exaggerating. The main road from Bethnal Green tube station is clogged with traffic, the smell of diesel fumes mixing with smoke from barbecue grill restaurants and construction dust. Anyone trying to escape from the roadside to the canal towpath finds only that the fumes are swapped with coal smoke from the canal boats. Continue reading...

Giraffe welcomes another newborn at New York zoo, two years after her previous pregnancy went viralApril the giraffe gave birth again on Saturday, in front of another enthralled YouTube audience.Related: April the pregnant giraffe: live stream attracts millions – and YouTube censors Continue reading...

Party also want regulator with powers to tackle climate change, air pollution, invasive species, water resources, land-clearing and vulnerable habitatsThe Greens will push for two new environmental agencies, including a regulator with wide-ranging powers to tackle climate change and land-clearing, adding pressure to Labor to provide detail to its own policy pledge.In the new policy the Greens promise laws to expand federal oversight of environmental issues, including the creation of an environment commission to develop protection plans and an environmental protection agency with “real powers” of enforcement. Continue reading...

Twenty-five states have attempted to introduce legislation to chill animal rights activism, and six have succeeded, as a string of ‘ag-gag’ laws are overturned in courtsA US governor has signed off legislation to prop up controversial “ag-gag” laws in Iowa, just months after a federal court declared them unconstitutional.In retaliation, animal rights activists are calling on their supporters to boycott the state as a vacation destination. Continue reading...

Environmentalists say changes will make it harder to stop the long-term decline of the species

Young people, inspired by Greta Thunberg, rally to press politicians to act on climate change

Commitments agreed at UN conference in Kenya do not go far enough, say green groupsEnvironmental groups involved in talks at a United Nations conference in Kenya have accused the US of blocking an ambitious global response to plastic pollution.Representatives of countries at the UN environment conference in Nairobi this week agreed to significantly reduce single-use plastics over the next decade but the voluntary pledges fell far short of what was required, according to green groups. Continue reading...

New group Wild Justice challenging Natural England over licence to slaughter certain wild birdsThe killing of thousands of “pest” birds each year including crows, rooks, jackdaws, magpies and woodpigeons is to be challenged in court by wildlife campaigners including Chris Packham.Wild Justice, a group newly created by Packham and fellow conservationists Mark Avery and Ruth Tingay, is launching legal action against Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog, for issuing a general licence that allows the unlimited slaughter of certain wild birds all year round. Continue reading...

School and university students continue Friday protests to call for political action on crisis

As thousands of US students join a global strike to demand action on climate change, Guardian US is offering extensive live coverage of the strikes – and devoted our entire front page to climate change to climate change for 11 minutes earlier today

A starry dwarf frog, blooming poppy fields and a black-winged kite Continue reading...

Your questions answered on climate strikes, cross-generational action and hope for the future

O’Rourke wants to be everything to everyone. To take a look back at his career, that’s an invitation he’s extended to the fossil fuel industry“We are truly now, more than ever, the last great hope of this Earth,” Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke ended a video announcing his presidential bid. “At this moment of maximum peril and maximum potential, let’s show ourselves and those who will succeed us in this great country just who we are and what we can do.”Related: Beto O'Rourke is the new Obama. And that's the last thing we need | David Sirota Continue reading...

Young people demanding action on climate change are building a mass movement like we South Africans did to end injusticeIn 1980, at the age of 15, I led a student protest that got me expelled. Every day that I went to Durban city centre, I could see that the schools for white children were different to mine. Even though adults told us that we could not make a difference, once our eyes were opened to this injustice, there was no alternative. My friends and I were determined to make a stand against the glaring inequality in South Africa.Those who lived under apartheid know exactly what it means to live with an inherent threat to your existence. But rather than give in to the fear that it was too big to take on, we had no choice but to trust in the power of our individual actions. There are many lessons here for the climate change movement. Continue reading...

As students around the world cut class to call attention to the threat of climate change, the Guardian asked young activists what motivated them to join the global climate strike.The Guardian asked student environmentalists from groups including the Youth Climate Strike US, the Sunrise Movement, Zero Hour, and Youth v. Apocalypse to explain why they are going on strike. Here are some of the responses we received, but you can read more on our 24-hour Climate Strike edition of our live blog. Continue reading...

The last time Anza-Borrego park experienced a bloom about 200,000 visitors flocked to see the bonanza of spring flowersIt’s lunchtime at Kesling’s Kitchen in Borrego Springs, and the line is out the door and down the block. It takes about 20 minutes to get inside to order food. The rush isn’t surprising: Borrego Springs is a small town that swells in size when people flock to see wildflowers around Anza-Borrego, California’s largest state park.Plentiful winter rain and precise conditions have led to a bonanza of spring wildflowers this season. And while that can be a great thing, it also raised fears that Borrego Springs could once again face what locals have dubbed “flowergeddon”, an apocalyptic situation caused by booming visitation. Continue reading...

Josh Thomas, who worked with three Liberal environment ministers, will get an annual salary of $353,180A former policy adviser to multiple Liberal party environment ministers has been appointed the new chief executive of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the government body responsible for managing the reef.Josh Thomas, who worked as an adviser to current minister Melissa Price, as well as former environment ministers Josh Frydenberg and Greg Hunt, will start a five-year term in the role on 18 March with an annual salary of $353,180. Continue reading...

Angus Taylor tells union leaders the opposition’s 45% reduction target will lead to a $9,000 wages cutThe Morrison government, which is battling a persistent internal fracture on energy policy, is attempting to foment divisions between Labor and the union movement over the opposition’s 45% emissions reduction target in the run up to the election.The energy minister Angus Taylor, has written to trade union leaders claiming the 45% economy-wide emissions reduction target will lead to wages being cut by $9,000. Continue reading...

Nopsema head Stuart Smith is listed to speak at The Great Australian Bight: The Big OpportunityEnvironmental groups have written to Australia’s offshore petroleum watchdog to urge him against speaking alongside the oil lobby at a pro-industry event titled The Great Australian Bight: The Big Opportunity.The head of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema), Stuart Smith, is listed as one of three keynote speakers at the South Australian “parliamentary friends of the resource sector” forum dinner on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Lack of action on 14 expired coal seam gas exploration licences now an election issue for uncertain communitiesThe New South Wales government has failed to close a loophole that effectively allows expired coal seam gas exploration licences to be extended indefinitely, despite calls from rural communities for certainty ahead of the state election.More than a dozen licences, mostly in the state’s north-west, have remained active past their expiration dates while the government assesses renewal applications from gas companies. In some cases, those applications have been held up in the system for years. Continue reading...

Climate strike founder put up for award ahead of global strikes planned in more than 105 countries

Revealed: Interior department official says he is ‘thrilled’ by Trump’s ‘knack for keeping the attention of the media and public focused somewhere else’A top US official told a group of fossil fuel industry leaders that the Trump administration will soon issue a proposal making large portions of the Atlantic available for oil and gas development, and said that it is easier to work on such priorities because Donald Trump is skilled at sowing “absolutely thrilling” distractions, according to records of a meeting obtained by the Guardian.Joe Balash, the assistant secretary for land and minerals management, was speaking to companies in the oil exploration business at a meeting of the International Association of Geophysical Contractors, or IAGC, last month. Continue reading...

NSW transport minister also criticises bureaucrats responsible for enforcing marine park sanctuary zonesAndrew Constance, the New South Wales transport minister and member for Bega, has told recreational fishers that he has influenced the makeup of a key marine park advisory group that is drawing up the new rules for protected areas off the state’s south coast.He has also criticised the NSW bureaucrats responsible for the marine parks and for enforcing the sanctuary zones. Continue reading...

Strikes are planned at 60 locations in Australia, including every state and territory capitalTens of thousands of Australian school students are expected to walk out of class on Friday to demand governments take action on climate change.The Australian strikes are part of a global campaign by students for greater urgency from politicians in tackling what they see as the greatest threat to their future. Continue reading...

Revelation comes as report calls on global firms to end secrecy over plastic footprintCoca-Cola has revealed for the first time it produces 3m tonnes of plastic packaging a year – equivalent to 200,000 bottles a minute – as a report calls on other global companies to end the secrecy over their plastic footprint.The data from the soft drinks manufacturer was provided to the campaigner Ellen MacArthur, who is pushing for major companies and governments to do more to tackle plastic pollution. Continue reading...

Data shows while emissions from electricity sector are in decline, gains have been wiped out by increases from other industriesAustralia’s annual carbon emissions have reached a new high and drops in emissions from the electricity sector have been wiped out by increases from other industries, according to new data.Ndevr Environmental, an emissions-tracking organisation that releases quarterly greenhouse gas emissions data, said on Thursday that annual emissions for the year up to December 2018 increased to 558.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. It was the highest level on record when excluding unreliable land use data. Continue reading...

Toxic fumes blamed for making more than 500 people ill near the industrial town of Pasir GudangMore than 100 schools in Malaysia have been closed after the dumping of toxic waste into a river caused hundreds of people to fall ill, including many children, authorities said.A lorry is believed to have dumped the waste in southern Johor state last week, sending hazardous fumes across a wide area and causing those affected to display symptoms of poisoning such as nausea and vomiting. Continue reading...

Environment department ‘cherry picked’ data to claim clearing has decreased, but figures show recent steady increaseTwo of Australia’s largest environment groups have accused the federal environment department of providing inaccurate information about land clearing to the Senate, and of not acting to reduce habitat loss.The Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF Australia say the department has “cherry picked” data to claim that land clearing in Queensland has decreased, when national figures on land clearing rates in that state in fact show increases since 2011. Continue reading...

A Senate committee has been told water buybacks are cost effective and savings should go to creating jobs in rural areasA Senate committee examining whether to lift the current cap on water buybacks has heard evidence that it would be cheaper to buy more water from farmers and then inject savings into rural communities to create other types of jobs than opt for water-savings projects – but the federal government has never explored the option.The committee is examining legislation, backed by Labor, the Greens and independents to repeal the cap that prevents more than 1,500 gigalitres of water being bought back from agriculture to assist the environment. Continue reading...

Young activists and our columnist answer your questions as pupils around the world stage climate strikes

Temperatures likely to rise by 3-5C above pre-industrial levels even if Paris goals metSharp and potentially devastating temperature rises of 3C to 5C in the Arctic are now inevitable even if the world succeeds in cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement, research has found.Winter temperatures at the north pole are likely to rise by at least 3C above pre-industrial levels by mid-century, and there could be further rises to between 5C and 9C above the recent average for the region, according to the UN. Continue reading...

Environmental groups say chancellor’s climate change pledges do not go far enoughGas boilers will be replaced by low-carbon heating systems in all new homes built after 2025 in an attempt to tackle the escalating climate crisis, Philip Hammond has said.In his spring statement, the chancellor said new properties would use alternative systems, such as heat pumps, to help the UK reduce its carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Aurizon, which is in negotiations with Adani, accused of bullying ‘concerned citizens’The freight rail operator Aurizon has launched legal action against five environmental activists and is seeking $375,000 in compensation for a series of recent protests that stopped coal trains.Aurizon lodged a statement of claim in the Queensland supreme court in January against the group Frontline Action on Coal (Flac) Incorporated, seeking “user-rent” from the organisation as damages for five separate protests in December and January that blocked the rail line. Continue reading...

Ten models found to be emitting more greenhouse gases than certified initiallyJaguar Land Rover has been forced to recall more than 44,000 cars for repairs after UK regulators found some models were emitting more carbon dioxide than previously thought.The Vehicle Certification Agency found 10 models for the Land Rover and Jaguar brands were emitting more greenhouse gases than had been certified initially. JLR then informed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which handles recalls, of the findings. Continue reading...

Environment groups, councils and London mayor challenge airport expansion in high courtThe decision to expand Heathrow airport with a third runway was unlawful because it failed to consider the full impacts of climate change and the need for more stringent targets to avoid catastrophic global warming, the high court has been told.Friends of the Earth on Wednesday accused the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, of acting unlawfully when he agreed to the expansion, which is contained in the government’s airports national policy statement. Continue reading...

Reports have emerged that Daniel Craig will get behind the wheel of a zero-emissions motor in his latest adventure – only £250,000 to dedicated fansLong-haul flights, tons of guns and a bagpipe flamethrower: such are the special demands of his career that James Bond has never been considered a poster boy for an eco-friendly lifestyle. But next year’s 25th Bond film looks set to have Ian Fleming’s hero make his first concession to climate change, by driving an electric Aston Martin – albeit one which retails at £250,000.According to reports, the film – whose working title of Shatterhand was recently debunked – will see Daniel Craig’s 007 behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Rapide E, one of only 155 electric cars being built by the British manufacturer. Continue reading...

Air quality has become a key political issue after record pollution levels hit the country last weekSouth Korea has passed emergency measures to tackle the “social disaster” being unleashed by air pollution, after record levels of fine dust blanketed most of the country in recent weeks.The national assembly passed a series of bills on Wednesday giving authorities access to emergency funds for measures that include the mandatory installation of high-capacity air purifiers in classrooms and encouraging sales of liquified petroleum gas vehicles, which produce lower emissions than those that run on petrol and diesel. Continue reading...

State Labor leader says education is ‘bigger than the classroom’ as he applauds students for ‘standing up and taking action’The New South Wales opposition leader, Michael Daley, has backed the state’s schoolchildren striking and attending rallies on climate change, saying it was a democratic right to protest and “an important way to realise their own personal power”.Speaking at a National Press Club event in Sydney, Daley said he supported the rallies on Friday, even though he might soon be the premier and responsible for ensuring children attend school. Continue reading...

Environmentalists ‘stoked’ by expansion they say will protect blue duck, native kaka bird, bats and giant land snailsA national park in New Zealand has been expanded by 64,000 hectares – the largest gain for a national park in the country’s history.Kahurangi national park is situated in the north-west corner of New Zealand’s South Island, and is already the second-largest national park in the country. Continue reading...

Scientists map out threats faced by thousands of species of birds, mammals and amphibiansMore than 1,200 species globally face threats to their survival in more than 90% of their habitat and “will almost certainly face extinction” without conservation intervention, according to new research.Scientists working with Australia’s University of Queensland and the Wildlife Conservation Society have mapped threats faced by 5,457 species of birds, mammals and amphibians to determine which parts of a species’ habitat range are most affected by known drivers of biodiversity loss. Continue reading...

At this point of crisis we must bypass rhetoric and political posturing

Our wide brown land series is coming to an end. As we launch the editorial appeal for The Frontline: Australia and the climate emergency, we look back at the impact it made

The new sites created by a sweeping public lands bill have been years in the making – here’s our guide

Foreign influence register reveals Bindi Gove lobbying for Equinor, which is wanting to drill in Great Australian BightThe chief of staff to the former Labor resources minister Martin Ferguson is lobbying for a Norwegian oil giant seeking to drill in the Great Australian Bight.The release of the government’s new foreign influence register has revealed the lobbying activities of individuals and companies who are otherwise hidden by Australia’s deeply flawed, decade-old lobbyist transparency regime. Continue reading...

Extraction also causes 80% of biodiversity loss, according to comprehensive UN studyExtraction industries are responsible for half of the world’s carbon emissions and more than 80% of biodiversity loss, according to the most comprehensive environmental tally undertaken of mining and farming.While this is crucial for food, fuel and minerals, the study by UN Environment warns the increasing material weight of the world’s economies is putting a more dangerous level of stress on the climate and natural life-support systems than previously thought. Continue reading...

Researchers say dirty air is killing 800,000 people a year in Europe, and urge the phasing out of fossil fuel burningThe number of early deaths caused by air pollution is double previous estimates, according to research, meaning toxic air is killing more people than tobacco smoking.The scientists used new data to estimate that nearly 800,000 people die prematurely each year in Europe because of dirty air, and that each life is cut short by an average of more than two years. The health damage caused by air pollution in Europe is higher than the global average. Its dense population and poor air results in exposure that is among the highest in the world. Continue reading...

Environmental groups oppose the underwater pipeline that would bring fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New YorkA battle is erupting over a proposed gas pipeline on the doorstep of New York City, with environmental groups claiming the project is unnecessary and would lock in planet-warming emissions for decades to come.Energy company Williams, based in Oklahoma, plans to build a 23-mile-long underwater pipeline through New York’s lower bay to bring fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York. The $1bn project would link existing infrastructure in New Jersey, to the Rockaways in the New York borough of Queens. Continue reading...